The Founder's Cipher — Uncover Vincennes' Hidden Legacy

Your quest begins at the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, a National Historic Landmark commemorating the 1779 Illinois Campaign. It is here, on the 24 acres that include Old Post No. 1, Vincennes' first permanent settlement, that George Rogers Clark captured the town from British forces on February 25, 1779, a pivotal event in the American Revolutionary War. The memorial, with its 200-foot-high granite shaft dedicated in 1933 and murals by Ezra Winter, serves as the starting point for your exploration of Indiana's heritage. Here, you'll uncover the initial puzzles that will guide you through Vincennes' tumultuous past.

A short walk from the park, you arrive at the Old French House, one of the few surviving French Colonial structures in Indiana. Built circa 1803-1806 as a tavern, it was operated by Michel Brouillette, your character. He served as an interpreter for William Henry Harrison, notably during the 1811 Treaty of Vincennes. Restored in 1917 by the Kiwanis Club and now managed by the Daughters of the American Revolution, this house offers a glimpse into the daily life and diplomatic exchanges that shaped Vincennes in the early 19th century, even before Indiana became a state.

The path then leads you to St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, the oldest continuously used Catholic cathedral in Indiana. The current structure, dedicated on June 6, 1841, replaced an original log church constructed in 1732 by French missionaries, marking the site of the first Catholic Mass in Indiana on March 25, 1732. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1999, this cathedral features 19th-century stained glass windows from Munich. Your investigation will explore the connections between faith, colonization, and community establishment in Vincennes, a city with a rich French-American heritage.

Continue to Fort Knox II, an Indiana State Historic Site built in 1803-1804 on orders of William Henry Harrison. This fort, the second U.S. military fort in Indiana Territory, measured 120x160 feet with four blockhouses and garrisoned up to 80 soldiers. Abandoned in 1813 after the Battle of Tippecanoe, it was a key site for the 1809 Treaty of Fort Wayne negotiations with Native American tribes. Nearby, the William Henry Harrison Mansion, built in 1804, served as the headquarters for the Indiana Territory Governor from 1801-1812. From here, Harrison led forces to victory at the Battle of Tippecanoe on November 7, 1811. This 1960 National Historic Landmark, with its 13 rooms furnished in Federal period style, immerses you in the daily life of territorial administration, where the destinies of populations and the borders of the young nation were decided.

Your journey will then take you to Sugar Loaf Mound, a prehistoric Native American burial mound dating from circa 1000-1650 AD, one of only two remaining Angel Mounds culture mounds in Vincennes. Twenty feet high with a 100-foot base diameter, it is located along the Wabash River, designated an American Heritage River in 1997. This river was the site of George Rogers Clark's forces' crossing in February 1779 during the Illinois Campaign and served as a vital trade route for the Vincennes port. By connecting these sites, you will discover not only military and colonial history, but also the ancestral heritage of Native peoples and the economic importance of the Wabash River, thus weaving a comprehensive understanding of the history of Vincennes and Indiana.