Native Burial Sites

The Odawa people lived, traveled and camped along the Flat River and Grand River. Not surprisingly, from the settling of the early American pioneers until now, native burial locations have been found. The website “Find-A-Grave” and mapping programs, both Google Maps and Apple Maps, all place two native cemeteries within the City of Lowell. Is this accurate? The Museum gets inquiries into this question. The knowledge we have comes from earlier reports.

The two burial areas listed are
1-“Old Indian Battlefield Burial Ground” on M21 between Church Street and Valley Vista Drive.
2-“Indian Burial Ground” on the west bank of Flat River between Foreman Street and Hunt Street.

What do the records show?
1-The History of Kent County, written in 1881 by C.C. Chapman says that the native people had a burial ground one half mile west of Lowell on the Ada Road. The Odawa shared their history with the early settlers, and it was recorded by Chapman. They told of a battle fought in 1765 on the site, when the Pottawatomie attempted to remove the Ottawa from the area. The dead were buried at the site. Today we think of M-21 as being the way to Ada, or the Ada Road. Before 1928 however, the Ada Road was Bowes Road starting at South Hudson Street, heading towards Ada. At Alden Nash Avenue it joined Fulton Street, continuing along the river until it reached Ada. So, the approximate location is one half mile west on Bowes Road, from either the beginning of the road, at South Hudson, or from the village limits, just west of West Street.

2-It is known that there were burials on the west side of the Flat River. Multiple locations have been documented, and some Odawa remains have been found. The History of Kent County by C.C. Chapman also documents a burial ground on the west bank of the Flat River, a half mile north of Main Street. At that time in 1881, one of the mounds still existed and was visited by the Odawa people.
Additional burial locations on the west bank of the Flat River have been found.
In the 100 block of Riverside:
In 1906, three skeletons were found. Silver brooches, bracelets, pieces of a blanket, an iron tomahawk with traces of the handle, two copper kettles still containing corn and beans and a large quantity of watermelon seeds were found. The responding sheriff recommended donating the items to the Kent Scientific Institute.

In 1917, a human skull and arm and leg bones were found. Also found in the grave was a tomahawk, a kettle handle and a nearly rusted away knife blade.

Further north, along the village/township divider where Riverside Drive becomes Flat River Drive, Odawa remains have been found. In 1930 a skeleton was found, and later, in 1990, a skull and thigh bone along with other artifacts were discovered.

Though not marked on today’s online maps, it is known that the Odawa buried their dead near today’s Oakwood Cemetery. This was a key reason why the early settlers chose that area for a burying ground.

Through the years, Odawa remains have been found in additional locations.
In 1874, Homer Avery, who lived from 1832 to 1907, and came to Lowell by 1860, found old human remains near his slaughterhouse by the Flat River. The exact location is not known. The story was told at the time that several of the Odawa had died of smallpox and had been buried in that area. This could be in the 100 block of Riverside Drive, but that isn’t known for sure.

In 1939 a skeleton was found sitting in an upright position, in almost perfect condition. While the skull still had black hair, there were no clothing pieces. The skeleton was found on North Division Avenue.
In 1973 a nearly complete skeleton was found in the 400 block of N. Lafayette. It was sent to the University of Michigan.

The discoveries of the native burials in Lowell have shown Odawa burial traditions. The remains found here show that the deceased were placed in a sitting position, and their possessions buried with them. In the past, burial sites, including mounds, populated the landscape of west Michigan. Few of these mounds remain today. Past treatment of these sacred burial sites resulted in their destruction.

It is possible that more evidence of burials will continue to be found. Today, when there is official digging in a known location of a previous discovery of human remains, an archeologist is required to be a part of the project and onsite during any excavating. If remains are confirmed to be ancestral, they will be repatriated and reburied according to tribal customs. Remains and grave goods that were placed in museum collections are required to be repatriated as well. The Lowell Area Historical Museum has not ever had remains or grave goods.

Images:

​Detail of Odawa sites from the 1931 Wilbert Hinsdale Archaeological Atlas of Michigan. Symbols were used to show the locations of villages (triangle) burial grounds (circle with cross) and trails.

Key from the Atlas

Larger section of the Atlas

Apple Map

Find A Grave Map
​