Indiana Territory

The first territory created from the much larger Northwest Territory, the Indiana Territory spanned all of modern Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and parts of Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio. Created by Congress on May 7, 1800, the Indiana Territory was geographically modified several times. The very small portion of Ohio was ceded to that state in 1803 but the territory also benefitted that year from the addition of eastern Michigan. By 1809, the Indiana Territory conformed to Indiana's current borders due to the creation of the Michigan Territory in 1805 and the Illinois Territory in 1809. It ceased to exist on December 11, 1816, when Indiana achieved statehood. The capital was located in Vincennes but moved to Corydon following the territorial reorganization in 1809.

"An Act to Divide the Territory of the United States Northwest of the Ohio, into Two Separate Governments," 7 May 1800, Statutes at Large of the United States 2 (1845):58-59; "An Act to Enable the People of the Eastern Division of the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio to Form a Constitution and State Government, and for the Admission of Such State into the Union, on an Equal Footing with the Original States, and for Other Purposes," 30 April 1802, Statutes at Large of the United States 2 (1845):173-75; "An Act to Divide the Indiana Territory into Two Separate Governments," 11 January 1805, Statutes at Large of the United States 2 (1845):309-10; "An Act for Dividing the Indiana Territory into Two Separate Governments," 3 February 1809, Statutes at Large of the United States 2 (1845):514-16; "An Act to Enable the People of the Indiana Territory to Form a Constitution and State Government, and for the Admission of Such State into the Union on an Equal Footing with the Original States," 19 April 1816, Statutes at Large of the United States 3 (1846):289-91; Darrel E. Bigham, The Indiana Territory, 1800-2000: A Bicentennial Perspective (Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society, 2001).