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The portrait is from a. flutoynipti Jl represents the Author with pencil and pprt t'i'lw in liand
in the ftrf cfskettkauj /hw Nuturr -Vie likeness will /v rffi'tinr/s/1 l>\- nituiv in veaioltt fwfa.'pf
n/ir f'fw/fry. wht> ,ww him trhilf on /< tour ttuvuqh the West . collecting materials and taking
Sketches for Qie Enqravmys in t/u.f werk.
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" "
ALL THE WESTERN STATES
AND
TERRITORIES,
FROM THE ALLEGHANIES TO THE PACIFIC,
AND
FROM THE LAKES TO THE GULF,
CONTAINING
Tlieir History from the Earliest Times, tvitl? Local
History, Incidents of Pioneer Life, Military/ Events,
Biographical Sketches; combined with full Geograph-
ical Descriptions of the different States, Territories,
Cities, and Towns; the whole being illustrated by
24:0 EIVGMfc^VIlVOS,
presenting views of the Cities and Principal Towns,
Public Buildings and Monuments, Battle Fields, His-
toric Localities, Natural Curiosities, etc., principally
from drawings taken on the spot by the Authors*
JOHN W. N \BARBER,
AUTHOR OP HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS O* CONNECTICUT, MASSACHUSETTS, *C.,
HENRY HOWE,
AUTHOR OP HIST. COL'S OP VIRGINIA, OHIO, THE GREAT WEST, *C.
CINCINNATI, 0.
3M"o. Ill Main. Street,
HOWE'S SUBSCRIPTION BOOK CONCERN,
ESTABLISHED BY HENKT HOWE IN 1847.
F. A. HOWE, Proprietor. HENRY HOWE, Manager.
1867.
373
Entered according to Act of Congress in the year eighteen hundred and sixty-seven^
By F. A. HOWE,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern
District of Ohio.
<
INTRODUCTORY.
DURING the sad, tragic years of the Rebellion, a large two-
volume work, by the authors of this, was published under the
title of "Our Whole Country." It was modeled on the same
general plan with the Historical Collections of Massachusetts and
of Connecticut, by John W. Barber, and the Historical Collections
of Virginia and of Ohio, by Henry Howe. That work was issued
at great expense, consequent upon years of labor, extensive
travel, and the drawing and engraving of many hundred original
views of objects of interest in all parts of our land. This ex-
pense was full fifteen thousand dollars before the first sheet of
paper was bought upon which it was printed, and was an undi-
vided enterprise of our own.
The changed condition of a part of our country, united to the
double expense of book publishing, compels us to alter the plan,
and to issue the original work in two independent, separate
books, with such changes in the materials as are demanded by
the lapse of time and events. By, this means a choice of either
will be given to such limited finances as can not grasp both.
The one book will comprise "The Atlantic States, North,
and South 5" the other is the present volume, "The Whole
"West." The first-named will be preceded by an introduction
giving the general history of the country, when will follow, in
order, all the sea-board States, originally British colonies, and
the old Spanish colony of Florida, the most ancient of them all,
but of feeble nursing and of trivial growth. The book you hold
comprises all of that immense territory comprehended under the
term " The Great West."
The six States of the South-west are herein grouped by them-
selves; and the articles upon them, and the views of places
192435
therein, are especially interesting, as showing their condition
and appearance at the outbreak of the late terrible struggle.
From chaos may new and more graceful forms arise, and that
unhappy people, whose valor and endurance have been so extra-
ordinary, be soon lifted into clearer skies and to more pleasing
visions.
For obvious reasons, the events of the late intestine war have
no place here. Their introduction would swell the work to
too extensive proportions. Besides, it is to be expected that
every family will possess volumes solely devoted to that topic
which has entered so largely and thrillingly into the general
experience of us all.
Our frontispiece is a life-like portrait of Mr. John W. Barber.
He is the principal author of this work, our part having been
mainly to add to the materials collected by him through years
of labor and travel. The picture is faithful, photographed from
the original, and true to every article of costume, even to the
antique carpet-bag on the sward at his feet. He is represented
with pencil and portfolio in hand, in the act of sketching from
nature. For the information of those unfamiliar with book pub-
lishing, we here describe the process by which the pictures in
this work were produced.
1st. They were drawn on the spot by the eye, in outline with
pencil on paper, on a large scale.
2d. Reduced in outline on paper to the smaller scale of the
engraving.
3d. These outlines again traced on wood, and shaded by an
artist.
4th. Engraved ; a labor of several years, had only one engraver
been employed.
5th. Stereotyped on the page with the type, ready for the
printer.
Owing to the position of many places, only a partial view
could be given. To recognize any scene, the reader must be
familiar with it from the point from whence the drawing was
taken. As a general thing, they have been rendered with that
care that any one with book in hand can readily place himself
within a yard or two of the precise spot on which Mr. Barber
stood. In our rapid growth and Aladdin-like changes, these
views will soon pass into history, and be of even higher value
than now as showing our country at the era of the great rebellion.
INTRODUCTORY. 5
Mr. Barber, whom we have thus introduced to the reader,
deserves so to be. He is a plain, unobtrusive old gentleman,
who began life with only iLe solid education Connecticut gives
all her sons born at the close of the administration of George
Washington, in the century that is past with no especial pride,
except in being a descendant of the Pilgrims, of whom he is a
genuine, honest, and most unmistakable offshoot. His life has
been one of untiring and useful industry, chiefly passed in com-
piling books, every page of which has been created with a view
to benefit the public. No man living in the Union has taken so
many views of places in it as he, in making drawings for this
and his various State work?. His books have gratified cli classes;
the learned and unlearned, the old and young. A personal anec-
dote is proper here. On a time, in the years now gone, we were
rattled over the paving-stones of Broadway in an omnibus, and
holding the first bound volume of a State work, the result of the
joint labor of Mr. Barber and ourself. An elderly gentleman, in
neat, and, as we thought, somewhat humble attire, leaned over
to look at our book: then putting an inquiry, which we an-
swered, he rejoined: "I have Mr. Barber's Connecticut and Mas-
sachusetts, and I shall want that." A moment later, the vehicle
stopped, and our questioner left us. "Do you know who that
old gentleman is that spoke to you?" asked a fellow-passenger,
also a stranger. "No sir." "That," added he, "is Chancellor
Rent!"
It is now thirty years since Mr. Barber published his first State
work, that on Connecticut. It was the model on which others
were formed, and a surprise to the public, for its plan was
original and quaint. The venerable Noah Webster, a towns-
man of Mr. Barber, was especially gratified. The venerable,
slender form of Webster, in the garb of a gentleman of the old
school, with broad-brimmed hat, shading a benignant, scholarly
face, with Quaker-like cut coat, short breeches, and buckle
shoes, was, at that period, a pleasant and daily object to be met
moving modestly along under the proudly arching elms of New
Haven.
We then knew them both "as a boy knows a man." Mrs.
Barber, as Miss Ruth Greene, had, only a few years before,
pointed out to us the mysteries of A B C from Webster's spell-
ing-book. It was in the printing-office at the time, or, perhaps,
a little later, owned by our father, Hezekiah Howe, and attached
6 INTRODUCTORY.
to his book-store, that the first edition of Webster's great quarto
dictionary was printed. It was several years in going through
the press, for it was a day of slow coaches ; when, as we recol-
lect, our geographies told us the American people had no
" particular character ! " The nation was then too young.
The issue of this dictionary was a great event. When fin-
ished, Mr. Webster gave a generous supper at his house to the
compositors and pressmen some twenty in number who had
labored upon it. He took the occasion to bless the young
men in good, fatherly talk upon the practical matters of life.
Among the topics introduced was that of runaway horses. He
had for years kept a record of accidents. Almost all fatal
results to life and limb had arisen from parties endeavoring to
save themselves by springing from the whirling vehicle. His
advice was to those present, whenever placed in such peril,
to stick to the wagon. The word "stick," though in that con-
nection, Webster did not probably use; for he, in common
with those Yale men generally, spoke English so "pure and
undeflled," that a slang word, or a coarse one, gave a greater
shock to his delicate sensibilities than a full, round, swelling
oath gives to common ears. This anecdote, living until now
only in memory, is fastened in here, as a pleasing reminis-
cence of the calm, wise man who caused us all to drop the
II from that brightest of words Honor.
Many years perhaps an entire generation must elapse before
another book will be issued upon the West involving so much
of labor and expense as this. More of both were given before
the first sheet was printed than to most volumes of the same
size and price completed for the market. We design this as a
standard work upon the West, and, in successive editions, to
enhance its value by such modifications and additions as may
seem desirable. We trust it will become a Household book for
the Western people; and not only this, but to add to the evi-
dence, if it were necessary, what a mighty empire, under the
influence of our good government, has grown up here on the
sunset side of the Alleghanies since many among us first looked
upon the beautiful things of life in the simple, trusting faith of
childhood.
CINCINNATI, 111 Main Street.
't/j
ENGRAVINGS.*
THE WESTERN STATES, PACIFIC STATES, AND
UNITED STATES TERRITORIES. '
List of Engravings in the STATES of the SOUTHWEST, see p. 12."|
Portrait of J. W. Barber, FRONTIS-
PIECE.
Map, All the West, March 4, 1803,
FRONTISPIECE.
WEST VIRGINIA.
Arms of West Virginia, 33
Wheeling, 40
Tray Run Viaduct, 43
KENTUCKY.
Arms of Kentucky, 45
Frankfort, 48
State House, Frankfort, 49
Military Monument,. 49
Grave of Daniel Boone, 51
Louisville, 53
Medical and Law Colleges, 54
Green River Bridge, 56
View in the Mammoth Cave, 56
United States Barracks and Sus-
pension Bridge, Newport,... 58
Public Square, Lexington, 64
Ashland, Seat of Henry Clay,... 65
Monument of Henry Clay, 67
Old Fort at Boonesboro' 68
Landing at Paducah, 70
A Tobacco Plantation, 71
A Religious Encampment, 77
Signature of Daniel Boone, 78
Signature of Geo. Rogers Clark, 79
Signature of Isaac Shelby, 82
Signature of Henry Clay, 82
OHIO.
Arms of Ohio, 85
Ancient Mound, Marietta, 90
Campus Martins, Marietta, 91
A Pioneer Dwelling, 93
Gallipolis, in 1791, 95
Outline View of Cincinnati, 98
First Church in Cincinnati, 100
Cincinnati in 1802, 101
View in Fourth St., Cincinnati, 103
Pike's Building, 105
Longworth's Vineyard, 107
Harrison House, North Bend,.. 109
Old Block House, near N. Bend, 110
Monument of J. C. Symmes,... 110
Court House, Chillicothe, Ill
Old State Capitol, 112
Portsmouth, 115
State Capitol, Columbus, 116
Ohio White Sulphur Springs,.. 117
Court House, Zanesville, 119
Market Street, Steubenville,.... 125
Superior Street, Cleveland, 127
Ancient Map, Cleveland, 128
Toledo, 130
Wayne's Battle-ground, 133
Public Square, Sandusky, 138
Ancient Map, Sandusky, 138
Fort Sandusky, 139
Wyandot Mission Church, 141
View in Dayton, - 142
Old Court House in Greene Co.. 143
Plan of St. Glair's Battlefield,.. 145
* The engravings original to this work can not be copied by other publishers with-
ont infringement of copyright.
(Vii)
via
ENGRAVINGS.
Birth-place of Tecumseh, 148
Signature of Presid't Harrison, 149
Swiss Emigrant's Cottage, 149
Grave of Simon Kenton, 151
Brady's Pond, 152
Statue of Com. Perry, Cleveland, 153
INDIANA.
Arms of Indiana, 155
The Harrison House, Vincennes, 159
State Capitol, Indianapolis, 164
Union Depot, 165
View rh Terre Haute 168
Friends' Board. Sch., Richm'd, 169
Evans ville, 171
Rapp's Church, New Harmony, 172
Calhoun Street, Fort Wayne,... 175
Old Fort Wayne, 177
Lafayette, 180
Tippecanoe Battle-ground, , 181
Map of do 185
Madison, 186
New Albany, 188
Military Monument, 189
University of Indiana, 191
Old State" Capitol. Corydon,.... 191
The Jug Rock,...' 192
The Mill Stream Cave, 192
ILLINOIS.
Arms of Illinois, 195
Chicago in 1831, 200
Court House Square, Chicago,.. 202
Block Raising, Chicago, 204
Grain Houses, etc., Chicago,... 205
State House Square, Springfi'd, 211
Lincoln Residence, Springfield, 213
Illinois College, Jacksonville,.. 218
Bloomington, 221
Peoria, 222
Quincy, 226
Alton, 228
Map of Levee at Cairo, 232
June. Ohio and Miss., Cairo,... 232
Gulciu 233
The Lead Region, 235
Rock Island City, 236
Fort Armstrong, Rock Island, 237
Nauvoo, 239
Mt. Joliet, 243
Cavc-in-the-Rock, 249
MICHIGAN. .
Arms of Michigan, 251
Detroit, 257
Woodward Avenue, Detroit, ... 259
State House, Lansing, 265
State Penitentiary, Jackson,. 267
State University, Ann Arbor,... 268
Winchester's Head-q's, Monroe, 269
Site of Stockade on the Raisin, 272
Deaf and Dumb Assylum, Flint, 277
Monroe Street, Grand Rapids,.. 279
Lumberman's Camp,..., 281
Mackinaw Island, 285
The Arched Rock, 286
Ruins of Old Fort Mackinaw,.. 287
Map of Mackinaw and Vicinity, 290
Falls of St. Mary, 292
Map of Copper & Iron Region, 294
The Minnesota Mine, 296
WISCONSIN.
Arms of Wisconsin, 305
Harbor of Milwaukie, 311
The Portage 321
Voyageurs' Camp, 322
Madison, 323
Map of the Four Lakes, 327
Ft. Crawford, Prairie du Chien, 329
Racine, 334
The Maiden's Rock, 338
Fort Wiunebago, ifi 1831, 341
MINNESOTA.
Arms of Minnesota, 349
St. Paul, 351
Fort Snelling, 356
Minne-ha-ha Falls, 357
Lake Itasca, 361
Dacotah Dog Dance (music),... 363
Ojibway Scalp Dance (music),. 363
IOWA.
Arms of Iowa, 367
Dubuque, 372
Ruins of Cauianche, 379
Davenport, 383
Attack on Bellevue Hotel, 387
Burlington 391
Judge Rorer's House, 392
Keokuk, , 393
Prairie Scenery, 395
ENGRAVINGS.
<&hr*L< IX
State Capitol, Des Moines, 398
Muscatine, , 399
State University, Iowa City,.... 401
MISSOURI.
Arms of Missouri, 405
Levee at St. Louis, 409
Court House, St. Louis, 411
Biddle Monument, 417
Jefferson City, 418
Lexington Landing, *. 423
Kansas City, 424
A Santa Fe Train, 426
St. Joseph, 428
Hannibal, 429
Pilot Knob, 438
KANSAS.
Arms of Kansas, 441
Fort Leavenworth, 446
Leaven worth, 447
Lawrence, 449
Lecompton, 451
Topeka Bridge, 453
Kansas Indian Village, 455
CALIFORNIA.
Arms of California, 459
Harbor of San Francisco, 469
Execution by Vigilance Com... 474
Sutler's Mill,.. .. 479
Washing Gold with Long Tom, 480
Hydraulic Mining, 482
Fremont's Ranch, 483
Mammoth Tree Grove, 485
OREGON.
Arms of Oregon, 501
Valley of the Willamette, 506
Giant Pines, 507
COLORADO.
View in Denver, 516
Street in Denver, 517
UTAH;
View in Salt Lake City, 538
Mammon Harem, 540
NEW MEXICO.
Giant Cactus, 551
Pueblo, or town of Zuni, 553
Ancient Pueblo, 537
do. Plan, 537
Canon of Chilly, 559
do. Pueblo in, 559
Inscription Rock, 561
ARIZONA.
Church at Tucson, 565
Silver Mine Works, 566
STATES.
California, 459 Kentucky, 45 Nevada, 489
Illinois, 195 Michigan, 271 Ohio, 85
Indiana, 155 Minnesota, 349 Oregon, 501
Iowa, 367 Missouri, 405 West Virginia, .... 33
Kansas, 441 Nebraska, 509 Wisconsin, 305
U. S. TERRITORIES.
Arizona, 563 Idaho, 529 New Mexico. 545
Colorado, 515 Indian, 532 Utah, 535
Dacotah, 531 Montana, 525 Washington, 533
CITIES AND TOWNS.
Abingdon, 245
Acoina, 555
Adrian, 268
Alburquerque, 555
Allegan, 284
Almont, 284
Acton, 227
Ann Arbor, 268
Aehtabula, 147
Astoria, 508
Atchison, 448
Aurora, 193-495"
Austin, 495
Bannock City, 526
Bardstown, 70
Batavia, 245
Battle Creek, 283
Beloit, 335
Bel 1 efon tain e, 147
Bellville, 245
Bellvue, 386, 559
Belvidere, 245
Benicia, 488
Bloomington,
191, 221
Boonville, 433
Bowling Green, 68
Bucyrus, 147
Burlington, 390
Cairo, 231.
Cambridge, 148
Cambridge City,
"456
Cannelton, 148
Canton, 147
Carrolton, 70
Carson City, 492
Cedar Falls, 403
Cedar Rapids, 403
Charleston, 42
* Chicago, 199
Chillicothe, 111
Cincinnati, 99
Circleville, 104
Clarksburg, 43
Cleveland, 127
Col 1 water, 283
Colorado City, 518
Colo ma, 478
Columbus,
70,116,193
Conneaut, 125
(x)
Connersville, 193
Corydon, 191
Coulterville, 489
Council Bluffs, 399
Oovington, 58
Crawfordsville,191
Crescent City, .488
Cvnthiana, 70
Davenport, 382
Danville, 69
Dayton, 141
Decatur, 245
Delaware, 147
Delphi, 193
Denver, 516
Des Moines, 398
Detroit, 257
Dixon, 244
Dubuque, 372
Dunleith, 244
Eaton, 148
Elgin, 245
Elyria, 147
Evansville, 170
Fill more City, 544
Flint, 277
Fond du Lac, 339
Fort Dodge, 402
Fort Snelling, 356
Fort Wayne, 175
Fort Yuma, 488
Frankfort, 48
Franklin, 193
Fremont, 139
Freeport, 233
Galena, 233
Galesburg, 233
Gallipolis, 94
Georgetown, 70
Germantown, 148
Golden City, 518
Goshen, 193
Grand Haven, 284
Grand Rapids, 278
Grasshopper
Falls, 454
Green Bay, 316
Greencastle, 191
Greenfield, 148
Greensburg, 193
Grinnell, 403
Guyandotte, 51
Hamilton, 110
Hannibal, 429
Harrodsburg. 51
Hastings, 359
Henderson, 70
Hernmnn, 434
Hickman, 70
Hillsdale, 283
Hillsboro, 148
Hopkinsville, 70
Hudson, 338
Humboldt City,
488
Huntington, 193
Independence, 429
Indianapolis, 163
Iowa City, 401
Iron ton, 148,433
Janesville, 335
Jackson, 267
Jacksonville, 217
Jefferson City, 417
Jeffersonville, 190
Joliet, 243
Kalamazoo, 283
Kankakee City,
244
Kansas City, 424
Kaskaskia, 213
Kenosha, 334
Keokuk, 393
Keosaugua, 403
Klamath, 488
La Crosse, 337
La Fayette, 179
Lake City, 359
Laguana, 555
Lancaster, 148
Lansing, 265
La Pointe, 348
La Porte, 190
La Salle, 344
Lawrence, 448
Lawrenceburg 190
Leaven worth
City, 447
Lebanon, 14S
Lecompton, 451
Le Sueur, 359
Louisburg, 42
Lewistown, 529
Lexington, 64, 422
Lima, 147
Logan, 148
Logansport, 189
Los Angelos, 488
Louisville, 52
M'Connelsvillel48
Mackinaw, 284
Macombe, 245
Madison, 186, 323
Manhattan, 454
Manitowoc, 348
Mansfield, 147
Marietta, 89
Mariposa, 487
Marshall, 283
Marquette, 299
Marysville, 483
Massillon, 147
Mays vi lie, 57
Mendota, 359
Michigan City, 190
Milwaukie, 311
Mineapolis, 358
Mineral Point, 335
Mishawaka, 193
Moline, 245
Monroe, 268
Monterey, 488
Morgantown. 43
Mt. Clemens, 284
Mt. Pleasant, 403
Mt. Veri\on,
147, 193
Muncie, 1 93
Muscatine, 399
Napierville, 245
Nauvoo, 239
Nebraska City,51 1
NemahaCity, 511
New Albany, 189
Newark, 118
New Harmony, 172
New Lisbon, 148
New Madrid, 419
Newport, 58
Nicolet, 359
Niles, 283
Newark, 147
Oberlin, 147
Olympia, 535
Omaha City, 511
Ontonagon, 299
CITIES TOWNS.
Oregon City,
508
Red Wing, 359
Shakopee,
359
Upper Sanduskv.
Oskaloosa,
403
Richmond, 169
Sheboygan,
348
139
Ossawatomie,
454
Ripley, 148
Shelbyville,
Urban a, 147,
245
Ottawa,
245
Rising Sun, 193
70, 193
Vallejo,
488
f d/~~/ it. , t,
Owens boro,
70
Rocklbrd, 233
Sidney,
147
Vandalia,
245
Ozaukee,
348
Rock Island
Silver City,
491
Versailles,
70
^ff^^Ay^d-^o ,
Paducah.
70
City, 286
Sioux City,
403
Vevay,
191
o^v*
Painesville,
147
Rockville, 193
Smithland,
70
Vincennes,
158
& &Cr~v
Paris,
Parkersburg,
70
39
Romeo, 284
Russelville, 70
Sonora,
South Bend,
484
190
Virginia City,
Wabashaw, "
491
359
g &*-t*~4i^- *****
Pembina,
Peoria,
531
222
Sacram. City, 478
Saginaw, 282
Springfield,
142,
211
Warren,
Watertown,
147
328
o Hslr^ty^j*
Peru,
193
Salem, 508
Sterling,
245
Waubonsee,
454
Piqua,
147
St Anne, 402
Steubenville,
124
Waukegan,
245
,
Plattesmouth,
511
St. Anthony, 357
Still water,
359
Wellsburg,
41
Jr-e-
Pomeroy,
148
St. Charles,245,432
Stockton,
483
Wellsville,
148
-j
Pontiac,
2H2
St. Genevieve, 434
Superior City,
348
Weston, 43, 428
\J ^-<A ^^ r\S y?*+&44t
Portage City,
340
St. Joseph, 435, 427
Sycamore,
245
Wheeling,
39
*~Ai*~r-9
Portland,
588
St. Paul, 409
Taos,
554
White Sulphur ^ ^ <*Jtl^_
Port Huron,
282
Salt Lake City, 538
Tecumseh,
283
Springs,
43
jft
Portsmouth,
113
San Diego, 488
Terre Haute,
167
Wilmington,
148
0*kras*if(Trr*J
Potosi,
433
Sandoval, 245
Tiffin,
147
Winona,
350
c^
Prairie du Chien,
Sandusky, 137
Toledo,
130
Wooster,
147
^*^-W^,
328
San Francisco, 468
Topeka,
452
Wyandot,
448
'
Prescott, 338,
Princeton,
563
193
San Jose, 488
SantaBarbara,488
Trinidad,
Troy,
488
147
Xenia,
Youngstown,
143
147
***rtrW^
Quincy,
226
Santa Fe. 552
Tubac,
565
Ypsilanti,
283
$*J-*4s-+&JtM
Racine,
333
Sault de Ste.
Tucson,
565
Zanesville.
119
vLt_A-L-/zrr
Ravenna,
147
Marie, 291
Two Rivers,
348
Zuni.
555
<T\JZL'^C*
STATES OF THE SOUTHWEST,
ALABAMA.
Arms of Alabama, 571
St. Louis Wharf, Mobile,
575
Fort Morgan, Mobile
Point, 576
Central View in Mont-
gomery, 576
Landing at Selma, 580
University of Alabama,
Tuscaloosa, 582
Public Square, Hunts-
ville, 583
MISSISSIPPI.
Arms of Mississippi, 585
Central View of Jack-
son, 588
Natchez, 588
Vickeburg, 593
Observatory of the State
University, 594
Harvesting Cotton, 597
LOUISIANA.
Arms of Louisiana, 599
Jackson Square, New
Orleans, 602
Levee in New Orleans,602
St. Charles street in
New Orleans, 603
ENGRAVINGS.
Lafayette Square, New
Orleans, 605
Outline View of New
Orleans, 605
Battle-field, New Orleans,
607
French Cemetery, in
New Orleans, 613
Baton Rouge, 674
Gen. Taylor's Residence,
674
GatheringSugarCane,617
TENNESSEE.
