TIPPECANOE – During the 19th annual Potawatomi Gathering of the Nations, hosted this year by the Pokagon band, a historic bus tour of regional historic sites was offered. The bus tour included a stop at Potawatomi Wildlife Park in Marshall County, to tour the post-removal Benack Village. Mike Zimmerman Jr., Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, talked to the crowd about the unique post-removal village. Potawatomi Wildlife Park is a free-admission 300-plus-acre park along the Tippecanoe River south of Bourbon. It is in Marshall County, just west of the Kosciusko County border. From the north, the park entrance is located 1/2 mile south of Ind. 10 directly across from 17th Road. From the south, the entrance is approximately 1/2 mile north of the Tippecanoe Bridge on Ind. 331. Known for its Native American history, there are five miles of hiking trails and a variety of different habitats and native wildlife. Endangered mussels and river otters are found in this section of the Tippecanoe River.
