Treaty of St. Peters may be one of two treaties conducted between the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
peoples, conducted at the confluence of the
Minnesota RiverThe Minnesota River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of nearly , in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa....
(then called "St. Peters River") with the
Mississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, in what today is
Mendota, MinnesotaMendota is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. The name comes from the Dakota word for "where the waters meet." The population was 198 at the 2010 census.-History:...
.
1805 Treaty of St. Peters
The 1805 Treaty of St. Peters or the Treaty with the Sioux, better known as Pike's Purchase, was a treaty conducted between Lieutenant
Zebulon PikeZebulon Montgomery Pike Jr. was an American officer and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. As a United States Army captain in 1806-1807, he led the Pike Expedition to explore and document the southern portion of the Louisiana Purchase and to find the headwaters of the Red River,...
for the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Chiefs "Le Petit Carbeau" and Way Aga Enogee on behalf of the Sioux Nation. The treaty conducted on September 23, 1805, purchases two tracts of land: nine-square miles each at the confluence of the
St. Croix RiverThe St. Croix River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The lower of the river form the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota. The river is a National Scenic Riverway under the protection of the National Park Service. A...
about what now is
Hastings, MinnesotaHastings is a city in Dakota counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota, near the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers. The population was 22,172 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dakota County. The bulk of Hastings is in Dakota County; only a small part of the city extends...
and confluence of the
Minnesota RiverThe Minnesota River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of nearly , in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa....
with
MississippiMississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
about what now is
Mendota, MinnesotaMendota is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. The name comes from the Dakota word for "where the waters meet." The population was 198 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, for the purposes of establishing military posts at each of the two sites. A military post was not established at the confluence of the St. Croix with the Mississippi, but Fort Snelling was established on the bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota with the Mississippi. Though the treaty was never proclaimed by the
President of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, it was ratified by the
United States CongressThe 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....
on April 16, 1808.
1837 Treaty of St. Peters
The 1837 Treaty of St. Peters or the Treaty with the Chippewa (or informally as the White Pine Treaty) was a treaty conducted between Governor
Henry DodgeHenry Dodge was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Black Hawk War. His son was Augustus C. Dodge with whom he served in the U.S. Senate, the first, and so far only, father-son pair to serve concurrently....
for the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and representatives from various
OjibwaThe Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
Bands located across today's
WisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and
MinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. It was conducted on July 29, 1837, at St. Peters,
Wisconsin TerritoryThe Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin...
(known today as
Mendota, MinnesotaMendota is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. The name comes from the Dakota word for "where the waters meet." The population was 198 at the 2010 census.-History:...
). Signatory tribes commonly call this treaty The Treaty of 1837. The treaty was proclaimed on June 15, 1838, and codified in the
United States Statutes at LargeThe United States Statutes at Large, commonly referred to as the Statutes at Large and abbreviated Stat., are the official source for the laws and concurrent resolutions passed by the United States Congress...
as .
Land Cession Terms
In the treaty, the Ojibwa nations ceded to the United States a large tract of land located from the
Mississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
in east-central Minnesota to the
Wisconsin River-External links:* * * , Wisconsin Historical Society* * * *...
in northern Wisconsin, using as its southern boundaries the "Prairie du Chien Line" as established by the 1825
Treaty of Prairie du ChienThe Treaty of Prairie du Chien may refer to any of several treaties made and signed in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin between the United States, representatives from the Sioux, Sac and Fox, Menominee, Ioway, Winnebago and the Anishinaabeg Native American peoples.-1825:The first treaty of Prairie du...
, between the
DakotaThe Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
and the Ojibwa, and using the
Lake SuperiorLake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
watershed as its northern boundaries.
The land cession was conducted to guarantee access to the Wisconsin Territory's lumber resources that was needed to help build housing for the growing populations in
St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
and
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. In the sale, the United States obligated itself to payments to the signatory Bands for twenty years and additional provisions for the Metis in the territory. In turn, the signatory Ojibwa bands retained
usufructUsufruct is the legal right to use and derive profit or benefit from property that either belongs to another person or which is under common ownership, as long as the property is not damaged or destroyed...
uary rights to continue hunting, fishing and gathering within the treaty-ceded territory.
