1833 Treaty Geographies

The Indigenous Geography of Wisconsin First Nations circa 1800

Tribal Lands Map of Wisconsin including Tribal Lands circa 1800 and Present-day Native Nations.
Tribal Lands Map of Wisconsin including Tribal Lands circa 1800 and Present-day Native Nations. (From Wisconsin First Nations and The Ways.)
“We acknowledge the presence of tribal members from Wisconsin sovereign nations in Milwaukee, including the Oneida Nation, Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohicans, Brothertown Nation and Ojibwe Nations – namely, the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Sokaogon Chippewa Community and St. Croix Chippewa Indians.”

The White Settler Colonial Geography of the Black Hawk War (1832)

Added title on verso: Map of Indian war of 1832, made by one who was there, Col. Edwin Rose. Pen-and-ink. Covers region in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin roughly bounded by Lake Winnebago, the Kankakee River, Peoria, and Prairie du Chien. Identifies rivers, forts, towns, and distances between points. Details routes taken by U.S. forces during the Black Hawk War of 1832. Shows Gen. Henry Atkinson's June 28-July 9 route from Dixon's Ferry northeast along the Rock River and Lt. Col. Abraham Eustis's August 1-September 1 route from Chicago to Rock Island. Also identifies marshes of the upper Rock River where Sauk Indians led by Black Hawk were based and their retreat northwest from the Wisconsin River. Scale [ca. 1:1,675,000].
Indian campaign of 1832: map of the country by Rose, Edwin. (From The Newberry Library.)
The Black Hawk War loomed large in the background of the treaty negotiations, an illuminating exchange from which appears in the “Council House” chapter in the next part of this digital reader (“Negotiations”). The war also figures prominently in Nehemiah Matson’s account of the Potawatomi leader Shab-eh-nay’s life story in his article “Sketch of Shau-be-na” that appears in the second part of this digital reader (“Treaty Narratives”). Learn more about the Black Hawk War at Turning Points in Wisconsin History from the Wisconsin Historical Society.

First Nations Land Cessions in Wisconsin

Indian land cessions in the United States (Wisconsin)
From Charles C. Royce and Cyrus Thomas’s Indian land cessions in the United States (1899).
The green part of this map tagged 187 identifies the land cessions in Wisconsin from the 1833 Treaty of Chicago. It is bounded to the north by the pink part tagged 160 that identifies the land cessions from an earlier treaty with the Menominee, & to the west by the blue part tagged 174 that identifies land cessions from an earlier treaty with the Ho-Chunk. View land cessions in Illinois at this related map at the Library of Congress.

Map of Milwaukee drawn by M.L. Martin (July 1833)

In July 1833 Morgan L. Martin, land promoter and speculator, visited the site of Milwaukee and drew this map, the earliest known depiction of the city. Notable features include the trading posts of Jacques Vieau amd Solomon Juneau. In October 1833 Martin and Juneau formed a partnership to develop the site.
Map of Milwaukie, 1833 / drawn by M.L. Martin. It’s the earliest known depiction of the city. (From the Wisconsin Historical Society.)
The creator of this map, the Milwaukee speculator M.L. Martin, refers to it in a letter found in the “Horace Chase’s Narrative” chapter that appears in the third part of this digital reader (“Milwaukee & the Region”).

Map of Milwaukee, Circa 1835 (1933)

Map of Milwaukee print, Circa 1835 showing founding fathers, Lake Michigan, Milwaukee, Menomonee rivers, and Kinnickinnic rivers (at this time, named Kinnickinnic creek) and Native American Indian villages.
Map of Milwaukee print, Circa 1835 showing founding fathers, Lake Michigan, Milwaukee, Menomonee rivers, and Kinnickinnic rivers (at this time, named Kinnickinnic creek) and Native American Indian villages (1933). (From the Milwaukee Public Library.)

Map of Milwaukee as it Appeared in 1835 & 6 (1876)

Showing lots and houses of early settlers of Milwaukee, including Dr. E. Chase and J.S. Buck. "Entered according to act of Congress in year 1876 by Jas. S. Buck with Librarian of Congress."
Map of Milwaukee as it Appeared in 1835 & 6, Made from U.S. Surveys and from Minutes, furnished by Jas. S. Buck & Dr. E. Chase / Milwaukee, Lith. & Eng. Co. ; G.B. Seaman Del (1876). (From the American Geographical Society Library Digital Map Collection at UWM Libraries.)

Map of Milwaukee, 1835-1836, from the Municipal Research Center (1930s)

Showing homes of early settlers, lowlands/swampland, and timberland. Selected buildings shown pictorially.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1835-1836 (1930s). (From the American Geographical Society Library Digital Map Collection at UWM Libraries.)

Milwaukee, Wisconsin / Geo. J. Robertson del. ; D.W. Moody lith. (1854)

Bird's-eye view of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with Lake Michigan in the background.
Bird’s-eye view of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with Lake Michigan in the background. (From the Library of Congress.)

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1833 Treaty with the Chippewa, Ottowa & Potawatamie Indian Nations by Benjamin Fenelon & Maxwell Gray is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.