Arms of Tennessee, 623
Nashville, 627
State House, Nashville,
628
President Folk's Resi-
dence, 529
Memphis, 6.'$0
Knoxville, 632
Signature of Andrew
Jackson, 635
Residence of Andrew
Jackson, 636
Tomb of Andrew Jack-
son, 638
David Crockett's Cabin,
640
Brainerd, Missionary
Station, 642
STATES.
ARKANSAS.
Arms of Arkansas, 645
Little Rock, 648
Helena, 549
Napoleon, 649
Scene on the Arkansas,
650
TEXAS.
Arms of Texas, 653
Galveston, 661
View of the Main Plaza,
San Antonio, 662
Church of the Alamo,
663
Mission of San Jose, 666
The Alamo, 667
Plan of the Alamo, 669
Landing at Houston, 673
Ancient Capitol, Houston,
674
Ruins at Goliad, 675
State Capitol, Austin, 678
The Alamo Monument,
679
San Jacinto Battle-
ground, 685
Soldiers' Grave, San Ja-
cinto Battle-ground, 687
A night Scene on the
Buffalo Bayou, 691
Alabama,
Arkansas
571 Louisiana,
645 Mississippi,
599 Tennessee,
585 Texas,
523
653
CITIES TOWNS.
Aberdeen,
593
Fort Smith,
650
Marion,
581
Paris,
695
Alexandria,
621
Galveston,
6rtl
Marshall,
695
Pine Bluff,
650
Arkansas Post,
649
Goliad,
674
Matagorda,
695
Port Lavacea,
695
Athens,
633
Gallatin,
533
Memphis,
630
San Antonio,
661
Austin,
678
Gonzules,
505
Mobile,
575
San Augustine,
695
Batesville,
648
Greenville,
633
Montgomery,
576
Selma,
580
Baton Rouge,
674
Helena,
649
Murfreesboro,
632
Shelbyville,
633
Brownsville,
691
Holly Springs,
599
Nacogdoches,
694
Shreveport,
621
Canton,
593
Hot Springs,
650
Napoleon,
649
Tusealoosa,
583
Castorvillo,
683
Houston,
673
Natchez,
587
Tuacumbia,
583
Clarksville,
633
Huntsville,
583
Natchetoches,
621
Van Buren,
650
Cleveland,
633
Jackson, 587,
633
Nashville,
627
Vickeburg,
593
Columbia,
633
Jonesboro,
632
New Braunfels,
680
Victoria,
695
Columbus,
593
Knoxville,
631
New Orleans,
fi02
Wetumpka,
583
Chattanooga,
632
Lebanon,
633
Opclousas^
621
Winchester,
633
Payetteville,633,651
Little Rook,
648
Oxford.
593
Yasoo City,
593
Florence,
583
McMinnville,
633
HISTORICAL SKETCH
WEST
TWENTY years after the great event occurred, which has immor-
talized the name of Christopher Columbus, Florida was discovered
by Juan Ponce de Leon, ex-governor of Porto Rico. Sailing from
that island in March, 1512, he discovered an unknown country,
which he named Florida, from the abundance of its flowers, the
trees being covered with blossoms, and its first being seen on
Easter Sunday, a day called by the Spaniards Pascua Florida;
the name imports the country of flowers. Other explorers soon
visited the same coast. In May, 1539, Ferdinand de Soto, the
Governor of Cuba, landed at Tampa Bay, with six hundred fol-
lowers. He marched into the interior; arid on the 1st of May,
1541, discovered the Mississippi; being the first European who
had ever beheld that mighty river.
Spain for many years claimed the whole of the country bounded
by the Atlantic to the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the north, all of
which bore the name of Florida. About twenty years after the
discovery of the Mississippi, some Catholic missionaries attempted
to form settlements at St. Augustine, and its vicinity ; and a few
years later a colony of French Calvinists had been established on
the St. Mary's, near the coast. In 1565, this settlement was anni-
hilated by an expedition from Spain, under Pedro Melendez de
Aviles; and about nine hundred French, men, women and children,
cruelly massacred. The bodies of many of the slain were hung
from trees, with the inscription, '''Not as Frenchmen, but as
heretics.' 1 '' Having accomplished his bloody errand, Melendez
founded St. Augustine, the oldest town by half a century of any
now in the Union. Four years after, Dominic de Gourges, burn-
ing to avenge his countrymen, fitted out an expedition at his own
expense, and surprised the Spanish colonists on the St. Mary's;
destroying the ports, burning the houses, and ravaging the settle-
ments with fire and sword ; finishing the work by also suspending
some of the corpses of his enemies from trees, with the inscription,
14 OUTLINE HISTORY.
"Not as Spaniards, but as murderers." Unable to hold possession
of the country, de Gourges retired to his fleet. Florida, excepting
for a few years, remained under the Spanish crown, suffering much
in its early history, from the vicissitudes of war and piratical
incursions, until 1819, when, vastly diminished from its original
boundaries, it was ceded to the United States, and in 1845 became
a State.
In 1535, James Cartier, a distinguished French mariner, sailed
with an exploring expedition up the St. Lawrence, and taking pos-
session of the country in the name of his king, called it "New
France." In 1608, the energetic Champlain created a nucleus for
the settlement of Canada, by founding Quebec. This was the
same year with the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, and twelve
years previous to that on which the Puritans first stepped upon the
rocks of Plymouth.
To strengthen the establishment of French dominion, the genius
of Champlain saw that it was essential to establish missions among
the Indians. Up to this period "the far west" had been untrod
by the foot of the white man. In 1616, a French Franciscan,
named Le Caron, passed through the Iroqnois and "Wyandot
nations to streams running into Lake Huron ; and in > 1634, two
Jesuits founded the first mission in that region. But just a century
elapsed from the discovery of the Mississippi, ere the first Canadian
envoys met the savage nations of the northwest at the falls of St.
Mary's, below the outlet of Lake Superior. It was not until 1659
that any of the adventurous fur-traders wintered on the shores of
this vast lake, nor until 1660 that Rene Mesnard founded the first
missionary station upon its rocky and inhospitable coast. Perish-
ing soon after in the forest, it was left to Father Claude Allouez,
five years subsequent, to build the first permanent habitation of
white men among the Northwestern Indians. In 1668, the mission
was founded at the falls of St. Mary's, by Dablon and Marquette;
in 1670, Nicholas Perrot, agent for the intendant of Canada,
explored Lake Michigan to near its southern termination. Formal
possession was taken of the northwest by the French in 1671, and
Marquette established a missionary station at Point St. Ignace, on
the mainland north of Mackinac, which was the first settlement in
Michigan.
Until late in this century, owing to the enmity of the Indians
bordering the Lakes Ontario and Erie, the adventurous mission-
aries, on their route west, on pain of death, were compelled to
pass far to the north, through u a region horrible with forests," by
the Ottawa and French Rivers of Canada.
As yet no Frenchman had advanced beyond Fox River, of
Winnebago Lake, in Wisconsin ; but in May, 1673, the missionary
Marquette, with a few companions, left Mackinac in canoes;
passed up Green Bay, entered Fox River, crossed the country to
the Wisconsin, and, following its current, passed into and dis-
covered the Mississippi; down which they sailed several hundred
OUTLINE HISTORY. 15
miles, and returned in the Autumn. The discovery of this great
river gave great joy to New France, it being "a pet idea" of that
age that some of its western tributaries would afford a direct route
to the South Sea, and thence to China. Monsieur La Salle, a man
of indefatigable enterprise, having been several years engaged in
the preparation, in 1082, explored the Mississippi to the sea, and
took formal possession of the country in the name of the King of
France, in honor of whom he called it Louisiana. In 1685, he
also took formal possession of Texas, and founded a colony on the
Colorado; but La Salle was assassinated, and the colony dispersed.
The descriptions of the beauty and magnificence of the Valley
of the Mississippi, given by these explorers, led many adventurers
from the cold climate of Canada to follow the same route, and
commence settlements. About the year 1680, Kaskaskia and
Cahokia, the oldest towns in the Mississippi Valley, were founded.
Kaskaskia became the capital of the Illinois country, and in 1721,
a Jesuit college and monastery were founded there.
A peace with the Iroquois, Hurons and Ottawas, in 1700, gave
the French facilities for settling the western part of Canada. In
June, 1701, De la Motte Cadillac, with a Jesuit missionary and a
hundred men, laid tha foundation of Detroit. All of the extensive
region south of the lakes was now claimed by the French, under
the name of Canada, or New France. This excited the jealousy
of the English, and the New York legislature passed a law for
hanging every Popish priest that should come voluntarily into the
province. The French, chiefly through the mild and conciliating
course of their missionaries, had gained so much influence over
the western Indians, that, when a war broke out with England, in
1711, the most powerful of the tribes became their allies; and the
latter unsuccessfully attempted to restrict their claims to the country
south of the lakes. The Fox nation, allies of the English, in 1713,
made an attack upon Detroit; but were defeated by the French
and their Indian allies. The treaty of Utrecht, this year, ended
this war.
By the year 1720, a profitable trade had arisen in furs and agri-
cultural products between the French of Louisiana and those of
Illinois; and settlements had been made on the Mississippi, below
the junction of the Illinois. To confine the English to the Atlan-
tic coast, the French adopted the plan of forming a line of military
posts, to extend from the great northern lakes to the Mexican Gulf,
and as one of the links of the chain, Fort Chartres was built on the
Mississippi, near Kaskaskia; and in its vicinity soon flourished
the villages of Cahokia and Prairie du Rocher.
The Ohio at this time was but little known to the French, and
on their early maps was but an insignificant stream. Early in this
century their missionaries had penetrated to the sources of the Al-
leghany. In 1721, Joncaire, a French agent and trader, estab-
lished himself among the Senecas at Lewistown, and Fort Niagara
was erected, near the falls, five years subsequent. In 1735, accord-
16 OUTLINE HISTORY.
ing to some authorities, Post St. Yincent was erected on the
Wabash. Almost coeval with this, was the military post of Presque
Isle, on the site of Erie, Pennsylvania, and from thence a cordon
of posts extended on the Alleghauy to Pittsburgh; and from thence
down the Ohio to the "Wabash.
A map, published at London in 1755, gives the following list of
French posts, as then existing in the west: Two on French Creek,
in the vicinity of Erie, Pennsylvania; Duquesne, on the site of
Pittsburgh ; Miarnis, on the Maumee, near the site of Toledo ; San-
dusky, on Sandusky Bay; St. Joseph's, on St. Joseph's River,
Michigan; Ponchartrain, site of Detroit; Massillirnacinac; one on
Fox River, Green Bay; Crevecoaur, on the Illinois; Rockfort, or
Fort St. Louis, on the Illinois; Yincennes; Cahokia; Kaskaskia,
and one at each of the mouths of the Wabash, Ohio, and Missouri.
Other posts, not named, were built about that time. On the Ohio,
just below Portsmouth, are ruins, supposed to be those of a French
fort; as they had a post there during Braddock's war.
In 1749, the French regularly explored the Ohio, and formed
alliances with the Indians in Western New York, Pennsylvania,
and Virginia. The English, who claimed the whole west to the
Pacific, but whose settlements were confined to the comparatively
narrow strip east of the mountains, were jealous of the rapidly
increasing power of the French in the west. Not content with
exciting the savages to hostilities against them, they stimulated
private enterprise by granting six hundred thousand acres of choice
land on the Ohio, to the "Ohio Company."
By the year 1751, there were in the Illinois country, the settle-
ments of Cahokia, live miles below the site of St. Louis ; St. Philip's,
forty-five miles farther down the river; St. Genevieve, a little lower
still, and on the east side of the Mississippi, Fort Chartres, Kas-
kaskia and Prairie du Rocher. The largest of these was Kaskas-
kia, which at one time contained nearly three thousand souls.
In 1748, the Ohio Company, composed mainly of wealthy Vir-
ginians, dispatched Christopher Gist to explore the country, gain
the good-will of the Indians, and ascertain the plans of the French.
Crossing overland to the Ohio, he proceeded down it to the Great
Miami, up which he passed to the towns of the Miamies, about
fifty miles north of the site of Dayton. The next year the com-
pany established a trading post in that vicinity, on Loramies Creek,
the first point of English settlement in the western country; it was
soon after broken up by the French.
In the year 1753, Dinwiddie, Governor of Virginia, sent George
Washington, then twenty-one years of age, as commissioner, to
remonstrate with the French commandant who was at Fort le
Bceuf, near the site of Erie, Pennsylvania, against encroachments
of the French. The English claimed the country by virtue of her
first royal charters; the French by the stronger title of discovery
and possession. The result of the mission proving unsatisfactory,
the English, although it was a time of peace, raised a force to
OUTLINE HISTORY. 17
expel the invaders from the Ohio and its tributaries. A detachment
under Lieut. Ward erected a fort on the site of Pittsburgh ; but it
was surrendered shortly after, in April, 1754, to a superior force
of French and Indians under Contrecoeur, and its garrison peace-
ably permitted to retire to the frontier post of Cumberland. Con-
trecoeur then erected a strong fortification at "the fork," under the
name of Fort Duquesne.
Measures were now taken by both nations for the struggle that
was to ensue. On the 28th of May, a strong detachment of Vir-
ginia troops, under Washington, surprised a small body of French
from Fort Duquesne, killed its commander, M. Jumonville, and
ten men, and took nearly all the rest prisoners. He then fell back
and erected Fort Necessity, near the site of Uniontown. In July
he was attacked by a large body of French and Indians, com-
manded by M. Villiers, and after a gallant resistance, compelled to
capitulate with permission to retire unmolested, and under the ex-
press stipulation that farther settlements or forts should not be
founded by the English, west of the mountains, for one year.
On the 9th of July, 1755, Gen. Braddock was defeated within
ten miles of Fort Duquesne. His army, composed mainly of vete-
ran English troops, passed into an ambuscade formed by a far
inferior body of French and Indians, who, lying concealed in two
deep ravines, each side of his line of march, poured in upon the
compact body of their enemy vollies of musketry, with almost per-
fect safety to themselves. The Virginia provincials, under Wash-
ington, by their knowledge of border warfare and cool bravery,
alone saved the army from complete ruin. Braddock was himself
mortally wounded by a provincial named Fausett. A brother of
the latter had disobeyed the silly orders of the general, that the
troops should not take positions behind the trees, when Braddock
rode up and struck him down. Fausett, who saw the whole trans-
action, immediately drew up his rifle and shot him through the
lungs; partly from revenge, and partly as a measure of salvation
to the army which was being sacrificed to his headstrong obstinacy
and inexperience.
The result of this battle gave the French and Indians a complete
ascendancy on the Ohio, and put a check to the operations of the
English, west of the mountains, for two or three years. In July.
1758, Gen. Forbes, with seven thousand men, left Carlisle, Fenn..
for the west. A corps in advance, principally of Highland Scotch,
under Major Grant, were on the 13th of September defeated in the
vicinity of Fort Duquesne, on the site of Pittsburgh. A short
time alter, the French and Indians, under Col. Boquet, made an
unsuccessful attack upon the advanced guard.
In November, the commandant of Fort Duquesne, unable to
cope with the superior force approaching under Forbes, abandoned
the fortress, arid descended to Ne^y Orleans. On his route, he
erected Fort Massac, so called in htrnor of M. Massac, who super-
intended its construction. It vas upon the Ohio, within forty
2
18 OUTLINE HISTORY.
miles of its mouth and within the limits of Illinois. Forbes re-
paired Fort Duquesne, and changed its name-to Fort Pitt, in honor
of the English Prime Minister.
The English were now for the first time in possession of the
upper Ohio. In the spring, they established several posts in that
region, prominent among which was Fort Bnrd, or Redstone Old
Fort, on the site of Brownsville.
Ovdng to the treachery of Gov. Lyttleton, in 1760, by which,
twenty-two Cherokee chiefs on an embassy of peace were made
prisoners at Fort George, on the Savannah, that nation flew to
arms, and for a while desolated the frontiers of Virginia and the
Carolinas. Fort Loudon, in East Tennessee, having bean besieged
by the Indians, the garrison capitulated on the 7th of August, and
on the day afterward, while on the route to Fort George, were
attacked, and the greater part massacred. In the summer of 1761,
Col. Grant invaded their country, and compelled them to sue for
peace. On the north the most brilliant success had attended the
British arms. Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and Fort Niagara, and
Quebec were taken in 1759, and the next year Montreal fell, and
with it all of Canada.
By the treaty of Paris, in 1763, France gave up her claim to
New France and Canada; embracing all the country east of the
Mississippi, from its source to the Bayou Iberville. The remainder
of her Mississippi possessions, embracing Louisiana west of the
Mississippi, and the Island of Orleans, she soon after secretly ceded
to Spain, which terminated the dominion of France on this con-
tinent, and her vast plans for empire.
At this period Lower Louisiana had become of considerable im-
portance. The explorations of La Salle in the Lower Mississippi
country, were renewed in 1697, by Lemoine D'Iberville, a brave
French naval officer. Sailing with two vessels, he entered the
Mississippi in March 1698, by the Bayou Iberville. He built forts
on the Bay of Biloxi, and at Mobile, both of which were deserted
for the Island of Dauphine. which for years was the headquarters
of the colony. He also erected Fort Balise, at the mouth of the
river, and fixed on the site of Fort Rosalie ; which latter became
the scene of a bloody Indian war.
After his death, in 1706, Louisiana was but little more than a
wilderness, and a vain search for gold, and trading in furs, rather
than the substantial pursuits of agriculture, allured the colonists ;
and much time was lost in journeys of discovery, and in collecting
furs among distant tribes. Of the occupied lands, Biloxi was a
barren sand, and the soil of the Isle of Dauphine poor. Bienville,
the brother and successor of D'Iberville, was at the fort on the
Delta of the Mississippi, where he and his soldiers were liable to
inundations, and held joint possession with mosquitoes, frogs,
snakes and alligators.
In 1712, Antoine de Crozat, an East India merchant, of vast
ealth, purchased a grant of the entire country, with the exclusive
OUTLINE HISTORY. 19
right of commerce for sixteen years. But in 1717, the speculation
having resulted in his ruin, and to the injury of the colonists, he
surrendered Ins privileges. Soon after, a number of other adven-
turers, under the name of the Mississippi Company, obtained from
the French government a charter, which gave them all the rights
of sovereignty, except the bare title, including a complete mono-
poly of the trade, and the mines. Their expectations were chiefly
from the mines ; and on the strength of a former traveler, .Nicholas
Perrot, having discovered a copper mine in the valley of St. Peters,
the directors of the company assigned to the soil of Louisiana,
silver and gold ; and to the mud of the Mississippi, diamonds and
pearls. The notorious Law, who then resided at Paris, was the
secret agent of the company. To form its capital, its shares were
sold at five hundred livres each; and such was the speculating
mania of the times, that in a short time more thai.' a hundred mil
lions were realized. Although this proved ruinous to individuals,
yet the colony was greatly benefited by the consequent emigration,
and agriculture and commerce flourished.
In 1719, Renault, an agent of the Mississippi Company, left
France with about two hundred miners and emigrants, to carry out
the mining schemes of the company. He bought five hundred
slaves at St. Domingo, to work the mines, which he conveyed to
Illinois in 1720. He established himself a few miles above Kas-
kasia, and founded there the village of St. Philips. Extravagant
expectations existed in France, of his probable success in obtaining
gold and silver. He sent out exploring parties in various sections of
Illinois and Missouri. His explorations extended to the banks of
the Ohio and Kentucky rivers, and even to the Cumberland valley
in Tennessee, where at " French Lick," on the site of Nashville, the
French established a trading post. Although Renault was woe-
fully disappointed in not discovering extensive mines of gold or
silver, yet he made various discoveries of lead; among which
were the mines north of Potosi, and those on the St. Francois.
He eventually turned his whole attention to the smelting of lead,
of which he made considerable quantities, and shipped to France.
He remained in the country until 17-M. Nothing of consequence
was again done in mining, until after the American Revolution.
In 1718, Bienville laid out the town of New Orleans, on the
plan of Rochefort, France. Some four years after, the bankruptcy
of Law threw the colony into the greatest confusion, and occasioned
wide-spread ruin in France, where speculation had been carried to
an extreme unknown before.
The expenditures for Louisiana, were consequently stopped, but
the colony had now gained strength to struggle for herself. Louisi-
ana was then divided into nine cantons, of which Arkansas and
Illinois formed each one.
About this time, the colony had considerable difficulty with the
Indian tribes, and were involved in wars with the Chickasaws and
the Natchez. This Jitter named tribe were finally completely con-
20 OUTLINE HISTORY.
quered. The remnant of them dispersed among other Indians, so
that, that once powerful people, as a distinct race, was entirely
lost. Their name alone survives, as that of a flourishing city.
Tradition related singular stories of the Natchez. It was believed
that they emigrated from Mexico, and were kindred to the Incas
of Peru. The Natchez alone, of all the Indian tribes, had a con-
secrated temple, where a perpetual fire was maintained by ap-
pointed guardians. Near the temple, on an artificial mound,
stood the dwelling of their chief called the Great Sun; who was
supposed to be descended from that luminary, and all around were
grouped the dwellings of the tribe. His power was absolute ; the
dignity was hereditary, and transmitted exclusively through the
female line; and the race of nobles was so distinct, that usage had
moulded language into the forms of reverence.
In 1732, the Mississippi Company relinquished their charter to
the king, after holding possession fourteen years. At this period,
Louisiana had five thousand whites, and twenty-five hundred
blacks. Agriculture was improving in all the nine cantons, par-
ticularly in Illinois, which was considered the granary of the
colony. Louisiana continued to advance until the war broke out
with England in 1775, which resulted in the overthrow of French
dominion.
Immediatel} 7 after the peace of 1763, all the old French forts in
the west, as far as Green Bay, were repaired and garrisoned with
British troops. Agents and surveyors too, were making examina-
tions of the finest lands east and northeast of the Ohio. Judging
from the past, the Indians were satisfied that the British intended
to possess the whole country. The celebrated Ottowa chief. Pon-
tiac, burning with hatred against the English, in that year formed
a general league with the western tribes, and by the middle of May
all the western posts had fallen or were closely besieged by the
Indians, and the whole frontier, for almost a thousand miles, suf-
fered from the merciless fury of savage warfare. Treaties of peace
were made with the different tribes of Indians, in the year follow-
ing, at Niagara, by Sir William Johnson ; at Detroit or vicinity
by General Bradstreet, and, in what is now Coshocton county,
Ohio, by Col. Boquet ; at the German Flats, on the Mohawk, with
the Six Nations and their confederates. By these treaties, exten-
sive tracts were ceded by the Indians in New York and Pennsyl-
vania, and south of Lake Erie.
Peace having been concluded, the excitable frontier population
began to cross the mountains. Small settlements were formed on
the main routes, extending north toward Fort Pitt, and south to
the head waters of the Holston and Clinch, in the vicinity of South-
western Virginia. In 1766, a town was laid out in the vicinity of
Fort Pitt. Military land warrants had been issued in great num-
bers, and a perfect mania for western land had taken possession of
the people of the middle colonies. The treaty made by Sir William
ohnson, at Fort Stanwix, on the site of Utica, New York, in
OUTLINE HISTORY. 21
October, 1768, with the Six Nations and their confederates, and those
of Hard Labor and Lochaber, made with the Cherokees, afforded
a pretext under which the settlements were advanced. It was now
falsely claimed that the Indian title was extinguished east and sjouth
of the Ohio, to an indefinite extent, and the spirit of emigration
and speculation in land greatly increased. Among the land com-
panies formed at this time was the " Mississippi Company," of
which George Washington was an active member.
Up to this period very little was known by the English of the
country south of the Ohio. In 1754, James M. Bride, with some
others, had passed down the Ohio in canoes; and landing at the
mouth of the Kentucky River, marked the initials of their names,
and the date on the barks of trees. On their return, they were the
first to give a particular account of the beauty and richness of the
country to the inhabitants of the British settlements. No -farther
notice seems to have been taken of Kentucky until the year 1767,
when John Finlay, an Indian trader, with others, passed through
a part of the rich lands of Kentucky then called by the Indians
" the Dark and Bloody Ground" Finlay, returning to North
Carolina, fired the curiosity of his neighbors by the reports of the
discoveries he had made. In consequence of this information, Col.
Daniel Boonc, in company with Finlay, Stewart, Holden, Monay,
and Cool, set out from their residence on the Zadkin, in North
Carolina, May 1st, 1769 ; and after a long and fatiguing march,
over a mountainous and pathless wilderness, arrived on the lied
River. Here, from the top of an eminence, Boone and his com-
panions first beheld a distant view of the beautiful lands of Kentucky.
