Kishwauketoe

Before the advent of Western settlers, a band of the Potawatomi tribe, lived on the shores of a lake they called "Kishwauketoe" meaning "clear water". Sustained by abundant resources and natural beauty, to the Potawatomi the land was a sacred presence, woven into their daily lives through tradition and reverence.

The early history of the Potawatomi people is intertwined with that of the Ojibwe and Odawa tribes. According to their oral traditions, these three groups were once a single people residing near the Straits of Mackinac, a strategic location connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron Great Lakes region, for at least four centuries. Originally residing in Michigan's lower peninsula. However, during the Beaver Wars (c. 1640–1701), they faced aggression from the Iroquois Confederacy, who sought to expand their hunting territories. To escape these attacks, the Potawatomi migrated westward to the area around Green Bay in present-day Wisconsin.

The Council of Three Fires, also known as the Three Fires Confederacy, is a longstanding alliance among the Ojibwe (Chippewa), Odawa (Ottawa), and Potawatomi tribes, collectively known as the Anishinaabe peoples. This confederation is believed to have formed around 796 AD at Michilimackinac (present-day Mackinac Island, Michigan). The Potawatomi were known as the "keepers of the fire" within this alliance.

Chief Big Foot, known in Potawatomi as Maungeezik or Maunk-sauk ("Big Foot"), led a band of the Prairie Potawatomi in the early 19th century. His band established villages along what became Geneva Lake, particularly near present-day Fontana and Williams Bay. (The lake and surrounding area are colloquially known today as "Lake Geneva").

The Potawatomi people thrived along the lake shores, which provided abundant natural resources essential for their sustenance and culture. The area offered ample game and fish, supporting hunting and fishing activities. Fertile lands allowed for the cultivation of staple crops like corn, beans, and squash. Additionally, the Potawatomi gathered various wild plants and utilized materials from the environment to create tools and goods necessary for daily life.

Chief Big Foot and his Potawatomi band were involved in the Battle of Fort Dearborn during the War of 1812. In this 1812 conflict, Potawatomi warriors attacked U.S. soldiers and settlers evacuating Fort Dearborn (present-day Chicago), resulting in significant casualties and the fort's destruction.

Despite this earlier engagement, Chief Big Foot chose to remain neutral during subsequent conflicts, including the Winnebago War of 1827 and the Black Hawk War of 1832. U.S. authorities, concerned about potential alliances, sent emissaries like Chief Shabbona to monitor Big Foot's activities and encourage peace. These efforts were successful, and Big Foot's band did not participate in these later conflicts.

Following the Black Hawk War, the U.S. government pursued policies to remove Native American tribes from their ancestral lands.The Treaty of Chicago in 1833 marked a significant turning point. Under this treaty, the Potawatomi ceded vast territories in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan to the U.S. government in exchange for money, land west of the Mississippi River and other compensations. Despite the treaty's terms, Chief Big Foot and his band were reluctant to leave their ancestral lands.

Kishwauketoe was renamed Geneva Lake by John Brink, a government surveyor, after Geneva, New York in 1834.