Hours
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Closed
Curbside Hours
M-Th
Fri
Sat
Sun
10 a.m. - Noon & 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.
10 a.m. - Noon & 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.
10 a.m. - Noon & 3 p.m. - 5 p.m
Closed
The Story Behind the Branch
The Little Turtle Branch is a 13,000 square foot building on Sherman Blvd. in the Northwest side of Fort Wayne. It was originally called the Northside Branch, and located on Wells Street when it opened in 1919. The current branch building was purchased in 1972 by the library, and it was renovated in 1990 and 2006. The branch was renamed in honor of a leader of the Miami People, Little Turtle (Mihšihkinaahkwa in the Miami language).
Little Turtle is open six days a week, and has a collection of about 43,000 items. The branch offers a community meeting room and two study rooms that can be reserved online or by contacting the branch. Little Turtle offers a public copier and fax machine, and has 16 public computers, four of which are reserved for children under 11. It is the home of ACPL’s Seed Library, where patrons can find a wide variety of native and non-native seeds for plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables.
Upcoming Events
Land Acknowledgement
Little Turtle is located within the ancestral and traditional territory of the Miami, Potawatomi, Shawnee, Delaware and other tribal nations, ceded through multiple treaties with the United States of America.
In 1926, the Northside Branch was renamed Little Turtle in honor of a leader of the Miami people, Little Turtle (Mihšihkinaahkwa in the Miami language). The Miami, or Myaamiaki, people were located in much of what is present day Indiana and Little Turtle was the most famous of their leaders. He was born circa 1747, near a British trading post at what is today Pickawillany, Ohio. Little Turtle’s main claim to fame is his success as a general. His greatest military achievement came in November of 1791 when warriors under his leadership defeated the U.S. Army under General Arthur St. Clair at St. Clair’s Defeat (Fort Recovery, Ohio).
After his military career, Little Turtle became a council speaker for Myaamia communities at the Treaty of Greenville in 1795. He, among others, also worked to pull together many Myaamia villages into a powerful political entity.
Little Turtle passed away on July 14, 1812 not far from Kiihkayonki (Fort Wayne). His grave, and several other Native American graves close by, were re-discovered in 1912 when workers were digging a cellar. The graves were looted of both artifacts and human remains, and the contents were spread among curious passersby and museums. The Miami are still attempting to locate some of these items today. The location of the grave is marked with a bronze marker in a park near the heart what is now the city of Fort Wayne.
Bibliography
This text was developed in consultation with tribal members, whose insights and perspectives were invaluable to its creation.