The plains and forests abounded with wild beasts of every kind ;
deer and elk were common ; the buffalo were seen in herds, and
the plains covered with the richest verdure. The glowing descrip-
tions of these adventurers inflamed the imaginations of the border-
ers, and their own sterile mountains beyond lost their charms, when
compared to the fertile plains of this newly-discovered Paradise in
the West.
In 1770, Ebenezer Silas and Jonathan Zane settled Wheeling.
In 1771, such was the rush of emigration to Western Pennsylvania
and Western Virginia, in the region of the Upper Ohio, that every
kind of breadstuff became so scarce, that, for several months, a great
part of the population were obliged to subsist entirely on meats,
roots, vegetables, and milk, to the entire exclusion of all bread-
stuffs ; and hence that period was long alter known as "the starving
year.' 1 '' Settlers, enticed by the beauty of the Cherokee country,
emigrated to East Tennessee, and hundreds of families also, moved
farther south to thy mild climate of West Florida, which at this
period extended to the Mississippi. In the summer of 1773, Frank-
fort and Louisville, Kentucky, were laid out. The next year was
signalized by " Dunmore's war," which temporarily checked the
settlements.
In the summer of 177-t, several other parties of surveyors and
22 OUTLINE HISTORY.
hnnters entered Kentucky, and James Harrod erected a dwelling
the first erected by whites in the country on or near the site of
Harrodsburg, around which afterward arose " Harrod Station."
In the year 1775, Col. Richard Henderson, a native of North Car-
olina, in behalf of himself and his associates, purchased of the Cher-
okees all the country lying between the Cumberland River and
Cumberland Mountains and Kentucky River, and south of the
Ohio, which now comprises more than half of the State of Ken-
tucky. The new country he named Transylvania. The first
legislature sat at Boonsborough, and formed an independent gov-
ernment, on liberal and rational principles. Henderson was very
active in granting lands to new settlers. The legislature of Vir-
ginia subsequently crushed his schemes ; they claimed the sole
right to purchase lands from the Indians, and declared his purchase
null and void. But as some compensation for the services re-n-
dered in opening the wilderness, the legislature granted to the pro-
prietors a tract of land, twelve miles square, on the Ohio, below
the mouth of Green River.
In 1775, Daniel Boone, in the employment of Henderson, laid
out the town and fort afterward called Boonsborough. From this
time Boonsborough and Harrodsburg became the nucleus and sup-
port of emigration and settlement in Kentucky. In May, another
fort was also built, which was under the command of Col. Benja-
min Logan, and named Logan's Fort. It stood on the site of Stan-
ford, in Lincoln county, and became an important post.
In 1776, the jurisdiction of Virginia was formally extended over
the colony of Transylvania, which was organized into a county
named Kentucky, and the first court was held at Harrodsburg in
the spring of 17S7. At this time the war of the Revolution was
in full progress, and the early settlers of Kentucky were particu-
larly exposed to the incursions of the Indian allies of Great Britain;
a detailed account of which is elsewhere given in this volume. The
early French settlements in the Illinois country now being in pos-
session of that power, formed important points around which the
British assembled the Indians and instigated them to murderous
incursions against the pioneer population.
The year 1779 was marked in Kentucky by the passage of the
Virginia Land Laws. At this time there existed claims of various
kinds to the western lands. Commissioners were appointed to ex-
amine and give judgment upon these various claims, as they might
be presented. These having been provided for, the residue of the
the rich lands of Kentucky were in the market. As a consequence
of the passage of these laws, a vast number of emigrants crossed
the mountains into Kentucky to locate land warrants: and in the
years 1779-'SO and '81, the great and absorbing topic in Kentucky
was to enter, survey and obtain patents for the richest lands,
and this, too, in the lace of all the horrors and dangers of an In-
dian war.
Although the main features of the Virginia land laws were just
OUTLINE HISTORY. 23
and liberal, yet a great detect existed in their not providing for a
general survey of the country by the parent State, and its subdi-
vision into sections and parts of sections. Each warrant-holder
being required to make his own survey, and having the privilege
of locating according to his pleasure, interminable confusion arose
from want of precision in the boundaries. In unskillful hands,
entries, surveys, and patents were piled upon each other, overlap-
ping and crossing in inextricable confusion ; hence, when the
country became densely populated, arose vexatious lawsuits and
perplexities. Such men as Kenton and Boone, who had done so
much for the welfare of Kentucky in its early days of trial, found
their indefinite entries declared null and void, and were dispos-
sessed, in their old age, of any claim upon that soil for which they
had periled their all.
The close of the revolutionary war, for a time only, suspended
Indian hostilities, when the Indian war was again carried on with
renewed energy. This arose from the failure of both countries in
fully executing the terms of the treaty. By it, England was obli-
gated to surrender the northwestern posts within the boundaries
of the Union, and to return slaves taken during the war. The
United States, on tlreir part had agreed to offer no legal obstacles
to the collection of debts due from her citizens to those of Great
Britain. Virginia, indignant at the removal of her slaves by the
British fleet, by law prohibited the collection of British debts,
while England, in consequence, refused to deliver up the posts, so
that they were held by her more than ten years, until Jay's treaty
was concluded.
Settlements rapidly advanced. Simon Kenton having, in 1784,
erected a blockhouse on the site of Maysville then called Lime-
stone that became the point from whence the stream of emigra;
tion, from down its way on the Ohio, turned into the interior.
In the spring of 1783, the first court in Kentucky was held at
Harrodsburg. At this period, the establishment of a government,
independent of Virginia, appeared to be of paramount necessity,
in consequence of troubles with the Indians. For this object, the
first convention in Kentucky was held at Danville, in December,
1784; but it was not consummated until eight separate conventions
had been held, running through a term of six years. The last was
assembled in July, 1790; on the 4th of February, 1791, Congress
passed the act admitting Kentucky into the Union, and in the
April following she adopted a State Constitution.
Prior to this, unfavorable impressions prevailed in Kentucky
against the Union, in consequence of the inability ot % Congress to
compel a surrender of the northwest posts, and the apparent dis-
position of the Northern States to yield to Spain, for twenty years,
the sole right to navigate the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico,
the exclusive right to which was claimed by that power as being
within her dominions. Kentucky was suffering under the horrors
of Indian warfare, and having no government of her own, she saw
24 OUTLINE HISTORY.
that that beyond the mountains was unable to afford them protec-
tion. When, in the year 1786, several States in Congress showed
a disposition to yield the right of navigating the Mississippi to
Spain tor certain commercial advantages, which would inure to
their benefit, but not in the least to that of Kentucky, there arose
a universal voice of dissatisfaction; and many were in favor of de-
claring the independence of Kentucky and erecting an independent
government west of the mountains.
Spain was then an immense landholder in the West. She claimed
all east of the Mississippi lying south or the 31st degree of north
latitude, and all west of that river to the ocean.
In May, 1787, a convention was assembled at Danville to remon-
strate with Congress against the proposition of ceding the naviga-
tion of the Mississippi to Spain ; but it having been ascertained
that Congress, through the influence of Virginia and the other
Southern States, would not permit this, the convention had no occa-
sion to act upon the subject.
In the year 1787, quite a sensation arose in Kentucky in conse-
quence of a profitable trade having been opened with New Orleans
by General Wilkinson, who descended thither in June, with a boat
load of tobacco and other productions of Kentucky. Pjeviously,
all those who ventured down the river within the Spanish settle-
ments, had their property seized. The lure was then held out by
the Spanish Minister, that if Kentucky would declare her indepen-
dence of the United States, the navigation of the Mississippi should
be opened to her; but that, never would this privilege be extended
while she was a part of the Union, in consequence of existing com-
mercial treaties between Spain and other European powers.
In the winter of 1788-9, the notorious Dr. Connolly, a secret
British agent from Canada, arrived in Kentucky. His object ap-
peared to be to sound the temper of her people, and ascertain if
they were willing to unite with British troops from Canada, and
seize upon and hold New Orleans and the Spanish settlements on
the Mississippi. He dwelt upon the advantages which it must be
to the people of the West to hold and possess the right of navigat-
ing the Mississippi ; but his overtures were not accepted.
At this time settlements had been commenced within the present
limits of Ohio. Before giving a sketch of these, we glance at the
western land claims.
The claim of the English monarch to the Northwestern Territory
was ceded to the United States by the treaty of peace signed at
Paris, September 3, 1783. During the pendency of this negotia-
tion, Mr. Oswald, the British commissioner, proposed the River
Ohio as the western boundary of the United States, and but for the
indomitable persevering opposition of John Adams, one of the
American commissioners, who insisted upon the Mississippi as the
boundary, this proposition would have probably been acceded to.
The States who owned western unappropriated lands under their
original charters from British monarchs, with a single exception.
OUTLINE HISTORY. 25
ceded them to the United States. In March, 1784, Virginia ceded
the soil and jurisdiction of her lands northwest of the Ohio. In
September, 1786, Connecticut ceded her claim to the soil and juris-
diction of her western lands, excepting that part of Ohio known as
the "Western Reserve," and to that she ceded her jnrisdictional
claims in 1800. Massachusetts and New York ceded all their
claims. Beside these were the Indian claims asserted by the right
of possession. These have been extinguished by various treaties,
from time to time, as the inroads of emigration rendered necessary.
The Indan title to a large part of the territory of Ohio having
become extinguished, Congress, before settlements were com-
menced, found it necessary to pass ordinances for the survey and
sale of the lands in the Northwest Territory. In October, 1787,"
Manasseh Cutler and Winthrop Sargeaut, agents of the New Eng-
land Ohio Company, made a large purchase of land, bounded south
by the Ohio, and west by the Scioto river. Its settlement was com-
menced at Marietta in the spring of 1788, which was the first made
by the Americans within Ohio. A settlement had been attempted
within the limits of Ohio, on the site of Portsmouth, in April,
1785, by four families from Redstone, Pennsylvania, but difficul-
ties with the Indians compelled its abandonment.
About the time of the settlement of Marietta, Congress appointed
General Arthur St. Glair, Governor; Winthrop Sargeant, Secre-
tary; and Samuel Holden Parsons, James M. Yarnum and John
Cloves Symmes, Judges in and over the Territory. They organ-
ized its government and passed laws, and the governor erected the
county of Washington, embracing nearly the whole of the eastern
half of the present limits of Ohio.
In November, 1788, the second settlement within the limits of
Ohio was commenced at Columbia, on the Ohio, five miles above
the site of Cincinnati, and within the purchase and under the
auspices of John Cleves Symmes and associates. Shortly after,
settlements were commenced at Cincinnati and at North Bend,
sixteen miles below, both within Symmes' purchase. In 1790,
another settlement was made at Galliopolis by a colony from
France the name signifying City of the French.
On the 9th of January, 1789, a treaty was concluded at Fort
Harmer, at the mouth of the Muskingum, opposite Marietta, by
Governor St. Glair, in which the treaty which had been made four
years previous at Fort M'Intosh, on the site of Beaver, Pennsyl-
vania, was renewed and coniirmed. It did not, however, produce
the favorable results anticipated. The Indians, the same year,
committed numerous murders, which occasioned the alarmed set-
tlers to erect block-houses in each of the new settlements. In
June, Major Doughty, with one hundred and forty men, commenced
the erection of Fort Washington, on the site of Cincinnati. In the
course of the summer, Gen. Harmer arrived at the fort with three
hundred men.
Negotiations with the Indians proving unfavorable, Gen. Harmer
26 OUTLINE HISTORY.
marched, in September, 1790, from Cincinnati with thirteen hundred
men, less than one-fourth of whom were regulars, to attack their
towns on the Mauinee. He succeeded in burning their towns; but
in an engagement with the Indians, part of his troops met with a
severe loss. The next year a larger army was assembled at Cin-
cinnati, under Gen. St. Clair, composed of about three thousand
men. With this force he commenced his march toward the Indian
towns on the Maumee. Early in the morning of the 4th of Nov.,
1791, his army, while in camp on what is now the line of Darke
and Mercer counties, within three miles of the Indiana line, and
about seventy north from Cincinnati, were surprised by a large
body of Indians, and defeated with terrible slaughter. A third
army, under Gen. Anthony Wayne, was organized. On the 20th
of August, 1794, they met and completely defeated the Indians,
on the Maumee River, about twelve miles south of the site of
Toledo. The Indians at length, becoming convinced of their
inability to Desist the American arms, sued for peace. On the 3d
of August, 1795, Gen. Wayne concluded a treaty at Greenville,
sixty miles north of Cincinnati, with eleven of the most powerful
northwestern tribes in grand council. This gave peace to the
West of several years' duration, during which the settlements pro-
gressed with great rapidity. Jay's Treaty, concluded November
19th, 1794, was a most important event to the prosperity of the
West. It provided for the withdrawal of all the British troops
from the northwestern posts. In 1796, the Northwestern Territory
was divided into five counties. Marietta was the seat of justice
of Hamilton and Washington counties; Viucennes, of Knox
county ; Kaskaskia, of St. Clair county ; and Detroit, of Wayne
county. The settlers, out of the limits of Ohio, were Canadian or
Creole French. The headquarters of the northwest army we.re
removed to Detroit, at which point a fort had been built, by
De la Motte Cadillac, as early as 1701.
Originally Virginia claimed jurisdiction over a large part of
Western Pennsylvania as being within her dominions, yet it was
not^until after the close of the Revolution that the boundary line
was permanently established. Then this tract was divided into
two counties. The one, Westmoreland, extended from the moun-
tains west of the Alleghany River, including Pittsburgh and all
the country between the Kishkeminitas and the Youghiogheny.
The other, Washington, comprised all south and west of Pittsburgh,
inclusive of all the country east and west of the Monongahela
River. At this period Fort Pitt was a frontier post, around which
had sprung up the village of Pittsburgh, which was not regularly
laid out into a town until 1784. The settlement on the Monon-
gahela at u Redstone Old Fort," or 41 Fort Burd," as it originally
was called, having become an important point of embarkation for
western emigrants, was the next year laid olF into a town under
the name of Brownsville. Regular forwarding houses were soon
established here, by whose lines goods were systematically wagoned
OUTLINE HISTORY. 27
over the mountains, thus superseding the slow and tedious mode
of transportation by pack-horses, to which the emigrants had
previously been obliged to resort.
In July, 1786, " The Pittsburgh Gazette," the first newspaper
issued in the west, was published; the second being the "Ken-
tucky Gazette,' 1 established at Lexington, in August of the next
year. As la*e as 1791, the Alleghany River was the frontier
limit of the settlements of Pennsylvania, the Indians holding
possession of the region around its northwestern tributaries, with
the exception of a few scattering settlements, which were all
simultaneously broken up and exterminated in one night, in
February of this year, by a band of one hundred and fifty Indians.
During the campaigns of Harmer, St. Clair and "Wayne, Pitts-
burgh was the great depot for the armies.
By this time agriculture and manufactures had begun to flourish
in Western Pennsylvania and Virginia, and an extensive trade
was carried on with the settlements on the Ohio and on the Lower
Mississippi, with New Orleans and the rich Spanish settlements in
its vicinity. Mouongahela whisky, horses, cattle, and agricultural
and mechanical implements of iron were the principal articles of
export. The Spanish government soon after much embarrassed
this trade by imposing heavy duties.
The first settlements in Tennessee were made in the vicinity of
Fort London, on the Little Tennessee, in what is now Monroe
county, East Tennessee, about the year 1758. Forts London and
Chissel were built at that time by Colonel Byrd, who marched into
the Cherokee country with a regiment from Virginia. The next
year war broke out with the Cherokees. In 1760, the Cherokees
besieged Fort Loudon, into which the settlers had gathered their
families, numbering nearly three hundred persons. The latter
were obliged to surrender for want of provisions, but agreeably to
the terms of capitulation were to retreat unmolested beyond the
Blue Ridge. When they had proceeded about twenty miles on
their route, the savages fell upon them and massacred all but nine,
not even sparing the women and children.
The only settlements were thus broken up .by this war. The
next year the celebrated Daniel Boone made an excursion from
North Carolina to the waters of the Holston. In 1766, Colonel
James Smith, with five others, traversed a great portion of Middle
and West Tennessee. At the mouth of the Tennessee, Smith's
companions left him to make farther explorations in Illinois, while
he, in company with a negro lad, returned home through the
wilderness, after an absence of eleven months, d.uring which he
saw "neither bread, money, women, nor spirituous liquors."
Other explorations soon succeeded, and permanent settlements
first made in 1768 and '69, by emigrants from Virginia and North
Carolina, who were scattered along the branches of the Holston,
French Broad and Watauga. The jurisdiction of North Carolina
was, in 1777, extended over the Western District, which was
28] OUTLINE HISTORY.
organized as the county of Washington, and extending nominally
westward to the Mississippi. Soon after, some of the more daring
pioneers made a settlement at Bledsoe's Station, in Middle Tennes-
see, in the heart of the Chickasaw nation, and separated several
hundred miles, by the usual traveled route, from their kinsmen on
the Holston. A number of French traders had previously estab-
lished a trading post and erected a few cabins at the t; Bluff" n ;ir
the site of Nashville. To the same vicinity Colonel James
Robertson, in the fall of 1780, emigrated with forty families from
North Carolina, who were driven from their homes by the maraud-
ing incursions of Tarleton's cavalry, and established " Robertson's
Station," which formed the nucleus around which gathered the
settlements on the Cumberland. The Cherokees having com-
menced hostilities upon the frontier inhabitants about the com-
mencement of the year 1781, Colonel Campbell, of Virginia, with
seven hundred mounted riflemen, invaded their country and defeated
them. At the close of the Revolution, settlers moved in in large
numbers from Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia.
Nashville was laid out in the summer of 1784, and named from
General Francis Nash, who fell at Brandywine.
The people of this district, in common with those of Kentucky,
and on the upper Ohio, were deeply interested iri the navigation of
the Mississippi, and under the tempting offers of the Spanish gov-
ernor of Louisiana, many were lured to emigrate to West Florida
and become subjects of the Spanish king.
North Carolina having ceded her claims to her western lands,
Congress, in May, 1790, erected this 'into a territory under the
name of the " Southwestern Territory," according- to the provi-
sions of the ordinance of 1787, excepting the article prohibiting
slavery.
The territorial government was organized with a legislature, a
legislative council, with William Blount as their first Governor.
Knoxville was made the seat of government. A fort was erected
to intimidate the Indians, by the United States, in the Indian
country, on the site of Kingston. From this period until the final
overthrow of the northwestern Indians by Wayne, this territory
suffered from the hostilities of the Creeks and Cherokees, who were
secretly supplied with arms and ammunition by the Spanish agents,
with the hope that they would exterminate! the Cumberland settle-
ments. In 1795 the territory contained a population of seventy-
seven thousand two hundred and sixty-two, of whom about ten
thousand were slaves. On the first 6f June, 1796, it was admitted
into the Union as the State of Tennessee.
By the treaty of October 27, 1795, with Spain, the old sore, the
right of navigating the Mississippi, was closed, that power ceding
to the United States the right of free navigation.
The Territory of Mississippi was organized in 179S, and Win-
throp Sargeant appointed Governor. By the ordinance of 1787,
the people of the Northwest Territory were entitled to elect Repre-
OUTLINE HISTORY. 29
sentatives to a Territorial Legislature whenever it contained 5000
males of full age. Before the close of the year 1798 the Territory
had this number, and members to a Territorial Legislature weie
soon after chosen. In the year 1799, William H. Harrison was
chosen the first delegate to Congress from the Northwest Territory.
In 1800, the Territory of Indiana was formed, and the next year,
William H. Harrison appointed Governor. This Territory com-
prised the present States of Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and
Michigan, which vast country then had less than 6000 whites, and
those mainly of French origin. On the 30th of April, 1802, Con-
gress passed an act authorizing a convention to form a constitution
for Ohio. This convention met at Chillicothe in the succeeding
November, and on the 29th of -that month, a constitution of State
Government was ratified and signed, by which act Ohio became
one of the States of the Federal Union. In October, 1802, the
whole western country was thrown into a ferment by the suspension
of the American right of depositing goods and produce at New
Orleans, guaranteed by the treaty of 1795, with Spain. The whole
commerce of the West was struck at in a vital point, and the treaty
evidently violated. On the 25th of February, 1803, the port was
opened to provisions, on paying a duty, and in April following, by
orders of the King of Spain, the right of deposit was restored.
After the treaty of 1763, Louisiana remained in possession of
Spain until 1803, when it was again restored to France by the
terms of a secret article in the treaty of St. Ildefonso concluded
with Spain in 1800. France held but brief possession ; on the 30th
of April she sold her claim to the United States for the considera-
tion of fifteen millions of dollars. On the 20th of the succeeding
December, General Wilkinson and Claiborne took possession of the
country for the United States, and entered New Orleans at the head
of the American troops.
On the llth of January, 1805, Congress established the Terri-
tory of Michigan, and appointed William Hull, Governor. This
same year Detroit was destroyed by fire. The town occupied only
about two acres, completely covered with buildings and cumbusti-
ble materials, excepting the narrow intervals of fourteen or fifteen
feet used as streets or lanes, and the whole was environed with a
very strong and secure defense of tall and solid pickets.
At this period the conspiracy of Aaron Burr began to agitate
the western country. In December, 1806, a fleet of boats with
arms, provisions, and ammunition, belonging to the confederates
of Burr, were seized upon the Muskingum, by agents fit' the United
States, which proved a fatal blow to the project. In 1809, the Ter-
ritory of Illinois was formed from the western part of the Indiana
Territory, and named from the powerful tribe which once had
occupied its soil.
The Indians, who, since the treaty of Greenville, had been at
peace, about the year 1810, began to. commit aggressions upon the
inhabitants of the West, under the leadership of Tecumseh. The
30 OUTLINE HISTORY.
next year they were defeated by General Harrison, at the battle of
Tippecanoe, in Indiana. This year was also distinguished by the
voyage from Pittsburgh to New Orleans, of the steamboat l * New
Orleans," the first steamer ever launched upon the western waters.
In June, 1812, the United States declared war against Great
Britain. Of this war, the West was the principal theater. Its
opening scenes were as gloomy and disastrous to the American
arms as its close was brilliant and triumphant.
At the close of the war, the population of the Territories of In-
diana, Illinois, and Michigan was less than 50,000. But from that
time onward, the tide of emigration again went forward with un-
precedented rapidity. On the 19th of April, 1816, Indiana was
admitted into the Union, and Illinois on the 3d of December, 1818.
The remainder of the Northwest Territory, as then organized, was
included in the Territory of Michigan, of which that section west
of Lake Michigan bore the name ot the Huron District. This part
of the West increased so slowly that, by the census of 1830, the
Territory of Michigan contained, exclusive of the Huron District,
but 28,000 souls, while that had only a population of 3,640. Em-
igration began to set in more strongly to the Territory of Michigan
in consequence of steam navigation having been successfully intro-
duced upon the great lakes of the West. The first' steamboat upon
these immense inland seas was the " Walk-in-the-Water," which,
in 1819, went as far as Mackinaw; yet it was not until 1826 that a
steamer rode the waters of Lake Michigan, and six years more had
elapsed ere one had penetrated as far as Chicago.
The year 1832 was signalized by three important events in the
history of the West, viz: the first appearance of the Asiatic
Cholera, the Great Flood in the Ohio, and the war with Black
Hawk.
The West has suffered serious drawbacks, in its progress, from
inefficient systems of banking. One bank frequently was made
the basis of another, and that of a third, and so on throughout the
country. Some three or four shrewd agents or directors, in estab-
lishing a bank, would collect a few thousands in specie, that had
been honestly paid in, and then make up the remainder of the
capital with the bills or stock from some neighboring bank. Thus
so intimate was the connection of each bank with others, that
when one or two gave way, they all went down together in one
common ruin.
In 1804, the year preceding the purchase of Louisiana, Congress
formed, from part of it, the "Territory of Orleans," which was
admitted into the Union, in 1812, as the State of Louisiana. In
1805, after the Territory of Orleans was erected, the remaining
part of the purchase from the French was formed into the Territory
of Louisiana, of which the old French town of St. Louis was the
capital. This town, the oldest in the Territory, had been founded
in 1764, by M. Laclede, agent for a trading association, to whom
had been given, by the French government of Louisiana, a mono-
OUTLINE HISTORY. 31
poly of the commerce in furs and peltries with the Indian tribes
of the Missouri and Upper Mississippi. The population of the
Territory in 1805 was trifling, and consisted mainly of French
Creoles and traders, who were scattered along the banks of the
Mississippi and the Arkansas. Upon the admission of Louisiana
as a State, the name of the Territory of Louisiana was changed to
that of Missouri. From the southern part of this, in 1819, was
erected the Territory of Arkansas, -which then contained but a few
thousand inhabitants, who were mainly in detached settlements on
the Mississippi and on the Arkansas, in the vicinity of the "Post
of Arkansas." The first settlement in Arkansas was made on the
Arkansas River, about the year 1723, upon the grant of the noto-
rious John Law; but, being unsuccessful, was soon after aban-
doned. In 1820, Missouri was admitted into the Union, and
Arkansas in 1836.
