Historic Forks of the Wabash is a historic museum park near

Huntington, Indiana Huntington, known as the "Lime City", is the largest city in and the county seat of Huntington County, Indiana, United States. It is in Huntington and Union townships. It is also part of Fort Wayne, Indiana's metropolitan area. The population wa ...

, that features site several historic buildings, trails and remnants of the

Wabash and Erie Canal The Wabash and Erie Canal was a shipping canal that linked the Great Lakes to the Ohio River via an artificial waterway. The canal provided traders with access from the Great Lakes all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Over 460 miles long, it was th ...

. The location was the signing location of the historic Treaty at the Forks of the Wabash in 1838. The park is located along the

Wabash River The Wabash River (French: Ouabache) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 river that drains most of the state of Indiana in the United States. It flows from ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1985 as the Chief Richardville House and Miami Treaty Grounds. Historic structures include: * Chief's House - Council house believed to have been used by

Miami tribe The Miami ( Miami-Illinois: ''Myaamiaki'') are a Native American nation originally speaking one of the Algonquian languages. Among the peoples known as the Great Lakes tribes, they occupied territory that is now identified as North-central Indi ...

Chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville Jean Baptiste de Richardville ( 1761 – 13 August 1841), also known as or in the Miami-Illinois language (meaning 'Wildcat' or ' Lynx') or John Richardville in English, was the last 'civil chief' of the Miami people. He began his career in t ...

during treaty negotiations and Miami Council meetings. Other sources indicate that his son-in-law,

Francis La Fontaine Francis La Fontaine, or Topeah (Miami: "frost on leaves" ) (1810 – 1847) or Me-Shine-go-me-she-a, was the last principal chief of the unified Miami tribe, and oversaw the split into the Western and Eastern Miami tribes. La Fontaine's grand ...

, actually built the house in the early 1840s for use as his main residence. The house has been restored to appear as in 1846. * Nuck Log House - 1841 pioneer log house * School House - Pioneer-era log schoolhouse furnished for the 1880s Ball State University conducted an archaeological dig at the Chief's House in 1989 which uncovered artifacts including nails, brick, glass, toys, housewares, and personal items. An additional excavation occurred in 1999. The park offers programs for groups of all ages. Topics include archaeology, canals and transportation, pioneer life, Woodland Indian history, and art.

References

External links

Historic Forks of the Wabash
* Open-air museums in Indiana Historic American Buildings Survey in Indiana Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Museums in Huntington County, Indiana Historic districts in Huntington County, Indiana National Register of Historic Places in Huntington County, Indiana {{HuntingtonCountyIN-NRHP-stub