Francis La Fontaine

Francis La Fontaine, or Topeah, was the last principal chief of the Miami tribe, and oversaw the split into the Western and Eastern Miami tribes.

La Fontaine was the son of a French trader and a Miami mother. In 1828, at age 18, La Fontaine became the chief of his Miami village. [Federal Writers' Project, 315] The same year, he married Catherine, the daughter of Chief Jean Baptiste Richardville. [ [http://www.historicforks.org/resources/chiefs-house-miami.pdf http://www.historicforks.org/resources/chiefs-house-miami.pdf] ] Richardville and La Fontaine worked together on a treaty in 1840 which removed half of the Miami nation to an area west of the Mississippi River.

Chief Richardville died in 1841, and Chief La Fontaine became the new principal chief of the Miami. He moved his family into Richardville's house at The Forks Of The Wabash, which doubled as the tribal headquarters.http://www.historicforks.org/resources/chiefs-house-miami.pdf]

In 1846, the Miami nation was forcibly split. Although the terms of the treaty allowed La Fontaine to stay in Indiana with the Eastern tribe, he first travelled with the Western tribe to Kansas. On his return trip, he died in Lafayette, Indiana. Speculation exists that he may have been poisoned by a member of the Western Miami tribe who viewed La Fontaine with suspicion. [Federal Writers' Project, 198] La Fontaine's body was returned to the Forks of the Wabash, and his remains lie in Mt. Calvary Cemetery near Huntington, Indiana. [Allison, 293]

Catherine La Fontaine died two years later. Francis and Catherine had seven children. The youngest of the children were placed in the care of the Roman Catholic Church, and their sons were educated at the University of Notre Dame as payment for a mortgage Francis had granted the school to keep it financially stable. The family maintained ownership of the house until 1941, and it is currently maintained by Historic Forks of the Wabash, Inc.

Notes

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* Federal Writers' Project. "Indiana: A Guide to the Hoosier State" 3rd edition, 1947. ISBN 160354013X

External Links

*http://www.historicforks.org/