Signatories
| # | Location | Recorded Name | Name (Translation/"Alias") | Title |
| 01 |
Leech Lake |
Aish-ke-bo-ge-koshe |
Eshkibagikoonzhe (Flat Mouth)Aysh-ke-bah-ke-ko-zhay was a powerful Ojibwa chief who traveled to Washington, D.C...
|
Chief |
| 02 |
Leech Lake |
R-che-o-sau-ya |
Gichi-osayenh (Elder Brother) |
Chief |
| 03 |
Leech Lake |
Pe-zhe-kins |
Bizhikiins (Young Buffalo) |
Warrior |
| 04 |
Leech Lake |
Ma-ghe-ga-bo |
Nayaajigaabaw ("la Trappe") |
Warrior |
| 05 |
Leech Lake |
O-be-gwa-dans |
(Chief of the Earth) |
Warrior |
| 06 |
Leech Lake |
Wa-bose |
Waabooz (Rabbit) |
Warrior |
| 07 |
Leech Lake |
Che-a-na-quod |
Chi-aanakwad (Big Cloud) |
Warrior |
| 08 |
Gull Lake and Swan River |
Pa-goo-na-kee-zhig |
Bagone-giizhig (Hole in the Day) |
Chief |
| 09 |
Gull Lake and Swan River |
Songa-ko-mig |
Zoongakamig (Strong Ground) |
Chief |
| 10 |
Gull Lake and Swan River |
Wa-boo-jig |
Waabojiig (White Fisher) |
Warrior |
| 11 |
Gull Lake and Swan River |
Ma-cou-da |
Makode (Bear's Heart) |
Warrior |
| 12 |
St. Croix River |
Pe-zhe-ke |
Bizhikiinh (Buffalo) |
Chief |
| 13 |
St. Croix River |
Ka-be-ma-be |
Gaa-bimabi (He that sits to the side/"Wet mouth") |
Chief |
| 14 |
St. Croix River |
Pa-ga-we-we-wetung |
Bigiiwewewidang (Coming Home Hollering) |
Warrior |
| 15 |
St. Croix River |
Ya-banse |
Ayaabens (Young Buck) |
Warrior |
| 16 |
St. Croix River |
Kis-ke-ta-wak |
Giishkitawag (Cut Ear) |
Warrior |
| 17 |
Lac Courte Oreilles Band |
Pa-qua-a-mo |
Bakwe'aamoo (Woodpecker) |
Chief |
| 18 |
Lac du Flambeau Band |
Pish-ka-ga-ghe |
Apishkaagaagi (Magpie/"White Crow") |
Chief |
| 19 |
Lac du Flambeau Band |
Na-wa-ge-wa |
(Knee) |
Chief |
| 20 |
Lac du Flambeau Band |
O-ge-ma-ga |
(Dandy) |
Chief |
| 21 |
Lac du Flambeau Band |
Pa-se-quam-jis |
(Commissioner) |
Chief |
| 22 |
Lac du Flambeau Band |
Wa-be-ne-me |
Waabinimikii (White Thunder) |
Chief |
| 23 |
La Pointe Band |
Pe-zhe-ke |
Bizhiki (Buffalo) |
Chief |
| 24 |
La Pointe Band |
Ta-qua-ga-na |
Dagwagaane (Two Lodges Meet) Chief Tagwagané was an Anishinaabe sub-chief of the La Pointe Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, located in the Chequamegon area in the first half of the 19th century. He was of the Ajijaak-doodem...
|
Chief |
| 25 |
La Pointe Band |
Cha-che-que-o |
|
Chief |
| 26 |
Mille Lacs Indians The Mille Lacs Indians are a Band of Indians formed from the unification of the Mille Lacs Band of Mississippi Chippewa with the Mille Lacs Band of Mdewakanton Sioux...
|
Wa-shask-ko-kone |
Wazhashkokon (Muskrat's Liver) |
Chief |
| 27 |
Mille Lacs Indians The Mille Lacs Indians are a Band of Indians formed from the unification of the Mille Lacs Band of Mississippi Chippewa with the Mille Lacs Band of Mdewakanton Sioux...
|
Wen-ghe-ge-she-guk |
Wenji-giizhigak (First Day) |
Chief |
| 28 |
Mille Lacs Indians The Mille Lacs Indians are a Band of Indians formed from the unification of the Mille Lacs Band of Mississippi Chippewa with the Mille Lacs Band of Mdewakanton Sioux...
|
Ada-we-ge-shik |
Edawi-giizhig (Both Ends of the Sky) |
Warrior |
| 29 |
Mille Lacs Indians The Mille Lacs Indians are a Band of Indians formed from the unification of the Mille Lacs Band of Mississippi Chippewa with the Mille Lacs Band of Mdewakanton Sioux...
