Around the turn of the century, Wahbememe (White Pigeon) was the chief of a village located west of here, near the St. Joseph River, and was one of the signers of the 1795 Treaty of Greenville.

Nothing more is known about Wahbememe, save that he died some time before the first European settlers arrived in the White Pigeon area in 1827.

That same year, a Mr. Earl claimed the lot of land on which this site is located, and was told by the Potawatomi that Wahbememe was buried there.

This story, although commemorated on the monument, is unlikely to be true, as Wahbememe's grave existed when White Pigeon was first settled.

A boulder was hauled to the site, and the monument was unveiled on August 10, 1909, by six-year old Willie White Pigeon, a direct descendant of Wahbememe, in front of a crowd of over 4000 people.

In 1922, the owners, Albert G. and Claudia E. Wade, conveyed an easement on a small parcel to the St. Joseph County Board of Road Commissioners to create a park.