This pipe belonged to Chief Black Hawk (1767-1838), leader of the Sauk Indians, who inhabited lands from Michigan westward to Iowa and Kansas and, eventually, Oklahoma. The leader earned his status as war chief during the Blackhawk War in 1832. According to tradition, the pipe was procured in Washington, DC by General George M. Keim and presented to S.L. Young. It was acquired by Levi W. Mengel, founder of the Reading Public Museum, and became part of The Museum's permanent collection.
