Little Known Fact

Today I was engaged in a conservation about property lines and state boundaries in NW Ohio. To stimulate conservation I related a little know fact that all property and boundary lines north of Defiance Ohio to Canada are measured off the baseline of the flagstaff located at Fort Defiance. Fort Defiance was built by General Anthony Wayne in August 1794 at the confluence of the Auglaize and Maumee Rivers and played an important role securing lands for a growing nation. Two hundred years later actions taken by our ancestors are affecting everyday life from state boundries, county lines, townships, personal property in NW Ohio to the taxes we pay all because of a flagstaff located at Fort Defiance, Defiance Ohio.

Fort Defiance

Few people today recognize the importance of Fort Defiance in American history. It is from this place that General Anthony Wayne lead an army against the Indians and defeated them in a battle called Fallen Timbers in present day Maumee Ohio thus acquiring the territory that is now the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. I visited Fort Defiance Dec. '06 and took this pictures. There is not much left to see.