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Treaty of Fort Wayne (1803)
Encyclopedia
The Treaty of Fort Wayne was a treaty between the United States
and several groups of Native Americans
. The treaty was signed on June 7, 1803 and proclaimed December 26, 1803.
, who at the time was governor of Indiana Territory
and superintendent of Indian affairs and commissioner plenipotentiary of the United States for concluding any treaty or treaties which may be found necessary with any of the Indian tribes north west of the Ohio river, negotiated the treaty for the United States. The native peoples were represented by chiefs and head warriors of the Delawares
, Shawnee
, Potowatomi, Miami
and Kickapoo. The Eel River band of Miami, the Wea
s, Piankeshaw
s, and Kaskaskia
s were represented by proxy agents.
, which had been confirmed as a possession of the United States in the 1795 Treaty of Greenville
. The land was originally purchased from the tribes by the Kingdom of France
. It was transferred to Great Britain in 1763, and to the United States in 1783. The area was a rectangular tract of approximately 160000 acres (647.5 km²) lying at right angles to the course of the Wabash River at Vincennes.
In the second article, the United States relinquished claims to any lands adjoining the tract defined in article one.
Article 3 cedes to the United States a salt spring upon the Saline creek, which falls into the Ohio below the mouth of the Wabash, with a quantity of land surrounding it not exceeding 4 mi2. The U.S. agreed to deliver to the Indians annually a quantity of salt not exceeding 150 USbsh.
Article 4 cedes to the United States the right of locating three tracts of land (of such size as may he agreed to by the Kickapoo, Eel River band of Miami, Wea, Piankeshaw, and Kaskaskia tribes), for the purposes of erecting houses of entertainment for the accommodation of travellers on the main road
between Vincennes and Kaskaskia and one other on the road between Vincennes and Clarksville.
Article 5 allowed for alterations to the boundary lines described in the first article if it is found that settlements of land made by citizens of the United States fall in the Indian country. It was agreed that a quantity of land equal in quantity to what may be thus taken shall be given to the said tribes either at the east or the west end of the tract.
Notable among the Indian signatories were
At two treaties concluded at Vincennes in August of 1805, the Delawares and Piankishaw ceded claims to lands south of the Vincennes Tract.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and several groups of Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. The treaty was signed on June 7, 1803 and proclaimed December 26, 1803.
Parties
William Henry HarrisonWilliam Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
, who at the time was governor of Indiana Territory
Indiana Territory
The Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana....
and superintendent of Indian affairs and commissioner plenipotentiary of the United States for concluding any treaty or treaties which may be found necessary with any of the Indian tribes north west of the Ohio river, negotiated the treaty for the United States. The native peoples were represented by chiefs and head warriors of the Delawares
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
, Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
, Potowatomi, Miami
Miami tribe
The Miami are a Native American nation originally found in what is now Indiana, southwest Michigan, and western Ohio. The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is the only federally recognized tribe of Miami Indians in the United States...
and Kickapoo. The Eel River band of Miami, the Wea
Wea
The Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking tribe originally located in western Indiana, closely related to the Miami. The name Wea is used today as the a shortened version of their many recorded names...
s, Piankeshaw
Piankeshaw
The Piankeshaw Indians were Native Americans, and members of the Miami Indians who lived apart from the rest of the Miami nation. They lived in an area that now includes western Indiana and Ohio, and were closely allied with the Wea Indians...
s, and Kaskaskia
Kaskaskia
The Kaskaskia were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation or Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in the Great Lakes region...
s were represented by proxy agents.
Terms
The first article more precisely defined the boundaries of the Vincennes Tract surrounding Fort Vincennes on the Wabash RiverWabash River
The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...
, which had been confirmed as a possession of the United States in the 1795 Treaty of Greenville
Treaty of Greenville
The Treaty of Greenville was signed at Fort Greenville , on August 3, 1795, between a coalition of Native Americans & Frontiers men, known as the Western Confederacy, and the United States following the Native American loss at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. It put an end to the Northwest Indian War...
. The land was originally purchased from the tribes by the Kingdom of France
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France was one of the most powerful states to exist in Europe during the second millennium.It originated from the Western portion of the Frankish empire, and consolidated significant power and influence over the next thousand years. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, developed a...
. It was transferred to Great Britain in 1763, and to the United States in 1783. The area was a rectangular tract of approximately 160000 acres (647.5 km²) lying at right angles to the course of the Wabash River at Vincennes.
In the second article, the United States relinquished claims to any lands adjoining the tract defined in article one.
Article 3 cedes to the United States a salt spring upon the Saline creek, which falls into the Ohio below the mouth of the Wabash, with a quantity of land surrounding it not exceeding 4 mi2. The U.S. agreed to deliver to the Indians annually a quantity of salt not exceeding 150 USbsh.
Article 4 cedes to the United States the right of locating three tracts of land (of such size as may he agreed to by the Kickapoo, Eel River band of Miami, Wea, Piankeshaw, and Kaskaskia tribes), for the purposes of erecting houses of entertainment for the accommodation of travellers on the main road
Buffalo Trace (road)
The Buffalo Trace was a trackway running through what are now the American states of Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Originally formed by migrating bison, the trace crossed the Ohio River near the Falls of the Ohio and the Wabash River near Vincennes...
between Vincennes and Kaskaskia and one other on the road between Vincennes and Clarksville.
Article 5 allowed for alterations to the boundary lines described in the first article if it is found that settlements of land made by citizens of the United States fall in the Indian country. It was agreed that a quantity of land equal in quantity to what may be thus taken shall be given to the said tribes either at the east or the west end of the tract.
Notable among the Indian signatories were
- Meseekunnoghquoh, or Little Turtle for the Miamis
- Tuthinipee (also known as TopinabeeTopinabee- People :* Topinabee , the elder, a Potawatomi chief* Topinabee , the younger, a Potawatomi chief- Places :* Topinabee, Michigan, an unincorporated village in Mullett Township, Cheboygan County, Michigan- Other :* USS Topenebee, a U.S. Navy ship...
) for the Potawatomi - Winnemac for the Potawatomi
- Bukongehelas for the Delawares
Subsequent treaties
The Eel River band of Miami, Wyandot, Piankishaw, Kaskaskia, and also the Kickapoo represented by the Eel River chiefs in a treaty of August 7, 1803 concurred in the cessions for houses of entertainment provided for Article 4 of this treaty.At two treaties concluded at Vincennes in August of 1805, the Delawares and Piankishaw ceded claims to lands south of the Vincennes Tract.
External links
- Treaty text Potowatomi Web
- Text of treaty of June 7, 1803 at Fort Wayne, Statutes at Large, vol. VII, p. 74–76, Library of Congress
- Text of treaty of August 7, 1803 at Vincennes, Statutes at Large, vol. VII, p. 77, Library of Congress
- Text of treaty of August 18, 1804 at Vincennes, Statutes at Large, vol. VII, p. 81–83, Library of Congress
- Text of treaty of August 27, 1804 at Vincennes, Statutes at Large, vol. VII, p. 83–84, Library of Congress