Treaty of the Maumee Rapids (Rapids of the Miami of Lake Erie), 1817
At the Maumee Rapids in 1817 seven nations ceded much of northwestern Ohio and kept reservations; no Miami leaders signed.
- Signed
- September 29, 1817
- Senate
- Ratified
- Land given up
- about 5.4 million acres
- Land set aside for the nations
- about 440,000 acres
- Promises
- 1 of 1 broken or only partly kept
What happened
What happened
On September 29, 1817, Lewis Cass and Duncan McArthur signed a treaty at the foot of the Rapids of the Miami of Lake Erie with the Wyandot, Seneca, Delaware, Shawnee, Potawatomi, Ottawa and Chippewa. The Wyandot ceded a tract described from the south shore of Lake Erie down to the Greenville line. The Potawatomi, Ottawa and Chippewa ceded a second tract along the Maumee River. The United States agreed to pay the Wyandot $4,000 a year forever, the Seneca $500 and the Shawnee $2,000, along with shorter annuities to others.
The treaty also promised patents "in fee simple" to chiefs of the Wyandot, Seneca and Shawnee for named people. These included a tract twelve miles square at Upper Sandusky and a 30,000-acre Seneca tract.
A blog from the Myaamia Center at Miami University, by a student and a faculty member, says the treaty ceded over 4.5 million acres. It quotes McArthur that the American goal was "relinquishment of [Native] claim to as much as possible of the lands within the State of Ohio." No Miami leaders signed, though the Miami leader Little Turtle had claimed much of this land in 1795. The blog says the Miami viewed the treaty as unjust and asked for a share of the proceeds. It also says U.S. senators objected to the number of reservations and to land granted in fee simple.
The 1818 supplementary treaty at St. Mary's, Ohio, changed the fee-simple grants into reservations.
What was promised, and what happened
- Partly kept
The United States would patent land in fee simple to chiefs of the Wyandot, Seneca and Shawnee for named people. (Art. 6)
shall not be thus granted, but shall be excepted from the cession made by the said tribes to the United States
treaties.okstate.edu
Good to know. The 4.5 million acre figure comes from a Myaamia Center student blog, which also says six nations ceded the land; the treaty text lists seven and states no total.
Summarized with AI assistance from 5 sources and checked against their words; not yet reviewed by historians or by the nations. Report an error
What the sources say, and how this was checked
Well supported by the sources below.
a tract of land twelve miles square, at Upper Sandusky
Treaty with the Wyandots, etc., 1817, 7 Stat. 160 (U.S. Statutes at Large, govinfo.gov)annually, forever, the sum of four thousand dollars
Treaty with the Wyandots, etc., 1817, 7 Stat. 160 (U.S. Statutes at Large, govinfo.gov)six Native nations collectively ceded over 4.5 million acres of territory to the United States
The Lost Treaty of Fort Meigs (Myaamia Center, Miami University)relinquishment of [Native] claim to as much as possible of the lands within the State of Ohio
The Lost Treaty of Fort Meigs (Myaamia Center, Miami University)shall not be thus granted, but shall be excepted from the cession made by the said tribes to the United States
Treaty with the Wyandot, etc., 1818 (Oklahoma State University Tribal Treaties Database)
Research notes. The Myaamia Center blog is a student research piece with faculty guidance. It says six nations ceded the land, while the treaty text lists seven, and it says it remains unclear why the Miami did not attend. The 4.5 million acre figure is the blog's; the treaty text states no total.
What the treaty did to the land
About 5.4 million acres given up. about 440,000 acres recognized, kept or set aside for the nations. Each shape is a numbered area in the federal government’s 1899 record of land cessions.
ceded to the United Statesabout 4.8 million acres
Land of the Chippewa, Delaware and others in Indiana and Ohio, ceded 1817 (area 87)
Ceded by the Wyandot and allied tribes at the 1817 Treaty of the Maumee Rapids, northwestern Ohio and part of Indiana.
ceded to the United Statesabout 596,000 acres
Land of the Chippewa, Delaware and others in Michigan and Ohio, ceded 1817 (area 88)
Ceded by the Potawatomi, Ottawa and Chippewa at the 1817 Treaty of the Maumee Rapids, land in Ohio and Michigan.
