U. S. Land Office

Signed on August 29, 1821, the Treaty of Chicago resulted in the Potawatomi and other tribes in the southwestern Michigan Territory turning over their lands to the federal government. In 1831, after the land was surveyed, the government opened this office in White Pigeon, one of the largest towns in the western Michigan Territory. Between 1831 and 1834, some 260,000 acres of land were sold from this office at $1.25 per acre. This is the oldest land office remaining in Michigan, and one of only a few left in what was the Northwest Territory. The building was restored by the St. Joseph County Historical Society. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.