The Treaty of Grouseland was an agreement negotiated by Governor

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

of the

Indiana Territory The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by a congressional act that President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, ...

on behalf of the government of the United States of America with Native American leaders, including

Little Turtle Little Turtle ( mia, Mihšihkinaahkwa) (1747 July 14, 1812) was a Sagamore (chief) of the Miami people, who became one of the most famous Native American military leaders. Historian Wiley Sword calls him "perhaps the most capable Indian leader ...

and

Buckongahelas Buckongahelas (c. 1720 – May 1805) together with Little Turtle & Blue Jacket, achieved the greatest victory won by Native Americans, killing 600. He was a regionally and nationally renowned Lenape chief, councilor and warrior. He was ac ...

, for lands in

Southern Indiana Southern Indiana is a region consisting of the southern third of the state of Indiana. The region's history and geography has led to a blend of Northern and Southern culture distinct from the remainder of Indiana. It is often considered to be par ...

, northeast Indiana, and northwestern

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

. The treaty was negotiated and signed on Aug 21, 1805, at Harrison's home in

Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the lower Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state, nearly halfway between Evansville and Terre Haute. Founded in 1732 by French fur ...

, called

Grouseland Grouseland, the William Henry Harrison Mansion and Museum, is a National Historic Landmark important for its Federal-style architecture and role in American history. The two-story, red brick home was built between 1802 and 1804 in Vincennes, I ...

. Negotiated a year after the second Treaty of Vincennes, it was the second major land purchase in Indiana since the close of the

Northwest Indian War The Northwest Indian War (1786–1795), also known by other names, was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native American nations known today as the Northwestern ...

and the signing of the 1795

Treaty of Greenville The Treaty of Greenville, formally titled Treaty with the Wyandots, etc., was a 1795 treaty between the United States and indigenous nations of the Northwest Territory (now Midwestern United States), including the Wyandot and Delaware peoples ...

Treaty

The

Miami Tribe The Miami ( Miami-Illinois: ''Myaamiaki'') are a Native American nation originally speaking one of the Algonquian languages. Among the peoples known as the Great Lakes tribes, they occupied territory that is now identified as North-central Indi ...

, led by Little Turtle, held the principle claim to all the land that was purchased, but many other tribes inhabited the area. Before the signing of the treaty legal settlement in Indiana was limited to a tract of land around Vincennes, Clark's Grant, and

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Cens ...

. Many settlers were moving outside of those areas and the result was rising tensions with the tribes, who considered the settlers trespassers. Harrison entered the negotiations in hope of appeasing the tribes and reimbursing them for their lands and address issues left outstanding following the 1804 Treaty of Vincennes, while guaranteeing the rights of the settlers to move into the region.Whitting, pp. 7–8 The treaty established a line running from the northeast corner of the Vincennes tract, called Freeman's Corner, and moved on a north-easterly route (N 57 00' 00" E) about 68 miles until it intersected with the

Greenville Treaty line The Treaty of Greenville, formally titled Treaty with the Wyandots, etc., was a 1795 treaty between the United States and indigenous nations of the Northwest Territory (now Midwestern United States), including the Wyandot and Delaware peoples ...

near Brookville.Woodfill This line was called the Grouseland Line. All land north of the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of ...

, west of the

Wabash River The Wabash River (French: Ouabache) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 river that drains most of the state of Indiana in the United States. It flows from ...

, and south of that line, was purchased for the United States. A second line was established running from the northwest corner of Fort Wayne on a southeasterly route toward Brookville, where it intersected with the Greenville Treaty line. All land due east of that line, including a small part of

, was purchased as part of the treaty. Shortly after the approval of the treaty, numerous settlements sprung up in the opened land, including Madison. In 1995 the

Indiana Historical Bureau The Indiana State Library and Historical Bureau is a public library building, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the largest public library in the state of Indiana, housing over 60,000 manuscripts. Established in 1934, the library has gather ...

erected a monument where the Grouseland and Greenville lines intersect, commemorating Indiana's early pioneers.

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External links

* {{Indiana history G 1805 in the United States August 1805 events Indiana Territory Native American history of Indiana

William Henry Harrison

Treaty

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