Long before European arrival, Indigenous nations maintained extensive trade networks across the Great Lakes and much of Turtle Island. This History Hour at the Barker Mansion welcomes Cecil Wilson Jr, Historic Research Specialist for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, as he traces the evolution of these trade routes and their influence on the Fur Trade of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Cecil Wilson Jr is an enrolled member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi and belongs to the Turtle Clan. Currently pursuing a degree in US History through Indiana University, he has been taught the histories of the Pokagon Band through community connections and the knowledge keepers who came before him. His work focuses on safeguarding the cultural and historical heritage of the Potawatomi people through the National Historic Preservation Act. The program runs 12:00 to 12:45pm at the Barker Mansion.