In the early 1820's, the northern half of Indiana had very little white settlement, and although the Miami and Potawatomie Indians had suffered serious defeats at the hands of General Anthony Wayne along the Maumee River in 1794 and William Henry Harrison at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, they still held the rights to the land in this area. Because additional land was sought for white settlement and for a canal system along the Wabash River, Congress in 1826 appropriated funds for a treaty meeting to acquire more land from the Indians. Governor James B. Ray of Indiana, Governor Lewis Cass of Michigan, and Captain John Tipton were appointed commissioners to represent the U.S. government, and Tipton was assigned to locate a site for the meeting. This location was chosen for its central position and favorable natural features, including a plentiful spring and enough open land to construct the treaty camp. Built in the spring and summer of 1826, the camp hosted a treaty meeting in October 1826 that lasted about two weeks. On October 26, 1826, the Miami and Potawatamie Indians surrendered the rights to their land in northern Indiana and southern Michigan. The Treaty of 1826 opened this land to white settlement and made possible the construction of the Wabash and Erie Canal. The original treaty camp consisted of ten buildings, and reconstruction of the camp began in 1987 based on a reliable description in Elijah Hackleman's 1836 writings.