Chicago History Museum Awarded $50K Grant from Low Foundation

The Chicago History Museum has received a $50,000 donation from the Joseph N. & Rosemary E. Low Foundation. The gift was made possible by Chicago History Museum Trustee John Low and his wife Barbara Low, who made the donation in memory of John’s mother, Wilma V. Low, a proud member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi.

Michael Anderson, Vice President of External Relations and Development thanked the Lows and noted their longtime support of the work of the Chicago History Museum.

“John Low has not only given of this time as a Trustee to the Museum, he is also a scholar, teacher and lifetime advocate on behalf of indigenous people in Chicago and the Midwest,” Anderson noted, “we are grateful to John and Barbara, and the Low Foundation, for their friendship, dedication and support of our efforts at the Chicago History Museum.”

John Low expressed that the gift had a special meaning because it was given in recognition of his mother. “On behalf of the Low Foundation, Babara and I are honored to make this donation to the Chicago History Museum in memory of my mother,” trustee Low said. “Wilma was a person who loved history, the power of museums to educate and illuminate, and our family trips to the museums in Chicago, including the CHM. She would be so proud the Foundation is helping to support the Chicago History Museum.”

As a member of the Potawatomi Pokagon Band, Low has researched and written a seminal book about the local Potawatomi history entitled Imprints: The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and the City of Chicago. He continues to give lectures and work with local organizations to help people understand and recognize the history, language and culture of Chicago’s first inhabitants – whose descendants continue to be a part of our city today.

In addition to his role as Professor of Comparative Studies at the American Indian Studies department at The Ohio State University, John Low is Director of the University’s Newark Earthworks Center, where he works with students, scholars and indigenous people to protect and understand this Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks UNESCO World Heritage Site – as well as to study and preserve other important sites throughout the Midwest.

Last July, Low donated a letter to the Museum archives that was handwritten by Potawatomi leader Simon Pokagon in 1898. An outspoken and sometimes controversial leader, Pokagon met with President Abraham Lincoln to lobby for return of native lands and was a featured speaker at the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition.

The letter is important because it gives clues to a long-standing debate about the authorship of the book “O-gi-waw-kwe Mit-i-gwa-ki,” or “Queen of the Woods,” which was published in 1899 shortly after Simon’s death. The popular romantic novel tells the story of Simon’s wife, Lodinaw and earned Pokagon the moniker “the Red Man’s Longfellow” by literary fans at the turn of the century.

Michael Anderson thanked the Lows for the foundation’s ongoing support of the Museum and its mission.

“In addition to another recent generous gift from the Low Foundation,” Anderson noted, “this gift helps us fulfill the mission of the Chicago History Museum – which is to be the primary destination for learning and inspiration, connecting people to Chicago and each other. We are grateful to have trustees and friends like the Lows who are a part of the effort to make this goal a reality.