1817 treaty between the United States and representatives of seven Native American peoples
The Treaty of Fort Meigs transferred 4.6 million acres of Native American land in northwestern Ohio to the United States, effectively completing U.S. dominance over Ohio.
Key Facts
- Date Signed
- September 29, 1817
- Land Ceded
- 4.6 million acres in northwestern Ohio and parts of Indiana and Michigan acres
- Tribes Party to Treaty
- 7 (Wyandot, Seneca, Delaware, Shawnee, Potawatomi, Ottawa, Chippewa)
- U.S. Negotiators
- Lewis Cass and Gen. Duncan McArthur
- Treaty Articles
- 21 articles plus an addendum
- Share of Ohio Land Area
- Approximately one-sixth of Ohio
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the War of 1812, the United States sought to consolidate control over the Northwest Territory by extinguishing remaining Native American land claims in Ohio. Several tribes still held significant tracts in northwestern Ohio under prior treaty arrangements, and U.S. expansion pressure made further cessions a priority.
On September 29, 1817, at Fort Meigs, chiefs and warriors of the Wyandot, Seneca, Delaware, Shawnee, Potawatomi, Ottawa, and Chippewa tribes signed a twenty-one-article treaty with U.S. representatives Lewis Cass and Gen. Duncan McArthur. The accord specified land cessions, reservation allocations, individual land grants, and annuity payments to the tribes.
The treaty transferred nearly all remaining Native American lands in northwestern Ohio to the United States, leaving only small tribal reservations. Ohio became effectively owned border to border by European Americans, shifting the frontier between Native and U.S.-dominated lands westward into Indiana. A final small cession followed in the 1818 Treaty of St. Mary's.
Political Outcome
Seven tribes ceded approximately 4.6 million acres in northwestern Ohio, northeastern Indiana, and southern Michigan to the United States in exchange for reserved lands, annuities, and cash compensation.
Seven tribes retained significant land holdings across northwestern Ohio and adjacent areas
United States held nearly all of Ohio; tribes retained only small reservations within the state