On the same day we visited River Raisin, we stopped at the Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis National Historic Site. A really long name for a National Park site! But the long name is appropriate because this site is a partnership between the National Park Service, the Ohio Historical Society, and the Toledo Metroparks. But, because it is a partnership without any National Park Service employees, it is a little different.
Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis National Historic Site memorializes the Battle of Fallen Timbers in August of 1794. United States General Anthony Wayne led militia troops from Kentucky against a Native American coalition led by Chief Turkey Foot. When Chief Turkey Foot was killed, the Native Americans retreated to Fort Miamis.
Fort Miamis was built on the banks of the Maumee River in 1794 by the British with the help of the Native Americans in the area. The British promised the Native Americans that they would not allow United States settlers into the area. But when the Native Americans fought at the Battle of Fallen Timbers and retreated to Fort Miamis, the British would not allow them into the fort. Consequently the Native Americans had to flee the area.
General Wayne felt Fort Miamis was too strong to attack, so he left the area. But a treaty between the United States and the British ceded the northwest corner of Ohio to the United States. American pioneers soon settled in the area.
Today the Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis National Historic Site has three parcels in Maumee, Ohio. The first parcel is the site of the Battle of Fallen Timbers. There is a small “Visitors Center” that has restrooms but no staff or items in the Visitors Center. You can rent the center out for parties or gatherings. There is a nice hiking trail through the battlefield but it was too cold to hike the day we visited.
The second section is the site of Fort Miamis. There are several waysides talking about what the fort looked like. You can see the earthen walls overlooking the Maumee River.
The third section is the Memorial for the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The memorial is placed at the site where they thought the battle was. Later archaeological evidence placed the battlefield in a different area, but they kept the memorial at the original site. The memorial is impressive with three figures on top of a marble base: Chief Turkey Foot, General Wayne, and a Kentucky militiaman. The memorial talks about the contributions of all three groups, their courage, and their sacrifice. There are also two special memorials for the Native American coalition as they defended their homeland.
We visited all three of these sites but I was still missing one important thing: my stamp! In order to get a stamp in my book, we had to go to the Maumee Branch of the Toledo Public Library. I asked at the desk and was given a box that contained the stamp and a stamp pad. The library also had a brochure on the park, although it was not a National Park Service brochure.
Visiting the Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis National Historic Site was an adventure that required some detective work. But it was interesting to learn another piece of our history. And the park is an interesting partnership between the three groups that run it.