Introduction

In the early 1850s, the United States Government attempts to remove the Lake Superior Ojibwe from their ancestral home. The Ojibwe resist, enlisting the support of Whites from the region and sending delegates to Washington, D.C. Usually missionaries side with the government in such disputes because they fear endangering its support. But the missionary Leonard Wheeler stands with the Ojibwe, helping them petition Luke Lea, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, and defending the Ojibwe William Warren from attacks by the Indian Agent John S. Watrous. An 1854 treaty allows the Ojibwe to remain on their land, but the government continues to evade fulfilling its promises and Wheeler continues to object until 1866 when support for his mission ceases. Wheeler and his family move to Beloit, Wisconsin, where he begins a successful windmill company his sons continue after his death, but the hearts of most Wheeler children remain with the Ojibwe. Five live near or on Ojibwe reservations later in life and like the Ojibwe, embrace community and nature, not greed.