An Event to Recognize The Forgotten War

Vigo County, Indiana, War of 1812 Bicentennial Committee To Host February Event
*This event received a Humanities Initiative Grant from the Indiana Humanities Council

The Vigo County, Indiana, War of 1812 Bicentennial Committee, in cooperation with the National Park Service, is planning a calendar of events for the upcoming commemoration of the War of 1812. In February Indiana State University (ISU) will support that effort with a public lecture entitled, The Other Side of the Northwest Frontier: The Native Peoples of the Great Lakes Region and the War of 1812, focusing on Native American views on the conflict. 

Often referred to as the “forgotten war,” the War of 1812 as it pertains to the Indiana Territory receives little attention in local history programming. It is not widely known that the first shots of the conflict were fired in the Indiana Territory six months prior to the official declaration of war when the quarrel between the United States government and the resident Indian tribes culminated in the Battle of Tippecanoe on Nov. 7, 1811. The events which occurred in Vigo County, Indiana, specifically, and in the Great Lakes Region in general during the War of 1812 are an integral part of the national narrative of the westward expansion of the United States.

The Other Side of the Northwest Frontier: The Native Peoples of the Great Lakes Region and the War of 1812, will begin on Friday evening, Feb. 11, with a reception at Terre Haute’s Native American Museum in Dobbs Park, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This night will offer all an opportunity to informally chat and socialize. The main event will take place at the Cunningham Memorial Library on the Indiana State University campus on Saturday morning, Feb. 12, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Our speakers will be Roger Laybourn, United Métis Tribe; Dawn G. Marsh, Purdue University; and Karim M. Tiro, Xavier University, and our moderator is David A. Nichols, Indiana State University.  Both the Friday reception and the Saturday lecture are free and open to the public, and refreshment will be provided.  This event is coordinated by the Cunningham Memorial Library and the ISU Department of History.  For further information call 812.237.2534.

The Vigo County, Indiana, War of 1812 Bicentennial Committee also maintains a website featuring information about the conflict for higher education and K-12, and lists information about events and groups interested in the War of 1812. This site can be found at http://libguides.indstate.edu/warof1812.