Carey Mission - Significance

Significance

The founding of the Carey Mission was, according to Michigan jurist Nathaniel Bacon, "the pioneer step in the way of settlement.” Bacon remarked that in 1822, when the mission was established, the region was considered by European settlers to be dangerous and hostile. Within recent memory were the Battle of Tippecanoe in Indiana and the Battle of Fort Dearborn in Illinois. “Emigration had in a great measure stopped. Very few dared to venture beyond the older settlements, until McCoy boldly entered into the heart of the Indian country, and began his mission school among the Pottawottomies who dwelt on the river St. Joseph. The fact was soon made known throughout Indiana and Ohio, and at once adventurers began to prepare to follow the example of the missionary, who had led the way."