How about some history trivia today? Can you define what the Old Northwest Territory was? When it was created? And what states were created from that territory? And when they became states?
Thanks to Wikipedia: The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio. Previously, it was part of the Indian Reserve, a territory under British rule set aside in the Royal Proclamation of 1763 for use by American Indians, which was assigned to the United States in the Treaty of Paris (1783).
The Congress of the Confederation enacted the Northwest Ordinance in 1787 to provide for the administration of the territories and set rules for admission as a state. On August 7, 1789, the new U.S. Congress affirmed the Ordinance with slight modifications under the Constitution. The territory included all the land of the United States west of Pennsylvania and northwest of the Ohio River. It covered all of the modern states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and the northeastern part of Minnesota. The area covered more than 260,000 square miles (670,000 km2).
Six states were carved from the Old Northwest Territory: OHIO, 19 Feb 1803; INDIANA, 11 Dec 1816; ILLINOIS, 3 Dec 1818; MICHIGAN, 26 Jan 1837; WISCONSIN, 29 May 1848; and lastly MINNESOTA, 11 May 1858.
NOW THEN…………… I obtained these dates from a colorful page in a very old book (title escapes me) in the Tennessee State Library but the statehood dates printed on each of the state seals pictured on that copy do not match up with what Wikipedia says……….. OHIO, 1 Mar 1803; INDIANA, 11 Dec 1816; MINNESOTA, 10 Dec 1817; ILLINOIS, 3 Dec 1818; MICHIGAN, 26 Jan 1837; and lastly WISCONSIN, 29 May 1848.
Anybody care to research “the rest of the story” on this????
Donna, aka Mother Hen, until next time.
I’ve lived all my life in the Northwest Territory. Until I started researching my ancestors land records, I didn’t realize that the rest of the world was not divided into square, all the same size (except those that bordered a major lake or river). I still have a difficult time with streets that don’t go directly East-West or North-South.
Researching land in the Northwest Territory is so much easier than in other areas. Once you have the land description from the deed, you know exactly where it is. Plat maps are often available which show neighbors.
In Wisconsin, township government is still an important political entity.
Shirley