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Upper Canada Treaties (1781-1862)

Note: All descriptions via Government of Ontario, unless otherwise noted.

Treaty 381, Niagara Purchase (1781)
 "Treaty 381, better known as the Niagara Purchase, was signed on May 9, 1781 by representatives of the Crown and certain Anishinaabe peoples. The written treaty covers a 4 mile strip on the west side of the Niagara River, which connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The treaty was signed during the American Revolution and was one of the first land acquisitions in what would become Upper Canada. Current communities in this area include Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Fort Erie." See also this entry from The Canadian Encyclopedia.

Crawford's Purchases (1783)
"Crawford’s Purchases were made by Captain William Crawford on behalf of the Crown, and certain Indigenous peoples in October 1783, and involved the land along the north shore of eastern Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. These purchases were designed to provide land to Loyalists who fought on behalf of the British during the American Revolution, including Indigenous allies and United Empire Loyalists. Current communities in the area include Kingston and Brockville."

See also: Land for Goods: The Crawford Purchases by Dr. David Shanahan for Anishinabek News.

Crown Grant to the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (1784)
"The Crown Grant to the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte was issued in 1784. The land had been acquired in the Crawford Purchase and was then granted to the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte in recognition of their support of the Crown during the American Revolutionary War. The Mohawk Chief John Deserontyon led a group of Haudenosaunee people to settle on the Bay of Quinte. Current communities in the area include Shannonville and Deseronto."

Collins Purchase (1785)
"The John Collins’ Purchase was entered into between representatives of the Crown and certain Anishinaabe peoples. It concerned lands extending from the northwestern end of Lake Simcoe to Matchedash Bay. This early Upper Canada treaty was conducted during an expedition of Captain William Crawford and surveyor John Collins, along the Toronto Carrying Place from the Humber River to Lake Simcoe."

Johnson-Butler Purchase (1788)
"One of the Johnson-Butler Purchases, sometimes called the "Gunshot Treaty," was entered into in 1788 by representatives of the Crown and certain Anishinaabe peoples. The treaty covers the north shore of Lake Ontario, beginning at the eastern boundary of the Toronto Purchase and continuing east to the Bay of Quinte, where it meets the Crawford Purchase. This treaty was sometimes referred to as the "Gunshot Treaty" because it covered the land as far back from the lake as a person could hear a gunshot. These lands were the subject of a confirmatory surrender in the Williams Treaties of 1923. Current communities in the area include Oshawa and Cobourg."

Treaty 2, McKee Purchase (1790)
"Treaty 2, or the McKee Purchase, was signed on May 19, 1790 by representatives of the Crown and various First Nations. It is the southernmost Upper Canada treaty. The territory described in the written treaty includes Point Pelee – Canada’s southernmost point.

There were over 50 signatories to this Treaty, including settlers and Indigenous leaders. The treaty payments included cloth and linen, tools for hunting and cooking, looking glasses, combs, ribbons and laced hats. Current communities in the area also include Windsor, Chatam-Kent and part of London."

Treaty 3, Between the Lakes Purchases (1792)
"The Between the Lakes Purchase was signed on December 7, 1792, by representatives of the Crown and certain Mississauga peoples. The territory described in the written treaty covers approximately 3 million acres. The original Between the Lakes Purchase was signed in 1784. Due to uncertainties with the description of the lands in the original surrender, Treaty 3 was entered into in 1792 to clarify what was ceded. The Between the Lakes Purchase was named as such because it included all the land “lying and being between the Lakes Ontario and Erie.”

Current communities in the area include St. Catharines, Guelph and Simcoe."

Treaty 4, Crown Grant to the Six Nations or the Haldimand Tract (1793)
"The British purchased land from the Mississauga peoples and then issued the Haldimand Proclamation later that year. The Proclamation granted a tract of land, often referred to as the Haldimand Tract, to the Six Nations in recognition of their support of the Crown during the American Revolution. The Simcoe Patent, or Treaty 4, was later issued to clarify a number of matters, including the extent of the land grant made to the Six Nations. Current communities in the area include Brantford, Kitchener, and Caledonia."

Treaty 3 ¾, Brant Tract (1795)
"Treaty 3 ¾, also known as the Brant Tract, was signed on October 24, 1795, by representatives of the Crown and the Mississauga peoples. The territory described in the written treaty covers approximately 3,500 acres. The treaty is known as the Brant Tract because it was purchased by the Crown for the Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant for his military service to the British during the American Revolutionary War. Current communities in the area include Burlington and Oakville."