Michigan was admitted as a State in 183T. The Huron District
was organized as the Wisconsin Territory in 18 i6, and was admitted
into the Union as a State in 1848. The first settlement in Wis-
consin was made in 1665, when Father Claude Allouez established
a mission at La Pointe, at the western end of Lake Superior.
Four years after, a mission was permanently established at Green
Bay; and, eventually, the French also established themselves at
Prairie du Chien. In 1819. an expedition, under Governor Cass,
explored the Territory, and found it to be little more than the
abode of a few Indian traders, scattered here and there. About
this time, the Government established military posts at Green Bay
and Prairie du Chien. About the year 1825, some farmers settled
in the vicinity of Galena, which had then become a noted mineral
region. Immediately after the war with Black Hawk, emigrants
flowed in from New York, Ohio, and Michigan, and the flourishing
towns of Milwaukie, Shebovgan, Racine, and Southport were laid
out on the borders of Lake Michigan. At the conclusion of the
same war, the lands west of the Mississippi were thrown open to
emigrants, who commenced settlements in the vicinity of Fort
Madison and Burlington in 1833. Dubnque had long before been
a trading post, and was the first settlement in Iowa. It derived its
name from Julian Dubuque, an enterprising French Canadian,
who, in 1788, obtained a grant of one hundred and forty thousand
acres from the Indians, upon which he resided until his death in
1810, when he had accumulated immense wealth by lead-mining
and trading. In June, 1838, Iowa was erected into a Territory,
and in 1846 became a State.
In 1849, Minnesota Territory was organized ; it then contained
a little less than five thousand souls. The first American estab-
lishment in the Territory was Fort Snclling, at the mouth of St
Peter's or Minnesota River, which was founded in 1819. The
French, and afterward the English, occupied this country with
their fur-trading forts. Pembina, on the northern boundary, is the
oldest village, having been established in 1812 by Lord Selkirk, a
32 OUTLINE HISTORY.
Scottish nobleman, under a grant from the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany.
There were not until near the close of the war with Mexico, any
American settlements on the Pacific side of the continent. At the
beginning of the century not a single white man had ever been known
to have crossed the continent north of the latitude of St. Louis.
The geography of the greater part of the Pacific slope was almost
wholly unknown, until the explorations of Fremont, between the
years 1842 and 1848. That region had formerly been penetrated
only by fur traders and trappers. The Mexican war of 1846-'48,
gave to the Union an immense tract of country, the large original
provinces of Upper California and New Mexico. The discovery of
gold in Upper California in 1848, at once directed emigration to that
part of the continent. From that period settlements were rapid and
territories formed in quick succession. In 1848, the Mormons, ex-
pelled from Missouri, settled in Utah, which was erected into a ter-
ritory in 1850. In 1848, Oregon became an organized territory, and
California, then conquered from Mexico, in 1850, was ddmitted as a
State, and Oregon in 1859. The emigration to California was im-
mense for the first few years : in the years 1852 and 1853, her pro-
duct in gold reached the enormous value of one hundred and sixty
millions of dollars.
In 1854, after the first excitement in regard to California had
somewhat subsided, the territories of Kansas and Nebraska were
organized. Kansas became for a time a favorite country for emi-
grants ; and at last a bloody arena between the free soil and pro-
slavery parties for mastery. The overwhelming preponderance of
the focmer, resulted in its success, and Kansas was admitted as a
free State in 1861.
The formation of territories from the close of the Mexican War to
the close of the Southern Rebellion, was rapid without precedent, as
the following summary exhibits. This was consequent upon the dis-
covery of vast mineral wealth in the mountain country :
CALIFORNIA, ceded by treaty with Mexico in 1848; admitted as a STATE in
1850.
NEW MEXICO, ceded by treaty with Mexico, and organized as a Territory in
1848.
MINNESOTA, organized as a Territory in 1849 ; admitted as a STATE in 1858.
UTAH, organized as a Territory in 1850.
ARIZONA, purchased of Mexico in 1854; organized as a Territory in 1863.
OREGON, organized as a Territory in 1848; admitted as a STATE in 1859.
WASHINGTON, organized as a Territory in 1853.
KANSAS, organized as a Territory in 1854; admitted as a STATE in 1861.
NUBRASKA, organized as a Territory in 1854.
NEVADA, organized as a Territory in 1861 ; admitted aa a STATE in 1864.
DACOTAH, organized as a Territory in 1861.
COLORADO, organized as a Territory in 1861.
IDAHO, organized as a Territory in 1863.
MONTANA, organized as a Territory in 1864.
WEST VIRGINIA.
WEST VIRGINIA owes her existence to the Great Rebellion ; or rather
to the patriotism of her people, who, when the mother State, Virginia,
plunged into the vortex of seces-
sion, resolved to stand by the Union.
The wisdom of their loyalty has
been signally shown by its saving
them from the sore desolation that
fell upon most parts of the Old Do-
minion.
The seal of the state is remarka-
bly appropriate. It has the motto.
"Montani semper liberi" mov.nl am-
eers always free. In the center is a
rock, with ivy, emblematic of sta-
bility and continuance; the face
of the rock bears the inscription.
"June 20, 1863," the date of found-
ation, as if "graved with a pen of
iron in the rock forever." On the
right stands a farmer clothed in the
tounta-net-rs ahvay* free, traditional hunting-shirt peculiar to
this region; his right arm resting on the plow handles, and his left
supporting a woodman's ax indicating that while the territory is par-
tially cultivated it is still in process of being cleared of the original
forest. At his right is a sheaf of wheat and corn growing. On the left
of the rock stands a miner, indicated by a pickax on his shoulder,
with barrels and lumps of mineral at his feet. On his left is an anvil
partly seen, on which rests a sledge hammer, typical of the mechanic
arts the whole indicating the principal pursuits and resources of the
^tate. In front .of the rocks and figures, as if just laid down by the
latter, and ready to be resumed at a moment's notice, are two hunter's
rifles, crossed and surmounted at the place of contact by the Phrygian
cap, or cap of Liberty indicating that the freedom and independence
of the state were won and will be maintained by arms.
In the spring of 1861, when the question of secession was submitted
to the people, those of Eastern Virginia voted almost unanimously in
its favor, but in the northwestern counties quite as strongly against it.
l:i fact, the desire for a separate state government had for a quarter
of a century prevailed in this section, where the slaveholding interest
was slight, and the habits of the people diverse. The reasons for this
^3 (33)
34 WEST VIRGINIA
were, that they were in a measure cut off from intercourse with East-
ern Virginia by chains of mountains, and that state legislation had
been unfavorable to the development of their resources. The break-
ing out of the rebellion was a favorable moment to initiate measures
for the accomplishment of this long-desired separation. As the move-
ment was one of grave importance, we must give it more than a pass-
ing notice, from a pen familiar with the subject.
"It has passed into history, that for many years, while the western
counties of Virginia had the preponderance of white population and
taxable property, the eastern counties controlled the legislation of the
state, by maintaining an iniquitous basis of representation. It is
enough to say, that the western counties, with few slaves, were a mere
dependency of the eastern, with many slaves ; and the many revenues
of the state were expended for the benefit mainly of the tide-water re-
gion, while the west paid an unjust proportion of the taxes. This was
always a cause of dissatisfaction. Besides, there was no homogeniety
of population or interest, and the Alleghany Mountains were a natu-
ral barrier to commercial and social intercourse. There were much
closer relations in these respects with Ohio and Pennsylvania, than
with the tide-water region, growing as well out of the substantial sim-
ilarity of society, as the short-sighted policy of having no great public
improvement in the direction of Richmond. The construction of the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and its connections, intensified the isolation
of the west from the rest of the state.
"When the ordinance of secession was submitted to the people, the
western counties, with great unanimity, voted against it. This was
on the 23d of May, 1861. The traitors never waited the result of the
popular vote, for as soon as the ordinance passed the convention, Vir-
ginia was practically hitched on to the Confederacy; and while at
Richmond the state authorities were busy in the military seizure of
the state, the people of Virginia, who were still loyal, met at Wheeling
immediately alter the vote on the ordinance and called a convention,
the members of which should be duly elected, to assemble at that city
on the llth of June. The loyal people of the whole state were invited
to join in this movement. There was nothing in the state constitu-
tion against it, on the contrary, it provided for it by just this method.
There happened to be, also, a notable precedent for this action, in the
history of the state. In 1774, Lord Dunmore, the colonial governor
of Virginia, dissolved the house of burgesses; and for the purpose of
preventing legislation in any event, retired with his council on board
a British man-of-war. The* assembly being thus deprived of a gov-
ernment, met together in convention, as private citizens, and assumed
the powers of the state. They issued an invitation, without any leg-
islative authority, for the several counties or districts to send delegates
to a convention. There was no legal or authorized act calling this
convention, or for the choice of delegates; but it was the spontaneous
act of the people, who were in favor of a free government. The con-
vention met in 1775, and declared 'the necessity of immediately put-
ting the country in a posture of defense, for the better protection of
our lives, liberties and property.' And after enumerating the acts by
which the colonial authorities had subverted government, asserted
that ' we are driven to the necessity of supplying the present want of
WEST VIRGINIA. 35
government, by appointing proper guardians of the lives and liberties
of our country.' And thereupon they elected state officers and re-
stored the government.
"Mark, these Virginians, when they restored the government thug
abandoned, did not proclaim revolution or secession from Great
Britain; on the contrary, they said: 'Lest our views be misrepresented
or misunderstood, we publicly and solemnly declare before God and
the world that we do bear true faith and allegiance to his majesty
King George the Third, as our lawful and rightful king.'
"Accordingly, on the llth of June, 1861, the convention assembled,
there being quite a number of delegates from the eastern counties.
The first ordinance, after reciting the grievances of the people, sol-
emnly declares: 'That the preservation of their dearest rights and
liberties, and their security in person and property, imperatively de-
mand the reorganization of the government; and that all acts of the
convention and executive (at Richmond) tending to separate this
state from the United States, or to levy and carry on war against them,
are without authority and void ; and that the offices of all who adhere
to the said convention and executive, whether legislative, executive
or judicial, are vacated? They then proceeded to elect a governor and
other state officers, who should hold their offices until an election could
he had ; and to mark the era of reorganization, they added the words
' Union and Liberty ' to the ' Sic semper tyrannis ' of the state arms.
"This was not revolution, for it was a case within the constitution
of the state. It could not be revolution to support the constitution
and laws, both of which the Richmond traitors had abrogated. They
could not be the government, for they had destroyed it. That can not
be revolution which upholds or sustains the supreme law of the land, viz:
the constitution of the United States and the laws in pursuance of it.
"But it is said, there was only a fraction of the people who joined
in this movement. We answer in the language of another: 'Doubtless,
it is desirable that a clear majority should always speak in government;
but where a state is in insurrection, and the loyal citizens are under du-
ress, the will of the people, who are for the constitution and the laws, is
the only lawful will under the constitution; and that will must be col-
lected as far as is practicable under the external force.'
"Immediately upon the election of FRANCIS H. PIERPONT as gov-
ernor, he notified the president of the United States, that there existed
a treasonable combination against the constitution and laws, known as
'The Confederate States of America,' whose design was to subvert the
authority of the United States in Virginia ; that an army of the insur-
gents was then advancing upon the loyal people of the state for the
purpose of bringing them under the domination of the Confederacy;
and that he had not at his command sufficient force to suppress the
insurrection, and as governor of Virginia, requested national aid. This
he had an undoubted right to do, if he were governor of Virginia, for
the constitution of the United States provides for the very case. [See
article iv, sec. 4.]
"Was he governor of Virginia? Who was to decide between Gov.
Pierpont, at Wheeling, and Gov. Letcher, at Richmond? Which was
the government of Virginia, the Wheeling or the Richmond?
"Happily, the supreme court of the United States furnished a solu-
36 WEST VIRGINIA.
tion of the question, and put forever at rest, any doubt about the
legitimacy of the Wheeling government. [Luther v. Eorden, 7 How-
ard Eep. p. 1.1 This is the case growing out of the celebrated Dorr
rebellion in Khode Island, in 1840, and involves the very question
under consideration. It is useless to go into the history of the origin of
that conflict. There were two governors and legislatures in that state
the minority, or charter government, with Gov. King at its head,
and the majority, or popular government, with Gov. Dorr at its head.
John Tyler, a Virginian, then president of the United States, decided
in favor of the minority or charter government; and in pursuance of a
request of Gov. King for national aid, similar to that made by Gov.
Pierpont, the president offered the military and naval force of the
United States to Governor King, and the Dorr government thereupon
succumbed and was disbanded. The question involved was carried to
the supreme court of the United States, and Chief Justice Taney de-
livered the opinion of the whole court. No lawyer can deny, that if
President Tyler had recognized the Dorr government, the supreme
court would have guided its judgment accordingly. The supreme
court say :
'"The power of deciding whether the government of the United
States is bound to interfere (in case of domestic violence between con-
flicting parties in a state), is given to the president of the United States.
He is to act upon the application of the legislature or of the executive,
and consequently he must determine what body of men constitute the legislature,
and who is the governor, before he can act. The fact that both parties
claim to be the government can not alter the case, for both can not be
entitled to it. If there be an armed conflict, it is a case of domestic
violence, and one of the parties must be in insurrection against the
lawful government; and the president must necessarily decide which is
the government, and which party is unlawfully arrayed against it, in
order to perform his duty. And after the president has acted and
called out the militia, his decision can not be reviewed by any legal tribunal,
It is said this power in the president is dangerous to liberty, and may
be abused. All power may be abused if placed in unworthy hands ;
but it would be difficult to point out any other hands in which this
power could be more safe and at the same time equally effective. At
all events, it is conferred upon him by the constitution and laws of the
United States, and must, therefore, be respected and enforced by its judicial
tribunals.'
"In one word, the question between two governments in a state,
under these circumstances, is not a judicial question at all, but rests
solely with the president under the constitution and laws; and his
decision is final and binding, and settles all claims between conflicting
jurisdictions in a state.
"President Lincoln responded nobly to the call of Gov. Pierpont,
and furnished the requisite aid to the restored government. The battles
of Phillipi and Rich Mountain followed, and the Confederates were
driven out of "Western Virginia. Here, then, was a definite and final
settlement of the questions as to who was governor of Virginia, by the
president, and no tribunal or authority can review that decision or call
it in question. The heads of the executive departments have recog-
nized the restored government the secretary of war by assigning
WEST VIRGINIA. 37
quotas under calls for volunteers; the treasurer by paying over to the
state, upon the order of its legislature, her share of the proceeds of the
sales of public lands, and so on.
"On the 20th of August, 1861, the convention at Wheeling, being
still in session, provided for the election of congressmen, and they
were received into the lower house. They also called the legislature
of Virginia together at Wheeling, to consist of such members as had
been elected previous to the passage of the ordinance of secession, and
provided for tilling vacancies if any by election. And on July 9th, the
legislature elected John S. Carlile and "Waitman T. Willey as senators
of the United States, from Virginia, to supply the places of E. M. T.
Hunter and James M. Mason. These senators were admitted to scats
in the senate of the United States, and were so recognized by both the
executive and legislative branches of the federal government, so that
any question as to the rightfulness of the legislature at "Wheeling as
the legislature of Virginia was at an end.
"Thus the State of Virginia, with a governor and legislature, and
other state machinery in operation, recognized by all departments of
the federal government, was fully adequate to the exercise of all the
functions of a state, as -well then and now, as at any period of her
history.
"Let us now turn to the constitution of the United States, article iv,
sec. 3, which reads as follows: 'New states maybe admitted by the
congress into the Union; but no new state shall be formed or erected
within the jurisdiction of any other state, nor any state be formed by
the junction of two or more states, or parts of states, without the con-
sent of the legislatures of the states concerned, as well as of the con-
gress.'
"Now it is apparent that to form a new state out of a part of 'the
State of Virginia, the concurrent consent of the legislature of Virginia
and of congress is all that is needed under the constitution. Wo have
shown that the government at Wheeling was the government of Vir-
ginia, with a duly constituted governor, legislature, etc.; and the way
pointed out by the constitution is plain. Let us now see whether the
necessary steps were taken as prescribed by the constitution of the
United States.
"On August 20, 1881, the convention passed an ordinance providing
for the submission of the question of the formation of a new state to
the people, and also further the election of delegates to a convention
to form a constitution for the new state, if the people decided in favor of
it; and also for the various details of the movement. The governor
was directed to lay before the general assembly, at its next ensuing
meeting, for their consent, the result, if that result should bo favorable
to a new state, in accordance with the constitution of the United States.
The peoples expressed themselves by an overwhelming majority in
favor of a new state. The constitutional convention for the new state
met and prepared a constitution, which was ratified by the people, and
the necessary officers for the state government chosen. At the next
session of the legislature of Virginia, on May 13, 1862, that body gave
its formal consent to the formation of the State of West Virginia,
within the jurisdiction of Virginia, and directed that the act be
transmitted to their senators and representatives in congress, and they
38 WEST VIRGINIA.
were requested to use their endeavors to obtain the consent of congress
to the admission of the new state into the Union.
"At the following session of congress, the application was formally
made, first to the senate. Pending its consideration, an amendment
to the state constitution was proposed, providing for the gradual abo-
lition of slavery, and also for the submission of the amendment to the
people of the new state; and if approved by them, the president of the
United States was, by proclamation, to announce the fact, and the
state should be admitted into the Union. In this shape the bill for
admission passed the senate, and afterward the house, and was ap-
proved by the president. The constitutional convention for the new
state held an immediate session, approved the congressional amend-
ment, and submitted the constitution thus amended, to the people, who
also approved it by an overwhelming majority ; and so, now, all that
was needed in order to its admission into the Union, was the procla-
mation of the president, which was accordingly issued ; and on the
20th of June, 1863, the new member, with its motto, " Montani semper
liberi" was born into the family of states in the midst of the throes of
a mighty revolution, and cradled in storms more terrible and de-
structive than any that ever swept among its mountains, but clothed
in the majesty of constitutional right.
"Until the time fixed by act of congress, West Virginia was not a
state, and the movement, therefore, did not interfere with the regular
and successful operation of the government of Virginia. As soon,
however, as the time for the inauguration of the new state arrived,
Gov. Pierpont and the officers of the government of Virginia, in ac-
cordance with an act of the legislature, removed to Alexandria, Va.,
where the seat of government was, and still is located; and A. J. JBore-
nian, the first governor of West Virginia, was duly installed, and 'the
seat of government temporarily fixed at Wheeling, until the times
become more settled, so that the capital of the new state may be located
nearer the geographical center of its territory.
" The area of the new state is 23,000 square miles twenty times as
large as Rhode Island, more than ten times as large as Delaware, five
times as large as Connecticut, three times as large as Massachusetts,
more than twice as large as New Hampshire, and more than twice as
large as Maryland an area about equal to the aggregate of Rhode
Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts and Vermont.
"According to the census of 1860, it had a white population of
335,000 a population much greater than any of the new states, at the
time of their admission into the Union, and much greater than many
of the old states.
"It is among the most loyal of the states, for she has always filled
her quotas under all calls without a draft: she furnished more than
20,000 soldiers for the Union, and several thousands in excess of all
drafts. The revenue of the whole State of Virginia in 1850 was only
$533,000, while in 1860 the forty-eight counties composing the new
state paid over 8600,000 into the state treasury.
" The new state has a rich legacy committed to her keeping, and
has all the elements to make a great and prosperous commonwealth.
Lumber, coal, iron, petroleum, salt, etc., abound, and the fertility of
her soil is equal to that of most states in the Union. And now that
WEST VIRGINIA. 39
she is freed from the incubus of slavery, and wealth and enterprise are
beginning to develop her resources, she will outstrip many of the more
favored states and take her place among the foremost common-
wealths."
The most noted towns of the state are "Wheeling and Parkersburg,
both of which are on the Ohio. Parkersburg is situated on the river at
the mouth of the Little Kanawha, a few miles below Marietta, Ohio,
and 100 below Wheeling. It has a connection with the west by
the Cincinnati & Marietta railroad, and with the east by the North-
western railroad, the southernmost fork of the Baltimore & Ohio rail-
road. It is a thriving town of about 7000 inhabitants. The valley of
the Little Kanawha is of growing importance from its wealth in pe-
troleum: oil wells of great richness are being worked. Just below
Parkersburg is the long celebrated Blannerhasset's Island, so charm-
ingly described by Wirt in his graceful oratory at the trial of Aaron
Burr at Richmond, half a century ago. Herman Blannerhasset was
of wealthy Irish parentage and born in England. He married Miss
Adeline Agnew, a grand-daughter of General Agnew, who was with
Wolfe at Quebec. She was a most elegant and accomplished woman
and he a refined and scholarly man. In 1798 he began his improve-
ments upon the island. In 1805, Aaron Burr landed on the island,
where he was entertained with hospitality by the family.
Wlieeling is on the east hank of Ohio River, and on both sides of Wheeling
creek, 351 miles from Richmond, 56 miles from Pittsburg, and 365 above
Cincinnati. The hills hack of the city come near the river, so as to leave but
a limited area for building, so that the place is forced to extend along the
high alluvial bank for two miles. A fine stone bridge over Wheeling creek
connects the upper and lower portions of the city. Wheeling is the most
important place on the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Pittsburg. It is
surrounded by bold hills containing inexhaustible quantities of bituminous
coal, from which the numerous manufacturing establishments are supplied at
a small expense. The place contains several iron foundries, cotton mills, and
factories of various kinds. A. large business is done in the building of steam-
boats. Population 1860, 14,000,
The National Road, from Cumberland across the Alleghany Mountains to
St. Louis, passes through Wheeling, and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
terminates here, making this place a great thoroughfare of travel between the
east and west. The Ohio River is crossed here by a magnificent wire sus-
pension bridge, erected at a cost of upward of $200,000. Its span, one of the
longest in the world, measures 1,010 feet. The hight of the towers is 153 feet
above low water mark, and 60 above the abutments. The entire bridge is
supported by 12 wire cables, 1,380 feet in length and 4 inches in diameter,
each composed of 550 strands. These cables are laid in pairs, 3 pairs on
each side of the flooring.
In 1769 Col. Ebenezer Zane, his brothers Silas and Jonathan, with some
others from the south branch of the Potomac, visited the Ohio for the pur-
pose of making improvements, and severally proceeded to select posi-
tions for their future residence. They chose for their residence the site now
occupied by the city of Wheeling, and having made the requisite preparations
returned to their former homes, and brought out their families the ensuing
40
WEST VIRGINIA.
year. The Zanes \vete men of enterprise, tempered with prudence, and di-
rected by sound judgment. To the bravery and good conduct of these three
brothers, the Wheeling settlement was mainly indebted for its security and
preservation during the war of the revolution. Soon after the settlement of
this place other settlements were made at different points, both above and be-
low Wheeling, in the country on Buffalo, Short and Grave creeks.
The name of Wheeling was originally Wceling, which in the Delaware Ian-
gunge signifies the place, of a head. At a very early day, some whites de-
scending the Ohio in a boat, stopped at the mouth of the creek and were mur-
dered by Indians. The savages cut off the head of one of their victims, and
placing it on a pole with its face toward the river, called the spotWecling.
Southern View of Wheeliixj.
The view shows the appearance of Wheeling as it id enteveil upon the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Th
steamlioat landing and part of the city arc seen in the central part. The suspension bridge crossing over tt
Wlitvliiig Island on the left. Part of the railroad depot is on the right.
