Fort Wayne Normal School - Annual Yearbook (Fort Wayne, IN)

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I2 OUR XIESTICRDAYS THE PAGEANT OF IQI4 October 22, IQI4, the one-Hun'lred twentieth anniversary of the founding of Fort Wayne was celebrated in a number of ways among the people of the city but nowhere more tit- tingly than at Lakeside Park, where the Normal School presented a pageant depicting the history of the founding of our city. In preparation for Old Fort Day' as it is called, the students planned a pageant under the supervision of Miss Wilber. The park board kindly permitted the school to use Lakeside Park, and co-operated gen- erously in building a stockade and in furnishing shrubs and greenery for the scenes. An island in the lagoon was chosen as the setting, the chairs for the audience being placed on the mainland at a point where the water was only a few feet wide, Bliss Esther Phipps wrote the following invitation to the public: On October two and twenty Pleasure we shall give a-plenty, Come and join ns then we pray And honor Fort VVayne's natal dayg For Lakeside Normal School is bent To celebrate that great event. The tomahawk is buried, The council fires are deadg But memories of heroic deeds A glamour o'er us shed. If in your hearts you cherish Brave deeds of stalwart men, Comic join our celebration And honor Anthony Wayne. Indians bold, their squaws as daring, French and English of the past, Kekionga, Little Turtle On your vision let us cast. Learn the history of our city View its humble birth Then decide to boost forever The best town on earth-Fort Wayne! In addition, cleverly decorated invitations in verse were sent out to presidents of various clubs in the city and the officers of the administration. Downtown store windows were en- livened with artistic posters announcing the great event. The story was divided into three scenes showing different periods of the early history of Fort Wayne. The prelude and interludes were given by Miss Helen Ehle as the Spirit of History, assisted by sixteen charming Spirits of the Past. The iirst scene showed life in 1614 in the Indian village of Kekionga at the joining of the three rivers, and the coming of the first French fur traders. The second told of the condition of the country under Ensign Holmes just before the Pontiac conspiracy. The last showed the coming of General Wayne after the battle of Fallen Timbers, the rout of the English and Indians, the founding and naming of the fort. More than four hundred people in costume assisted in this enterprise. This number included all of the children of the Training School, all of the students of the Normal School, and the teachers of both schools. Many of the costumes and properties were worked out as projects in the Training School. Concordia College lent military uniforms, and the State School Band furnished the martial music. It was the co-operation of the teachers, pupils, student-teachers, Park Board, and many others under the leadership of Miss VVilber, which made this large production possible and the tribute paid to our city worthy of its acceptance. HISTORICAL MARKERS In 1916 Indiana celebrated thc one hundredth anniversary of her admission into the Union. To commemorate this event and to educate its citizens with regard to Indiana his- tory, Fort VVayne, as well as many other cities, gave pageants. The Normal School helped in Fort VVayne's celebration by placing eleven markers. The location of each one with its inscription is given below. KEKIONGA foll Dila' Near Lake flzfmiwi. This section of Fort Wayne, known as Lakeside, was, for generations of the Red Man, the site of an Indian village known as Kiskakon, Kekionga and Kekiogue, the stronghold of the savages until the period of the Indian wars which culminated in VVayne's victory in 1794. In I7SQ'I7QO, this village was ruled by Chief Pecaune. lt was the scene of many savage outbreaks against the Americans.

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