03/08/2026
Interesting map of the Indiana Territory in 1801 a part of the Northwest Territory. The Indiana Territory was established in 1800 and Indiana became a state in 1816. Much of what became Indiana had been visited by French, British, Spanish and American fur trappers, traders and explorers but as you can see from the map the area was not completely known. Clarksville, the first American settlement, is shown on the Ohio River in detail. French settlements even earlier of St. Vincents (Vincennes), and Ouiatenon (Lafayette) on the Wabash River show more detail. Fort Miamis (Ft. Wayne), originally French but built as a fort by Americans also shows more detail. What became Wabash County lies between the Little River (Huntington) and Eel River (Logansport). Early explorers in the area included a litany of famous names in American history, Col. George Croghan (1765), Col. Henry Hamilton (1778) LaBalme (1779), Major Hamtranck (1790), Mad Anthony Wayne (1793) and the famous Simon Kenton. It would take 20 more years to fill in the map of what would become Wabash County. Of course, the land shown here was home to Paleo-Indians as much as 4,000 years ago. Who in small groups of hunter-gatherers lived in the area and knew its river systems well. Later still mound builders called the area home. One mound is known in Wabash County, It is located near LaFontaine at the end of the Bruner Road. Karen Dinsmore, WHS grad, adds “where it says Virginia Lands between the Little Miami River and the Scioto River, that was land set aside to pay soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War for the state of Virginia. The amount depended on rank and length of service. A captain with three years experience got as much as 4000 acres." Judy Garst Schramm suggests you read the book “’The Pioneers,' by David McCullough (2019)… to anyone interested in the settlement of the Northwest Territory.”
