The Council Oak Carving depicts the Potawatomie Chief Winameg handing an arrowhead to a white child, Dresden Howard. Both of these two lived near what would later become Fulton County, Ohio and Dresden Howard would go on to work as an interpreter between the Potawatomie Tribe and the United States government. A journal written by Howard is one source used in the creation of the Natives & Newcomers exhibit. To learn more about Dresden, click here.
The Council Oak Tree stood near a Potawatomie village and near what is today Winameg, Ohio. Its enormous size helped it to become an important meeting place for Native Americans of the region during its lifetime of nearly 300 years. After the tree became diseased, it had to be taken down in the early 1990s. One section of the tree is on display in the Natives & Newcomers exhibit. And, so is the wonderful carving that was made from the tree by Jim Stadtlander of Mantua, Ohio.
Interesting Facts About the Council Oak Carving
- The Council Oak lived for nearly 300 years.
- Chief Winameg and Dresden Howard were buried next to each other under the tree.
- The carving shows a moment that may have happened around the year 1827.
- The log used for the carving weighed 5 tons.
- The carving weighs just less than 1 ton.
- Mr. Stadtlander worked on the carving over a period of three years.
- The carving comes from only one piece of wood.
- The Council Oak carving was put on display at Sauder Village in 1995.