Today in 1795, Chippewa Chief Matchekewis ceded Bois Blanc Island to the U.S. as part of the Treaty of Greenville, calling it "an extra and voluntary gift of the Chippewa nation." Following the Battle of Fallen Timbers, indigenous people ceded most of Ohio, part of Indiana, sixteen strategic sites on Michigan waterways, and Mackinac Island. In return, they were promised goods worth around $20,000. Over time, the island's pronunciation shifted to Bois Blanc, but locals still call it "Bob-lo." The island is twelve miles long, six miles wide, and has six lakes.
TRANSCRIPT
Michiganders call it Boblo but on this day in 1795, Chippewa Chief Matchekewis of the Ojibwe ceded what at the time was known as Bois Blanc Island to the United States as part of the treaty of Greenville, calling it QUOTE “an extra and voluntary gift of the Chippewa nation”. After indigenous people lost the Battle of Fallen Timbers, they ceded most of Ohio, part of Indiana, sixteen strategic sites on Michigan waterways and Mackinac Island.As partial compensation for the loss of the land to American Colonialists, the native American communities were promised an exchange of goods, worth around $20,000. After time, the pronunciation shifted to Bois Blanc [BOIZ BLANK] Island, but still sometimes known as “Bob-lo” to local residents, it is twelve miles long, six miles wide and has six lakes.