The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians will honor the Native American soldiers of Company K this Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at 1 p.m. – EDT. during a public dedication ceremony naming a section of M-22 as the Company K Indian Veterans Memorial Highway.
The ceremony will take place at the tribe’s Leelanau Sands Casino Showroom, 2521 N West Bay Shore Dr., 49682.
The stretch of highway runs through the ancestral lands of the Tribe and along Peshawbestown, recognizing the Anishinaabe soldiers of Company K of the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters for their service and sacrifice during the Civil War.
The ceremony is open to the public and will include remarks from Tribal leadership, invited guests, and opportunities for community members to learn more about the history and significance of Company K.
Company K, organized in 1863, was made up primarily of Odawa and Ojibwe men from northern Michigan. The soldiers fought for the Union Army in some of the Civil War’s bloodiest battles, including the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg campaigns. Historians estimate the company included 139 Native American soldiers.
Many of the men volunteered despite Native Americans not being recognized as United States citizens at the time. Citizenship for all Native Americans would not come until passage of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924.
“Recognizing the legacy of Company K is not only about honoring the past — it is about ensuring that the sacrifices, resilience, and contributions of our Anishinaabe veterans are remembered and carried forward for future generations,” Grand Traverse Band Chairwoman Sandra Witherspoon said. “This dedication reflects our responsibility to tell our own history and to honor those who served with courage and distinction.”
The Grand Traverse Band said the dedication will “recognize the historic contributions of Native American soldiers and commemorate what is believed to be the only memorial highway in the nation dedicated specifically to Native American Civil War veterans.”
The memorial highway designation became law after Michigan lawmakers approved legislation honoring the Company K veterans, whose contributions were largely overlooked in mainstream Civil War history for generations.
For descendants and advocates, the recognition is long overdue.
“There’s a hundred reasons why the road dedication is a good idea,” said Scott Schwander, a descendant of a Company K soldier who has spent the last decade restoring veterans’ headstones and flag holders.
The dedication also reflects broader efforts by tribes, historians, and Native communities to restore Native American military service to the historical record. Scholars note that Native soldiers fought not only to preserve the Union, but also to protect their homelands, communities, and treaty rights during a period of immense pressure on tribal nations.
For the Grand Traverse Band, Wednesday’s ceremony serves as both a memorial and a reaffirmation of Anishinaabe history, sovereignty, and military service in northern Michigan.
