Second Treaty of Buffalo Creek facts for kids
There are four treaties of Buffalo Creek, named after the Buffalo River in New York. The Second Treaty of Buffalo Creek, also called the Treaty with the New York Indians, 1838, was signed on January 15, 1838. It became official on April 4, 1840.
This treaty was an agreement between several Native American nations and the United States. These nations included the Seneca Nation, Mohawk nation, Cayuga nation, Oneida Indian Nation, Onondaga (tribe), and Tuscarora (tribe). The treaty dealt with selling land from their tribal reservations. This was part of the U.S. government's Indian Removal plan. This plan aimed to move most eastern tribes to Kansas Territory west of the Mississippi River.
The treaty also stated that the New York Indians would give up their rights to lands they had at Green Bay. This was land given to them by the Menominee Treaty of 1831. However, they kept a specific area where some New York Indians already lived. This area was about eight by twelve miles, covering 65,436 acres. This was enough land for 100 acres for each of the 654 Oneida people living there. This agreement set the first borders for the Oneida Reservation in Wisconsin.
A Look at the Treaty's History
The Seneca Nation, through their leaders like Red Jacket and Cornplanter, agreed to some important terms. The United States planned to sell five Seneca reservations. These were the Buffalo Creek Reservation, Tonawanda Reservation, Oil Springs Reservation, Cattaraugus Reservation, and Allegany Reservation. The treaty also said the Seneca people would move to a new area in what is now Kansas. This land was west of Missouri.
The Ogden Land Company's Role
A part of the treaty explained that the Ogden Land Company would buy these five Seneca reservations. This company was started by David A. Ogden, who used to work for the Holland Land Company. The idea was that the Ogden Land Company would then sell this land to settlers. These settlers would use the land for building homes and farms.
Challenges and Disagreements
This treaty caused a lot of debate and was met with resistance. Groups like the Quakers in New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia spoke out against it. They claimed the Ogden Company had acted unfairly. A young Seneca leader named Maris Bryant Pierce worked as a lawyer for four of the territories. Some Seneca groups also said that most Iroquois people did not support the treaty. They believed only a small number had actually signed it. These disagreements led to more meetings between the groups. This eventually resulted in other treaties being made.
In the end, the Ogden Land Company stopped trying to buy the Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Oil Spring reservations. This led to the signing of the Third Treaty of Buffalo Creek in 1842.
