The
Territory of Indiana was established in 1800 as legitimized by the
Northwest Ordinance of 1787. The governing structure established through this act began creating counties in the territory as it became increasingly populated. In December 1816, the
State of Indiana was admitted to the Union. Wells was named after famous frontiersmen
William A. Wells who played a central role in the
Northwest Indian Wars and the activity surrounding
Fort Miami and
Kekionga. It was initially assigned to
Allen County for legislative and administrative affairs. In the winter of 1835, Col. John Vowter of
Jennings County, Chairman of the Committee on New Counties, introduced a bill proposing that the assembly "lay out all the unorganized territory to which the Indian title had been extinguished in the state into a suitable number of counties". This bill would be approved later that year on February 7, effectively creating thirteen
Northern Indiana counties, one of which was Wells. On February 2, 1837, an act was passed by the state, authorizing Wells County to be organized independent of Allen County, and specifying May 1 for the date of the first meeting. However, that meeting did not take place, and so an act dated January 20, 1838, authorized the meeting of appointed commissioners to decide on a county seat. That vote was completed on March 5, 1838, selecting
Bluffton. ==Geography==