Forks of the Wabash

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Chief Richardville House and Miami Treaty Grounds
Chief Richardson house Huntington Indiana.JPG
Chief Richardville house, April 2008
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Nearest city2 miles (3.2 km) west of downtown Huntington, southwest of the junction of U.S. Route 24 and State Roads 9/37, Huntington and Huntington Township, Huntington County, Indiana
Coordinates 40°52′37″N85°31′58″W / 40.87694°N 85.53278°W / 40.87694; -85.53278
Area7.3 acres (3.0 ha)
Built1833 (1833)
Architectural styleGreek Revival
NRHP reference No. 85002446 [1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 16, 1985
Confluence of the Wabash and Little Wabash Rivers Forks of the Wabash.jpg
Confluence of the Wabash and Little Wabash Rivers

Historic Forks of the Wabash is a historic museum park near Huntington, Indiana, that features several historic buildings, trails and remnants of the Wabash and Erie Canal. The location was the signing location of the historic Treaty at the Forks of the Wabash in 1838. [2] The park is located along the Wabash River. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 as the Chief Richardville House and Miami Treaty Grounds. [1]

Historic structures include:

Ball State University conducted an archaeological dig at the Chief's House in 1989 which uncovered artifacts including nails, brick, glass, toys, housewares, and personal items. An additional excavation occurred in 1999.

The park offers programs for groups of all ages. Topics include archaeology, canals and transportation, pioneer life, Woodland Indian history, and art.

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wabash, Indiana</span> City in Indiana, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richardville House</span> Historic house in Indiana, United States

The Chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville House was built near Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1827. Subsidized by the U.S. federal government through the 1826 Treaty of Mississinewas, it is believed to be one of only three treaty houses built east of the Mississippi River. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on March 2, 2012.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wabash and Erie Canal</span> Disused canal in Indiana

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Baptiste Richardville</span> Chief of the Miami people

Jean Baptiste de Richardville, also known as Pinšiwa or Peshewa in the Miami-Illinois language or John Richardville in English, was the last akima 'civil chief' of the Miami people. He began his career in the 1790s as a fur trader who controlled an important portage connecting the Maumee River to the Little River in what became the present-day state of Indiana. Richardville emerged a principal chief in 1816 and remained a leader of the Miamis until his death in 1841. He was a signatory to the Treaty of Greenville (1795), as well as several later treaties between the U.S. government and the Miami people, most notably the Treaty of Fort Wayne (1803), the Treaty of Fort Wayne (1809), the Treaty of Saint Mary's (1818), the Treaty of Mississinewas (1826), the treaty signed at the Forks of the Wabash (1838), and the Treaty of the Wabash (1840).

The Treaty of Mississinewas or the Treaty of Mississinewa also called Treaty of the Wabash is an 1826 treaty between the United States and the Miami and Potawatomi Tribes regarding purchase of Indian lands in Indiana and Michigan. The signing was held at the mouth of the Mississinewa River on the Wabash, hence the name.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little River (Indiana)</span>

The Little River is a 22.6-mile-long (36.4 km) stream in Allen and Huntington counties in northeastern Indiana. A tributary of the Wabash River, it is sometimes called the "Little Wabash", which may cause it to be confused with the Little Wabash River of Illinois. The river drains an area of 287.9 square miles (746 km2).

Papakeecha or (Pa-hed-ke-teh-a) meaning "Flat Belly" was the most influential Miami chief in the region around Lake Wawasee, in what is now Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States leading his people from 1820 until 1837. Lake Papakeechie was named after him.

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Red Clay State Historic Park is a state park located in southern Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The park was the site of the last capital of the Cherokee Nation in the eastern United States from 1832 to 1838 before the enforcement of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. This resulted in a forced migration of most of the Cherokee people to present-day Oklahoma known as the Cherokee removal. The site is considered sacred to the Cherokees, and includes the Blue Hole Spring, a large hydrological spring. It is also listed as an interpretive center along the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huntington Township, Huntington County, Indiana</span> Township in Indiana, United States

Huntington Township is one of twelve townships in Huntington County, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 20,326, making it the most populous township in the county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis La Fontaine</span> Chief of the Miami Tribe

Francis La Fontaine, or Topeah or Me-Shine-go-me-she-a, was the last principal chief of the unified Miami tribe, and oversaw the split into the Western and Eastern Miami tribes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Godfroy</span> Chief of the Miami people (1788–1840)

Francis Godfroy was a chief of the Miami people. He negotiated treaties with between his tribe and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treaty of the Wabash</span> 1840 treaty between the United States and Miami

The Treaty of the Wabash was an agreement between the United States government and Native American Miami tribes in Indiana on November 28, 1840.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Library, Oklahoma State University. "INDIAN AFFAIRS: LAWS AND TREATIES. Vol. 2, Treaties". digital.library.okstate.edu. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  3. "Historic Forks of the Wabash: Buildings". Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2008.