The 1819 Treaty of Saginaw
—Chrissie

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The Great Lakes have always been rich in resources and valuable to any who have lived there and a draw for those who do not. The freshwater lakes and all they contain, of course, but also the thickly-forested lower peninsula, the mineral-rich upper, and the good soil of the southern lower have all been appreciated, used, and exploited by the people of Michigan and the surrounding territory. The first Europeans to travel extensively in the Great Lakes area, the French, also exploited the extensive animal resources, nearly hunting the beaver to extinction due to the high value of its pelt in Europe. When the French lost the French and Indian War, the extensive territory they held across North America was passed to England, including the Great Lakes region.

Located west of the Appalachian Mountains, the Great Lakes was part of the lands designated to be left to the tribes by the agreements after the French and Indian War under the Proclamation of 1763. British soldiers remained at Fort Michilimackinac and Detroit, as well as other forts throughout the territory, and authorized traders travelled through the land as they had under the French. Movement into the territory by English colonists was supposed to be limited, and pushback against those who tried to expand beyond the Proclamation Line was one of the issues that prompted conflict between the colonists and the Crown. When the American colonists overthrew the English, the land which would become Michigan passed to the new United States of America as part of the Northwest Territory.

A scheme for organizing this area was designed: it would be divided into territories and then states. Until there was a large enough population in the territory, it would be administered by agents of the Federal Government. Michigan Territory was carved out of Indiana Territory on 30 June 1805, but it was not until after the War of 1812 that the Americans could be sure of their borders being respected by the British. This war also ended any aid coming to the American tribes from England, which gave the US a distinct advantage in any negotiations over land ownership. This advantage was exercised as simple removal across much of the continent, but some tribes forced negotiations and worked to get the best terms they could under the circumstances.

This was the case with a large swath of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. On 12 September 1819, a delegation from the Saginaw Chippewa tribe met with Michigan territorial governor Lewis Cass to discuss arrangements of land ownership. Cass began the meeting with a speech that demanded the land simply be handed to the US. The Chippewa refused to give it up without negotiation and the meeting fell apart. A few days later, another meeting nearly ended in violence and would have ended the discussion altogether had it not been for the intercession of some local fur traders, particularly Jacob Smith. He was well-regarded by the tribes of the area, with a reputation for honest dealing and respecting the native traditions and lifeways. He had also been involved with the negotiations around the Treaty of Detroit in 1807, and so was familiar with the issues at hand. He was seen as a valuable intermediary by both sides, which allowed him to broker the arrangement which returned the Chippewa to the talks: no agreements could be made until the tribe had secured land which would be reserved for their use and living. Once that was settled, and included a small land grant for Smith himself, the negotiations could continue. The treaty was signed on 24 September 1819. In exchange for approximately four million acres, the US government promised an annual payment to the tribe of $1000 dollars in silver, rights to hunt and fish on the lands ceded, and a promise to pay for improvements to the reservation land.

As with so many of the treaties between the Native Americans and the United States, it was disproportionate at best and not maintained. However, the Saginaw Chippewa make a point of the fact they negotiated the best they could at the time, and they forced an agreement by which they ceded the land, it was not simply taken from them.