A new stretch of highway in northern Michigan now bears the name of Company K, a unit of 139 Native American soldiers from the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians who fought for the Union during the Civil War.

For most travelers driving M-22, the sign may seem like a simple historical marker. But for tribal citizen Scott Schwander, who spent nearly a decade helping secure the designation, the sign raises a larger question:

Why did Native men fight and die for a country that didn’t even recognize them as citizens?

That question sits at the heart of Company K’s story.

When the Civil War began in 1861, Native men from northern Michigan attempted to enlist alongside other Michiganders. They were turned away.

“They were actually told, ‘We’re not taking your kind right now,'” Schwander said.

The rejection had nothing to do with their willingness to serve. Native people were not considered citizens of the United States. Yet many eventually joined the fight. And when they did, they found themselves in some of the war’s most brutal battles.

For Schwander, the story is also personal.

Growing up, he listened as his uncle Simon Otto speak about his grandfather, Marcus Otto, a Company K soldier and Schwander’s great-great-grandfather. Those stories stayed with him throughout his life.

Years later, after retiring from a 25-year law enforcement career, Schwander began volunteering in a local cemetery. What started as cleaning neglected Civil War veterans’ headstones became a deeper exploration of the soldiers buried beneath them.

That work eventually led him back to Company K.

The more he learned, the more he realized how little the public knew about the Native soldiers who served.

Company K members fought in major engagements, including the Battle of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and the Battle of the Crater.

For Schwander, those sacrifices make the new highway designation about more than recognition. It is about ensuring these stories are not forgotten.

The newly designated stretch of M-22 passes through the Grand Traverse Band’s reservation. Every year, thousands of residents and tourists travel the scenic route, many headed toward nearby attractions such as Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Now, they will pass signs bearing the name of Company K. Schwander hopes they stop and ask who those men were.

The answer reveals a complicated chapter of both Native and American history.

Company K’s soldiers fought for the Union in the 1860s. Native people would not become U.S. citizens until 1924, nearly 60 years after the Civil War ended.

The signs themselves may be simple.

But the question they ask every passerby is not:

What does it mean to fight for a country that has not yet fully recognized you?

The men of Company K answered that question with their service.

The rest of us are still learning from it.

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