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Primary sourceDocument21 August 1805

Treaty of Grouseland

21 August 1805

An 1805 treaty negotiated by William Henry Harrison at his own home, securing large areas of southern Indiana land from several Native American tribes.

Harrison negotiated and signed this treaty at his own home as governor of the Indiana Territory, gaining large land cessions.

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Color map of Indiana divided into colored regions labeled with treaty names and years, such as Treaty of Chicago 1821, Treaty of St. Mary's 1818, and Treaty of Grouseland 1805, which appears in two separate areas of the state.
Treaty of Grouseland, 21 August 1805. Grouseland, Vincennes, Indiana.

About this source

What it is

The Treaty of Grouseland was negotiated in 1805 by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory with Native American leaders, including Little Turtle and Buckongahelas, representing tribes such as the Delaware, Miami, and Potawatomi. It was signed on 21 August 1805 at Harrison's home, Grouseland, in Vincennes, Indiana.

Why it matters

This treaty followed the earlier Treaty of Vincennes and the Treaty of Greenville, and was part of a series of land purchases that opened Indiana to settlement, raising tensions between settlers and Native tribes. It shows Harrison's role in negotiating with Native leaders on behalf of the United States, often amid pressure from settlers already moving onto Native land.

Look closer

  • Why might Harrison have chosen to negotiate this treaty at his own home rather than elsewhere?
  • What does the map's division of land into treaty-dated regions tell you about the pace of land transfer from Native nations?
  • Whose perspective is missing from how this treaty is usually described?

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