The present location of the Ontario County Courthouse in the City was the site of the signing of the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua (The Pickering Treaty), which established peace between the six nations of the Iroquois Confederation and the fledgling United States of America.
The Pickering Treaty defined Iroquois property rights, including placement of a western boundary on their land, and reserved land for a military road along the Niagara River. Goods and an increased annual annuity were granted to the Indians, cementing the relationship.
Timothy Pickering signed the Treaty for the United States; Cornplanter, Farmer’s Brother, Fish Carrier, Handsome Lake, Little Beard, Red Jacket, and 44 others signed with Xs for the Iroquois.
