Blanchard's Fork Reserve, Ohio facts for kids

The Blanchard's Fork Reserve was a special area of land in Ohio. It was set aside for a group of Native American people called the Ottawa. This land was located along a river known as the Blanchard River.

Blanchard's Fork Reserve: A Home for the Ottawa People

What Was the Blanchard's Fork Reserve?

The Blanchard's Fork Reserve was a piece of land in northwestern Ohio. It was home to a group of Ottawa Native Americans. This land was near the Blanchard River, which flows into the Maumee River and then into Lake Erie.

How Was the Reserve Created?

This reserve was officially created in 1817. It was part of an agreement called the Treaty at the Foot of the Rapids of the Miami of Lake Erie. A treaty is a formal agreement between different groups, like a government and a Native American tribe. This treaty set aside about 25 square miles (65 square kilometers) of land for the Ottawa people.

Inside the reserve, there were two main villages: Upper Tawa Town and Lower Tawa Town. Today, the area where Lower Tawa Town was located is known as Ottawa, Ohio. It is thought to be the last Ottawa reservation that was active in Ohio. Much of this land was part of a large, wet area called the Great Black Swamp. Not many non-Native American settlers moved into this area until after the American Civil War.

What Happened to the Reserve?

The Blanchard's Fork Reserve did not last forever. In 1831, another agreement called the Treaty of Miami Bay of Lake Erie ended the reserve. This meant the Ottawa people gave up their land.

After selling their land, the Ottawa people from Blanchard's Fork moved. They first moved to an area that is now Kansas. Later, they moved to a place called Indian Territory, which is now part of Oklahoma. There, they joined other Ottawa people. By 1904, the group of Ottawa people, including those from Blanchard's Fork, numbered about 179 individuals.