The Wyandott Totem Pole

A totem pole, carved in wood and erected in a public place for all to see, offers a simple and enduring way to tell a story that deserves to be remembered. On this continent the totem pole was originated by the Haida and Tlingit Indians of the Pacific Northwest. This Native American art form was used in creating the Wyandott Totem Pole. The Wyandotts, who never had totem poles, painted totem signs on the outer walls of their lodges. 

 The carving and erection of the Wyandott Totem Pole was commissioned by the Wyandotte Savings Bank on the one-hundredth anniversary of its founding in 1871. The monument was given to the Wyandotte Historical Society early in 1971 and bequeathed in the same year by the society to the City of Wyandotte.
  
Gordon Watkins of Aurora, Oregon carved the lofty monument in Western red cedar.
 

Postcard, Circa 1971

( Post Card Script, below )

The Wyandott Indian Totem - Wyandotte, Michigan
This 36-foot monument, carved in Western red cedar, is a memorial to the Wyandott Indians who came to this region with Antoine Cadillac in 1702. They established the village of Maquaqua in the site of the present day Wyandotte, but hunted and fished in the whole Downriver area. The monument was presented to the Wyandotte Historical Society and the City by Wyandotte Savings Bank in 1971 on the occasion of the Bank's 100th anniversary.  The turtle - totem of Chief Walk-in-the-Water - commands the top of the pole.