"While the reservation of the Prairie band was well defined by the year 1863, it was by no means so firmly fixed as to be certain of continual existence. It had not become associated as a fixed fact in the minds of the Indians themselves. The vital principle - the idea of communal life - was still uppermost. This was the hope of the band. There existed, however, uncertainty as to the future. There had not yet been the complete assembly at one point of all the members of the Prairie band. Perhaps this never was achieved to the last member. But in 1864 a portion of the band lived on Mill creek, in Wabaunsee county. They were known as Shanques, and their headman was one Captain John (Wis-Ki-Ge-Amatyuk). About the first of August, 1864, some forty of this settlement - men, women and children - went to the Osage and Cherokee country to remain for the winter, and possibly to settle permanently. They were assured by the agent that if they found a country to suit them the government would secure it for them, believing that the whole tribe would be drawn to settle about them.

The Prairie band living on Soldier creek (Jackson county) were also unsettled to some extent. Many of them had gone before the middle of September to Iowa and Wisconsin to spend the winter. It was their intention to return in the spring. At that time there were two causes for the unsettled condition of this band. One was the disturbed condition of the border due to the Civil War. The other was the warlike attitude maintained toward them by the wild tribes, natives to the plains. The Pottawatomies had never succeeded in establishing cordial relations with the plains Indians. As a consequence they could not go into the habitat of the buffalo, the only hope for an adequate supply of meat. This year of 1864 was one of trouble and uncertainty for the Prairie band."

"The report of Agent Clarke, 1856....This year, Sha-quah, "a bold and influential chief," becoming disgusted with the conduct of affairs affecting the Pottawatomies, led away a band of about one hundred and took up his abode with the Creeks and Cherokees."

1896.

Agent L. F. Pearson. The issue remained the same in the Prairie band. The progress of the band was paralyzed by the allotment. The agent, of course, favored the allotment plan. He had to favor it to get his office, and he had to favor it to hold his office. His view was the view of the Indian Office and Secretary of the Interior. The following from his report is a fair statement of the conditions, and the agent's explanation of why they existed:

"Were it not for a comparatively small but extremely obstinate and unprogressive element among them, the largest tribe within the agency, the advancement would be yet more marked and satisfactory, but said element exerts an unfavorable influnce upon many members of the tribe that otherwise would identify themselves with the progressive element, and said influence proves decidedly injurious, even beyond their own immediate following. This element still clings to their inherent idea of a 'romantic barbarism,' and it will require years of time and patient care and the exercise of much tact and kindly consideration to bring theem to a full realization of the error of their ways and place them fairly on the way to a level with their more advanced brethren.

"This same element still persistently refuses to recognize their allotments of land in severalty, or the right of the United States government to make such disposition of their lands contrary to their wishes, and they are the means of continuing a feeling of uncertainty among some of the more timid ones as to the permanency of the allotments, thereby hindering some of them from openly acquiescing in said action of the United States government in thus allotting to them, as individuals, their proportion of them resist every effort that has been exerted tending to the placing of the resolve of a minor few, and they have reluctantly acceded, but it produced no effect whatever on the more aggressive of them. Happily, their numbers are comparatively few, and even they are not beyond the power of example and persuasion, and my efforts in their behalf will not be any relaxed."

By L.F. Pearson

United States Indian Agent