10/12/2026
🍂 Before our footsteps, were theirs.
Long before Camp Fort Hill welcomed its first campers in 1928, Indigenous peoples lived, traveled, and cared for the lands of southwestern Michigan.
The region we now call St. Joseph County is part of the ancestral homelands of Indigenous peoples, including the Potawatomi (Bodéwadmi), whose communities have deep historical and continuing connections to the St. Joseph River Valley.
For generations, Indigenous communities relied on the region’s forests, lakes, rivers, and fertile lands for food, transportation, trade, and daily life. The Potawatomi cultivated crops such as corn, beans, and squash, traveled waterways by canoe, and established communities throughout the region.
Their history is also one of resilience. During the 1800s, many Potawatomi families faced displacement and forced removal from their homelands. Others, including ancestors of today’s Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, fought to remain on the lands they had long called home.
Today, as we walk Camp Fort Hill’s wooded trails, paddle the waters of Tamarack Lake, and teach new generations to appreciate the natural world, we recognize that our connection to this land is only one small chapter in a much longer story.
This Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor the original stewards of this region, recognize their descendants and living communities, and reaffirm our commitment to caring for the land with respect and gratitude.
The land has a story worth remembering. Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day! 🌿
