On October 10, 1840, some 750 Potawatomi slowly made their way south along Burdick Street, past the home of Judge Epaphroditus Ransom, on the first leg of their journey to new homes west of the Mississippi River.
When war broke out between the United States and England in 1812, many natives, including the Potawatomi, favored the British. Some American soldiers captured during the war were held captive in a Potawatomi village later known as Indian Fields, where the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport is now located.
To read more, visit:
https://kalamazoomuseum.org/images/museon/2006-Fall-MuseON.pdf