1833The Maximilian expedition begins exploring
the American interior.
Alexander Philipp Maximilian, a German prince
and an amateur anthropologist, leads a two-year
expedition up the Missouri River. Among the
explorers is Karl Bodmer, a Swiss artist hired to
document the expedition. His detailed drawings
and paintings will provide a meticulous record of
western Indian life before extended contact with
whites.
The Kickapoo under Kennekuk relocate to
Kansas.
Following the terms of earlier treaties (see entry
for 1819), a band of about 300 Kickapoo living
in Illinois moves to present-day Kansas. For more
than a decade, these Kickapoo resisted removal,
largely through the efforts of their spiritual leader
Kennekuk (also known as the Kickapoo Prophet).
Kennekuk was able to delay their relocation by
seeming to be willing to cooperate with U.S. offi-
cials while coming up with excuse after excuse for
why his people could not leave their settlementsA portrait of the Winnebago Prophet White Cloud, Black Hawk (center), and Whirling Thunder (Black Hawk’s
son), painted from life while they were held prisoner at Fort Monroe following their defeat in Black Hawk’s
War. (The Library of Virginia)