Treaty of St. Louis (1804)

The treaty transferred a huge area of land between the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers from the Sauk and Meskwaki to the United States.

It alienated them from the United States and encouraged them to ally with Britain, contributing to their support for the British during the later War of 1812.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the territory of the Sauk and Meskwaki fell within the borders claimed by the United States.

To this end, he instructed Harrison to purchase the lands of the region’s tribes, authorizing him to employ pressure and trickery.

[2] The Sauk and Meskwaki were each governed by a council of chiefs, which had the power to make treaties and sell land for the tribe, subject to custom.

[4] Custom also required that the women of the tribe be consulted about any decision related to land, since they did most of the farming among both the Sauk and Meskwaki.

[9] In exchange for an annual payment of $1,000 in goods to be delivered to the tribe in St. Louis ($600 for the Sacs and $400 for the Fox), the tribes gave up a swath of land stretching from northeast Missouri through almost all of Illinois north of the Illinois River as well as a large section of southern Wisconsin.

The specific terms for the boundary were: Included in this cession were the historic villages along the Rock River (Illinois), particularly Saukenuk.

Black Hawk never recognized the treaty as valid and this led him to side with the British against settlers in the area during the War of 1812.