The most important event in the history of Wheeling was the siege of For'u
Henry, at the mouth of Wheeling creek, in September, 1777. The fort was
originally called Fort Fincastle, and was a place of refuge for the settlers in
Dunmore's war. The name was afterward changed to Henry, in honor of
Patrick Henry. The Indians who besieged the fort were estimated at from
:)80 to 500 warriors, led on by the notorious Simon Girty. The garrison
numbered only 42 fighting men, under the command of Col. Shepherd. The
savages made several attempts to force themselves into the fort; they were
driven back by the unerring rifle shots of the brave little garrison. A rein-
forcement of about 50 men having got into the fort, the Indians raised the
siege, ^having lost from GO to 100 men. The loss of the garrison was 26
killed, all of whom, excepting three or four, fell in an ambuscade outside the
WEST VIRGINIA. 41
walls before the attack on the fort commenced. The heroism of Elizabeth
Zane during the siege is worthy of record. This heroine had but recently
returned from school at Philadelphia, and was totally unused to such scenes
as were daily transpiring on the frontier :
"The stock of gunpowder in the fort having been nearly exhausted, it was de-
termined to seize the favorable opportunity offered by the suspension of hostilities
to send for a keg of gunpowder which was known to be in the house of Ebenezer
Zane, about sixty yards from the gate of the fort. The person* executing this ser-
vice would necessarily expose himself to the danger of being shot down by the In-
dians, who were yet sufficiently near to observe everything that transpired about
the works. The colonel explained the matter to his men, and, unwilling to order
one of them to undertake such a desperate enterprise, inquired whether any man
would volunteer for the service. Three or four young men promptly stepped for-
ward in obedience to the call. The colonel informed them that the weak state of
the garrison would not justify the absence of more than one man, and that it was
for themselves to decide who that person should be. The eagerness felt by each
volunteer to undertake the honorable mission prevented them from making the ar-
rangement proposed by the commandant; and so much time was consumed in the
contention between them that fears began to arise that the Indians would renew
the attack before the powder could be procured. At this crisis, a young lady, the
sister of Ebeuezer and Silas Zane, came forward and desired that she might be
permitted to execute the service. This proposition seemed so extravagant that it
met with a peremptory refusal; but she instantly renewed her petition in terms of
redoubled earnestness, and all the remonstrances of the colonel and her relatives
failed to dissuade her from her heroic purpose. It was finally represented to her
that either of the young men. on account of his superior flectness and familiarity
with scenes of danger, would be more likely than herself to do the work success-
fully. She replied that the danger which would attend the enterprise was the
identical reason that induced her to offer her services, for, as the garrison was very
w r eak, no soldier's life should be placed in needless jeopardy, and that if she were
to fall her loss would not be felt. Her petition was ultimately granted, and the
gate opened for her to pass out. The. opening of the gate arrested the attention of
several Indians who were straggling through the village. It was noticed that their
eyes were upon her as she crossed the open space to reach her brother's house;
but seized, perhaps, with a sudden freak of clemency, or believing that a woman's
life was not worth a load of gunpowder, or influenced by some other unexplained
motive, they permitted her to pass without molestation. When she reappeared
with the powder in her arms the Indians, suspecting, no doubt, the character of her
burden, elevated their firelocks and discharged a volley at her as she swiftly glided
toward the gate, but the balls all flew wide of the mark, and the fearless girl
reached the fort in safety with her prize. The pages of history may furnish a
parallel to the noble exploit of Elizabeth Zane, but an instance of greater self-
devotion and moral intrepidity is not to be found anywhere."
Sixteen miles above Wheeling on the river is the thriving business
town of Wdlsbury. Eight miles east of this place in a healthy, beau-
tiful site among the hills, is the flourishing institution known as Beth-
any College. It was founded by Elder Alexander Campbell, and is
conducted under the auspices of the Disciples or Christians. Their
peculiarity is that they have no creed just simply a belief in the
BIBLE as the sufficient rule of Christian faith and practice; thus leav-
ing its interpretation free to each individual mind.
Below Wheeling eleven miles, at the village of Moundsville, on the
river flats, is the noted curiosity of this region, the Mammouth Mound.
It is 69 feet in height, and is in full view of the passing steamers.
An aged oak, cut down on its summit some years since, showed by its
concentric circles that it was about 500 years old.
42 WEST VIRGINIA.
Point Pleasant is a small village at the junction of the Kanawha with the
Ohio. It is noted as the site of the most bloody battle ever fought with the
Indians in Virginia the battle of Point Pleasant which took place in Dun-
more's war, Oct. 10, 1774. The Virginians, numbering 1,100 men, were
under the command of Gen. Andrew Lewis. The Indians were under the
celebrated Shawnee chieftain Cornstalk, and comprised the flower of the
Shawnee, Wyandot, Delaware, Mingo and Cayuga tribes. The action lasted
from sunrise until sunset, and was contested with the most obstinate bravery
on both sides. The Virginians at length were victorious, but with a loss of
more than 200 of their number in killed and wounded, among whom were
some of their most valued officers. This event was made the subject of a
rude song, which is still preserved among the mountaineers of western Vir-
ginia :
SONG ON THE SHAWNEE BATTLE.
Let us mind the tenth day of October, By which the heathen were confounded,
Seventy-four, which caused woe, Upon the banks of the Ohio.
The Indian savages they did cover
The pleasant banks of the Ohio. Col. Lewis and some noble captains
Did down to death like Uriah go,
The battle beginning in the morning, Alas 1 their heads wound up in napkins,
Throughout the day it lashed sore, Upon the banks of the Ohio.
Till the evening shades were returning down
Upon the banks of the Ohio. Kings lamented their mighty fallen
Upon the mountains of Gilboa,
Judgment precedes to execution, And now we mourn for brave Hugh Allen,
Let fame throughout all dangers go, Far from the banks of the Ohio.
Our heroes fought with resolution
Upon the banks of the Ohio. bless the mighty King of Heaven
For all his wondrous works below,
Seven score lay dead and wounded Who hath to us the victory given,
Of champions that did face their foe, Upon the banks of the Ohio.
Ceredo is a new town established by Eli Thayer, of Massachusetts,
just before the rebellion, and settled by New England emigrants. It
is on the Ohio river, about five miles above the line of West Virginia
and Kentucky. The settlement was nearly broken up by the rebel-
lion. A few miles above it is Gruyandotte, which was mostly burnt in
the war.
CHARLESTON is the most important town in West Virginia excepting
Wheeling and Parkersburg. It is in the rich valley of the Kanawha,
46 miles east of the Ohio river, and contains several thousand people.
The mineral wealth of this valley is immense in salt and coal. In
coal alone, it has been said, this valley could supply the whole world
for fifty years, if it could be had from no other source. The Kanawha
salt works commence on the river near Charleston and extend on both
sides fpr nearly fifteen miles. Millions of bushels of salt are annually
manufactured. The salt water is drawn from wells bored in solid
rock from 300 to 500 feet in depth. Bituminous coal, which abounds
in the neighborhood, is used in the evaporation of the water.
LEWISBURG is an important town near the southeastern line of the
state, on the direct road from Charleston to Richmond, about 100
miles east from the former, and 200 west from the latter; near it and in
the same county, are the Blue Sulphur and White Sulphur Springs: the
latter, the most celebrated watering place in the south : long the fa-
vorite resort of the wealthy planters and prominent politicians of the
south.
WEST VIRGINIA.
43
The situation of the White Sulphur Springs is charming, it is in a
beautiful valley environed by softly curving mountains. Fifty acres
or more are occupied with lawns and walks, and the cabins and cot-
tages for the guests, built in rows around the public apartments, the
diu ing-room, the ball-room, etc., which give the place quite a village
air. The rows of cottages are variously named, as Alabama row,
Louisiana, Paradise, Baltimore, Virginia, Georgia, Wolf and Bachelor
rows, Broadway, the Virginia lawn, the Spring, the Colonnade, and
other specialities. The cottages are built variously, of brick, wood
and logs, one story high. The place is 205 miles west from Richmond,
and 242 soutlnvest of Washington City.
In the northern part of the state, in the rich valley of the Monon-
gahela, are some thriving noted towns, as Morgantown, Clarksburg,
Weston, etc. At the latter place is the state Asylum for the Insane.
The Baltimore & Ohio railroad is doing much for the development of
this region of the state. This great work of engineering skill is hero
given a more than passing notice.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, 379 miles in length, extending from
the waters of the Chesapeake, at Baltimore, to those of the Ohio, at Wheel-
ing, is one of the greatest
works of engineering skill
on the continent. This im-
portant undertaking owes its
origin to the far-reaching sa-
gacity of Philip E. Thomas,
a Quaker merchant of Balti-
more, who lived to see its
completion, although nearly
thirty years had elapsed from
the time of its commence-
ment. At that period, Bal-
timore city was worth hut
$25,000,000, yet it unhesita-
tingly embarked in an enter-
prise which cost 31,000,000.
The first stone was laid on
the 4th of July, 1828, by
the venerable Charles Car-
roll, of Carrollton, who pro-
nounced it, next to signing
the declaration of indepen-
dence, the most important
act of his life.
TKAT Run VIADUCT, B. & 0. BAILBOAD.
This elegant structure is of cast iron, GOO feet in length, and
150 feet above the level of the stream.
" This was at a very early
period in the history of rail-
ways ; and during the progress of the work, from year to year, old theories were
exploded and new principles introduced, increasing in boldness and originality as
it advanced. Its annual reports went forth as text books ; its workshops were
practical lecture rooms, and to have worthily graduated in this school, is an hon-
orable passport to scientific service in any part of the world. In its struggles
with unparalleled difficulties financial, physical, legislative and legal the gallant
little state of Maryland found men equal to each emergency as it arose, and the
44 WEST VIRGINIA.
development of so much talent and high character in various departments. slumM
uet be esteemed the smallest benefit which the country has derived from this great
enterprise."
''The line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, traversing the Alleghanies, has
already become somewhat classic ground. The vicinity of Harper's Ferry, old
Fort Frederick, Cumberland, and other portions along the Potomac River, have
long been known to the world for their imposing scenery, as well as for their
historical interest. It is beyond Cumberland, however, that the grandest and most
effective views on this route are presented. The Piedmont grade; Oakland, with
its inviting summer atmosphere ; Valley River Falls ; the Monongahela, and other
attractive points, inspire wonder in all who witness them.
Nor should the grand scientific features of the Baltimore and Ohio Road be
overlooked. To say nothing of its unique and most successfully planned grades
(by which an elevation of nearly three thousand feet above tide is reached), there
are its numerous splendid bridges of iron, and brick, and stone; its massive build-
ings of all kinds ; its solidly arched tunnels, and numerous other features, devel-
oping the greatest skill and ingenuity upon the part of the strong minds which
wrought them. The longest finished tunnel in America is King wood Tunnel, 261
miles from Baltimore ; it is four fifths of a mile in length, and cost more than a
million of dollars!
Our engraving of ' Tray Run Viaduct,' " says Leslie's Pictorial, from which this
is copied, " is from an accurate and faithful drawing, made upon the spot, by Mr.
D. C. Hitchcock, our artist, who has also been engaged in taking numerous views
on this attractive route for the London Illustrated News. Appropriate to our no-
tice of the Tray Run Viaduct, we may quote the following paragraphs from the
'Book of the Great Railway Celebration of 1857,' published by the Appletons :
Cheat River is a rapid mountain stream, of a dark coffee colored water, which is sup-
posed to take its hue from the forests of laurel, hemlock and black spruce in which it. has
its rise. Our road crossed the stream at the foot of Cranberry grade by a viaduct. This
is composed of two noble spans of iron, roofed in on abutments, and a pier of solid free-
stone taken from a neighboring quarry. Arrived at this point, we fairly entered the ' Cheat
River valley,' which presents by far the grandest and most boldly picturesque scenery to Lc
found oh the line of this road, if indeed it is not the finest series of railroad views on our
continent. The European travelers in our party were as much enraptured by it a? were
those of us who have never visited the mountains, lakes and glens of Scotia or Switzer-
land. For several miles, we ran along the steep mountain side, clinging, as it were, to the
gigantic cliffs, our cars like great cages suspended though upon the safest and most solid
of beds midway, as it were, between heaven and earth. At one moment the view v. ;:s
confined 'to our immediate locality, hemmed in on every side, as we were, by the towering
mountain spurs. At the next, a slight curve in the road opened to view line- stretches of
the deep valley, with the dark river flowing along its bottom, and glorious views of the for-
est-covered slopes descending from the peaks to the water's edge. Amazed at the grand-
eur of the ever-varying scenery of this region, a French gentleman i said to have ex-
claimed in ecstacy, ' Mayni/iquc! Zcre is nossing likcsisin France! ' The engineering dif-
ficulties, overcome in the part of the road within the first few miles west of Cheat River
bridge, must have been appalling , but for us the rough places had been made smooth as
the prairie levels. After crossing this river itself, at Rowlesburg, the next point was to as-
cend along its banks the ' Cheat River hill.' The ravine of Kyer's run, a mile from the
bridge, 76 feet deep, was crossed by a solid embankment. Then, after bold cutting along
the steep, rocky hill side, we reached Buckeye hollow, which is 108 feet below the road level,
and finally came to Tray run, which we crossed at a hight of 150 feet above its original
bed by a, splendid viaduct, GOO feet long, founded on a massive base of masonry piled upon
tin; solid rock below. These viaducts are of iron designed by Mr. Albert Fink, one of
Mr. Latrobe's assistants and are exceedingly graceful, as well as very substantial struc-
tures. When we reached the west end of the great Tray run viaduct, the cars halted, and
the company alighted for a better view of the works. A walk of a few feet brought u.s to
the brow of the precipice overlooking the river, nearly 300 feet below. The view from this spot,
both of the scenery and the grand structure which so splendidly spanned the immense mount-
ain ravine, was truly inspiring. From our great elevation the stream appeared to be almost
beneath our feet, au illusion promptly dispelled when the strongest and longest armed
among us failed to throw a stone far enough to drop in its bed. With the entire train full
of guests, the band also, alighted here, and taking position near the cliff, struck up the pop-
ular air of ' Love Not,' in sweet harmony with the emotions inspired by the scene.
KENTUCKY.
KENTUCKY was originally included in the limits of Virginia, and the name,
said to signify, in the Indian tongue, "The dark and bloody ground," is in-
dicative of her early conflicts with a
wily and savage foe. The first ex-
plorer of her territory of whom we have
any very definite knowledge was Col.
James Smith, who traveled westward
in 1766, from Holston River, with
three men and a mulatto slave. The
beautiful tract of country near the
Kentucky River appears to have been
reserved by the Indians as a hunting
(/round, and consequently none of their
settlements were found there. The dark
forests and cane thickets of Kentucky
separated the Creeks, Chcrokees and
Catawbas of the south from the hostile
tribes of the Shawnees, Wynndots and
Delawares of the north.
In 1767, John Findley and some
others made a trading expedition from North Carolina to this region. In
17(50, Daniel Boone (the great pioneer of Kentucky), with five others, among
whom was Findley, undertook a journey to explore the country. After a
long fatiguing march over a mountainous wilderness, they arrived upon its
borders, and from an eminence discovered the beautiful valley of the Ken-
tucky. Boone and his companions built a cabin on Red River, from whence
they made. various excursions. Boone being out hunting one day, in com-
pany with a man named Stuart, was surprised and both taken prisoners by
the Indians. They eventually succeeded in making their escape. On re-
gaining their camp, they found it dismantled and deserted. The fat,e of its
inmates was never ascertained. After an absence of nearly three years, Boone
returned to his family in North Carolina.
In 1770, Col. James Knox led into Kentucky a party from Holston, on
Ulinch River, who remained in the country about the same length of time
v.-itii Boone's party, and thoroughly-explored the middle and southernvpart
of the country. Boone's party traversed the northern and middle region with
great attention. Although both parties were in the country together, they
45
ARMS OF KENTUCKY.
4$ KENTUCKY.
never met. When these pioneers returned, they gave glowing description?
of the fertility of the soil throughout the western territories of Virginia and
North Carolina. The lands given to the Virginia troops for their services
in the French war were to be located on the western waters, and within two
years after the return of Boone and Knox, surveyors were sent out for this
purpose. In 1773, Capt. Bullitt led a party down the Ohio to the Falls,
where a camp was constructed and fortified.
In the summer of 1774, parties of surveyors and hunters followed, and
within the year James Harrod erected a log cabin where Harrodsburg is now
built; this soon grew into a settlement or station the oldest in Kentucky.
In 1775, Daniel Boone constructed a fort, afterward called Boonesborough,
during which time his party was exposed to fierce attacks from the Indians.
By the middle of April, the fort was completed, and soon after his wife and
daughters joined him and resided in the fort the first white women who ever
stood on the banks of Kentucky River.
In 1775, the renowned pioneer Simon Kenton erected a log cabin where
the town of Washington now stands, in Mason county. In the winter of this
year, Kentucky was formed into a county by the legislature of Virginia. In
the spring of 1777, the court of quarter sessions held its first sitting at Har-
rodsburg.
The years 1780 and 1781 were distinguished for a great emigration to Ken-
tucky, and great activity in land speculations, and by inroads of the Indians.
In 1780, an expedition of Indians and British troops, under Col. Byrd, threat-
ened the settlements with destruction. Cannon were employed against the
stockade forts, some of the stations were destroyed, and the garrisons
taken.
In 1781, every portion of the country was continually in alarm, and many
lives were lost. The most important battle between the whites and Indians
ever fought on its soil was on the 19th of August, 1782, near the Blue Lick
Springs. The celebrated Col. Boone bore a prominent part in this engage-
ment, in which he lost a son. The whites numbered but 182, while the In-
dians were twice or thrice that number. From the want of due caution in
advancing against the enemy, they were, after a short but severe action, routed
with the loss of seventy-seven men and twelve wounded. Kentucky being
the first settled of the western states, a large number of expeditions were sent
out by her from time to time against the Indians in the then wilderness coun-
try north of the Ohio; these were mostly within the present limits of Ohio,
which thus became the battle ground of Kentucky, and was watered with
the blood of her heroic pioneers.
After the revolutionary war, there was a period of political discontent.
This arose partly from the inefficient protection of Virginia and the old fed-
eral congress against the inroads of the Indians, and partly by a distrust lest
the general government should surrender the right to navigate the Missis-
sippi to its mouth.
Kentucky was the central scene of the imputed intrigues of Aaron Burr
and his coadjutors to form a western republic. What the precise designs of
Burr really were has perhaps never been fully understood.
Kentucky took an active part in the war of 1812. After the surrender of
Hull at Detroit, the whole quota of the state, consisting of upward of 5,000
volunteers, was called into active service. In addition to these, a force of
mounted volunteers was raised, and at one time upward of 7,000 Kentuckians
are said to have been in the field, and such was the desire in the state to
KENTUCKY
47
enter into the contest that executive authority was obliged to interpose to
limit the number. At this period, Isaac Shelby, a hero of the revolutionary
war, was governor of the state. At the barbarous massacre of the Iliver
Raisin, and also in the unfortunate attempt to relieve Fort Meigs, many
of her brave sons perished. In the recent war with Mexico, several of her
distinguished citizens engaged in the contest.
Kentucky was separated from Virginia in 1786, after having had several
conventions at Danville. In 1792, it was received ink) the Union as an in-
dependent state. The first constitution was formed in 1790, the second in
1796. The financial revulsion which followed the second war with Great
Britain was severely felt in Kentucky. The violence of the crisis was much
enhanced in this state by the charter of forty independent banks in 1818,
with a capital of nearly ten millions of dollars, which were permitted to re-
deem their notes with the paper of the bank of Kentucky. The state was
soon flooded with the paper of these banks. This soon depreciated, and the
state laws were such that the creditor was obliged to receive his dues at one
half their value. The people of the state became divided into two parties;
the debtor party, which constituted the majority, was called the Relief, and
the creditors the Anti-Relief party. The judges of the courts declared the
acts of the legislature, in sustaining the currency, unconstitutional. The ma-
jority attempted to remove them from office by establishing new courts; the
people became divided into the "new court" and "old court" parties. The
contest was finally decided in the canvass of 1826, when the old court party
pervailed.
Kentucky is bounded N. by the Ohio River, separating it from the states of
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois; E. by Virginia; \V. by the Mississippi River, sepa-
rating it from Missouri, and S. by Tennessee. It is situated between 36 30'
and 39 10' N. Lat., and between 81 50' and 89 20' W. Long. Its length
is about 400 miles, and its breadth 170 miles, containing 37,680 square
miles.
Kentucky presents a great diversity of surface. In the eastern part, where
it is bordered by the Cumberland Mountains, there are numerous lofty eleva-
tions; and on the Ohio River, through nearly the whole extent of the state,
there is a strip of hilly but fertile land from five to twenty miles in breadth.
On the margin of the Ohio are numerous tracts of bottom lands, which are
periodically overflowed. Between the hilly country of the more mountain-
ous eastern counties and Green River i^i fertile tract, frequently called the
"garden of the state." This is in the blue limestone region, in the midst of
which is the beautiful town of Lexington. The line demarking this region
passes from the Ohio round the heads of Licking and Kentucky Rivers,
Dick's River, and down Great Green River to the Ohio; and within this
compass of above one hundred miles square is found one of the most fertile
and extraordinary countries on which the sun has ever shone. The soil is
of a loose, deep and black mold, without sand on first-rate lands, from two
to three feet deep and exceedingly luxuriant in all its productions. It is
well watered by fine springs and streams, and its beautiful climate and the
salubrity of the country are unequalled ; the winter, even, being seldom so
inclement as to render the housing of cattle necessary. In a state of nature,
nearly the whole surface of this region was covered with a dense forest of
majestic trees, and a close undergrowth of gigantic reeds, forming what in
the country are called canebrakes. In the southern part, however, on the
head waters of Green River and its tributaries, is an extensive tract, thinly
48
KENTUCKY
wooded, and covered in summer with high grass growing amid scattered and
stunted oaks. Struck with the contrast this region presented to the luxu-
riant forests of the neigboring districts, the first settlers gave the country the
unpromising name of "barrens."
In 1800, the legislature considering this tract but of little value, made a
gratuitous grant of it to actual settlers. This land proved to be excellent for
grain, and also adapted to the raising of cattle. The whole state, below the
mountains, has, at the usual depth of eight feet, a bed of limestone, which has
frequent apertures. The rivers have generally worn deep channels in the
calcareous rocks over which they flow. There are precipices on the Ken-
tucky Iliver of solid limestone 300 feet .high. Iron ore and coal are widely
diffused; coal, especially, occupies an extensive field. Salt springs are nu-
merous, and mineral springs are found in many places. The great agricul-
tural productions are hemp, flax, Indian corn, tobacco, wheat and live stock.
More than half of all the hemp raised in the Union is grown in Kentucky.
Population, in 1790, 73,077; in 1820, 564,317; in 1840, 779,828; in 1850,
982,405 ; in 1860, 1,185,567, of whom 225,490 were slaves.
South-eastern view of Frankfort.
Showing the appearance of the pliico from the railroad. Tho southern eiitrmicp of the hiiinol through
the limestone bluff, and tinder the State Arspnal und foot path to the (irmt'ti-ry, is *pan on the rip;ht. Th<-
tol and some other public buildings are seen in the central part, Kentucky Iliver in front on thr let:,
FRANKFORT, the capital of Kentucky, is 25 miles N. W. from Lexington,
nnd 53 E. from Louisville. It is beautifully situated on the right or north-
east bank of Kentucky Iliver, 60 miles above its mouth, in the midst of the
wild and picturesque scenery which renders that stream so remarkable. The
city stands on an elevated plain between the river and the high bluffs, which
rise 150 feet immediately behind the town. The river, which is navigabln
for steamboats to this place, is ncrirly 100 yards wide, and flows through ::
deep channel of limestone ro^k. A chain bridge crosses the river here, i on
nccting the city with South Frankfort, its suburb. The railroad from Lex-
KENTUCKY
49
STATE HHUSK, FUANKFOBT.
ington passes into tlio city in a tunnel through the limestone rock or lodge
on which the State Arsenal is erected. Frankfort is well built, and has tine
edifices of brick and Kentucky marble. The State House is a handsome ed.-
ifice of white marble. The
iV -^ . city is well supplied with ex-
cellent spring water, which is
^ conveyed into the town by
iron pipes. The State Peni-
tentiary is located here, and
the trade of the place is fa-
cilitated by railroads in vari-
ous directions. The Ken-
tucky Military Institute, a
thriving institution, is in the
vicinity of Frankfort. Popu-
lation about 5,000.
"Frankfort was established
by the Virginia legislature ic
1786, though the first survey
of 600 acres was made by
Robert McAfee, on the IGth
of July, 1773. The seat of government was located in 1792, and the first
session of the assembly was held
in 1793. The public buildings
not being ready, the legislature
assembled in a large frame house
belonging to Maj. James Love,
on the bank of the river, in the
lower part of the city."
The Frankfort Cemetery is laid
out on the summit of the high and
commanding bluff's which imme-
diately rise in an eastern direc-
tion from the city. The "Mili-
tary Monument" (an engraving of
which is annexed) was erected in
pursuance of an act of the legisla-
ture, Feb., 1848. The following
inscriptions and names are en-
graved upon it, viz:
MILITARY MOXUMKXT ERECTKU BY
KENTUCKY, A. D., 1X60.
Mexico, Lt J. \V. Powell ; Bonnex-
boroiii/h, liar mar's Defeat, Capt. J.
McMurtsy; Monterey, P. M. Uar-
liuur; Biiena Vista, Col. William K.
McKee, Lieut. Col. Clay, Capt. Wni.
