Maumee Road Lands
Encyclopedia
Maumee Road Lands were a group of land tracts granted by the United States Congress
to the state of Ohio
in 1823 along the path of a proposed road in the northwest corner of the state.
in 1795 the Indian Nations ceded southern and eastern Ohio to white settlement. The Treaty of Fort Industry
in 1805 moved the boundary westward to a line 120 miles (193.1 km) west of Pennsylvania
, which coincided with the western boundary of the Firelands
of the Connecticut Western Reserve
. In 1807, the Treaty of Detroit
called for the cession of lands northwest of the Maumee River
, mostly in the Michigan Territory. The area between the Maumee River and the 1805 boundary remained Indian Lands, and thus, the United States
could not legally build a road connecting settlements in Ohio
and the Michigan Territory. This area was also in the Great Black Swamp
, and would require much engineering effort and funds to cross with a road.
On November 25, 1808, at Brownstown in Michigan Territory, the United States and five nations of Indians
signed the Treaty of Brownstown
. Article II of the treaty called for the Indian Nations to cede to the United States a tract of land two miles (3 km) wide from Perrysburg, Ohio
on the Maumee River
to Bellevue, Ohio
on the western edge of the Western Reserve so the United States could build a road 120 feet (36.6 m) wide to connect their disconnected lands.
In 1811, Congress appropriated $6,000 to explore, survey and mark a road sixty feet wide. In 1815, Congress made provisions to survey the lands one mile (1.6 km) either side of the road path into tracts running parallel and perpendicular to path of the road, and sell them at the Canton
Land Office. In 1816, the President was authorized to move the path of the road to pass through Fremont
. No action was taken on these counts, so, in 1820, the Ohio legislature asked Congress to take action.
All the land between the Maumee River and the Western Reserve was ceded by the Indians with the Treaty of Fort Meigs
in 1817, and surveyed into townships
and sections
in the Congress Lands
North and East of the First Principal Meridian in 1821.
and Sandusky
counties.
United States Route 20 is situated along the Maumee road.
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to the state of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in 1823 along the path of a proposed road in the northwest corner of the state.
History
With the Treaty of GreenvilleTreaty of Greenville
The Treaty of Greenville was signed at Fort Greenville , on August 3, 1795, between a coalition of Native Americans & Frontiers men, known as the Western Confederacy, and the United States following the Native American loss at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. It put an end to the Northwest Indian War...
in 1795 the Indian Nations ceded southern and eastern Ohio to white settlement. The Treaty of Fort Industry
Treaty of Fort Industry
The Treaty of Fort Industry was a successor treaty to the Treaty of Greenville, which moved the eastern boundary of Indian lands in northern Ohio from the Tuscarawas River and Cuyahoga River westward to a line 120 miles west of the Pennsylvania boundary, which coincided with the western boundary of...
in 1805 moved the boundary westward to a line 120 miles (193.1 km) west of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, which coincided with the western boundary of the Firelands
Firelands
The Firelands or Sufferers' Lands tract was located at the western end of the Connecticut Western Reserve in what is now the U.S. state of Ohio...
of the Connecticut Western Reserve
Connecticut Western Reserve
The Connecticut Western Reserve was land claimed by Connecticut from 1662 to 1800 in the Northwest Territory in what is now northeastern Ohio.-History:...
. In 1807, the Treaty of Detroit
Treaty of Detroit
The Treaty of Detroit was a treaty between the United States and the Ottawa, Chippewa, Wyandot and Potawatomi Native American nations. The treaty was signed at Detroit, Michigan on November 17, 1807, with William Hull, governor of the Michigan Territory and superintendent of Indian affairs the sole...
called for the cession of lands northwest of the Maumee River
Maumee River
The Maumee River is a river in northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana in the United States. It is formed at Fort Wayne, Indiana by the confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers, and meanders northeastwardly for through an agricultural region of glacial moraines before flowing into the...
