This treaty extinguished the Miami tribe's final land claims in Indiana, ceding roughly 500,000 acres and requiring their removal to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- November 28, 1840
- Land ceded
- ~500,000 acres in north central Indiana
- Total payment promised
- 550,000 USD
- Immediate debt payment
- 300,000 USD
- Annual installment period
- 20 years for remaining $250,000
- U.S. commissioners
- Samuel Milroy and Allen Hamilton
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The United States sought to acquire the Miami tribe's remaining landholdings in northwestern Indiana for white settlement. Having already purchased the main Miami claim via the Treaty at the Forks of the Wabash, the government targeted the residual tract known as 'the Big Reserve,' which the Miami still held in north central Indiana near the Wabash headwaters.
On November 28, 1840, U.S. commissioners Samuel Milroy and Allen Hamilton concluded the Treaty of the Wabash with the Miami tribe. The Miami ceded all remaining Indiana lands on the south side of the Wabash River in exchange for $550,000—$300,000 applied immediately to tribal debts, including payments to leaders John B. Richardville and the estate of Francis Godfroy, with $250,000 paid in annual installments over 20 years.
The treaty stripped the Miami of their last territorial holdings in Indiana and committed them to relocation in Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. Annual payments were to be made at Fort Wayne only until the tribe emigrated west of the Mississippi River, creating financial pressure to complete removal.
Political Outcome
Miami tribe ceded all remaining Indiana lands to the United States and agreed to relocate to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma.
Miami tribe retained roughly 500,000 acres of land in north central Indiana
United States acquired all remaining Miami lands in Indiana; tribe designated for removal to Indian Territory