Stone's Trace site to host "Five Medals' experience

LIGONIER — This year’s “Five Medals at The Trace” takes place Saturday, May 6, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, May 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Stone’s Trace Historic Site, a privately owned historical park south of Ligonier, at the intersection of U.S.33 and S.R. 5. Friday, May 5, is earmarked as school visitation day.

Five Medals is a living history educational experience geared toward the entire family, allowing all to become totally immersed in this area’s exceptional history. The event spans the middle 1600s up through the War of 1812.

Five Medals at The Trace features nearly 200 reenactors and demonstrators, including one-of-a-kind shopping opportunities with early American merchants, live Colonial music, period-correct Punch & Judy Show, blacksmithing, tinsmithing, woodworking, flintknapping, ropemaking, 1700’s doctor, open-fire cooking and baking, soapmaking, colonial beekeeping, natural fabric dyeing, spinning and wool carding, basket weaving, pottery, an oxen team, and even a chocolatier, all ongoing during the event

Visitors will appreciate the woodlands-to-grasslands transition areas, as well as several log cabins. Along with shopping opportunities and early American crafts galore, visitors will find several great food options, along with generous parking at West Noble High School.

Visitors will experience British, Colonial American, and French military camps, a Potawatomi Native village, cannon and muskets firing, and 18th century artisans and shopping opportunities, all in one place at “Five Medals at The Trace.” Families and students of all ages will get a one-of-a-kind history lesson they will never forget.

Visitors will feel their chests pound during the black powder flintlock and artillery demonstrations. They will interact with participants in the woodland Native, French civilian and military, British military, and Colonial/U.S. military encampments.

“Five Medals at The Trace” is presented by Five Medals Living History, Inc., a 501(C)3 for-public-benefit, and 501(C)3 non-profit organization.

The History of Five Medals

On Aug. 3, 1795, at Fort Greenville, Ohio Country, a treaty of vital importance was signed. Present were familiar names: Anthony Wayne, Little Turtle, William Henry Harrison, Blue Jacket, William Wells, White Pigeon, William Clark, Topinabee, Meriwether Lewis, Winamac, and a highly-regarded chief of the Elkhart River Band of Potawatomi named Wonongaseah, or Wa-weeg-she, as his name was inscribed on the treaty next to his mark.

Wonongaseah is roughly translated as “Five Coins” or “Five Medals” and, combined with the numerous peace medallions he had accumulated, the chief became known simply as “Five Medals.” He signed at least six treaties of either peace or land cession.

His village was located on the Elkhart River, northwest of present-day Ligonier. He traveled with Little Turtle to Philadelphia in 1796, where he met President George Washington, and in 1801 to Washington, D.C., where he delivered an oration to President Jefferson.

Wonongaseah worked tirelessly to improve relations with the westward expanding European-Americans, and made several efforts to bring modern agricultural practices to his and other local villages.

The Battle of Tippecanoe on Nov. 7, 1811, ignited the entire region. Five Medals, under the unavoidable influence of Tecumseh, found himself at the Siege of Fort Wayne in September 1812.

General Harrison’s troops relieved the siege and immediately conducted retaliatory raids upon area villages. Five Medals’ village was partially destroyed in September 1812 and was attacked again in June 1813. Five Medals and his people removed themselves to the Detroit area for the remainder of the war.

For more information, go to Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/History-Museum/Five-Medals-at-The-Trace-103932441259144.

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