March 28, 1836, treaty between the United States and representatives of the Ottawa and Chippewa peoples
Transferred approximately 13.8 million acres of Michigan land from Ottawa and Chippewa nations to the United States, representing about 37% of Michigan's current area.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- March 28, 1836
- Date proclaimed
- May 27, 1836
- Land ceded
- 13,837,207 acres
- Share of Michigan's land area
- approximately 37%
- U.S. Commissioner
- Henry Schoolcraft
- Notable Native signatory
- Augustin Hamlin Jr., Odawa leader and interpreter
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The United States sought to acquire territory in Michigan from the Ottawa and Chippewa nations during a period of aggressive federal land acquisition and westward expansion. Prior treaties, including the 1821 Treaty of Chicago and the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw, had already defined adjacent boundaries, creating pressure to resolve remaining Native-held lands in Michigan's peninsulas.
On March 28, 1836, in Washington D.C., U.S. Indian Commissioner Henry Schoolcraft and representatives of the Ottawa and Chippewa nations signed the Treaty of Washington. The agreement transferred approximately 13,837,207 acres encompassing the northwest Lower Peninsula and eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, with boundaries traced along the Grand River, Thunder Bay River, Lake Huron, and Lake Michigan.
The treaty opened a vast portion of Michigan to American settlement and development, stripping the Ottawa and Chippewa nations of roughly 37% of present-day Michigan's land area. It set boundary precedents that shaped subsequent land use and governance in the region, while diminishing the territorial sovereignty of the signatory Native nations.
Political Outcome
Ottawa and Chippewa nations ceded approximately 13,837,207 acres in Michigan to the United States.
Ottawa and Chippewa nations held title to the northwest Lower Peninsula and eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
The United States acquired title to approximately 37% of present-day Michigan's land area.