From 1818 through 1851, groups of American Indians were forcibly removed from states east of the Mississippi River to territories west of it. One of these removals was the Potawatomi Trail of Death, conducted by William Polke of Rochester, Indiana, and escorted by soldiers from Indiana to Kansas; 850 Indians, 396 horses, and 52 wagons crossed the river on a steam ferry boat on Oct. 8-9, 1838. They were accompanied by Father Benjamin Petit from Indiana and attended Mass at St. Boniface Church in Quincy. Many Indians died during the removals and were buried along the trail. On the Trail of Death, 41 died, mostly elders and babies. About 60 deserted and went back to Indiana or north to Wisconsin and Canada, and some went to Texas and Mexico. In 1840, 500 Potawatomi from Indiana and Michigan, conducted by Alexis Coquillard, passed through Quincy and attended Mass at St. Peter Church, accompanied by Father Stephen Bernier of Indiana. Abram Burnett, a full blood Potawatomi, acted as interpreter for both the 1838 and 1840 groups. Today their descendants live in all 50 states.
