The Old Northwest is a historical region in the United States that generally refers to the territory northwest of the Ohio River, which was acquired by the United States in the Treaty of Paris of 1783 at the end of the American Revolutionary War. This region encompassed the present-day states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and a portion of Minnesota. The Old Northwest was an important area for westward expansion and settlement in the 19th century, and was also the site of significant Native American conflicts and removals, such as the Northwest Indian War and the forced relocation of tribes like the Potawatomi and the Miami.
