January 11, 1805: Creation of the Michigan Territory

Augustus Mitchell Map of Michigan

Wikipedia's entry on the Michigan Territory says that in December of 1804, the settlers of Michigan petitioned Congress to have Wayne County be set as an independent territory:

The Michigan Territory was established by an act of the United States Congress on January 11, 1805, effective June 30 of that year. The act defined the territory as "all that part of the Indiana Territory, which lies North of a line drawn east from the southerly bend or extreme of lake Michigan, until it shall intersect lake Erie, and East of a line drawn from the said southerly bend through the middle of said lake to its northern extremity, and thence due north to the northern boundary of the United States...

The first territorial governor, William Hull abolished Wayne County and established new districts of his own making, which proved to be short-lived. Lewis Cass became governor in 1813 and promptly undid Hull's work and re-established a third incarnation of Wayne County that included all lands within Michigan Territory that had been ceded by Native Americans through the 1807 Treaty of Detroit.

Photo: Augustus Mitchell Map of Michigan by Seeking Michigan

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