The Land of the Miamis An Account of the Struggle to Secure Possession of the North-West from the End of the Revolution until 1812

The book opens with a vivid picture of the western frontier just after the Revolution, when the great rivers and prairie lands of the Ohio Valley were still wild and contested. It explains how the booming beaver trade drew both American settlers and Native nations into a tangled struggle for control, and it sketches the seven tribes whose territories stretched across the region. The author also details the early government policies that tried to balance expansion with recognition of indigenous occupancy, setting the stage for a series of uneasy negotiations and skirmishes.

From there the narrative moves to the first military forays into the Northwest, describing the Kentucky pioneers who broke the mountain barrier and the initial campaigns led by figures such as Harmar and St. Clair. It follows the early encounters between frontier soldiers and the Miami, who used the Wabash River as their main artery, and it introduces the rising leaders on both sides, including the charismatic Shawnee prophet and the future governor William Henry Harrison. These early events lay the groundwork for the deeper conflict that will shape the region in the years to come.