, mostly in the Michigan Territory. The area between the Maumee River and the 1805 boundary remained Indian Lands, and thus, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
could not legally build a road connecting settlements in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and the Michigan Territory. This area was also in the Great Black Swamp
Great Black Swamp
The Great Black Swamp, or simply Black Swamp, was a glacially caused wetland in northwest Ohio, United States, extending into extreme northeastern Indiana, that existed from the end of the Wisconsin glaciation until the late 19th century...
, and would require much engineering effort and funds to cross with a road.
On November 25, 1808, at Brownstown in Michigan Territory, the United States and five nations of Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
signed the Treaty of Brownstown
Treaty of Brownstown
The Treaty of Brownstown was between the United States and the Council of Three Fires , Wyandott, and Shawanoese Indian Nations...
. Article II of the treaty called for the Indian Nations to cede to the United States a tract of land two miles (3 km) wide from Perrysburg, Ohio
Perrysburg, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,945 people, 6,592 households, and 4,561 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,899.2 people per square mile . There were 6,964 housing units at an average density of 780.5 per square mile...
on the Maumee River
Maumee River
The Maumee River is a river in northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana in the United States. It is formed at Fort Wayne, Indiana by the confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers, and meanders northeastwardly for through an agricultural region of glacial moraines before flowing into the...
to Bellevue, Ohio
Bellevue, Ohio
Bellevue is a city in Erie, Huron, Sandusky and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 8,193 at the 2000 census. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Bellevue as a Tree City USA....
on the western edge of the Western Reserve so the United States could build a road 120 feet (36.6 m) wide to connect their disconnected lands.
In 1811, Congress appropriated $6,000 to explore, survey and mark a road sixty feet wide. In 1815, Congress made provisions to survey the lands one mile (1.6 km) either side of the road path into tracts running parallel and perpendicular to path of the road, and sell them at the Canton
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
Land Office. In 1816, the President was authorized to move the path of the road to pass through Fremont
Fremont, Ohio
Fremont Public Schools enroll 4,450 students in public primary and secondary schools. The district administers 9 public schools including seven elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school, Fremont Ross. In addition, the city is home to one private catholic high school, Saint Joseph...
. No action was taken on these counts, so, in 1820, the Ohio legislature asked Congress to take action.
All the land between the Maumee River and the Western Reserve was ceded by the Indians with the Treaty of Fort Meigs
Treaty of Fort Meigs
The Treaty of Fort Meigs, also called the Treaty of the Foot of the Rapids, was signed September 29, 1817 between the chiefs and warriors of the Wyandot, Seneca, Delaware, Shawnee, Potawatomi, Ottawa and Chippewa, tribes of native Americans and the United States of America, represented by Lewis...
in 1817, and surveyed into townships
Survey township
Survey township, sometimes called Congressional township, as used by the United States Public Land Survey System, refers to a square unit of land, that is nominally six miles on a side...
and sections
Section (United States land surveying)
In U.S. land surveying under the Public Land Survey System , a section is an area nominally one square mile, containing , with 36 sections making up one survey township on a rectangular grid....
in the Congress Lands
Congress Lands
The Congress Lands was a group of land tracts in Ohio that made land available for sale to members of the general public through land offices in various cities, and through the General Land Office...
North and East of the First Principal Meridian in 1821.
Grant by Congress
In 1823, Congress authorized the state of Ohio to build the road, and granted land to the state 120 feet (36.6 m) wide, plus one mile (1.6 km) on each side of the road, bounded by sectional lines. This grant became known as the “Maumee Road Lands“. In 1825 Ohio appropriated moneys to build the road, and provided for sale of granted lands to pay for it. The section of road is about 46 miles (74 km) long, and the land granted to Ohio amounted to about 60000 acres (242.8 km²) in WoodWood County, Ohio
Wood County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 125,488. Its county seat is Bowling Green. The county was named for Captain Eleazer D. Wood, the engineer for General William Henry Harrison's army, who built Fort Meigs in the War of 1812...
and Sandusky
Sandusky County, Ohio
Sandusky County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,944. Its county seat is Fremont and it is named for a native word meaning "water" ....
counties.
United States Route 20 is situated along the Maumee road.