After so much death, sickness, and starvation, the people naturally refused to move and Chief Buffalo decided he must end Indian removal once and for all.
The Long Journey to Washington
The chief was well over 90 years old when he climbed into a birchbark canoe with his interpreter, Benjamin Armstrong, to travel to Washington D.C. and speak with President Millard Fillmore – along with several other band chiefs. |
When he eventually arrived in Washington months later, he and the other chiefs negotiated with Pres. Fillmore until he agreed to rescind the removal order and sign the 1854 Treaty. This marked the end of federal efforts to remove tribes onto lands west of the Mississippi River and ensured the Ojibwe people would never have to leave their homelands.
Chief Buffalo died a year after the 1854 treaty was signed, but his life’s work will never be forgotten. Treaty Day Commemoration This Week
If you need a reason to drive Wisconsin's scenic tour during the fall colors, join me and our Regional Tribal Organizer Laura Miranda of the Bad River Tribe this week for the 1854 Treaty Day Commemoration. Events will be happening from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 in La Pointe, Wisconsin on Madeline Island.
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