|
Ka-ka-quap |
(Sparrow) |
Warrior |
| 30 |
Sandy Lake Band |
Ka-nan-da-wa-win-zo |
Gaa-nandawaawinzo (Ripe-Berry Hunter/"le Brocheux") |
Chief |
| 31 |
Sandy Lake Band |
We-we-shan-shis |
Gwiiwizhenzhish (Bad Boy/"Big Mouth") |
Chief |
| 32 |
Sandy Lake Band |
Ke-che-wa-me-te-go |
Gichi-wemitigo (Big Frenchman) |
Chief |
| 33 |
Sandy Lake Band |
Na-ta-me-ga-bo |
Netamigaabaw (Stands First) |
Warrior |
| 34 |
Sandy Lake Band |
Sa-ga-ta-gun |
Zagataagan (Spunk) |
Warrior |
| 35 |
Snake River |
Naudin |
Noodin (Wind) |
Chief |
| 36 |
Snake River |
Sha-go-bai |
Shák'pí ("Little" Six) |
Chief |
| 37 |
Snake River |
Pay-ajik |
Bayezhig (Lone Man) |
Chief |
| 38 |
Snake River |
Na-qua-na-bie |
Negwanebi ([Tallest Quill-]Feather) |
Chief |
| 39 |
Snake River |
Ha-tau-wa |
Odaawaa (Trader/"Ottawa") |
Warrior |
| 40 |
Snake River |
Wa-me-te-go-zhins |
Wemitigoozhiins (Little Frenchman) |
Warrior |
| 41 |
Snake River |
Sho-ne-a |
Zhooniyaa (Silver) |
Warrior |
| 42 |
Fond du Lac Band |
Mang-go-sit |
Maangozid (Loon's Foot) |
Chief |
| 43 |
Fond du Lac Band |
Shing-go-be |
Zhingobiinh (Spruce) |
Chief |
| 44 |
Red Cedar Lake |
Mont-so-mo |
(Murdering Yell) |
|
| 45 |
Red Lake |
Francois Goumean |
François Gourneau |
half breed |
| 46 |
Leech Lake |
Sha-wa-ghe-zhig |
(Sounding Sky) |
Warrior |
| 47 |
Leech Lake |
Wa-zau-ko-ni-a |
Wezaawikonaye (Yellow Robe) |
Warrior |
Commissioner:
- Henry Dodge
Henry Dodge was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Black Hawk War. His son was Augustus C. Dodge with whom he served in the U.S. Senate, the first, and so far only, father-son pair to serve concurrently....
, Commissioner
Recording Secretary:
- Verplanck Van Antwerp
Verplanck S. Van Antwerp was a Brevet Brigadier General for the United States and served as U.S. Land Office Receiver and Secretary to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs.-Biography:...
, Secretary to the Commissioner
Indian Agents:
- Lawrence Taliaferro
Lawrence Taliaferro was a United States Army officer best known for his service as an Indian agent at Fort Snelling, Minnesota from 1820 through 1839 and also as an individual who played a part in the saga of the famous African American slave Dred Scott.Taliaferro was born at Whitehall...
, US Indian Agent at St. PetersMendota is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. The name comes from the Dakota word for "where the waters meet." The population was 198 at the 2010 census.-History:...
- Miles M. Vineyard, US Sub-Indian Agent at Crow Wing, Minnesota
- Daniel P. Bushnell, US Sub-Indian Agent at La Pointe, Wisconsin
La Pointe is a town in Ashland County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The town includes all of the Apostle Islands. There is also an unincorporated community named La Pointe on Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostle Islands . The population was 246 at the 2000 census...
Interpreters:
- Jean-Baptiste DuBay
- Peter Quinn
- Scott Campbell
- Stephen Bonga
Army:
- Martin Scott, Captain, Fifth Regiment Infantry
- Dr. John Emerson, Assistant Surgeon, US Army
Traders:
- Hercules L. Dousman
Hercules Louis Dousman was a trader and real-estate speculator who played a large role in the economic development of Wisconsin. He is often called Wisconsin's first millionaire.-Early life and trading activities:...
- Henry Hastings Sibley
Henry Hastings Sibley was the first Governor of the U.S. state of Minnesota.-Early life and education:...
- Lyman Marquis Warren of La Pointe, Wisconsin
La Pointe is a town in Ashland County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The town includes all of the Apostle Islands. There is also an unincorporated community named La Pointe on Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostle Islands . The population was 246 at the 2000 census...
Special guests:
Others:
- Harmen Van Antwerp
- William W. Coriell
- William H. Forbes
- Ezekiel Lockwood of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
Prairie du Chien is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,911 at the 2010 census. Its Zip Code is 53821....
