The 1786 Treaty of Fort Finney formalized U.S. territorial claims over Shawnee lands in the Ohio River region following the Revolutionary War.
Key Facts
- Fort built
- October 1785
- Named after
- Major Walter Finney
- Location
- Mouth of the Great Miami River
- Fort abandoned
- Before 1788 Symmes Purchase
- U.S. Commissioners
- Clark, Butler, and Parsons
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the American Revolutionary War, the United States sought to assert authority over lands northwest of the Ohio River. George Washington commissioned Generals George Rogers Clark, Richard Butler, and Samuel Parsons to negotiate a peace agreement with the Shawnee, requiring a military presence to secure the territory and facilitate negotiations.
In October 1785, Major Walter Finney led a company from Fort Pitt to construct Fort Finney at the mouth of the Great Miami River. The fort served as the location where U.S. commissioners met with Shawnee leaders in January 1786 to conclude a treaty formalizing American claims over Shawnee territory in the Ohio region.
The Treaty of Fort Finney imposed terms on the Shawnee that many of their leaders later repudiated, contributing to continued tensions and conflict in the Northwest Territory. The fort itself was abandoned before the Symmes Purchase of 1788, and the site eventually became an industrial location near modern Cincinnati.
Political Outcome
Treaty signed ceding Shawnee territorial claims to the United States in the Ohio River region
Shawnee held territorial claims over lands northwest of the Ohio River
United States formally asserted sovereignty over the contested Ohio River territory