Research notes: Treaty of Fort McIntosh, 1785

The treaty

• Signed January 21, 1785 at Fort McIntosh (Beaver, Pa.); ten articles; commissioners George Rogers Clark, Richard Butler, Arthur Lee. Sources: Text Wiki
• Article I: three chiefs (one Wyandot, two Delaware) held as hostages until prisoners “white and black” are restored. Sources: Text
• Articles III–VI: boundary from the Cuyahoga to the Tuscarawas, Fort Laurens, Pickawillany portage, Great Miami (Maumee) and Lake Erie; land inside allotted to the Wyandot and Delaware; settlers there lose U.S. protection; land outside acknowledged as American. Sources: Text
• Most signers lacked authority from their nations; later chiefs questioned its legality. Sources: Wiki

Aftermath

• Most Ohio Country nations rejected it, especially the Shawnee, who lost their southwestern Ohio lands; it led to the Western (Northwestern) Confederacy later in 1785 and foreshadowed the Northwest Indian War. Sources: Wiki
• Greenville (1795) drew an almost identical line. Sources: Wiki
• Fort built 1778, named for Gen. Lachlan McIntosh; NRHP 1975. Sources: Fort

Timeline

1. 1778 Fort McIntosh built. Sources: Fort
2. 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix with the Six Nations. Sources: Wiki
3. 1785 Treaty of Fort McIntosh signed January 21. Sources: Text
4. 1795 Treaty of Greenville redraws a nearly identical line. Sources: Wiki

People

• George Rogers Clark U.S. commissioner
• Richard Butler U.S. commissioner
• Arthur Lee U.S. commissioner

Open questions

• Names and standing of the individual Native signers.
• How the Wyandot and Delaware councils themselves answered the treaty in 1785.

Sources

Primary sources

• “Treaty with the Wyandot, etc., 1785,” in Charles J. Kappler, Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, vol. 2 (Oklahoma State University digital edition). (opens in a new tab)

Secondary sources

• “Treaty of Fort McIntosh,” Wikipedia. (opens in a new tab)
• “Fort McIntosh (Pennsylvania),” Wikipedia. (opens in a new tab)