1864. He died there on July 12, 1889. But the final days of Baw Beese are disputed. According to another account, he died in exile in the pine forests near Georgian Bay, Canada, after having left the reservation. Other accounts report his being killed in a raid by Sioux, or having a natural death at a very old age on the Kansas reservation, where the Potowatomi were finally required to settle. Treaties Baw Beese never signed a treaty with the United States, although he did abide by the Treaty of Detroit of 1807. The line between present-day Lenawee and Hillsdale counties was established as the boundary between the settlers and natives. Because of that treaty, he welcomed the white settlers to Hillsdale County but treated them as tenants. The 1817 Treaty of Fort Meigs detailed the cession by the Potowatomi of the southern half of Hillsdale County, including the primary gathering sites of the Baw Beese family at Bird Lake and Squawfield; however, Baw Beese does not appear to have participated in this treaty. Neither did any of the other chiefs with whom Baw Beese associated. The closest name to Baw Beese on a US treaty with the Potawatomi is "Paw-pee", on an 1834 document. But there is little reason to believe this is Baw Beese. He was often associated with the chiefs Me-te-au, Ne-au-to-beer-shaw called "Leather Nose", and Wap-ka-zeek, none of whom is listed on this document. Namesakes Baw Beese Lake in Hillsdale, Michigan Chief Baw Beese Chapter of the North Country Trail References Native American leaders Potawatomi people People from Hillsdale, Michigan 1790s births 1850s deaths Native American people from Michigan