For years, the Trail of Death website has offered documents telling the story of the 1838 removal of the Potawatomi people from Indiana. Now, the website will have a new URL and a new look with features including video and interactive maps.

Reclaiming Potawatomi stories

When the Potawatomi Trail of Death Association started discussing how to update the former website, Teri Schwiethale, board member and Melot family member, started with a template just to show what was possible.

“What we realized almost right away is that this is much larger than just us,” she said. “The Trail of Tears, everyone knows about, but it kind of spans over 30 to 50 years, different stories, no Point A to Point Z. We have a story that starts at Point A and a very specific date.”

With the many resources available about the Trail of Death — such as the journals describing the journey — the Potawatomi Trail of Death Association realized it had something that could serve as an effective education tool to tell the story of Native American relocations.

“This is something that belongs to us and we could use it as an educational tool,” she said. “It’s our story to tell, but it’s also the American story of relocation. So how can we take this story from us, the people, of our ancestors who experienced it, and turn it into a teaching tool?”

With the redesign of the website, she said they hoped to offer a format that was easy to navigate, but also something that might easily be utilized in a classroom for teachers to show students what Indigenous people went through.

Along with it being important for Potawatomi to tell the story of the Potawatomi people, Schwiethale said it was vital that they secure their story for future generations.

For years, the Fulton County Historical Society, including Shirley Willard, ran the website and did much of the work to get historical markers placed.

“They [Shirley and her husband, Bill] have done so much work. We really appreciate them,” she said. “Even so, it’s still ours. So, what we wanted to do is secure that, so that even when these people move on or they aren’t with us anymore, that [information] doesn’t get lost from us.”

Changes to the website

At a national conference, Schwiethale had discussions with representatives from Apple, who offered to help with the website. The association also found Santiago Gea, who came on board as the website’s designer.

“He’s just been so wonderful to work with. We just love him so much. And he really gets it. He gets what we want to do,” she said.

It has taken time, especially with so many people involved, but Schwiethale said they are getting close to having the website complete.

Moving forward, visitors can go to trailofdeath.org to see the website, rather than the former URL, which was more complicated.

Schwiethale said they have also worked to add several new features.

There will be video featuring lectures about the Trail of Death, but also video of Trail of Death officer and Tribal elder George Godfrey at different locations along the trail.

“We have filmed George talking and telling some of the stories and reading some of the journals,” she said. “We have that video to put on there so people can actually hear someone telling it and see them in their regalia.”

The website will also feature interactive maps designed by Rich Meyer, allowing users to click on different locations and see information such as journal entries recorded at those locations. The hope is that it will give a more complete picture of the story.

Even though the website is changing, Schwiethale explained they are adding to it, not taking anything away.

“Anything that we’ve had previously on the last one, all of that information is going to be available,” she said. “We’re adding to it.”

Going forward

Even with the changes, Schwiethale said there is more to do.

Other things they have talked about adding include footage of old powwows from the mid-1900s, just to show that the Tribe is still thriving and still here.

“We’d love to have input,” she said. “We want the ideas.”

She welcomed people to contact them with things they might like to see on the website, but also to submit pictures from previous Trail of Death walks, family stories of loved ones who were on the Trail of Death, and more.

“We want to share what we have. It’s our way of keeping it perpetuating into the future for our children and our grandchildren so it doesn’t get lost,” she said.

Tribal members can send ideas and feedback to [email protected].

To see the new Trail of Death website, go to trailofdeath.org.