Treaty 6, London Township Purchase (1796)
"Treaty 6, or the London Township Purchase, was signed on September 7, 1796, by representatives of the Crown and certain Anishinaabe peoples. The territory described in the written treaty is approximately 30 km². Some of the treaty payments included calico and serge cloths, cooking implements, rifles and flint, and vermillion. Current communities in the area include the city of London."

Treaty 7, Sombra Township Purchase (1796)
"Treaty 7, also called the Sombra Township Purchase, was signed on September 7, 1796 by representatives of the Crown and certain Anishinaabe peoples. Three Ottawa Chiefs are listed as witnesses to the Treaty. Their names were Shemmeendock, Negug, and Mitchewas.

Some of the treaty payments included kettles of brass, tin, and copper, silk handkerchiefs, 1400 pounds of shot, and combs made of ivory and horn. Current communities in the area include St. Clair and"

Treaty 5, Penetanguishene Purchase (1798)
"Treaty 5, or the Penetenguishene Purchase, was signed on May 22, 1798, by representatives of the Crown and certain Anishinaabe peoples. This treaty was conducted out of a desire of Lieutenant Governor John Simcoe to acquire a harbour for British vessels on Lake Huron. The current area includes Penetanguishene and Awenda Provincial Park."

Treaty 11, St. Joseph's Island Purchase (1798)
"Treaty 11, or the St. Joseph’s Island Purchase, was signed on June 30, 1798, by representatives of the Crown and certain Anishinaabe peoples. The territory as described in the written treaty covers approximately 360 km², or nearly all of St. Joseph Island on the Canada/US border.

St. Joseph’s Island is known as Payentanassin in Anishinaabemowin. The written treaty indicates payments of red, green, and blue cloth, vermillion, kettles, and cooking implements."

Treaty 13, Toronto Purchase (1805)
"Treaty 13, also known as the Toronto Purchase, was signed on August 1, 1805, by representatives of the Crown and certain Mississauga peoples. The treaty covers approximately 250,800 acres. The original Toronto Purchase of 1787 was revisited in 1805 with Treaty 13. A land claim regarding the 1805 Treaty was settled with Canada in 2010 for $145 million.

An 1805 map of the Toronto Purchase appears to show that the Toronto Islands were included within the boundaries of the purchase. Although the lands were originally connected to the mainland, they separated during a storm in the mid-19th century."

Treaty 14, Head of the Lake Purchase (1806)
"Treaty 14, or the Head of the Lake Purchase, was signed on September 12, 1806 by representatives of the Crown and certain Mississauga peoples. The treaty indicates that it includes lands along the north shore of Lake Ontario to the southwest of the Toronto Purchase.

The treaty payment was one thousand pounds of provincial currency in goods “at the Montreal price,” made the previous year in the interim agreement of Treaty 13A. Current communities in the area include the cities of Mississauga and Oakville."

Treaty 16, Lake Simcoe Purchase (1815)
"Treaty 16, or the Lake Simcoe Purchase, was signed in 1815 at Kempenfelt Bay by representatives of the Crown and certain Anishinaabe peoples. The territory described in the written Treaty covers approximately 100,000 hectares.

The Penetanguishene Road, which extended from Lake Simcoe to Georgian Bay, is contained in this treaty. Current communities in the area include Orillia, Midland, and part of Barrie."

Treaty 18, Nottawasaga Purchase / Lake Simcoe-Nottawasaga Treaty (1818)
"Treaty 18 was signed on Oct 17, 1818, by representatives of the Crown and certain Anishinaabe peoples. It is also known as the Lake Simcoe-Nottawasaga Treaty and was the first of three treaties signed between October and November of 1818. A fourth, Treaty 27, was signed in the Spring of 1819. The treaty details include a payment of goods at the "Montreal Price," because Montreal was the economic hub of Upper and Lower Canada. Current communities in the area include Wasaga, Bradford and Collingwood."

Treaty 19, Ajetance Purchase (1818)
"Treaty 19, also known as the Ajetance Purchase, was signed on October 28, 1818, by representatives of the Crown and Anishinaabe peoples. The territory described in the written Treaty covers approximately 6,500 km².