T.Willis, Adjutant E." P. Vaughn ;
/\r?.v/H. Col. John Allen, Maj. IJenja-
n>in Graves, Capt. John Woo! folk,
('apt. N. (1. S. Hurt, Capt. Jamos Moal.>, Cant. Hubert Edwards, C.ipt. Virgil Mu-
Cracken, Capt. William Price, Capt. John Kdnuindson, C-u>t John Simpsim. Cnpr
Pascal Ilickman, Lieut. .John Williamson; ThaiHi.v, Col. Wm. Wliitley, Cnpti Eiij.th
Th
liour ;
MILITARY MDNTMRNT, FRANKFORT.
Hiiiull moniiin'-iit in fnnif is rlmt. <>f Maj. 1^-r-
in tliedistHiice U -<li(.\vii I'.i.it of Cnl. K. M. Jolmtioii.
50 KENTUCKY.
Craig, Lieut. Robert Logan, Lieut. Thos. C. Graves, Lieut. Thos. Overton, Lieut.
Francis Chinn, Ensign Levi Wells, Ensign Shawhan, Surgeon Alex. Mont-
gomery, Surgeon Thomas C. Davis, Surgeon John Irvin, Surgeon Thos. Mcllvaine;
Indian Wars, Col. John Floyd, Col. Nathaniel Hart, Col. Walker Daniel, Col. Win.
Christian, Col. Rice Galloway, Col. James Harrod, Col. Wm. Lynn, Maj. Evan
Shelby, Maj. Bland Ballard, Capt. Christ Irvin, Capt. Wm. McAfee, Capt. John
Kennedy, Capt Christopher Crepps, Capt. Rogers, Capt. Wm. Bryant, Capt. Tip-
ton, Capt. Chapman, Capt. McCracken, Capt. James Shelby, Capt. Samuel Grant,
Supv'r Hanc'y Taylor, Supv'r Willis Lee; Massissinaway, St. Clair's Defeat, Col.
Wm v Oldham; Estilts Defeat, Capt, James Estill, Lieut. South; Tippecanoe, Col.
Joseph H. Daviess, Col. Abram Owen; Fort Meigs, Col. Wm. Dudley, Capt. John
C. Morrison, Capt Chris'r Irvin, Capt. Joseph Clark, Capt Thomas Lewis; Blue
Licks, Col. John Todd, Col. Stephen I'rigg, Major Silas Harlan, Maj. Wm. McBride,
Capt. Edward Bulger, Capt. John Gordon, Capt. Isaac Boone.
The principal battles and campaigns in which her sons devoted their lives to
their country are inscribed on the bands, and beneath the same are the names of
the officers who fell. The names of her soldiers who died for their country are too
numerous to be inscribed on any column. By order of the legislature, the name
of Col. J. J. Hardin, of the 1st Reg. Illinois Infantry, a son of Kentucky, who fell
at the battle of Buena Vista, is inscribed hereon.
Kentucky has erected this column in gratitude equally to her officers and soldiers.
To the memory of COL. RICHARD M. JOHNSON, a faithful public servant for nearly
half a century, as a member of the Kentucky legislature and senator in congress.
Author of the Sunday Mail Report, and of the laws for the abolishment for debt in
Kentucky and in the United States. Distinguished for his valor as a colonel of a
Kentucky regiment at the battle of the Thames. For four years vice-president of
the United States. Kentucky, his native state, to mark the sense of his eminent
services in the cabinet and in the field, has erected this monument in the resting
place of her illustrious dead. Richard Mentor Johnson, born at Bryant's Station,
on the 17th day of October, J781 ; died in Frankfort, Ky., on the 19th day of No-
vember, 1850.
PHILIP NORBOURNB BARBOUR, born in Henderson, Kentucky, graduated with
merit at West Point in 1829; and immediately commissioned Lieutenant 3d Regi-
ment U. S. Infantry; captain by brevet for valor in the Florida War; served with
distinction at Palo Alto; major by brevet for distinguished gallantry and skill at
Resaca de la Palma. He fell at the head of his command, covered with honor and
glory, at the storming of Monterey, Sept. 21; 1846. Florida, Palo Alto, Resaca de
Palma, Monterey. Kentucky has erected this monument to a brave and noble son.
"At its session of 1844-45, the legislature of Kentucky adopted measures to have
the mortal remains of the celebrated pioneer; Daniel Boone, and those of his wife,
removed from their place of burial on the banks of the Missouri, for the purpose
of interment in the public cemetery at Frankfort
The consent of the surviving relations of the deceased having been obtained, a
commission was appointed, under whose superintendence the removal was effected;
and the 13th of September, 1845, was fixed upon as the time when the ashes of the
venerable dead would be committed with fitting ceremonies to the place of their
final repose. The deep feeling excited by the occasion was evinced by the as-
sembling of an immense concourse of citizens from all parts of the state, and the
ceremonies were most imposing and impressive. A procession, extending moro
than a mile in length, accompanied the coffins to the grave. The hearse, decorated
with evergreens and flowers, and drawn by four white horses, was placed in its as-
signed position in the line, accompanied, as pall bearers, by the following distin-
guished pioneers, viz: Col. Richard M. Johnson, of Scott; General James Taylor,
of Campbell, Capt. James Ward, of Mason ; Gen. Robert B. McAfee and Peter Jor-
dan, of Mercer ; Waller Bullock, Esq., of Fayctte ; Capt Thos. Joyce, of Louisville
KENTUCKY.
Mr. Land in Sneed, of Franklin; Col. John Johnston, of the state of Ohio; Major
Z. Williams, of Kenton, and Col. Win. Boone, of Shelby. The procession was ac-
companied by several military companies, and by the members of the Masonic Fra-
ternity, and the Independent order of Odd Fellows, in rich regalia. Arrived at the
grave, the company was brought together in a beautiful hollow near the grave, as-
cending from the
center on every side.
Here the fu neral scr
vices were perform-
ed. The hymn was
given out bv the
Rev. Mr. Godell, of
the Baptist Church;
prayer by Bishop
Soule, of the Metho-
dist E. Church ; ora-
tion by the Honora-
ble John .1. Crittcn-
den ; closing prayer
by the Rev. J. J.
Bullock, of the Pres-
byterian Church,
and benediction by
the Rev. P. 8. Fall,
of the Christian
Church. The coffins
were then lowered
into the graves. The
spot where the
graves are situated
is as beautiful as na-
ture and art com-
bined can make it' "
Only two persons
were present of all
the assembled thousands who had known Boone personally. One of these
was the venerable Col. John Johnston, of Ohio, Ions: an agent of the U. S.
government over the Indians, having been appointed to that office by Wash-
ington. The other was a humble old man named Ellison Williams, who
walked barefoot from Covington to Frankfort, a distance of sixty miles, to
see Boone's bones buried, but he was a silent mourner and an entire stranger
in that vast crowd. He left as his dying request that he should be buried
by the side of Boone, and the legislature of Kentucky in 1860 appropriated
ninety dollars for that purpose. At the same session they passed a bill ap-
propriating two thousand dollars to erect a monument over the remains of
Boone and his wife. The originator of the bill was the Hon. Samuel Hay-
craft, senator from Hardin, who advocated the measure in a speech of "al-
most matchless beauty, eloquence and patriotism."
GRAVES or DANIKI. BOONK ANI> HIS WIFE AT FKASKKOUT.
The graves of Boone anil his wife are without a monument save the forest
scene by which they are surrounded. The sj>ot where they were interred IH
at the foot of the two trees, around which is a simple hoard neat. It is neur
the edge of the high bluff rising from the river. The beautiful valley of
Kentucky River U seen in the extreme distance.
HARRODSBURG, the county seat of Mercer county, is situated near the
geographical center of the state, thirty miles south from Frankfort, on an
eminence, 1 mile from Salt River and 8 miles from Kentucky River. It
contains the county buildings, 7 churches, 2 banks 25 stores, several manu-
facturing establishments, the Kentucky University, 2 female colleges, and
about 2,500 inhabitants. Bacon College, founded in 1836, under the pat-
ronage of the Christian denomination, is located in this place. The Har
50 KENTUCKY.
rodsburg Springs are celebrated for the medicinal virtue of their waters, and
for the beauty and extent of the adjoining grounds.
According to some authorities, Harrodsburg was the first settled place in
Kentucky. In July, 1773, the McAfee company from Bottetourt county.
Va., visited this region, and surveyed lands on Salt River. Capt. James
Jl.irrod, with forty-one men, descended the Ohio River from the Mononga-
hclii, in May, 1774, and penetrating into the intervening forest made hu-
principal camp about one hundred yards below the town spring, under the
branches of a large elm tree. About the middle of June, Capt. Harrod and
companions laid off a town plot (which included the camp), and erected a
number of cabins. The place received the name of Harrodstown, afterward
Oldtown, and finally the present name of Harrodsburg. The first corn raised
in Kentucky was in 1775, by John Harmon, in a field. at the east end of
Harrodsburg. During the year 1777, the Indians, in great numbers, col-
lected about Harrodsburg, in order, it was supposed, to prevent any corn
being raised for the support of the settlers. In this period of distress and
peril, a lad by the name of Ray, seventeen years of age, rendered himself an
object of general favor by his courage and enterprise. He often rose before
day, and left the fort on an old horse to procure (by hunting) food for the
garrison. This horse'was the only one left unslaughtered by the Indians
of forty brought to the country by Major M'G-ary. He proceeded, on these
occasions, cautiously to Salt River, generally riding in the bed of some small
stream to conceal his course. When sufficiently out of hearing, he would
kill his load of game and bring it in to the suffering people of the fort aftei
nightfall.
LOUISVILLE, the seat of justice for Jefferson county, is the largest city in
the state, and, next to Cincinnati and Pittsburg, the most important on the
Ohio. It is situated on the left bank of the river, at the head of the rapids,
65 miles by railroad W. of Frankfort, 130 below Cincinnati, 590 W. by S. from
Washington, and 1.411 above New Orleans. The city is built on a gentle ac-
clivity, 75 feet above low watermark, on a slightly undulating plain. Eight
handsome streets, nearly two miles in length, run east and west, parallel with
the river: they are crossed by more than 30 others running at right angles.
The situation and surrounding scenery of Louisville are beautiful, and from
some parts is had a delightful view of the Ohio River and of the town of
New Albany, a few miles below.
Its Immediate trade extends into all the surrounding country, and em-
braces within the state of Kentucky a circuit of one of the most productive
regions of the world. The manufactures of Louisville are very extensive,
embracing a great variety. It has founderies and machine shops, steam b;ig-
ging factories, cotton, woolen and tobacco factories, mills of various kinds,
distilleries, breweries, agricultural factories, etc. Ship building is also ex-
tensively carried on. The trade of Louisville is estimated at one hundred
millions of dollars annually. The principal agricultural exports are tobacco,
pork, hemp, and flour. It is connected with its suburb Portland by a rail-
road operated by horse power, and by a canal 2^ miles around the Falls of
the Ohio, with a total lockage of 22 feet. It is also connected by railroads
with the interior. Since the completion of the railroad to Nashville, an im-
nien.se trade has opened with the south, which has given a great impulse to
the prosperity of the city. Louisville contains many splendid public build-
ings, 10 banks, about 50 churches, and a population, in 1860, of 75,196.
The Medical Institute, organized iu 1837, by an ordinance of the city
KENTUCKY.
53
council, ranks high among the public institutions of Louisville. The Uni-
c<-r*i.ty of Louisville is in success! ul operation, and has buildings which are an
ornament to the city. The Marine Hospital, designed as a refuge for sick
View of the Central part of Louisville.
The view shows the appearance of the central part of Louisville, from tlie Indiana side of the Ohio.
The Ji.fiursou City Ft'iry Landing, and Gait House appear on ihe left, the Louisville Hotel in the dis-
tance nn the right, the Court House and City Hall, the Catholic and other Churches in the central part.
and infirm mariners, is an important public institution, located and established
'here in 1820, by a grant from the state of $40,000. Another Marine Asy-
lum has been erected here by the general government. The Asylum for the
H'iiid, established by the state in 1842, has a spacious building erected by
the joint contributions of the state and citizens of Louisville. The students,
beside their literary studies, are also instructed in various kinds of handi-
craft, by which they can support themselves after leaving the institution. 8f.
Juxr'/ilts Infirmary is a Catholic benevolent institution. The Kentucky ///*-
t'/rirttl Sucit-fy, in this place, was incorporated in 1838: it has collected valua-
ble documents relating to the early history of the state and of the west.
The Mercantile Library Association has a large and valuable collection of
books. The Arteuun Well, at Louisville, sends up immense quantities of
mineral water of rare medicinal value in various complaints, proving a bless-
ing as great as it was unexpected to the citizens.
The following, relative to the first settlement, etc., of Louisville, is from
Collins' Historical Sketches of Ky.:
Captain Thomas Bullitt, of Virginia, nncle of the late Alexander Scott Hullitt,
xviio was the first lieutenant-governor of Kentucky, is Raid to have laid oil' Louisville
i:i 1773. This was before the first log cabin was built in Kentucky. For s;venil
years after tins, the silence of the forest was undisturbed by the white man. The
placo was occasionally visited by different persons, but no settlement was made nn-
lil 1 77s. In the spring of this year, a p irty, consisting of a small number of
families, came to the Falls with George Rogers Clark, and were left by him on an
54
KENTUCKY.
island near the Kentucky shore, now called Corn Island. The name is suppose!
to have been derived from the circumstance that the settlers planted their first In
dian corn on this island.
These settlers were sixty or seventy miles distant from any other settlement, and
had nothing hut their insular position to defend them from the Indians. The posts
in the \Vabash country, occupied by the British, served as points of support for
the incursions of the savages. After these had been taken by Clark, the settlors
were inspired with confidence, and. in the fall of 1778, removed from the island to
the site now occupied by Louisville. Here a block house was erected, and the
number of settlers was increased by the arrival of other emigrants from Virginia.
In 1780, the legislature of Virginia passed 'an act for establishing the town of
Louisville, at the falls of Ohio.' By this act, 'John Todd, jr., Stephen Trigg. Geo.
Slaughter, John Floyd, William Pope, George Meriwether, Andrew Ilynes, James
Sullivan, gentlemen,' were appointed trustees to lay oft" the town on a tract of one
thousand acres of land, which had been granted to John Connelly by the British
government, and which he had forfeited by adhering to the English monarch.
Each purchaser was to build on his own lot 'a dwelling house sixteen feet by twenty
at least, with a brick or stone chimney, to be finished within two years from the day
of sale.' On account of the interruptions caused by the inroads of the Indians,
the time was afterward extended. The state of the settlers was one of constant
danger and anxiety. Their foes were continually prowling around, and it was
risking their lives to leave the fort.
The settlement at the falls was more exposed than those in the interior, on ac-
count of the facility with which the Indians could cross and recross the river, and
the difficulties in the way of pursuing them. The savages frequently crossed the
river, and after killing some of the settlers, and committing depredations upon
property, recrossed and escaped. In 1780, Colonel George Slaughter arrived at
the Falls with one hundred and fifty state troops. The inhabitants were inspired
with a feeling of security which led them frequently to expose themselves witli too
little caution. Their foes were ever on the watch, and were continually destroying
valuable lives. Danger and death crouched in every path, and lurked behind
every tree.
Medical and Late Colleges, Loninville.
The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the graveyards
of Louisville, the tirst three being in the old yard in the city, the remainder
in the Cave Hill Cemetery:
Erected by Dr. J. M. Tnlbot to the memory of his Father, dipt. ISHAM TALBOT, who de-
parted this life July 'M, 135'J, in his Slit year. He was born iu Virginia. At a tender age
KENTUCKY. 55
he entered the Army of the Revolution, was in the memorable battles of Brandy wine, Ger-
uaantown and Monmouth. Visited Ky. in '79, and after his permanent, location in '82, was
in the disastrous engagement with the Indiana at the Lower Blue Licks. He sustained
through life the character of a high minded, honorable gentleman. His Honesty and In-
tegrity were never questioned, and far better than all, he died with a bright hope of enjoying
eternal Life beyond the grave.
REV. ISAAC McCoy, born June 13th, 1784, died Juno 21st, 1836. For near 30 years, his
entire lime and energies were devoted to the civil and religious improvement of the Abo-
riginal tribes of this country. He projected and founded the plan of their Colonization,
their only hope, the imperishable monument of his wisdom and benevolence.
The Indian's Friend, for them he loved through life,
For them in death he breathed his final prayer.
Now from his toil he rests the care the strife
And waits in heaven, his works to follow there.
To the memory of MAJOR JOHN HARRISON, who was born in Westmoreland Co., Virginia,
A.D. 1754. After having fought for the Liberty of his Country during the struggles of the
American Revolution, he settled in Louisville in 1786, and paid nature's final debt, July 15th,
1821.
PEARSON FOLLAXSBF.E, City Missionary in Louisville, born March 4, 1808, in Vassalboro,
Me., died Sept. 6th, 1846. " Ho went about doing good. His record is on high."
00
Sacred to the memory of JOHN McKiNr.EY, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of (lie
U. S. Born May 1, 1780; died July 19, 1852. " In his manner he was simple and ur.af-
fected. and his character was uniformly marked with manliness, integrity and honor. He
was a candid, impartial and righteous judge, shrinking from no responsibility. He was
fearless in the performance of his duty, seeking only to do right, and fearing nothing but
to do wrong." Hon. J. J. Critteiideii'v remark* in U. <S'. Court.
WM. H. G. BUTLER, born in Jefferson Co., Ind., Oct. 3, 1825, died at Louisville, Ky.,
Nov. 2, 1853. A man without fear and without reproach, of gentle and retiring disposi-
tion, of clear and vigorous mind ; an accomplished scholar, a devoted and successful
teacher, a meek and humble Christian. He fell by the hand of violence in the presence of
his loving pupils, a Martyr to his fidelity in the discharge of duty. This monument is
erected by his pupils, and a bereaved community, to show their appreciation of his worth,
and to perpetuate their horror at his murder.
JANE McCcu.oucn, wife of John Martin, died by the falling of the Walnut Presby-
terian Church, Aug. 27, 1854. Aged 59 years.
She loved the Courts of God below, And while engaged in worship there,
There found her Saviour uigh, Was called to those on high.
Annexed is a view of (he magnificent bridge over Green River on the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Excepting the Victoria Bridge, at Mon-
treal, it is the largest iron bridge on this continent. The iron work of the
superstructure, which was built by In man & Gault, of Louisville, was begun
iu July, 1858, and by July, 1850, the bridge was in its place ready for the
passage of trains.
" It cro*sos the valley of (Ireen Hivcr near tlio town of Mumfordsville, Kentucky,
ftbmit 70 mill's from Louisville, and twenty miles above the celebrated Mammoth
Cave, which is located on the same stream. Its total length is 1,000 feet, consist-
ing nf three spans of 208 feet, and two of 288 feet each; is 118 feet above low-
water; contains 638.000 pounds of cast, and 38 1,000 pounds of wrought iron, and
12,") 00 cubic feet of timber in the form of rail joists. There are 10,220 cubic yards
of masonry in the piers and abutments. The cost of the superstructure, includ-
ing that of erection, was sixty-eight dollars per foot lineal -that of the entire work,
$105,000. The plan of truss is that invented by Albert Fink, the designer and
constructor of the bridges and viaducts on the Haltimore and Ohio Railroad; and
is peculiar in this, that it is self compensating and self-adjusting, and no extremes
of temperature can put it i:i such a condition that all the parts can not act in their
accustomed manner and up to their full capacity."
50
KENTUCKY.
The celebrated Mammoth C<tc<>, one of the great wonders of the western
world, is in Edmondson county, near the line of the Louisville and Nashville
Irvit Jj.'id/je ore/' Grtt'n .tiiccr.
Railroad, and about 90 miles from each of the two cities. It is said to have
been explored to the distance of 10 miles without reachingits termination, while
the aggregate width of all
its branches exceeds forty
miles.
" The cave is approached
through a romantic shade.
At the entrance is a rush
of cold air ; :t descent of 30
1'tet, Ky stone steps, and an
advaneeof 150 feet inward,
brings the visitor to tho
door, in a solid stone wall,
which blocks up the en-
trance of the cave. A nar
row passage leads to tho
great vestibule, or ante
chamber, an oval hall, '200
by 150 feet, and 50 feet
high. Two passages, of
one hundred feet width,
open into it, and the whole
is supported without a sin-
gle column. This chamber
was used liv tho races of
yore as a cemetery, judg-
ing from tlic hones of gi-
gantic size which are dis-
covered. A hundred feet
GUTHIC CHAPE,., MAMM.TH CAVK. !lboVO 3'" r bead, VOU catch
a fitful glimpse of a dark
gray ceiling, rolling dimly away like a cloud; and heavy Imttresses, apparently
KENTUCKY. 57
Lending under the superincumbent weight, project their enormous masses from the
shadowy \vall. Tlie scene is vast, solemn, and awful. In the silence that pervades,
you can distinctly hear the IhrohbingB of your heart. Jn Audnbon Avenue, load-
'.ng from the hall, is a deep well of pure spring water, surrounded by stalagmite
column? from (he floor to the roof. The Little Bat Room contains a pit of 2SO
feet deep, and is the resort of myriads of bats. The Grand Gallery is a vast tun-
nel, many miles long and 50 feet high, and as wide. At the end of the first quar-
tur of a mile are the Kentucky Cliffy, and the Church, 100 feet in diameter and
ii ! feet high. A natural pulpit and organ loft are not wanting. ' In tin's temple
religious services have frequently been performed.' The Gothic Avenue, reached
by a flight of stairs, is 40 feet wide, 15 feet high, and 2 miles long. Mummies have
been discovered here, which have been the subject of curious study to science;
'h:-i\' are also stalagmites and stalactites in Louisa's Bower and Vulcan's Furnace.
On the Avails of the Register Itoonis are inscribed thousands of names. The
(lotliic C/iapa/, or Ktn?t/</inife Hall, is an elliptical chamber, 80 feet long by 50
wide. Stalagmite columns of immense si/c nearly block up the two ends; and
two rows of pillars of smaller dimensions, reaching from the floor to the ceilin<r,
and cqui-distant from the wall on either side, extend the entire length of the hall.
This apartment is one of surprising grandeur, and when illuminated with lamps,
inspires the beholder with feelings of solemnity and awe. At the foot of the
Dfvii ' s Arm Cliair is a small basin of sulphur water. Then there is the Breast-
imrk, the Elephants Head, Lover Leap, Gatewood's Dining Table, and the Cool-
in;/ Tub, a basin 6 feet wide and 3 feet deep, of the purest water, Napoleoii s Dome,
etc. The Ball Room contains an orchestra 15 feet high; near by is a row of
<"ihin> forcon>nnjptivo patients the atmosphere being always temperate and pure.
The Star C haml>cr presents an optical illusion. 'In looking up, the spectator
seems to see the firmament itself, studded with stars, and afar off a comet with a
bright tail.' The Temple is an immense vault, covering nn area of two acres, and
covered by a single dome of solid rock, 120 feet high. It rivals the celebrated
vault in the (h'otto of Antiparos, which is the largest in the world. In the middle
of the dome there is a large mound of rocks rising on one side nearly to the top,
very steep, and forming what is called the Mountain. The River Hall descends
like the slope of a mountain; the ceiling stretches away before you, vast and grand
as the firmament at midnight. A short distance on the left is a steep precipice,
over which you can look down, by the aid of torches, upon a broad, black sheet
of water, 80 feet below, called the Dead Sea. This is an awfully impressive place,
the sights and sounds of which do not easily pass from memory."
Mitij&oille is situated on the left bank of the Ohio, 73 miles N.E. from
Fnmki'ort, 441 below Pittsburg, and 55 above Cincinnati by the river. It is
beautifully located on a high bank, having a range of lofty verdant hills or
bluffs rising immediately behind the city. Maysville has a good harbor, and
is the port of a large and productive section of the state. Among the pub-
lic buildings, there is a handsome city hall, 2 large seminaries, a hospital
and 7 churches. Bagging, rope, machinery, agricultural implements, and
various other articles, are extensively manufactured. It is one of the largest
hemp markets in the Union. Population about 3,000.
Maysville was known for many years as Limestone, from the Creek of that
name, which here empties into the Ohio. It received its present name from
John Mai/, the owner of the land, a gentleman fVom Virginia. The first set-
tlement was made at this place in 1784, and a double log cabin and block
house were built by Edward and John Waller, and George Lewis, of Vir-
ginia. Col. Daniel Boone resided here in 1786, and while here made a
treaty with the Indians at the mouth of Fishing Gut, opposite Maysville.
The town was established in 1788. The first school was opened in 17UO, by
Israel Donaldson, who had been a captive among the Indians. The frontier
and exposed situation of Maysville retarded its progress for many years, and
58
KENTUCKY.
it was not until about the year 1815, that its permanent improvement fairly
commenced. It was incorporated a city in 18o3.
