On this Day: Treaty of Detroit

Want to know more about Michigan's history? Find out what happened on this day back in 1807.

Time for a little Michigan history! On this day in 1807, the Treaty of Detroit was signed. This was a treaty between the United States and the Odawa (Ottawa), Ojibwe (Chippewa), Wyandot and Potawatomi nations. It was signed by William Hill, who was the governor of Indian Affairs at the time.

People from the mentioned nations signed this treaty, which ceded (or gave up) land in both Ohio and Michigan. Each tribe received a total of $10,000 and reserved up to six square miles of land.

When the United States gained independence from Britain, the growing U.S. population called for more land for people to settle in. In order to satisfy this, the government came up with treaties that would mean the Indian tribe would sell their land, while keeping some of the areas for hunting.

In Michigan, the Huron Potawatomi were involved with 11 different treaties relating to the land. The Treaty of Detroit resulted in a lot of land being reduced for them. This treaty resulted in the nations sold over eight million acres of land. The chiefs who signed this treaty were: oquish, Noname, Nawme, Ninnewa, and Skush.

To learn more about the Treaty of Detroit, click here.