1819 treaty between the United States and the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples
Transferred over six million acres of central Lower Michigan from Native American nations to the United States, reshaping land ownership in the region.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- September 24, 1819
- Land ceded
- More than six million acres acres
- Area in km²
- Approximately 24,000 km² km²
- Proclaimed by President
- March 25, 1820
- Legal citation
- 7 Stat. 203
- Primary ceding nation
- Ojibwe (also Ottawa and Potawatomi)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
U.S. expansion into the Great Lakes region created pressure to acquire Native American lands in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Federal policy pursued formal land cession treaties with tribal nations to open territory for American settlement and resource exploitation.
On September 24, 1819, General Lewis Cass negotiated with Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi leaders—including Chief Mash Kee Yosh, Chief John Okemos, and Chief Wasso—resulting in the Treaty of Saginaw. Native nations ceded a large tract in central Lower Michigan, while smaller reserved tracts were retained for Indian use within the ceded territory.
The United States gained legal title to more than six million acres in central Lower Michigan, opening the region to non-Native settlement. The treaty was proclaimed law on March 25, 1820, and accelerated the displacement of indigenous peoples from their traditional territories in the Great Lakes area.
Political Outcome
Native American nations ceded over six million acres of central Lower Michigan to the United States, with smaller reserved tracts retained for indigenous use.
Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi nations held sovereignty over central Lower Michigan territory
United States held legal title to over six million acres in central Lower Michigan