17<?*r <>f f/ie Month of Lickiuy River, Jie/iretn Newpwt and Covimjton.
The Suspension Iiritlgu lietween Newport ami Covin^ton is seen in the central part, passing over Licking
River. The U. S. Burrar.ks, in Newport, appear on the left, part of Covington on the right.
COVINGTON is in Kenton county, on the west side of Licking River, at its
mouth, also on the south bank of the Ohio, opposite Cincinnati, and at the
northern terminus of the Kentucky Central Railroad: it is GO miles N.N.E.
from Frankfort. It is built on a beautiful plain several miles in extent, and
the streets are so arranged as to appear, from the hills back of Cincinnati, as
a continuation of that city, of which, with Newport, it is a suburb. The fa-
cilities of communication are such that many persons reside here, whose
places of business are in Cincinnati. Its manufacturing interests are ex-
tensive and varied. A magnificent suspension bridge is now constructing
over the Ohio, to connect Covington with Cincinnati.- Population about
15,000.
Newport is on a handsome plain, on the Ohio River, opposite Cincinnati:
it is separated from Covington by Licking River, with which it is connected
by a beautiful suspension bridge. An U. S. arsenal and barracks are located
here. It contains several rolling mills, iron founderies, steam mills, etc.
Population about 12,000.
The valley of the Ohio, a short distance from the Licking, was the scene of
a most sanguinary event years before white men had settled in this vicinity.
It was Rogers' defeat and massacre, which occurred in the fall of 177!), at
which time this spot, and the site of the now flourishing city of Cincinnati,
opposite, was one dense forest :
Col. David Rogers and Capt. Kenham, with 100 men, were in two largo keel
boats, on their way from New Orleans, with supplies of ammunition .arid provis-
ions for the western posts. In October, when near the mouth of the Licking, a
fow Indians were seen, and supposing himself to be superior in numbers, Kodjgers
landed to attack them, and was led into an Rtnbtuoade of 400 Indians. The whites
fought with desperation, but in a furious onset with tomahawk and scalping-knife,
tho commander, with about ninety of his men, were soon dispatched. The ecapo
of Capt. Uenharn was almost miraculous. A shot passed through both legs, shat-
KENTUCKY. 59
tering the bones. With great pain he dragged himself into the top of a fallen tree,
where he lay concealed from the search of the Indians after the battle was over.
He remained there until the evening of the next day, when, being in danger of
famishing, he shot a raccoon which he perceived descending a tree near where he
lay. Just at that moment he heard a human cry, apparently within a few rods.
Supposing it. to be an enemy, he loaded his gun and remained silent. A second,
and then a third halloo was given, accompanied by the exclamation, 'Whoever yon
are, for God's sake answer me?' This time Benham replied, and soon found tin;
unknown to be a fellow soldier, with both arms broken ! Thus each was enabled
to supply the deficiency of the other. Benham could load and shoot game, while
his companion could kick it to Benham to cook. In this way they supported them-
selves for several weeks until their wounds heuled sufficiently to enable them to
move down to the mouth of Licking Itiver, where they remained until the 27th of
November, when a flat-boat appeared moving by on the river. They hailed the
boat, but the crew fearing it to be an Indian decoy, at first refused to come to their
aid, but eventually were prevailed upon to take them on board. Both of them re-
covered. Benham served tli rough the Indian wars down to the victory of Wayne,
and subsequently resided near Lebanon, Ohio, until his death, about the year
1808.
The Blue Lick Springs is a watering place of high repute on the Licking
River, in Nicholas county, 19 miles from Lexington, and 80 miles south-
easterly from Covington. At an early period, the Licks became a place of
much importance to the settlers, as it was chiefly here that they procured, at
great labor and expense, their supply of salt. In modern times it has be-
come a fashionable place of resort, the accommodations greatly extended,
and the grounds improved and adorned. The Blue Lick water has become
an article of commerce, several thousand barrels being annually exported.
It was at this place, on the 19th of Aug., 1782, that a bloody battle was
fought with the Indians, "which shrouded Kentucky in mourning," and,
next to St. Glair's defeat, has become famous in the annals of savage war-
fare. Just prior to this event, the enemy had been engaged in the siege of
Bryant's Station, a post on the Elkhorn, about five miles from Lexington.
As the battle was a sequel to the other, we give the narrative of the first in
connection, as described in McClung's Sketches:
In the summer of 1782, 600 Indians, under the influence of the British at De-
troit, assembled at old Chillicothe, to proceed on an expedition to exterminate the
" Long Knife" from Kentucky, and on the night of the 14th of August, this body
gathered around Bryant's Station. The fort itself contained about forty cabins,
placed in parallel lines, connected by strong palisades, and garrisoned by forty or
fifty men. It was a parallelogram of thirty rods in length by twenty in breadth,
forming an inclosure of nearly four acres, which was protected by digging a trench
four or five feet deep, in which strong and heavy pickets were planted by ramming
the earth well down against them. These were twelve feet out of the ground,
being formed of hard, durable timber, at least a foot in diameter. Such a wall, it
must be obvious, defied climbing or leaping, and indeed any means of attack, can-
non excepted. At the angles were small squares or block-houses, which projected
beyond the palisades, and served to impart additional strength at the corners, as
well as permitted the besieged to pour a raking fire across the advanced party of
the assailants. Two folding gates were in front and rear, swinging on prodigious
wooden hinges, sufficient for the pas'sage in and out of men or wagons in times of
security. These were of course provided with suitable bars.
This was the state of things, as respects the means of defense, at Bryant's Sta-
tion on the morning of the 15th of August, 1782, while the savages lay concealed
in the thick weeds around it, which in those days grew so abundantly and tall, as
would have sufficed to conceal mounted horsemen. They waited for daylight, and
the opening of the gates for the garrison to get water for the day's supply from an
adjacent spring, before they should commence the work of carnage.
(JO KENTUCKY.
It seems that the garrison here were rather taken off their guard. Some of (ho
palisade work had not been secured as permanently as possible, and the original
party which built the fort had been tempted, in the hurry of constructing and thcii
fewness of hands, to restrict its extent, so as not to include a spring of water within
its limits. <Jreat as were these disadvantages, they were on the eve of exposure tc
a still greater one, for had the attack been delayed a few hours, the garrison w< -ukl
have been found disabled by sending off a reinforcement to a neighboring staticu
Holder's settlement on an unfounded alarm that it was attacked by a party of
savages. As it was, no sooner had a few of the men made their appearance out-
side of the gate than they were fired on, and compelled to regain the inside.
According to custom, the Indians resorted to stratagem for success. A detach-
ment of one hundred warriors attacked the south-cast angle of the station, calcu-
lating to draw the entire body of the besieged to that quarter to repel the attack,
and thus enable the residue of the assailants, five hundred strong, who were on the
opposite side in ambush near the spring, to take advantage of its unprotected situ-
ation, when the whole force of the defense should be drawn off to resist the assault
at the south-east. Their purpose, however, was comprehended inside, and instead
of returning the fire of the smaller party, they secretly dispatched an express to
Lexington for assistance, and began to repair the palisades, and otherwise to put
themselves in the best possible posture of defense.
The more experienced of the garrison felt satisfied that a powerful party was in
ambuscade near the spring, but at the same time, they supposed that the Indians
would not unmask themselves until the firing upon the opposite side of the fort
was returned with such warmth as to induce the belief that the feint had suc-
ceeded. Acting upon this impression, and yielding to the urgent necessity of the
case, they summoned all the women, without exception, and explaining to them the
circumstances in which they were placed, and the improbability that any injury
would be offered them until the firing had been returned from the opposite side of
the fort, they urged them to go in a body to the spring and each to bring up a
bucket full of water. Some of the ladies had no relish for the undertaking, and
asked why the men could not bring water as well as themselves ? observing that
they were not bullet proof, and that the Indians made no distinction between male
and female scalps. To this it was answered, that the women were in the habit of
bringing water every morning to the fort^and that if the Indians saw them engaged
as usual, it would induce them to believe that their ambuscade was undiscovered,
and that they would not unmask themselves for the sake of firing upon a few
women, when they hoped, by remaining concealed a few moments longer, to obtain
complete possession of the fort. That if men should <ro down to the spring the In-
dians would immediately suspect that something was wrong, would despair of suc-
ceeding by ambuscade, and would instantly rush upon them, follow them into the
fort, or shoot them down at the spring. "The decision was soon over. A few of
the boldest declared their readiness to brave the danger, and the younger and more
timid rallying in the rear of these veterans, they all marehed down in a body to
the spring, within point blank shot of five hundred Indian warriors! Some of the
girls could not help betraying symptoms of terror, but the married women, in gen-
eral, moved with a steadiness and composure which completely deceived the In-
dians. Not a shot was fired. The party were permitted to fill their buckets one
alter another, without interruption, and although their steps became quicker and
quicker on their return, and when near the fort degenerated into a rather unmili-
tiirv celerity, attended with some little crowding at the gate, yet not more than one
fifth of the water was spilled.
When an ample supply of water had been thus obtained, and the neglected de-
fT,st-< completed, a party of thirteen men sallied out in the direction in which the
;:-is;ui!t had been made. They were fired on by the savages, and driven again within
the palisades, but without sustaining any loss of life. Immediately the live hun-
dred on the opposite side rushed to the assault of what they deemed the unpro-
tected side of the fort, without entertaining any doubts of their success. A weil
directed fire, however, put them promptly to flight. Some of the mere daring and
desperate approached near enough with burning arrows to fire thr houses, one or
two of which were burned, but a favorable wind drove the flames awav from the
KENTUCKY. gj
mass of the buildings, and the station escaped the danger threatened from this
source. A second assault from the great b'ody of the Indians, was repelled with
the same vigor and success as the first.
Disappointed of their object thus far, the assailants retreated, and concealed
themselves under the bank of the creek to await and intercept the arrival of the
assistance which they were well aware was on its way from Lexington. The ex-
press from Bryant's Station reached that town without difficulty, but found its
male inhabitants had loft there to aid in the defense of Holder's Station, which
was reported to be attacked. Following their route, he overtook them at Booties
borough, and sixteen mounted men, with thirty on foot, immediately retraced their
steps for the relief of the besieged at Bryant's. When this reinforcement ap-
proached the fort, the firing had entirely ceased, no enemy was visible, and the
party advanced in reckless confidence that it was cither a false alarm, or that the
Indians had abandoned the siege. Their avenue to the garrison was a lane be-
tween two cornfields, which growing rank and thick formed an effectual hiding
place to the Indians even at the distance of a few yards. The line of ambush ex-
tended on both sides nearly six hundred yards. Providentially it was in the heat
qf midsummer, and dry accordingly, and the approach of the horsemen raised a
cloud of dust so thick as to compel the enemy to fire at random, and the whites
happily escaped without losing a man.. The footmen, on hearing the firing in
front, dispersed amidst the corn, in hopes of reaching the garrison unobserved.
Here they were intercepted by the savages, who threw themselves between them
and the fort, and but for the luxuriant growth of corn they must all have been shot
down. As it was, two men were killed and four wounded of the party on foot, bo-
fore it succeeded in making its way into the fort.
Thus reinforced, the garrison felt assured of safety, while in the same measure
the assailing party began to despair of success.
One expedient remained, which was resorted to for the purpose of intimidating
the brave spirits who were gathered for the defense of their wives and little ones.
As the shades of evening approached, Girty, who commanded the party, addressed
the inmates of the fort. Mounting a stump, from which he could be distinctly
heard, with a demand for the surrender of the place, he assured the garrison that a
reinforcement with cannon would arrive that night, that the station must fall, that he
could assure them of protection if they surrendered, but could not restrain the
Indians if they carried the fort by storrn; adding, he supposed they knew who it
was that thus addressed them. A young man, named Reynolds, fearing the effect
yhich the threat of cannon might have on the minds of the defending party, with
the fate of Martin's and Ruddle's Stations fresh in their memories, left no oppor-
tunity for conference, by replying instantly, that he knew him well, and held him
in such contempt that he had called a good for nothing dog he had by the name
of Simon Girty. ' Know you,' added he, ' we all know you for a renegade cowardly
villain, that delights in murdering women and children? Wait until morning,
and you will find on what side the reinforcements are. We expect to leave not
nne of your cowardly souls alive, and if you are caught, our women shall whip you
to death with hickory switches. Clear out, you cut-throat villain.' Some of the
Kentuckians shouted out, 'Shoot the d d rascal!' and Girty was glad to retreat
out of the range of their rifles lest some one of the garrison might be tempted to
adopt the advice.
Ihe night passed away in uninterrupted tranquillity, and at daylight in the morn-
ing the Indian *amp was found deserted. Fires were still burning brightly, and
several pieces of meat were left upon their roasting sticks, from which it was in-
ferred that they had retreated just before daybreak.
Rattle of the ftlne Licks. Early in the day reinforcements began to drop in,
and by noon 167 men were assembled at Bryant's Station, among whom were Cols.
Boone. Todd, and Trigg; Majors Harland, McBride, M'Gary, and Levy Todd ; and
Captains l>ul/.er and Gordon; of the last six named, except Todd and M'Gary, all
fell in the subsequent battle. A tumultuous conversation ensued, and it was unan-
imously resolved to pursue the enemy forthwith, notwithstanding that they wero
three to one in numbers. The Indians, contrary to their usual custom, left a broad
and obvious trail, and manifested a willingness to be pursued. Notwithstanding,
>.> KENTUCKY.
such was the impetuosity of the Kentuckians, that they overlooked these consid
orations, and hastened on with fatal resolution, most of them being mounted.
The next day, about noon, they came, for the first time, in view of the enemy
t the Lower Blue Licks. A number of Indians were seen ascending the rocky
ridge on the opposite side of the Licking. They halted upon the appearance of
the Kentuckians, and gazed at them a few moments, and then calmly and leisurely
disappeared over the top of the hill. An immediate halt ensued. A dozen or
twenty officers met in front of the ranks and entered into a consultation. The
wild and lonely aspect of the country around them, their distance from any point
of support, with the certainty of their being in the presence of a superior enemy,
seoms to have inspired a portion of seriousness bordering upon awe. All eyes
were now turned upon Boone, and Col. Todd asked his opinion as to what should
be done. The veteran woodsman, with his usual unmoved gravity, replied:
That their situation was critical and delicate ; that the force opposed to them
was undoubtedly numerous and ready for battle, as might readily be seen from the
leisurely retreat of the few Indians who had appeared on the crest of the hill; that
he was well acquainted with the ground in the neighborhood of the Lick, and was
apprehensive that an ambuscade was formed at the distance of a mile in advance,
where two ravines, one upon each side of the ridge, ran in such a manner that a
concealed enemy might assail them at once both in front and flank, before they
were apprised of the danger.
It would be proper, therefore, to do one of two things. Either to await the arri
val of Logan, who was now undoubtedly on his march to join them, with a strong
force from Lincoln, or, if it was determined to attack without delay, that one half
of their number should march up the river, which there bends in an elliptical form,
cross at the rapids and fall upon the rear of the enemy, while the other division
attacked in front. At any rate, he strongly urged the necessity of rcconnoitering
the ground carefully before the main body crossed the river.
Boone was heard in silence and with deep attention. Some wished to adopt the
first plan; others preferred the second; and the discussion threatened to be drawn
out to some length, when the boiling ardor of M'Gary, who could never endure the
presence of an enemy without instant battle, stimulated him to an rfct, which had
nearly proved destructive to his country. He suddenly interrupted the consulta-
tion with a loud whoop, resembling the war-cry of the Indians, spurred his horse
into the stream, waved his hat over his head, and shouted aloud: 'Let all who are
not cowards follow me ! ' The words and the action together, produced a i electri-
cal effect. The mounted men dashed tumultuously into the river, each striving to
be foremost. The footmen were mingled with them in one rolling and irregular
mass.
No order was given, and none observed. They struggled through a deep ford as
well as they could. M'Gary still leading the van, closely followed by Majors Unr
land and McBride. With the same rapidity they ascended the ridge, which, by
the trampling of Buffalo foragers, had been stripped bare of all vegetation, with
the exception of a few dwarfish cedars, and which was rendered still more desolate
in appearance, by the multitude of rocks, blackened by the sun, which was spread
over its surface.
Suddenly the van halted. They had reached the spot mentioned by Boone,
where the two ravines head, on each side of the ridge. Here a body of Indians
presented themselves, and attacked the van. M'Gary's party instantly returned
the fire, but under great disadvantage. They were upon a bare and open ridge;
the Indians in a bushy ravine. The center and rear, ignorant of the ground-, hur-
ried up to the assistance of the van, but were soon stopped by a terrible fire from
the ravine, which flanked them. They found themselves inclosed as if in the wings
of a net, destitute of proper shelter, while the enemy were, in a great measure,
covered from their fire. Still, however, they maintained their ground. The action
became warm and bloody. The parties gradually closed, the Indians emerged
from the ravine, and the fire became mutually destructive. The officers sufi'orod
dreadfully. Todd and Trigg, in the rear; Harland, Me Bride, and young Boone, in
front, were already killed.
The Indians gradually extended their line, to turn the ri^ht of the Kentuckians.
KENTUCKY. (33
and cut off their retreat. This was quickly perceived by the weight of the fire
from that quarter, and the rear instantly fell back in disorder, and attempted to
rush through their only opening to the river. The motion quickly communicated
itself to the van, and a hurried retreat became general. The Indians instantly
sprung forward in pursuit, and falling upon them with their tomahawks, made n.
cruel slaughter. From the battleground to the river, the spectacle was terrible.
The horsemen generally escaped, but the foot, particularly the van, which had ad-
vanced farthest within the wings of the net, were almost totally destroyed. Col.
Boone, after witnessing the death of his son -and many of his dearest friends,
found himself almost entirely surrounded at the very commencement of the ro-
treat.
Several hundred Indians were between him and the ford, to which the great
mass of the fugitives were bending their flight, and to which the attention of the
savages was principally directed. Being intimately acquainted with the ground,
he, together with a few friends, dashed into the ravine which the Indians had occu-
pied, but which most of them had now left to join in the pursuit. After sustaining
one or two heavy fires, and baffling one or two small parties, who pursued him for
a short distance, he crossed the river below the ford, by swimming, and entering
the wood at a point where there was no pursuit, returned by a circuitous route to
Bryant's Station. In the meantime, the great mass of the victors and vanquished
crowded the bank of the ford.
The slaughter was great in the river. The ford was crowded with horsemen and
foot and Indians, all mingled together. Some were compelled to seek a passage
above by swimming; some, who could not swim, were overtaken and killed at the
edge of the water. A man by the name of Netherland, who had formerly been
strongly suspected of cowardice, here displayed a coolness and presence of mind,
equally noble and unexpected.
Being among the first in gaining the opposite bank, he then instantly checked
his horse, and in a loud voice, called upon his companions to halt, fire upon the
Indians, and save those who were still m the stream. The party instantly obeyed,
and facing about, poured a close and fatal discharge of rifles upon the foremost of
the pursuers. The enemy instantly fell back from the opposite bank, and gave
time for the harrassed and miserable footmen to cross in safety. The check, how-
ever, was but momentary. Indians were seen crossing in great numbers above and
below, and the flight again became general. Most of the foot left the great buffalo
track, and plunging into the thickets, escaped by a circuitous route to Bryant's
Station.
But little loss was sustained after crossing the river, although the pursuit was
urged keenly for twenty miles. From the battle-ground to the ford, the loss was
very heavy; and at that stage of the retreat, there occurred a rare and striking in-
stance of magnanimity, which it would be criminal to omit. The reader could not
have forgotten young Reynolds, who replied with such rough but ready humor to
the pompous summons of Girty, at the siege of Bryant's. This young man, after
bearing his share in the action with distinguished gallantry, was galloping with
several other horsemen in order to reach the ford. The great body of fugitives
had preceded them, and their situation was in the highest degree critical anil dan-
gerous.
About half way between the battle-ground and the river, the party overtook
Capt Patterson, on foot, exhausted by the rapidity of the flight, and in consequence
of former wounds received from the Indians, so infirm as to be unable to keep up
with the main body of the men on foot. The Indians were close behind him, and
his fate seemed inevitable. Reynolds, upon coming up with this brave officer, in-
stantly sprung from his horse, aided Patterson to mount into the saddle, and con-
tinued his own flight on foot. Being remarkably active and vigorous, he contrived
to elude his pursuers, and turning off from the main road, plunged into the river
near the spot where Boone had crossed, and swam in safety to the opposite side.
Unfortunately he wore a pair of buckskin breeches, which had become so heavy
and full of water as to prevent his exerting himself with his usual activity, and
while sitting down for the purpose of pulling them off, he was overtaken by a party
of Indians, and made prisoner.
04
KENTUCKY.
A prisoner is rarely put to death by the Tn lian*. unVss \v >;nd"d or in Finn, until
.hoy return to their own country; and tlion his late is decided in solemn couii'-ii.
Young Reynolds, therefore, was treated kindly, and compelled to accompany his
i; iptors in the pursuit. A small party of Kentuokians soon attracted their atten-
tion; and he was left in charge of three Indians, who, eager in pursuit, in turn
committed him to the charge of one of their nuiul)er. wiiile they followed their
companions. Reynolds and his guard jogged along very leisurely; the former to-
faiiv unarmed; the latter, with a tomahawk and rifle in his h.i:id-<. At length the
lad'.an stopped to tie his moccasin, when Reynolds instantly sprung upon him.
k'v>cked him down with his fist, and quickly disappeared in the thicket which MU-
rounded them. For his act oi' g3nerosity, Capt. Patterson afterward made him a
iir,--eut of two hundred acres of first rate land.
The melancholy intelligence rapidly spread throughout the country, and the
whole land was covered with mourning, for it was the severest loss that Kjnru.-ky
had ever experienced in Indian warfare, Sixty Kentuckians were slain and a
number taken prisoners. The loss of the Indians, while the battle lasted, wa* ;\}~<>
considerable, though far inferior to that of the whites.
On the very day of the battle, 1 Col. Logan arrived at Bryant's Station with four
hundred and fifty men. Fearful of some disaster, he marched on with the utmost
diligence, and soon met the foremost of the fugitives. Learning from thorn the sad
tidings, he continued on, hoping to coma up with the enemy at the field of battle
which he reached on the second day. The enemy were gone, but the bodies of the
Kentuckians still lay unburied on the spot where they had fallen. Immense Hocks
of buzzards were soaring over the battle ground, and the bodies of the dead had
become so much swollen and disfigured that it was impossible to recognize (he
features of the most particular friends. Many corpses were floating near the shoro
of the northern bank, already putrid from the ( ction of the sun, and partially eaten
by fishes. The whole were carefully collected by Col. Logan, and interred" as de-
cently as the nature of the soil would permit."
South-western view of Lexington Court If<i.<f.
LKXINGTON. the county scat of Fayette county, is a reniarkabiy neat ami
!)o-iutii'ul city, situated on a branch of Elkliorn River. 2f> miVs S.iv from
F rank fort, 85 from Cincinnati, 77 S.K. from Louisville, and ">1~ from Wash
'ii'_ r ton City. The streets of Lexington are laid o-u at right angles, well
paved, and bordered with ornamental trees. Many of the private residences
and several of the public edifices are fine specimens of architectural tasle,
while the surroundimi country, rich and highly cultivated, is adornerl with
elegant mansions. The city cont-iins a court bouse, a Mason;;: Hall, the
State Lunatic Asylum. 12 churches, the Transylva.ni-1 University, several
aoademies and an orphan asylum. It is celebrated throughout the Union loi
KENTUCKY.
65
its intelligent and polished society, and as an elegant place of residence.
Population about 12,000.
Lexington was founded in 1776. About the first of April in this year, a
block house was built here, and the settlement commenced under the influ-
ence of Col. Robert Patterson, joined by the Messrs. McConnels, Lindseys,
and James Masterson. Maj. John Morrison removed his family soon after
from Harrodsburg, and his wife was the first white woman in the infant set-
tlement. It appears that a party of hunters in 1775, while encamped on
the spot where Lexington is now built, heard of the first conflict between fhe
British and Provincial forces, at Lexington, Mass. In commemoration of
this event, they called the place of their encampment Lexington.
Transylvania University, the oldest college in the state, was established in
1798, and has departments of law and medicine. The medical school has
eight professors. Connected with the institution is a fine museum and a very
valuable library, with chemical apparatus, etc. The State Lunatic Asylum lo-
cated here is a noble institution. Lexington was incorporated by Virginia in
1782, and was for several years the seat of government of the state. The
"Kentucky Gazette" was established here in 1787, by the brothers John and
Fielding Bradford, and, excepting the Pittsburg Gazette, is the oldest paper
west of the Alleghany Mountains.