set aside as a reservationabout 185,000 acres
Land of the Wyandot in Ohio, ceded 1842 (area 259)
Granted to the Wyandot at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, in 1817 and enlarged in 1818; what remained was ceded in the 1842 treaty.
set aside as a reservationabout 70,000 acres
Land of the Shawnee (residing at Wapaghkonnetta and Hog creek) in Ohio, ceded 1831 (area 165)
Set aside for the Shawnee at Wapaghkonetta as 10 miles square in 1817, plus 12,800 acres in 1818, then ceded in August 1831.
set aside as a reservationabout 47,000 acres
Land of the Seneka and Shawnee (mixed band residing at and around Lewistown) in Ohio, ceded 1831 (area 164)
Set aside in 1817 as a 48-square-mile reserve at Lewistown for the Seneca and Shawnee and enlarged in 1818, then ceded to the United States in July 1831.
set aside as a reservationabout 46,000 acres
Land of the Seneka of Sandusky river in Ohio, ceded 1831 (area 163)
Granted to the Seneca of Sandusky as 30,000 acres in 1817 and enlarged by 10,000 acres in 1818, then ceded to the United States in February 1831.
set aside as a reservationabout 46,000 acres
Land of the Wyandot tribe in Ohio in Ohio, ceded 1836 (area 211)
Granted to the Wyandot as a 12-mile-square reserve at Upper Sandusky in 1817 and enlarged in 1818; a 5-mile strip off the east end was ceded in April 1836, and the rest in March 1842.
set aside as a reservationabout 23,000 acres
Land of the Shawnee (residing at Wapaghkonnetta and Hog creek) in Ohio, ceded 1831 (area 166)
Set aside for the Shawnee at Hog Creek as 25 square miles in 1817, then ceded in August 1831.
set aside as a reservationabout 23,000 acres
Land of the Ottawa (residing in Ohio) in Ohio, ceded 1831 (area 167)
Set aside for the Ottawa on Blanchard's Fork as 5 miles square in 1817, then ceded in August 1831.
set aside as a reservationabout 23,000 acres
Land of the Ottawa (residing in Ohio) in Ohio, ceded 1831 (area 168)
Set aside for the Ottawa at Oquanoxa's village on the Little Auglaize as 3 miles square in 1817, then ceded in August 1831.
set aside as a reservationabout 23,000 acres
Land of the Ottawa Indians residing on the Indian reserves on the Miami of Lake Erie and in the vicinity thereof in Ohio, ceded 1833 (area 182)
Granted to the Ottawa in 1817 as 34 square miles at Tushquegan (McCarty's village) on the Miami of Lake Erie, then ceded in February 1833.
set aside as a reservation
Land of the Delaware (band on Sandusky river) in Ohio, ceded 1829 (area 150)
Granted to the Delaware on the Sandusky in the 1817 Treaty of the Maumee Rapids and made a reserve in 1818, then ceded by the Delaware in August 1829.
set aside as a reservation
Land of the Wyandot tribe in Ohio in Ohio, ceded 1836 (area 212)
Set aside for the Wyandot as one square mile in Cranberry Swamp on Broken Sword Creek in 1817, then ceded in April 1836.
ceded to the United States
Land of the Chippewa, Delaware and others in Michigan, ceded 1817 (area 89)
Set aside as three unlocated sections in the 1807 Treaty of Detroit, then transferred in 1817 to the Catholic church of St. Anne and the Detroit college.
ceded to the United States
Land of the Chippewa, Delaware and others in Ohio, ceded 1817 (area 90)
Set aside for the Delaware by an act of March 1807 as 13 sections in Ohio, including the Lower Delaware town, then ceded by the Delaware at the 1817 Treaty of the Maumee Rapids.
ceded to the United States
Land of the Chippewa, Delaware and others in Ohio, ceded 1817 (area 91)
Set aside for the Delaware by an act of March 1807 as 13 sections in Ohio, including the Lower Delaware town, then ceded by the Delaware at the 1817 Treaty of the Maumee Rapids.