- Samuel C. Stambaugh of Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
In addition, two other know people were in attendance, but were not signatories:
- William A. Aitken
William Alexander Aitken, also known as William Alexander Aitkin , was a fur trader with the Ojibwe.-Biography:Aitken was apparently a native of Edinburgh, Scotland. He came to the Upper Mississippi region around 1802 from Canada and was employed by John Drew, a trader in the Mackinac area...
- Allan Morrison
Establishment of Reservations
Together with the 1842 and 1854 treaty-ceded territories in determining the locations of
Indian ReservationAn American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
s in the 1854
Treaty of La PointeThe Treaty of La Pointe may refer to either of two treaties made and signed in La Pointe, Wisconsin between the United States and the Ojibwe Native American peoples...
and the 1855 Treaty of Washington, the 1837 treaty-ceded territory was divided into five zones. Charles Royce in his 1899 report and accompanying map to the
United States CongressThe 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....
designated the territory as "Land Cession Area No. 242," thus the area is often called "Royce Area 242." The five zones each with proposed centralized Indian Reservations of approximately 60000 acres (242.8 km²) each were Mille Lacs Lake (242A), St. Croix (242B), Lac Courte Oreilles (242C), Lac du Flambeau (242D) and Mole Lake (242E), with access accommodations made for Fond du Lac, La Pointe and Lac Vieux Desert.
However, with St. Croix and Sokoagon walking out of the negotiations of the 1854
Treaty of La PointeThe Treaty of La Pointe may refer to either of two treaties made and signed in La Pointe, Wisconsin between the United States and the Ojibwe Native American peoples...
, they were excluded from further business, losing their federal recognition until 1934, and the proposed St. Croix Indian Reservation was never established in zone 242B and Mole Lake was never established straddling zone 242E and 1842 treaty-ceded territory. In the case of St. Croix, illness overcame the Chief Ayaabens and the United States would not accept a sub-Chief vested with negotiation authority, so St. Croix had no choice but to walk away; oral history of both the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Minnesota of the
Mille Lacs Band of OjibweThe Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe , also known as the Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians or the Mille Lacs Band of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, is an Ojibwa tribe located in Minnesota. The tribe boasts 3,942 tribal members as of July, 2007...
and the
St. Croix Chippewa Indians of WisconsinThe St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin are a Federally recognized Indian Tribe, located in northwestern Wisconsin, along the St. Croix River valley and watershed.-History:...
both state if it were not for Chief Ayaabens’ illness, the St. Croix Band would have insisted on reaffirmation of treaty rights expressed in both the 1837 Treaty of St. Peters and the 1842 Treaty of La Pointe, so that the Band would not be face with loss of off-Reservation resources access. Shortly afterwards, Chief Ayaabens died from his illness. In the case of Mole Lake, their Chief was barred from the treaty council as the United States firmly believed that the initially proposed four Reservations of about 10000 acres (40.5 km²) each would not be an adequate alternative for a single Reservation of about 60000 acres (242.8 km²). The Mole Lake Chief sent his sub-Chief to the Treaty council, with full negotiation authority, but like St. Croix, United States would not accept Mole Lake's sub-Chief, even when fully vested with negotiation authority, leaving the Mole Lake delegation no other choice but to walk away from Treaty council. However, Mille Lacs Lake and Lac Courte Oreilles Indian Reservations were established in 242A and 242C respectively, and Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservations was established straddling zone 242D and 1842 treaty-ceded territory.
Treaty area boundary adjustments
In Wisconsin, for regulatory purposes, the southern boundaries of the 1837 treaty-area have been adjusted to follow distinct landmarks such as roads and streams. However, in Wisconsin with consent of the property-owner and with tribally issued license, all treaty rights of hunting, fishing and gathering may be exercised by the members of the signatory bands.
In Minnesota, no boundary adjustments have been made. However, hunting is limited to public lands located within the 1837 treaty-area and requires tribally issued hunting license. For non-public lands within the 1837 treaty-area, hunting is subjectable to state hunting licensing and rules. For fishing and gathering, tribally issued licenses are required in Minnesota's portion of the 1837 treaty-ceded territory.
See also
- Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians v. Wisconsin
- Minnesota v. Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians
Minnesota v. Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians, 526 U.S. 172 , was a United States Supreme Court decision concerning the usufructuary rights of the Chippewa tribe to certain lands it had ceded to the federal government in 1837...
,
Additional reading
- McClurken, James M. (2000). Fish in the Lakes, Wild Rice and Game in abundance. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press.
External links