Chief Abraham Meshigaud

Chief Abraham Meshigaud, born in 1831, was the leader of the Potawatomi community that was located in the area that is now the Village of Mishicot. Village founder Daniel Smith, a friend of Meshigaud, named the village in his honor. In the Potawatomi language his name means "hairy leg," a reference to the ceremonial feathered leggings, symbolizing the legs of the horned owl, that are worn by some Potawatomi.

Many of Meshigaud's descendants live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan around the village of Harris, where the Hannahville Potawatomi Reservation is located. This is where the Chief resided when he passed away in 1916. He is buried on the reservation.

This photograph, date unknown, was taken in Escanaba, Michigan.