WOODS, WATERS, and WILDLIFE
The church fell into disrepair after the Wyandot departed, and both the interior (above) and exterior (above right) were restored in 1889. (—continued from Page 32)
walking. Their path took them through Kenton, Bellefontaine, Springfield, Xenia, and eventually to Cincinnati. Newspapers in the towns along the way all carried stories of the Wyandot passing. A reporter for the Springfield Republic wrote: “It was indeed a melancholy sight to witness the departure of the last Redman from our borders. Only a few years have elapsed since they were the sole owners of every acre of soil in Ohio. Judging from the past, we suppose that in a few years the Wyandot tribe will become extinct. It has not been long since they numbered thousands; now only a few hundred remain. May the power of the Almighty guard and protect them so long as one drop of aboriginal blood continues to flow.” In Cincinnati, tribal members boarded two steamboats that took them to Missouri, a trip requiring nearly three weeks. But upon arrival, there was no land awaiting them as the government had promised. Forced to camp along the Missouri River in cold and damp conditions, some 100 tribal members died that winter — men, women, and children. 34
Plaques (above and below) erected at the grounds of the old Mission Church give a bit of the history of the site. At left, another plaque marks the grave of the church’s original pastor.
The remaining members of the tribe eventually moved overland into Kansas and Oklahoma. Today, a combined total of about 6,000 Wyandots live in Kansas, Oklahoma, Michigan, and Canada. The stone Wyandot Mission Church in Upper Sandusky was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 by the U.S. Department of the Interior. W.H. “CHIP” GROSS, a member of
Consolidated Electric Cooperative, is Country Living’s outdoors editor. He encourages readers to share outdoors story ideas at whchipgross@ gmail.com.
If You Go... If you’d like to visit the Wyandot Mission Church at Upper Sandusky, it’s open June, July, and August, Friday through Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Ecumenical services are held on Sunday mornings. Special tours can be arranged at other times of the year by calling the John Stewart United Methodist Church at 419-294-2867.
•
C O U N TRY LIVING F EB RUARY 2 01 7
OEC CL Febuary-2017 pages 32-34.indd 4
1/19/17 12:31 PM