Turnpike Lands
Encyclopedia
Turnpike Lands were a group of land tracts granted by the United States Congress
to the state of Ohio
in 1827 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
, in Ohio, and 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 swampy
, 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 “…also a tract of land, for a road only, of one hundred twenty feet in weadth, to run southwardly from what is called Lower Sandusky, to the boundary line established by the Treaty of Greenville, with the privelege of taking at all times, such timber and other materials, from the adjacent lands as may be necessary for making and keeping in repair the said road, with the bridges that may be required along the same.”
Lower Sandusky is now called Fremont, Ohio
and the boundary line of the Greenville Treaty lies in southern Marion County
.
Nothing was accomplished by Congress, 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
South and East of the First Principal Meridian
in 1819, and North and East of the First Principal Meridian in 1821.
on Lake Erie
rather than Fremont. In 1827, and clarified in 1828, Congress granted to the state of Ohio “forty-nine sections of land to be located in the Delaware
Land District, in the following manner, to-wit: Every alternate section through which the road may run, and the section next adjoining thereto on the west, so far as the said sections remain unsold, and, if any part of the sections shall have been disposed of, then a quantity equal thereto shall be selected by the Commissioner of the General Land Office, from the vacant lands in the sections adjoining on the west of those appropriated.”
The road was constructed by the Columbus and Sandusky Turnpike Company. The grant of 31596.09 acres (127.9 km²) was declared for the use and benefit of the turnpike company by the state legislature in 1828 for the purpose of building the road, and authorized the company to sell the land and the governor to execute the deeds to the purchasers.
Ohio State Route 4 north of Bucyrus
in Seneca
and Crawford
counties, and Ohio State Route 98
south of Bucyrus in Crawford and Marion
counties are situated along the path of the Columbus and Sandusky Turnpike where the 1828 grant was made.
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 1827 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
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...
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...
, in Ohio, and mostly in the Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
. 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 swampy
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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and five nations of Indians 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 “…also a tract of land, for a road only, of one hundred twenty feet in weadth, to run southwardly from what is called Lower Sandusky, to the boundary line established by the Treaty of Greenville, with the privelege of taking at all times, such timber and other materials, from the adjacent lands as may be necessary for making and keeping in repair the said road, with the bridges that may be required along the same.”
Lower Sandusky is now called Fremont, Ohio
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...
and the boundary line of the Greenville Treaty lies in southern Marion County
Marion County, Ohio
Marion County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 66,501. Its county seat is the city of Marion and is named for General Francis "The Swamp Fox" Marion, an officer in the Revolutionary War....
.
Nothing was accomplished by Congress, 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...
South and East of the First Principal Meridian
South and East of the First Principal Meridian
South and East of the First Principal Meridian is a land description in the American Midwest.In 1812, Congress authorized the Surveyor General to survey the northern and western border of Ohio “as soon as the consent of the Indians can be obtained.“ In 1817, the northern portion of the Ohio-Indiana...
in 1819, and North and East of the First Principal Meridian in 1821.
Grant by Congress
It became more desirable to run a road to Sandusky CitySandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
on Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
rather than Fremont. In 1827, and clarified in 1828, Congress granted to the state of Ohio “forty-nine sections of land to be located in the Delaware
Delaware, Ohio
The City of Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County in the United States state of Ohio. Delaware was founded in 1808 and was incorporated in 1816. It is located near the center of Ohio, is about north of Columbus, and is part of the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Area...
Land District, in the following manner, to-wit: Every alternate section through which the road may run, and the section next adjoining thereto on the west, so far as the said sections remain unsold, and, if any part of the sections shall have been disposed of, then a quantity equal thereto shall be selected by the Commissioner of the General Land Office, from the vacant lands in the sections adjoining on the west of those appropriated.”
The road was constructed by the Columbus and Sandusky Turnpike Company. The grant of 31596.09 acres (127.9 km²) was declared for the use and benefit of the turnpike company by the state legislature in 1828 for the purpose of building the road, and authorized the company to sell the land and the governor to execute the deeds to the purchasers.
Ohio State Route 4 north of Bucyrus
Bucyrus, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,224 people, 5,559 households, and 3,552 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,812.0 people per square mile . There were 5,955 housing units at an average density of 816.0 per square mile...
in Seneca
Seneca County, Ohio
Seneca County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 56,745. Its county seat is Tiffin and it is named for the Seneca Indians.The Tiffin Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Seneca County....
and Crawford
Crawford County, Ohio
Crawford County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. It was named for Colonel William Crawford, a soldier during the American Revolution....
counties, and Ohio State Route 98
Ohio State Route 98
State Route 98 is a north–south state highway in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Its southern terminus is at the State Route 47/State Route 423 concurrency in Waldo, and its northern terminus is at State Route 61 in Plymouth....
south of Bucyrus in Crawford and Marion
Marion County, Ohio
Marion County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 66,501. Its county seat is the city of Marion and is named for General Francis "The Swamp Fox" Marion, an officer in the Revolutionary War....
counties are situated along the path of the Columbus and Sandusky Turnpike where the 1828 grant was made.