Indiana's State Motto: The Crossroads of America - adopted in 1937
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Mad Anthony Wayne
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Miami Chief Little Turtle
President Washington knew he needed a real warrior to fight the Indians and chose someone who had won against the British against all odds, Anthony Wayne or "Mad Anthony" as he was known. Wayne worked on building his army, while Washington made peace offerings to the Indians. Two years passed and all Washington got in return for his efforts were the scalps of the messengers he sent; the Indians wanted war.
The news of Mad Anthony had traveled back to the Indians. He was known as "the man who never sleeps" because of how many miles he could march his men in a short time. Wayne knew that Little Turtle and his 10 tribes were waiting on him; he gave them one last chance for peace.
When Little Turtle heard the offer he wanted to accept it. He tried to talk the Indians out of doing battle because he thought they would lose. The Indians called Little Turtle a coward and that his blood had turned to water. They named a Shawnee Indian, Bluejacket, as their new Chief. They sent word to Mad Anthony Wayne that he would get his answer in 10 days.
The British fort of Miami was nearby, Wayne knew the Indians could get the help of the British in 10 days; he decided to attack now.
A tornado had torn down many trees in one area, and the Indians were waiting there. The Indians hid behind the fallen timbers so the battle became known as the Battle of Fallen Timbers. Wayne charged his men straight into the fallen timbers and surprised the Indians. Many Indians were killed and an hour later they were running for the British Fort Miami. Wayne's men chased them. When the Indians got near the fort, the British saw what was happening and shut the gate to keep the Indians out. Good thing because Wayne was prepared to destroy the fort if they assisted the Indians.
The Indians went back to their villages and conceded that Little Turtle had been right; they named him Chief once again.
Little Turtle gathered together many of the great chiefs and they all traveled together to Fort Greenville to smoke the peace pipe with General Anthony Wayne.
The United States Purchases Indiana Land
On August 3, 1795 Little Turtle signed the Treaty of Greenville which specified what land belonged to the Indians and what land belonged to the United States. After signing the treaty, Little Turtle said "I have been the last to sign it, and I will be the last to break it." This made the Hoosier settlers move in much faster. Feeling it was safe to live in the North-west Territory.
After 1795 the Delaware and some Shawnee left their homes in Ohio and settled along the White River in south-central Indiana. They had gotten the permission of the Miami Chief Little Turtle.
As the US purchased the Hoosier land, it was surveyed into squares with 6 mile sides, called a township. A township was then broken down into 36 sections with 1 mile sides. One section per township was to be set aside for schools. The government would sell no less than one section at a time, for no less than $1 an acre. Since each section contained 640 acres, most people couldn't afford to buy the property. Corporations began buying the large parcels, selling them to settlers in smaller parcels, for a profit.
==# 1796 - Edward Jenner creates small pox vaccine
People in the North-west Territory who had at least 50 acres had the right to vote for a delegate to represent them in Congress in 1798. When William Henry Harrison was elected as the delegate, he thought the 50 acre law was unfair to voters and devised a way for people to buy land and pay over time; it made him well known throughout the country.
==# 1798 - First soft drink invented
==# 1799 - Alessandro Volta invents the battery
==# 1799 - Louis Robert invents the fourdrineir machine for sheet paper making
Harrison passed a law that allowed settlers to buy 320 acres for $2 each, with the good part being they could pay for their land over time. When the first Indiana Land Office opened in Vincennes in 1804, you could buy as little as 160 acres, by 1820 the parcels became 80 acres.
The Indiana Territory was formed in 1800 with its capital in Vincennes along the Wabash River. The Indiana Territory was much larger than the state of Indiana, taking up most of what is now Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois. Essentially, it was the area between the Mississippi River and the Ohio River.
Towns began to grow along rivers that flowed into the Ohio River; river travel was easier than going by land.
Alcohol was a major problem on the frontier; especially for the Indians. There were little distilleries everywhere and it was a good means of income. Many of the farmers turned the grain they could not sell into alcohol as a way of preserving the crop. The “moonshine” could be stored for much longer periods of time and transporting it was much easier.
The Indians had run up huge debts with the settlers and much of it was from the purchase of whiskey. This was a strong motivator for the Indians to sell their land; they needed to pay the debt they had built up. Whiskey was one of the tools the settlers used to get the Indian owned land. They gave the Indians anything they wanted until the Indians couldn’t possibly pay, and then they offered to buy the land and clear their debts.
==# 1803 - Ohio Gains Statehood
==# 1806 - Vincennes University built in Indiana Territory
More Indiana History Pages : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
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This information is the research of many people across the United States and may contain errors. It is presented as the best information to date. Like all of those whose work I have incorporated herein, my research is a work in progress and subject to change without notice. A special thanks to Marlene Ricci of CA, Dwayne Meyer of CA, Jacqueline Bean of TX, Debbie Dick of IN, Milus Miller of IL, Carol Hendricks Miller of IN, Clarence Miller of IN, and Harold Glen Miller of IN. There are numerous others too; many of which are unknown, but their findings and stories are still much appreciated. Much of this would not have been possible with out their information. Also this website includes historical facts gathered from Washington County History, Indiana History, Rowan County and Salisbury North Carolina Historical sources and other US Historical sources.
James A. Miller- Great -Great -Great -Great Grandson of Adam Miller and Hannah Sheets.
©2007 The Millers of Washington County
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Last Updated 06/04/07 03:46:48 PM -0700