Black Partridge

Who was Black Partridge?

Black Partridge or Black Pheasant was a 19th-century Peoria Lake Potawatomi chieftain. Although a participant in the Northwest Indian War and the Peoria War, he was considered very friendly to early American settlers and was a longtime advocate of peaceful relations with the United States. He and his brother Waubonsie both attempted to protect settlers during the Fort Dearborn Massacre when they were unsuccessful in preventing the attack.

A memorial at the site of the massacre in present-day Chicago, Illinois includes a statue of Black Partridge preventing a tomahawk from hitting a Mrs. Margaret Helm, the wife of one of the defenders at Fort Dearborn. Black Partridge Woods, a state park in Cook County, Illinois, as well as Partridge Township in Woodford County, Illinois are also named in his honor.