The Ajetance Purchase is named for the Chief of the Credit River Mississaugas. Some signatories of this Treaty also signed Treaty 18, such as James Givins, who worked with Reverend Peter Jones at the Credit Mission. Current communities in the area include Brampton, Georgetown and the Caledon “Badlands”"

Treaty 20, Rice Lake Purchase (1818)
"Treaty 20, also known as the Rice Lake Purchase, was signed on November 5, 1818 by representatives of the Crown and certain Anishinaabe peoples. This is the last of three Upper Canadian treaties signed with Anishinaabe peoples in what is now central southern Ontario, in October and November of 1818. A fourth, Treaty 27, was signed in the spring of 1819. These treaties enabled the northward expansion of settlement in Upper Canada. Current communities in the area include Peterborough and Lindsay."

Treaty 21, Long Woods Purchase (1819)
"Treaty 21, also known as the Long Woods Purchase, was signed on March 9, 1819 by representatives of the Crown and certain Anishinaabe peoples. The territory described in the written treaty covers approximately 220,000 hectares. The River Thames, which was called Askanessippi in Anishinaabemowin, meaning the “antlered river,” runs through this area. Current communities in the area include Strathroy and Mt. Brydges"

Treaty 27 and 27 ¼, Rideau Purchase (1819)
"Treaty 27 and 27 ¼ , or the Rideau Purchase, was entered into on May 31, 1819, and confirmed in 1822 by representatives of the Crown and certain Anishinaabe peoples. The Rideau Canal, a vital waterway in Upper Canada, was built through this territory after the Treaty was signed. Current communities in the area include Marmora and Pembroke.'

Treaty 29, Huron Tract Purchase (1827)
"Treaty 29, or the Huron Tract Purchase, was signed on July 10, 1827, by representatives of the Crown and certain Anishinaabe peoples. The territory described in the written treaty covers approximately 2,200,000 acres.

Treaties often reference natural features of the landscape to mark boundaries. This treaty uses the intersection of the St. Clair River and “a hickory tree marked with a broad arrow on two sides” to mark part of its boundary. Current communities in the area include Sarnia and Stratford."

Treaty 35 (1833)
"Treaty 35 was signed on August 13, 1833, by representatives of the Crown and the Huron-Wendat. In the mid-seventeenth century, the Huron-Wendat were displaced from the territory between Lake Ontario, Lake Simcoe, and Georgian Bay after wars with other Indigenous peoples. Some Huron-Wendat moved to Lorette, near Quebec City. Others moved to the west and the south, including this treaty area. Current communities in the area include LaSalle and Amherstburg."

Treaty 45, Treaty of Manitowaning (1836)
"Treaty 45, or the Manitoulin Island Treaty, was signed on August 9, 1836, by representatives of Upper Canada and certain Anishinaabe peoples. The territory described in the written Treaty covers most of Manitoulin Island and the islands along the north shore of Lake Huron.

Archaeological records provide evidence that Indigenous people lived on Manitoulin Island from 9,000 B.C.E. In 1836, the island became home to many more Indigenous peoples, some of whom had moved from other places in Upper Canada. Current communities in the territory described by the written Treaty include Little Current and Manitowaning."

Treaty 45 ½, Saugeen Tract Purchase (1836)
"Treaty 45 ½, or the Saugeen Tract Purchase, was signed on August 9, 1836 by representatives of the Crown and certain Anishinaabe peoples. The territory described in the written treaty covers approximately 1.5 million acres of land, and was a part of the Bond Head Purchases, along with Treaty 45 for Manitoulin Island.

The treaty was signed in Manitowaning in 1836 when an annual distribution of gifts for Indigenous peoples was taking place on Manitoulin Island. Current communities in this area include Owen Sound and Hanover."

Treaty 57, St. Regis Purchase (1847)
"Treaty 57, or the St. Regis Purchase was signed on June 1, 1847 by representatives of the Crown and certain Mohawk peoples.

The written treaty indicates that it covers a parcel of land that is also known as the “Nutfield Tract,” a corridor of land running north of the St. Lawrence River towards the Ottawa River. Current communities in the area include the city of Cornwall."

Treaty 72, Saugeen Peninsula Treaty (1854)
"Treaty 72 was signed on October 13, 1854, by First Nations residing on the “Saugeen Peninsula” and representatives of the Crown. The Treaty area covers most of what is now known as the Bruce Peninsula. At the time of signing, the peninsula was known as the Saugeen Peninsula. The treaty is sometimes today referred to as the Bruce Peninsula Treaty. Current communities in the area include Sauble Beach, Tobermory, and Southampton."

Treaty 82 (1857)
"Treaty 82 was signed on February 9, 1857, by representatives of the Crown and certain Anishinaabe peoples. The territory described in the written Treaty is approximately 4,000 hectares, and covers a strip of land north of the contemporary community of Owen Sound.

