Kawbawgam:
The Chief, The Legend, The Man

Today, Charles Kawbawgam, “The Last Chief of the Chippewa,” is a legend in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for allegedly living to age 103 (1799-1902). But few know anything else about him beyond his being buried in Marquette’s beautiful Presque Isle Park.

Kawbawgam witnessed a period of intense industrial growth and unheralded change for Native Americans. Growing up at Sault Sainte Marie when the area was still claimed by Great Britain, his first memory was of armed Americans coercing his people into ceding their lands to the United States Government. As the son, nephew, stepson, and later son-in-law of Ojibwa chiefs, and in time a chief in his own right, Kawbawgam learned early that he would have to walk a fine line to keep the peace for his people. After temporarily migrating to Canada with other Ojibwa in disagreement with the American government, he returned to the Sault where he was recruited to help found the town of Marquette.

Kawbawgam would preside over an Ojibwa and métis community that helped ensure the white settlers’ survival during Marquette’s early years, only to be pushed to the city’s margins as Marquette grew and prospered. Yet the admiration and affection Kawbawgam won from whites as well as the Ojibwa maintained peace and created a legacy that lives on today. Kawbawgam is a story of cross-cultural friendships, survival amid upheaval, and the importance of community and heritage.

Tyler R. Tichelaar is a seventh-generation resident of Marquette, Michigan. His ancestors arrived there in 1849, soon after Chief Kawbawgam. Tyler holds a PhD in Literature and is the author of twenty-one books, including My Marquette, Haunted Marquette and eight historical fiction novels set in the Marquette area.

6x9 size, paperback, 448 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0-9962400-7-9

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UP Book Review

"Kawbawgam Finally Tells the
True Tale of Marquette’s Most Famous Chief"
by Victor R. Volkman

Reviews, Interviews and Praise for Kawbawgam: The Chief, The Legend, The Man

Author to talk virtually about well-known Ojibwa chief with the Tecumseh District Library - Lenconnect.com, March 7, 2022

Local Legend Revealed - The Mining Journal, February 17, 2022

Notable reads: Books with U.P. connection to be honored - The Mining Journal, January 30, 2021

UP Notable Books List 2021 - UP Publishers and Authors Association, January 24, 2021

Virtual presentation on new Chief Kawbawgam biography offered tonight - The Mining Journal, November 18, 2020

Zoom book release for Kawbawgam biography - The Mining Journal, November 4, 2020

History center to host book release presentation - The Mining Journal, October 30, 2020

Review: "Kawbawgam Finally Tells the True Tale of Marquette’s Most Famous Chief" by Victor R. Volkman, Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association