Indiana Territory - Original Boundaries

Original Boundaries

The original boundaries of the Indiana Territory included the area of the Northwest Territory west of a line running from the bank opposite the mouth of the Kentucky River to Fort Recovery, and from there due northward along a line approximately 83 deg 45 min W longitude. The territory included all of present-day Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin, as well as fragments of three other states: the part of Minnesota east of the Mississippi River, almost all of the Upper Peninsula of present-day Michigan and the western half of the Lower Peninsula, and finally, a narrow strip of present-day Ohio lying to the north and west of Fort Recovery. This latter parcel, known as the Toledo strip, became part of the state of Ohio when it was admitted to the Union in 1803. The eastern part of Michigan was added to the Indiana Territory at that time. The area of the Indiana Territory was reduced in 1805 by the creation of the Michigan Territory, and in 1809 by the creation of the Illinois Territory.