The Chippewa expanded their territories to control most of lower Michigan and southern Ontario.
Successes in tribal warfare and increased trade led them to expand their lands still further. Many of the people settled on the Great Plains. The Chippewa tribe adapted to their changing environment adopting different lifestyles and cultures during their migration. In 1769 the Chippewa formed a confederacy known as "The Three Fires" with the Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes aimed at forcing the Peoria tribe from the Illinois River.