Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis National Historic Site

The Fallen Timbers Battlefield Monument stands tall for visitors to learn about this moment in time.

Arrye Rosser

Quick Facts

Location:

Fallen Timbers Battlefield 4949 Jerome Road Maumee, OH 43537 Fort Miamis 4010 Michigan Street Maumee, OH 43537

Significance:

The ending event in the struggle for dominance in the Old Northwest Territory. Resulting in the dispossession of American Indian tribes and a loss of colonial territory for the British military and settlers.

Designation:

National Historic Site, National Register of Historic Places

MANAGED BY:

Metroparks Toledo

Amenities

1 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

The Battle of Fallen Timbers was the culminating event that demonstrated the tenacity of the American people in their quest for western expansion and the struggle for dominance in the Old Northwest Territory. The events resulted in the dispossession of American Indian tribes and a loss of colonial territory for the British military and settlers.

Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis National Historic Site are managed by Metroparks Toledo. It is also an Affiliated Unit of the National Park Service. For information on site hours, Passport stamps, and more, please contact Metroparks Toledo. 

Fallen Timbers is actually three sites, two of which are open to the public.

The Three Sites:

Fallen Timbers Battlefield

Fallen Timbers Battlefield consists of 187 acres of open field with a wooded area near the center. The property, owned by Metroparks Toledo, is bounded on the east by Interstate 475, on the south by US Highway 24, on the west by a proposed retail/commercial development, and on the north by additional commercial property. A railroad spur cuts through the northwest corner of the battlefield. The property is generally flat, with a small swale in the woods on the south edge of the site and terminating at US 24.

The site formerly thought to be the location of the battlefield, 0.25 mile south of the actual site and on the floodplain along the Maumee River, was included in the 1959 National Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings as one of 22 sites representing the national historic theme "The Advance of the Frontier, 1763-1830." It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960, signifying "the culminating event which demonstrated the tenacity of the American people in their efforts of western expansion through the struggle for dominance in the Old Northwest Territory." The National Historic Landmark designation is being corrected to identify the actual battle site.

Fallen Timbers Monument

The Fallen Timbers State Monument is a 9-acre site approximately 0.25 mile south of the battlefield. Listed as a National Historic Landmark, the monument is owned by the Ohio Historical Society and is managed by Metroparks Toledo through an agreement.

Monuments to the battle include the following:

• A 10-foot bronze statue of General Wayne, with an Indian guide to the right and a settler to the left, which is mounted on a 15-foot granite pedestal. As a National Historic Landmark, the monument has been found to possess exceptional value in commemorating and illustrating the history of the United States.
• Two stone markers in front of the monument: one recognizes U.S. troops killed and wounded in the battle, and the other memorializes the Indian casualties.

• Turkeyfoot Rock: The rock is linked by Indian histories to the battle and was moved to the monument site in 1953 from its original location along the Maumee River. Based on conversations with representatives of the American Indian Intertribal Association, some individuals and groups continue to use Turkeyfoot Rock as the site of offerings and ceremonies.

The state monument is a fairly level site some 50 feet above the Maumee River floodplain. Visitors have an unobstructed view to the Maumee River, and this important natural corridor has not changed significantly since the time of the battle, showing visitors the ultimate prize of the battle: control of transportation and access along the Maumee River.

Fort Miamis

The British fort, located several miles away on River Road, played a role in the Battle of Fallen Timbers and, later, the War of 1812. The park is open, and much of the earthworks used to create the fort are still visible. Archeological remains at the fort are available for future study and interpretation. Fort Miamis is in a Maumee residential area approximately 5 miles east of the battlefield and memorial. The south side of the fort falls off steeply to the Maumee River. The fort was previously owned and managed by the City of Maumee, but on November 7, 2005, the City Council voted to return ownership to Metroparks Toledo.

Management

Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis National Historic Site was established by Public Law 106-164 on December 9, 1999. Even though the area is managed in accordance with laws applicable to units of the national park system, the management entity for this site, as referred to in the enabling legislation, is the Metropolitan Park District of the Toledo Area (Metroparks), in partnership with the Ohio Historical Society.

Learn more:

• National Park Service historical overview of the Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis 
• Metroparks Toledo