Visit the Encampments

* Merchants Row * New France

* 17th Century * Military Row * River Pirates

* Voyageur Camp * Hunters Camp

* Woodland Indian Village * Children's Activity Area

Experience the Life

* Talk with French settlers * Watch a matchlock gun being fired * Meet frontiersmen * Visit a French apothecary * Feel hand-made beadwork * Hear a roaring cannon * Watch the blacksmith forge * Talk with the silversmith * Learn where French Canadians settled in Indiana. * Watch wool being spun * Demonstrations of natural dyeing, leatherworking & more!

Chief Five Medals

     The Elkhart River Potawatomi first settled in the area before the American Revolution during the 1760s. Their settlement was located near the reenactment site and was called Five Medals Town, named after their community leader Chief Five Medals. The town was active in the fur trade and was frequently visited by European and American fur traders. During the War of 1812, young warriors from the town allied with Tecumseh and the British. Soldiers from Ohio and Kentucky destroyed the town twice during the conflict.

     Occasionally the settlement was described by travelers, military officers, and Indian agents. Their accounts mention twenty homes that were situated along an extensive prairie and were surrounded by about sixty to seventy acres of corn. As settlers pushed west, displaced Miami and Kickapoo from Ohio sometimes found refuge and briefly lived in the town. In1828, as Americans settled the prairie, the town was vacated and its residents moved west and merged with a different tribal group.

Gathering at Five Medals

Times:
Saturday & Sunday

9:00 am – 4:30 pm

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Elkhart County Parks or at the main event gate.

General Admission:

$4.00 / Adults
$2.00 / children 12 and under

Event Location :
Benton Spillway, River Preserve County Park - Map
(68552 C.R. 31, New Paris, IN)

Parking:
Benton Elementary School - Map
(68350 C.R. 31, New Paris, IN)

Overflow Parking at Fairfield High School - Map
(67530 US 33, Goshen, IN)  - Shuttle provided

Information:
Elkhart County Parks

211 W. Lincoln Ave.

Goshen, IN 46526

574-535-6458
e-mail: info@elkhartcountyparks.org

Apple Cart Creations

Ard Woodworks

Blue Heron Mercantile

Brandenburg Storehouse

Dan Cox

Forks of the Wabash Woodworking

Freeman Miller - Coppersmith

MT Forge

Grandma's Soap & Stuff

Longhunter Leather

Stewart Family

Gentleman John - Ropemaker

Ebenezer Buckingham - Surveyor

Stix ‘N' Stones

Tarttown Tea Room

Sue Judd - Spinning & Weaving

Iron Ram Farm

Kathy Crandall - Spinning & Weaving

Rose, Clifton & Kolacz

Families  - Candle Dipping

Vintage Leather

Ravensroost Farm - Natural Dyeing

Elkhart County Historical Museum

The Elkhart County Historical Museum fosters appreciation and preservation of local history and culture through exhibits, educational programs, and an accessible library and archives.

The museum's regular hours are 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday-Saturday. There is no charge for admission, but donations are accepted. For more information, please call the museum at (574) 848-4322. The museum is located at 304 W. Vistula (SR 120) in Bristol .