What happened next
Everything the record holds about this land and this treaty, in order: what earlier agreements said, what this one did, and what the United States, the courts and the nations did afterwards.
- 1807
- 1807
Land kept
Land set aside as a reservation for the Chippewa, Delaware and others
By Treaty of Detroit, 1807
- 1817
This treaty
About 5.4 million acres ceded to the United States by the Chippewa, Delaware and others. About 440,000 acres set aside as a reservation for the Wyandot, Shawnee (residing at Wapaghkonnetta and Hog creek) and others
At the Maumee Rapids in 1817 seven nations ceded much of northwestern Ohio and kept reservations; no Miami leaders signed.
- 1818
- 1829
Land lost
Land ceded to the United States by the Delaware (band on Sandusky river)
By Delaware at Little Sandusky, Ohio (1829)
- 1831
Land lost
About 46,000 acres ceded to the United States by the Seneka of Sandusky river
By Seneca of Sandusky River, Ohio, at Washington, DC (1831)
- 1831
Land lost
About 47,000 acres ceded to the United States by the Seneka and Shawnee (mixed band residing at and around Lewistown)
By Seneca and Shawnee at Lewistown, Ohio (1831)
- 1831
Land lost
About 93,000 acres ceded to the United States by the Shawnee (residing at Wapaghkonnetta and Hog creek)
By Shawnee at Wapaghkonnetta, Ohio (1831)
- 1831
Land lost
About 46,000 acres ceded to the United States by the Ottawa (residing in Ohio)
By Ottawa (Ohio) at Lake Erie (1831)
- 1833
Land lost
About 23,000 acres ceded to the United States by the Ottawa Indians residing on the Indian reserves on the Miami of Lake Erie and in the vicinity thereof
By Ottawa at Maumee, Ohio (1833)
- 1836
Land lost
About 46,000 acres ceded to the United States by the Wyandot tribe in Ohio
By Wyandot at Washington, DC (1836)
- 1842
Land lost
About 185,000 acres ceded to the United States by the Wyandot
By Wyandot at Council House, Upper Sandusky, Ohio (1842)
Who is doing the work today
The nations connected to this treaty come first, then groups returning land and defending treaty rights. Support goes directly to them.
Who is doing the work
This history belongs to living nations. Start with them:
- Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians of the Bad River Reservation, Wisconsin
- Bay Mills Indian Community
- Chippewa Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana
- Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Michigan
- Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
- Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
- Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Michigan
- Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana
Working with these nations
- Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) Nation government Ojibwe treaty rights in ceded territories, natural resource stewardship, manoomin, and a Land Conservancy program… Give on their site Website
- Stockbridge-Munsee Community (Band of Mohican Indians) Nation government 372 acres on Monument Mountain's north slope (finalized Apr 2025; $2.5M, $2.26M state grant)
- Oneida Indian Nation Nation government About 18,000 acres in trust (2022 est.), 25,000-acre cap under 2013 agreement
- Honor the Earth Native-led Pipeline resistance, sovereignty, energy justice Give on their site Website
- White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP) Native-led Recover the original White Earth reservation land base Give on their site Website
- Native Land Conservancy (Massachusetts) Native-led Native-led land conservation Give on their site Website
Native legal and land defense, nationally
- Native American Rights Fund (NARF) Native-led Litigation and legal advocacy for tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, land and resources Give on their site Website
- NDN Collective (LANDBACK Campaign) Native-led LANDBACK campaign (launched 2020; Mount Rushmore closure and return of Black Hills public lands), Indigenous… Give on their site Website
- Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) Native-led Land recovery and control by tribes and individual Indian landowners Website
- Decolonizing Wealth Project (Indigenous Earth Fund; California Tribal Land Return) Native-led Reparative philanthropy Give on their site Website
Gifts go straight to each organization; this atlas takes nothing. Listing is not endorsement: how organizations are listed.
Sources
Sources
- digitreaties.org/treaties/treaty/120942221reference work
Research notes
Acreage not retrieved this session.
Shapes are approximate and are not legal descriptions of land, title or jurisdiction.