The representatives of the Chippewas of Newash signed with their clan or "totem" signature. Notable signatories to this treaty include R.T. Pennefather, Superintendent General of Indian Affairs, and Rev. Peter Jones, a Mississauga chief, author, and Methodist missionary who translated the Bible into Anishinaabemowin. Current communities in the area include Kemble."

Treaty 94, Manitoulin Island Treaty (1862)
"Manitoulin Island was subject to Treaties in 1836 and 1862 but the peoples of Wikwemikong did not sign the latter, known as Treaty 94. Treaty 94 was signed on October 6, 1862 by representatives of the Crown and many First Nations residing on Manitoulin Island.

Treaty 94, which revised the previous 1836 Treaty, outlined that Manitoulin Island would be surveyed and divided into acres, with each head of a family on the island receiving 100 acres, and every single person at least 21 years of age receiving 50 acres. Current communities in the territory described by the written Treaty include Little Current and Manitowaning."

Robinson Treaties (1850)

Treaty 60, Robinson-Superior Treaty (September 7, 1850)
"The Robinson-Superior Treaty was signed on September 7, 1850 in Sault Ste. Marie. Treaty Commissioner William Robinson signed on behalf of the Crown, and a number of chiefs signed on behalf of several First Nations. The territory described in the written treaty includes the north shore of Lake Superior.

The Crown’s motivation for entering into the Robinson Treaties was partly to open up the Treaty territories to mineral resource exploration and potential mining.

Current communities in the area include Thunder Bay, Nipigon and Wawa."

Treaty 61, Robinson-Huron Treaty (September 9, 1850)
"The Robinson-Huron Treaty was signed on September 9, 1850 in Sault Ste. Marie. Treaty Commissioner William Robinson signed on behalf of the Crown, and a number of chiefs signed on behalf of several First Nations. The territory described in the written treaty includes the land east of Georgian Bay and the northern shore of Lake Huron.

One of the signatories of the Robinson Huron Treaty was noted Anishnaabeg Chief Shinguakonse (Little Pine) (1773-1854), veteran of the War of 1812 who had helped establish Garden River First Nation.

Current communities in the area include Sault Ste. Marie, Kirkland Lake and North Bay."

Numbered Treaties (1870-1930)

Treaty 3, aka The North-West Angle Treaty or the Between the Lakes Purchase (1873)
From The Canadian Encyclopedia: "On 3 October 1873, some Saulteaux peoples (an Ojibwe people) and the Government of Canada signed Treaty 3, also known as the North-West Angle Treaty. This agreement provided the federal government access to Saulteaux lands in present-day northwestern Ontario and eastern  Manitobain exchange for various goods and Indigenous rights to hunting, fishing and natural resources on reserve lands. The terms and text of Treaty 3 set precedents for the eight Numbered Treaties that followed."

Treaty 5 (1875)
From Cumberland House Cree Nation: "Treaty 5 is known as “the Winnipeg Treaty.” It was entered into in 1875 at Berens River and Norway House by the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and the Ojibway and Swampy Cree people of Lake Winnipeg. Additional adhesions to the Treaty were entered into in 1876. Through the Treaty, the Queen received the right to take up certain lands for immigration and settlement with the condition that the Canadian Government would pay compensation for their use."

Treaty 9, James Bay Treaty (1905)
From Ontario Archives: "The James Bay Treaty - (Treaty No. 9) is an agreement between Ojibway (Anishinaabe), Cree (including the Omushkegowuk) and other Indigenous Nations (Algonquin) and the Crown (represented by two commissioners appointed by Canada and one commissioner appointed by Ontario). The treaty, first entered into in 1905-1906, covers the James Bay and Hudson Bay watersheds in Ontario, about two thirds of the province’s total landmass. The treaty embodies the nation-to-nation relationship between First Nations and the Crown."

Williams Treaties (1923)

Chippewa Williams Treaty (October 31, 1923) & Mississauga Williams Treaty (November 15, 1923)
Description via Williams Treaties First Nations: "The Williams Treaties First Nations are the Chippewas of Beausoleil, Georgina Island and Rama and the Mississaugas of Alderville, Curve Lake, Hiawatha, Scugog Island. These seven First Nations are signatories to various 18th and 19th century treaties that covered lands in different parts of south central Ontario. In 1923, the Chippewas and Mississaugas signed the Williams Treaties and together, over 90 years later, the Williams Treaties First Nations have joined to ensure their rights to and the relationship with the land is respected."

See also: The Government of Canada's Statement of Apology for the Impacts of the 1923 Williams Treaties.