Shabbona

Shabbona or Shab-eh-nay, sometimes referred to as Shabonee and Shaubena ( – 1859), was an Odawa tribe member who became a chief within the Potawatomi tribe in Illinois during the 19th century.

Early life Shabbona was born around 1775 of the Odawa (Ottawa) tribe either on the Maumee River in Ohio, in Ontario or in a Native American village in Illinois. Shabbona was said to be a grandnephew of Pontiac, the famous Odawa leader. Shabbona was granted his chief status at a very young age. The son of an Odawa warrior who had fought with Pontiac during Pontiac's War, Shabbona himself would become a lieutenant under Shawnee chieftain Tecumseh and, during the War of 1812, later participated in the Battle of the Thames where Tecumseh was killed.

Wars

War of 1812 Shabbona was an accomplished warrior who fought alongside Tecumseh during the War of 1812 while aligned against the United States.

Red Bird Uprising In 1815, with the treaty ending the war, Shabbona and Senachewine were supported by the Indian Agent at Peoria as the tribal leaders against the Fort Wayne Agent's selection of Five Medals and Metea and the Chicago Indian Agent's support of Topinabee and Chebass. The confusion caused by these separate designations of tribal leaders increased confusion among the Americans who sought to designate a single chief. During the Winnebagos' Red Bird uprising of 1825 north of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Shabbona volunteered with Billy Caldwell, Robinson, and Shamagaw (from Kankakee) to go to Big Foot's village on Geneva Lake to determine if any of the Potawatomi nation were involved. They discovered that the chiefs were all at the Winnebago village on Lake Koshkonong. Shabbona entered the village alone, hoping that his lone presence would not upset the village. He was immediately confined as a spy for the Americans. They agreed to release Shabbona if he would return directly to his village and not report to the Americans in Chicago. Not trusting him, the Winnebago provided an escort. As this group passed the hiding place of Caldwell, Robinson, and Shamagaw, he loudly complained of the incident. In this way, Shabbona reached his own village with his escort, while Caldwell, Robinson, and Shamagaw returned quietly to Chicago and reported to the Americans. At the Treaty of Prairie du Chien (June 1829), Shabbona received a grant of land for his service during the Red Bird uprising. five years after the death of her husband.

Legacy Tribal meetings once took place at Johnson's Mound's Shabbona Tree in Elburn, Illinois (here visited by Stefan Anderson and party in 1955); it was taken down in 1972.

The unincorporated community of Shabbona was named before 1909 in his honor in Evergreen Township, Michigan.

The Shabbona Trail was established in the 1950s by Troop 25, featuring a variety of woodland habitats. The trail is Nationally Approved by the Boy Scouts of America and follows the paths that Shabbona was known to have walked. The trail is 20 miles in length extending from Joliet, Illinois to Morris, Illinois. Chief Shabbona Trail Flyer is a printable trail Map.

DeKalb County land Since the death of Shabbona, there has been an ongoing effort to reclaim a reserve that was afforded to Shabbona in the 1829 Second Treaty of Prairie du Chien. In Article III of the treaty, a reserve was created for Shabbona and his band in what is now DeKalb County, Illinois. Reclaiming this grove has chiefly been pursued by the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. From the time of Shabbona's death to 2001, little recognition was offered by the Department of Interior. However, in 2001 the Solicitor wrote an opinion that concluded that the grove was indeed a reserve and the ownership was vested to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. In 2007, an opposing group funded a study into the history of Shabbona's grove and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation has submitted volumes of legal and historical documents.

While seeking recognition of the DeKalb County tribal land, the Prairie Band over the decades succeeded in purchasing 120 acres of land there. In 2024, they became the first and only recognized tribe with land under tribal sovereignty in Illinois, when the Department of Interior accepted this parcel as trust land. On March 21, 2025, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation authorizing the transfer of ownership of Shabbona Lake State Park to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.