Three Native American villages once existed near the present city. In 1747 the Miami tribe built Pickawillany; shortly thereafter an English trading post, Fort Pickawillany, was established, but it was destroyed in 1752 by the French and their Native American allies. In 1780 the Shawnee tribe took possession of this territory. At the end of the century European-American settlers arrived, formally laying out a village in 1807. Learn More...