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Gunsmith and craftsman, Lee Wise, of the Greenville Muzzleloaders,
presents Darke
County Parks Director, Roger Van Frank with the replica
of Tecumseh’s rifle
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Replica
Tecumseh Rifle Gifted to Darke County Parks
Tecumseh grew up here in the Ohio country during the American
Revolution and was staunchly opposed to the American government. He
established a tribal confederacy and fought to preserve the Native
American way of life. He was one of the key Indian leaders in the War
of 1812 which was fought over the impressment of sailors on the high
seas, and control of the fur trade on the western frontier.
During the War of 1812, Tecumseh was given the rank of general by
the British, who recruited over 10,000 Indians as auxiliary troops for
the British Army. The British government purchased more than 25,000
special guns for native allies during the four-year war. The conflict
essentially ended in a draw, with British armies burning the US
national capital, but being defeated at Baltimore and New Orleans.
After the U.S. Navy took control of Lake Erie in 1813, the Native
Americans and British retreated. American forces caught them at the
Battle of the Thames and killed Tecumseh in October 1813. Tecumseh
traded his rifle for a Kentucky rifle just days before he was killed at
the Battle of the Thames in Ontario. After his death, the tribal
confederation disintegrated, and the Native Americans had to move west
again, yet Tecumseh became an iconic folk hero in American, Aboriginal
and Canadian history
At the September Prairie Days Festival, expert gunsmith Lee Wise
presented Darke County Parks with a completed replica of Tecumseh’s
rifle. The rifle is an exact replica down to the “Indian War
Department” marks from the British government, the English Walnut used
in the stock, and the maker’s marks. Director of the Darke County Park
District, Roger Van Frank said, “Darke County Parks are very fortunate
to be friends with Lee Wise and the Greenville Muzzleloaders, and we’re
thankful that Lee was willing to produce a replica of the Tecumseh
rifle for the Tecumseh Room in the nature center. It is truly a work of
astonishing craftsmanship.” The rifle will be put on display in the
Tecumseh Room which teaches visitors about Native American life around
the time of the Treaty of Greenville.
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