Darke County Ohio

In the 1700's, the Western portion of the Ohio Territory was a fertile land of forests, prairies, waterways, swamps and plentiful wildlife. The area was inhabited by various tribes of Native Americans, namely the Eries, Miamis,Shawnees, Delawares, Wyandots, Ottawas and Mingoes. They lived in wigwams made of bark and skin during the summer months and built huts made of logs in the winter.

As white settlers began to advance into the Ohio territory, they cleared the land and the Native Americans began to realize the threat to their hunting grounds and ways of life. Thus began the clash of the two cultures and the unrest on the western frontier.

President George Washington wanted to settle the problems with the Indians and open the territory to white settlers. In 1790, he sent General Josiah Harmar, and then in 1791, General Arthur St. Clair into the Ohio territory.

When both Harmar and St. Clair's forces were defeated, President Washington then sent General "Mad" Anthony Wayne to the Ohio territory to handle the uprisings.
The first settlement established in Darke County was Fort Jefferson, which was built by General Arthur St. Clair in 1791.

General Anthony Wayne constructed the second official settlement in Darke County, Greene Ville, in 1793 along Greenville Creek. This military headquarters was the largest log fortified structure ever built, encompassing 55+ acres of land enclosed by wooden stockades and surrounded by 8 blockhouses. The fort stood for six years and was partially rebuilt during the War of 1812.

In August of 1794, the Legion of the United States, under the command of Gen. Wayne engaged the Indians in northern Ohio at the "Battle of Fallen Timbers". This decisive battle brought an end to some of the hostilities, and treaty negotiations soon began.

In this monumental fort, the famous Treaty of Greene Ville (also named the Wyandot Peace and Friendship Treaty) was signed by Wayne and chiefs from thirteen woodland Indian Tribes on August 3, 1795. The tribes represented were Chippewas, Delawares, Eel Rivers, Kaskaskias, Kickapoos, Miamis, Ottawa, Ottawas, Piankeshawas, Pottawattomies, Shawnees, Wyandottes and Weas. This treaty opened the Northwest Territory to white settlers and brought peace to the area.

After the treaty, Tecumseh along with his brother, The Prophet built a village along Mud Creek, known as Prophet's Town, where they lived and hunted the land until 1808 in protest of the Treaty. This area is known today as Shawnee Prairie Preserve and Nature Center, west of Greenville.

William Henry Harrison, General Wayne's aide de camp, signed the 1795 Treaty. Harrison returned to sign another Treaty at Greene Ville in 1814, after Ohio had become the 17th state. Harrison said, "I will sign this treaty on the exact same spot of the first treaty so that generations to come will not forget where these treaties were signed". Harrison campaigned in Greene Ville for the U.S. Presidency and was elected in 1840.

The most famous friendship to develop in Greene Ville was between Lewis and Clark. William Clark was stationed at Greene Ville and was a principal contributor to Anthony Wayne's Fallen Timbers campaign.

In 1794, young Meriwether Lewis re-enlisted and joined the Second Sub-Legion of the regular army. He was sent to Greene Ville in time to be present at the signing of the Great 1795 Treaty. Lewis was later assigned to an elite group of sharpshooters commanded by William Clark. Thus began the lifelong friendship between Lewis and Clark. These gentlemen are most known for their expedition (The Corps of Discovery) across America to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean.
Darke County is the only county in the United States named "Darke". The county was named after Lt. Col. William Darke, a Revolutionary war-officer who served with St. Clair.

We would like to thank John Burkett for the historical information provided on this page.