Ashland, the home of HENRY CLAY, is about one and a half miles from
Lexington. Mr. Clay lived at Ashland between forty and fifty years. His
house was a modest, spacious,
agreeable mansion, two sto-
ries high. Since the death
of Mr. Clay, this building
having become somewhat
dilapidated and insecure, his
son, James B. Clay, Esq.,
had it taken down and a
more elegant edifice erected
upon the same spot, and with
but slight modifications of
the original plan. Mr. Clay
has many interesting relics
of his father, which are care-
fully preserved in the new
building. The estate, consisting of about 600 acres, bore the name of Ash-
land before it came into the possession of Mr. Clay, probably on account of
the ash timber, with which it abounds. By Mr. C.'s management, it became
one of the most delightful retreats in the west; the whole tract, except about
200 acres of park, was under the highest state of cultivation. When its
illustrious occupant was living, it was the abode of elegant hospitality, and
thousands then annually thronged thither to pay their respects to the states-
man, who had such a hold upon the affections of his countrymen that, when
he was defeated for the presidency, an intensity of sorrow* was every wherp
*A friend tells us that he recollects attending, in a distant New England city, an im-
promptu political meeting which had gathered in a public hall at this time. Various
speeches of condolence had been made by those, who, in their ardor, had regarded the suc-
cess of their candidate as identified with the salvation of their country, when an agod man,
with silvered hair, arose to offer comfort in the general sorrow. lie had but three words ;
but, Christian-like, he started for those three straightway to the BIBLE. He raised his tall
slender form to its full hight, with palrus uplifted, and then bowing submissively, uttered
in prayerful tones " The I^ord reign*!"
ASIII.AMI, RESIDENCE OF HENRY CLAY.
66
KENTUCKY.
exhibited that never was equalled by any similar occurrence in the history
of the country. A stranger in the place not long subsequent, thus describes
his impressions of the town and visit to Ashland:
No where is there a more delightful rural tract in all our broad land, than that
part of this state in the vicinity of Lexington the celebrated "blue grass" region
of Kentucky. For miles and miles, in every direction, it is bedecked with grace-
ful curving lawns, wood embowered cottages, and tall open forests, where not a
shrub rises to mar the velvety sward that every where carpets the earth in living
green. Enter the dwellings, and you will find them the abodes of elegance and
taste. Your reception will he frank and hospitable. The town, Lexington, is well
worthy of the country. It has a highly cultivated population, institutions of liter-
ature, elegant mansions, partly concealed in groves of locusts, whose tiny fragile
leaves gently dance in the sunlight to the softest zephyr, and is, moreover, the home
of one whose very name holds a dear place in our memories.
In a minor street of this beautiful town, is a plain two story brick edifice, over
the doors of which is the sign, H. & J. B. CLAY. One morning, a few weeks
since, I entered its plainly furnished office, and, in the absence of its occupants,
helped myself to a chair and a newspaper, that industrious whig sheet, the New
York Tribune. In a few minutes in walked a tall, elderly gentleman, attired in
black coat, and white pantaloons. My eyes had never before rested upon him, but
it needed not a second glance to know HENRY CLAY. I presented a letter of intro-
duction, upon which, after some little conversation, he invited me out to tea at his
seat, Ashland, some twenty minutes Avalk from the central part of the town. At
the appointed hour, I was on my way thither, and from a gate on the roadside ap-
proached the mansion by a winding path of maybe thirty rods in length. It stands
on a smooth, undulating lawn of the purest green, fringed by a variety of trees.
The open door disclosed to my view two elderly ladies, seated in one of the three
rooms into which a common entry led. One of them, Mrs. Clay, called to me to
walk in, and directed me to the flower garden in the rear of the house, where stood
Judge 11., of Ohio, and her husband. The former, as I was introduced by Mr.
Clay, received me with the stiffness of the north the latter met me in the cordial,
off hand manner of an old acquaintance. He then showed us some rare plants,
joked with his little grandchild, and we entered the house. Passing through the
room where sat his lady and the wife of the judge, he pleasantly said " these
ladies have some conspiracy together, let us walk into the parlor." On the hearth
was an elegant rug, with the words worked in it, "PROTECTION TO AMERICAN INDUS-
TRY; " around were busts and paintings. The furniture was old fashioned, but
rich, and an air of comfort pervaded the apartment. Among the curiosities shown
us by Mr. Clay, was the identical wine glass used by Washington through the Rev-
olution.
The conversation of Mr. Clay is frequently anecdotical, and his knowledge of
all parts of our country, their condition, prospects and people, renders it easy foi
him to adapt himself in familiar topics. to the great variety of characters that
assemble at his residence. His manner is one of entire ease. Taking out a goLden
snuff box, he drew in a pinch of its exhilarating powder with an air of solid satis-
faction ; then spreading his handkerchief in his lap, he leaned forward his whole
body, with his forearms folded and resting on his knees, and talked with us in the
most genial, social way, like a fine, fatherly, old country gentleman as, indeed,
he is.
Now that I have seen Henry Clay, I do not wonder at the hold he has upon the
affections of our people. Benevolence is the strongest expression in his counte-
nance, and the humblest individual can not but feel, in his presence, as much at
ease as if by his own fireside. His manner is irresistible: such as would enable
him, if need there was, to say disagreeable things in a way that would occasion
you to thank him for it. Literally, his is the power to give "hard facts with soft
words."
When Henry Clay walks the streets of Lexington, the citizens gaze upon him
with pride, and greet him with pleasure. A kind word and a smile he has for
every body, no matter what their age, sex, or condition; and little children run op
KENTUCKY.
67
to take him by the hand, with a "how do you do, Mr. Clay?" My landlord, an
Irishman by birth, said to me, "I have known Mr. Clay for many years, and am
opposed to him in politics ; but I can not help liking the man."
The corner stone of the Mon-
ument erected to Henry Clay, in
the Lexington Cemetery, was
laid July 4, 1857, with imposing
ceremonies, and the structure
completed in 1858. It is con-
structed of magnesian lime-
stone, obtained from Boone's
Creek, about 14 miles distant.
The remains of Henry Clay, his
mother, and some other rela-
tives, are to be deposited in the
vaulted chamber in the base of
the monument. At the top of
the column, the flutings are 13
spiked spears, representing the
original states of the Union.
The statue of Clay, surmount-
ing the whole, is 11 feet in hight.
The hight of the monument
from the ground to the top of
the statue is 119 feet. The fol-
lowing inscription appears on
one of the blocks of stone :
HENRY CI.AY MONUMENT.
Situated about amilo from the central part of Lexington,
near the Railroad from Covington, in the Lexington Ceme-
tery.
" I would rather be right, than be
President."
National Guard, St. Louis, July 4th,
1857.
The following inscription is copied from the monument of Maj. Barry, in
the public square, or court house yard :
To the memory of WILLIAM TAYLOR BAURY, this monument is erected by his friends in
Kentucky (the site being granted by the County Court of Fayette), as a testimony of their
respect and admiration of his virtues and talents. He was born 5th Feb., 1784, in Lunen-
burg City, Va., and caiue to Kentucky in his 12th year. AVas successively a member of
both Hortscs of the General Assembly, a Judge, a Senator and Representative in Congress,
Lieut, ttov. of Ky., and an Aidecamp to Gov. Shelby at the battle of the Thames. On An-
drew Jackson's accession to the Presidency, he was called to his Cabinet as Post Master
General, which office he held until 1st of May, 1835, when he was appointed Env. Ex. <k
Min. Plen. to Spain. He was elected Hon'y Member of the French Univ. Stat. Soc., in
June, 1833. He died at Liverpool, on his way to Madrid, on 30th Aug., 1835. His body
lies on Albion's white shores ; his Fame in the History of his Country, and is as immortal
as America's Liberty and Glory.
About twenty miles south-east of Lexington, on the south bank of the Ken-
tucky River, is the small, dilapidated village of Boonesborough, a point noted
in the history of the state. It was here that Daniel Boone, the great pioneer,
built the first fort ever erected in Kentucky, and made the commencement of
a permanent settlement. Here, too, was convened more than eighty years
ago the first legislative assembly that ever sat west of the mountains, the leg-
islature of Transylvania, the history of which is as follows :
"Col. Richard Henderson, .a man of ardent temperament and great talents, formed
the most extensive speculation ever recorded in the history of this country. Hav-
68
KENTUCKY.
ing formed a company for that purpose, he succeeded in negotiating, with the head
chiefs of the Cherokee nation, a treaty (known as the treaty of Watauga), by which
all that tract of country lying between the Cumberland River, the mountains of the
same name, and the Kentucky River, and situated south of the Ohio, was transferred,
for a reasonable consideration, to the
company. By this treaty Henderson
and his associates became the proprie-
tors of all that country which now com-
prises more than one half of the state
of Kentucky. This was in 1775. They
immediately proceeded to establish a
proprietary government, of which Hen-
derson became the president, and which
had its teat at Boonesborough. The
new country received the name of Tran-
sylvania. The first legislature assem-
bled at Boonesborough, and held its sit-
tings under the shade of a large elm
tree, near the walls of the fort. It was
composed of Squire Boone, Daniel Boone,
William Coke, Samuel Henderson, Rich-
ard Moore, Richard Galloway, Thomas
Slaughter, John Lythe, Valentine Har-
mond, James Douglass, James ITarrod,
Nathan Hammond, Isaac Hite, A/ariah
Davis, John Todd, Alexander S. Dan-
d ridge, John Floyd and Samuel Wood.
These members formed themselves into
a legislative body, by electing Thomas
Slaughter chairman and Matthew Jew-
ett clerk. This cismontane legislature,
the earliest popular body that assembled
on this side of the Apalachian mountains, was addressed by Colonel Hcndersont
on behalf of himself and his associates, in a speech of sufficient dignit} r and of ex-
cellent sense. A compact was entered into between the proprietors and the colo*
nisfcs, bv which a free, manly, liberal government was established over the terri
tory. The most important parts of this Kentucky Magna Charta were: 1st. That
the election of delegates should be annual. 2d. Perfect freedom of opinion in mat-
ters of religion. 3d. That judges should be appointed by the proprietors, but an-
swerable for mal-conduct to the people; and that the convention have the sole
power of raising and appropriating all moneys and electing their treasurer. This
epitome of substantial freedom and manly, rational government, was solemnly ex-
ecuted under the hands and seals of the three proprietors acting for the company,
and Thomas Slaughter acting for the colonists. The purchase of Henderson from
the Cherokees was afterward annulled by act of the Virginia legislature, as being
contrary to the chartered rights of that state. But, as some compensation for the
services rendered in opening the Avilderness, and preparing the way for civiliza-
tion, the legislature granted to the proprietors a tract of land twelve miles square,
on the Ohio, below the mouth of Green River." *
The fort at Boonesborough was built in 1775. The engraving is from a
drawing by Col. Henderson. The structure must have been about 200 feet
*Mr. Henderson was born in Hanover county, Virginia, in 1735. When a boy his father
removed to North Carolina and became county sheriff, and the son obtained mush of his
education in his father's office. v lle studied law, showed talents of the highest order, and
was elevated to the bench of the superior court. In 1779, Judge Henderson was appointed
commissioner to extend the boundary line between Virginia and North Carolina into Pow-
ell's Valley. In the same year he opened an office at French Lick, afterward Nashville,
for the sale of his lands. He died in 1785, aged 50 years. His four sons studied law and
attained distinction.
OLD FOET AT BooMESiwitoroif, 1775.
KENTUCKY. 69
long and 150 feet broad. It was several times attacked by the Indians, but
always unsuccessfully. 'The last time was in September of 1778, when the
enemy appeared in great force.
"There were nearly five hundred Indian warriors, armed and painted in the usual
manner, and what was still more formidable, they were conducted by Canadian
officers, well skilled in the usages of modern warfare. As soon as they were ar-
rayed in front of the fort, the British colors were displayed, and an officer, with a
flag, was sent to demand the surrender of the fort, with a promise of quarter and
good treatment in case of compliance, and threatening the 'hatchet' in case of a
storm. Boone requested two days for consideration, which, in defiance of all ex-
perience and common sense, was granted. This interval, as usual, was employed
in preparation for an obstinate resistance. The cattle were brought into the fort,
the horses secured, and all things made ready against the commencement of hos-
tilities.
Boone then appeared at the gate of the fortress, and communicated to Capt. Du-
quesne, their leader, the resolution of his men to defend the fort to the last extremity.
Disappointment and chagrin were strongly painted upon the face of the Canadian
at this answer, but endeavoring to disguise his feelings, he declared that Gov. Ham-
ilton had ordered him not to injure the men if it could be avoided, and that if nine
of the principal inhabitants of the fort would come out and treat with them they
would instantly depart without further hostility.
The word "treat" sounded so pleasantly in the ears of the besieged that they
agreed at once to the proposal, and Boone himself, attended by eight of his men,
went out and mingled with the savages, who crowded around them in great num-
bers, and with countenances of deep anxiety. The treaty then commenced and
was soon concluded, upon which Duquesne informed Boone that it was a custom
with the Indians, upon the conclusion of a treaty with the whites, for two warriors
to take hold of the hand of each white man.
Boone thought this rather a singular custom, but there was no time to dispute
about etiquette, particularly, as he could not be more in their power than he al-
ready was, so he signified his willingness to conform to the Indian mode of ce-
menting friendship. Instantly, two warriors approached each white man, Avith the
word 'brother' upon their lips, but a very different expression in their eyes, and
grappling him with violence, attempted to bear him off. They probably (unless
totally infatuated) expected such a consummation, and all at the same moment
sprung from their enemies and ran to the fort, under a heavy fire, which fortunately
only wounded one man.
The attack instantly commenced by a heavy fire against the picketing, and was
returned with fatal accuracy by the garrison. The Indians quickly sheltered them-
selves, and the action became more cautious and deliberate. Finding but little
effect from the fire of his men, Duquesne next resorted to a more formidable mode
of attack. The fort stood on the south bank of the river, within sixty yards of the
water. Commencing under the hank, where their operations were concealed from
the garrison, they attempted to push a mine into the fort. Their object, however,
was fortunately discovered by the quantity of fresh earth which they were com-
pelled to throw into the river, and by which the water became muddy for some
distance below. Boone, who had regained his usual Sagacity, instantly cut a trench
within the fort in such a manner as to intersect the line of their approach, and
thus frustrated their design.
The enemy exhausted all the ordinary artifices of Indian warfare, but were
steadily repulsed in every effort. Finding their numbers daily thinned by the de-
liberate but fatal fire of the garrison, and seeing no prospect of final success, they
broke up on the ninth day of the siege, and returned home. The loss of the gar-
rison was two men killed and four wounded. On the part of the savages, thirty-
seven were killed and many wounded, who, as usual, were all carried off."
Danville, county seat of Boyle county, is situated in a fertile district of
Country, on a small branch of the Kentucky River, 40 miles south from Frank-
fort and 35 from Lexington. It contains 9 churches, 2 banks, the Kentucky
70
KENTUCKY.
Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb (an elegant building), several mills and fac-
tories, and about 2.500 inhabitants. Center College; chartered in 1819, is lo-
cated here; the Rev. Dr. Chamberlain became its first president in 1823.
There are also here 2 female academies and a theological institute. The
town was laid out by Walker Daniel, who gave it its name; it was established
by the legislature in 1787, and was for many years the seat of government
for Kentucky. The first court house and jail in the limits of Kentucky were
erected here, and here the first constitution of state government was formed.
fan's, Shelbyville, Cynthiana, Versailles, Carrolton, Georgetown and ]3ards-
town are all important towns in this part of the state, the largest of which
has a population of 2,500. That well known Catholic institution, St. Jo-
seph's College, is at Bardstown, and Georgetown College is at Georgetown.
Paducah, the seat of justice for McCracken county, situated at the mouth
of Tennessee River, is an important shipping port, 347 miles below Louis-
ville. It is a place of active business, and a great amount of agricultural
products are brought down the Tennessee River to this place, consisting of
tobacco, pork, live stock, etc., it being the depot for the product of the valley
of that stream. It
has large ware-
houses, 2 banks,
10 churches, a
large number of
stores, and about
5,000 inhabitants.
It was laid out in
1827 by General
William Clark, of
St. Louis, brother
of Gen. George
Rogers Clark,,
and named after
the Indian chief
Paducah, who once resided in this region. The town is substantially built,
and has a very thriving appearance, being the largest and most important
place in Kentucky west of Louisville. Hon. Linn Boyd resided in this vi-
cinity, where he died in 1859. He was speaker of the house of representa-
tives from 1851 to 1855, and in 1852 was prominent as a candidate of the
democratic party for the nomination for the presidency.
Henderson, capital of Henderson county, 12 miles below Evunsville and
210 below Louisville, is the principal shipping point on the Ohio for the to-
bacco, corn and other rich products of the fertile valley of Green River. It
is a thriving business town, and has about 3,000 inhabitants, timithland,
on the Ohio, just below the mouth of the Cumberland, is a point for the re-
shipment of goods up that river. Oioensboro, capital of Daviess county, 155
miles below Louisville, on the Ohio; IUckman, capital of Fulton county, on
the Mississippi, 35 miles below the mouth of the Ohio, in the extreme south-
western corner of the state, are both busy towns, each having about 2,500 in-
habitants. Bowling Green, Hopkinsville and Russelville are county seats and
important interior towns in Lower Kentucky, with each from 2,000 to 3,000
inhabitants. Columbus, a village of about 1,200 inhabitants, on the Missis-
sippi, 25 miles below Cairo, is the terminus of the Mobile and Ohio Rail-
road.
LANDING AT PADVCAH.
KENTUCKY.
71
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, MISCELLANIES, ETC.
Kentucky, next to Virginia, is the greatest tobacco producing state in the
Union. The statistics of 1850 gave her total product at 55^ millions of
pounds, while that of Virginia exceeded it but a little over a million. The
plant is most extensively cultivated in western Kentucky, in the Green
llivcr country and vicinity; and the greatest tobacco raising county is Chris-
tian, the annual yield of
which is six millions of
pounds. This part of
the state was much set-
tled by Virginians, who
followed out the general
law of emigrants, of es-
pecially cultivating
those crops to which
they had been accus-
tomed on the soil of
their birth.
"It is a curious fact in
the history of tobacco that
the exports from this
country have varied but
very little in the last fifty
years; in 1790, our coun-
try, in round numbers,
sent abroad one hundred
and eighteen thousand
hogsheads; in 1840, one
hundred and nineteen
thousand. This is one of
the most curious facts de-
veloped in statistics, and
may probably be directly
traced to the fact that the
population and wealth of
European countries have
not increased, and that
the duties levied upon its
introduction are as high
as can possibly be borne.
No article of commerce
pays a duty ao enormous,
compared with its home
price, as American tobacco. From it is derived an important part of the revenue of
almost every European government. In (Jrcat Britain, the import duty is three
shillings sterling (seventy-five cents) per pound about twelve hundred per cent,
upon the original cost and two dollars per pound on manufactured tobacco; thus for
what her people give us less than two millions of dollars thev pay to their own govern-
ment, for the privilege of using it, twenty two millions of dollars, which is twice the
sum realized by the American producer for all the tobacco exported to every part
A TOBACCO PLANTATION.
72 KENTUCKY.
of the world! As might be supposed, the most stringent laws govern its introduc
tion into that country, and a large fleet of ships and a heavy marine are supported
to detect smugglers who alone traffic in this article. It is therefore not surprising
that among all the wonders of London, and all the creations of that great Babylon
dedicated to commerce, few are so remarkable as the government warehouses used
for bonding or storing tobacco. Their interiors present such vast areas of ground
that they become bewildering to the eye, and they never had any rivals in size until
the erection of the Crystal Palace. Almost as far as the eye can reach are alleys
<f hogsheads, whose number is immense. In all convenient places are large scales
for weighing, together with other apparatus connected with the operation of exam-
ining the staple."
The amount of the present production of tobacco is about two hundred millions
of pounds. The home consumption is increasing faster than the population. Its
use is most detrimental to our people by increasing their mental activity at the ex-
pense of their bodies, through its continual strain upon the nervous system and
weakening of the appetite and digestive organs. It is at the seasons of greatest ex-
citement that he who uses the plant is certain to do so in unwonted quantities. A
young volunteer, relating his experience at the battle of Buena Vista, truthfully
remarked, though in coarse phrase, "Our boys chawed lots of tobacco that day!"
So fascinating the habit, that few can break from it; and he who succeeds should
be more honored than he who storms a battery. Multitudes essay the trial; gener-
ally, they only make the good resolution at the precise moment when under the
exhilerating influence of a quid of extra size revolving against the inner wall of
their cheek. The corresponding depression that succeeds the disuse is continu-
ally pressing for the stimulus, with a power akin to that of a raging thirst, day in
and day out, week in and week out, month in and month out, until finally a weak
moment arrives, when the will gives way and the victim flies for relief to his chains
again only to repeat in the future a similar futile attempt to escape his enslave-
ment. A gentleman who had censed using it for five years stated that the dc-siro
was even then continually upon him, and he ''would give anything" for the indul-
gence, were it not for the accompanying suffering that he knew would accrue.
Probably few persons use tobacco to excess but acknowledge to themselves that, in
their individual experience/ the sum of misery from it a thousand fold outweighs
the sum of gratification.
It is often amusinic to witness the resolution with which those who use tobacco
part even temporarily from the indulgence. "Fanny Kemble used to relate, witli
great gusto, a cigar adventure she met with while traveling in Georgia. It appears
that the day was hot, the roads rough, and she an invalid the passengers in the
sta^e, herself and a gentleman. As the heavy vehicle rumbled along, there mingled,
with the dust that constantly penetrated its interior, the fumes of a most execrable
ci^ar. Every blast of the 'Stygian fume' sent a tremor of deadly sickness through
Fanny's heart. The gentleman, her triivdin.it companion, remonstrated with the
driver, explained the mischief he was doing, and promised tho independent Jehu,
at the end of the journey, the reward of twenty-five choice Ilavanas if he would
throw away his vile weed. The driver's reply was, 'Yes, yes, in a minute,' but the
evil complained of continued until finally it became insufferable. Then it was that
Fanny leaned out of the coach window and said, 'Sir, 1 appeal to your generosity
to throw away that cigar, and I know, from the proverbial politeness of the Ameri-
cans, that my request will be granted.' .'Yi's, yes,' said the driver, with some trep-
idation. 'I intended to do it, but I wanted first to smoke it short enough to put in
my hat!' "
EARLY TIMES AMONO THE PIONEERS OF KENTUCKY.
That eccentric aivl talented Methodist preacher, Peter Cartwright, has
given in his autobiography some valuable reminiscences of life among the
pioneers of Kentucky, from which we extract this article as a valuable con-
tribution to the history of the times:
1 was born September 1, 17S5, in Amherst county, on James River, in the state
KENTUCKY. 73
of Virginia. My parents were poor. My father was a soldier in the great strug-
gle for liberty, in the Revolutionary war with Great Britain. He served over two
years. My mother was an orphan. Shortly after the united colonies gained their
independence, my parents moved to Kentucky, which was a new country. It was
an almost unbroken wilderness from Virginia to Kentucky at that early day, and
this wilderness was tilled with thousands of hostile Indians, and many thousands
of the emigrants to Kentucky lost their lives by these savages. There were no
roads for carriages at that time, and although the emigrants moved by thousands,
they had to move on pack horses. Many adventurous young men went to this new
country. The fall my father moved, there Avere a great many families who joined
together for mutual safety, and started for Kentucky. Besides the two hundred
families thus united, there were one hundred young men, well armed, who agreed
to guard these families through, and, as a compensation, the}' were to be supported
for their services. After we struck the wilderness we rarely traveled a day but we
passed some white persons, murdered and scalped by the Indians while going to
or returning from Kentucky. We traveled on till Sunday, and, instead of resting
that day, the voice of the company was to move on.
It was a dark, cloudy day, misty with rain. Many Indians were seen through
the day skulking round by our guards. Late in the evening we came to what was
called " Camp Defeat," where a number of emigrant families had been all mur-
dered by the savages a short time before. Here the company called a halt to camp
for the night. It was a solemn, gloomy time; every heart quaked with fear.
Soon the captain of our young men's company placed his men as sentinels all
round the encampment. The stock and the women and children were placed in
the center of the encampment. Most of the men that were heads of families, were
placed around outside of the women and children. Those who were not placed in
this position, were ordered to take .their stand outside still, in the edge of the brush.
It was a dark, dismal night, and all expected an attack from the Indians.
That night my father was placed as.a sentinel, with a good rifle, in the edge of
the brush. Shortly after he took his stand, and all was quiet in the camp, he
thought he heard something moving toward him, and grunting like a swine. He
knew that there was no swine with the' moving company, but it was so dark he
could not see what it was. Presently he perceived a dark object in the distance,
but nearer him than at first, and believing it to be an Indian, aiming to spring upon
him and murder him in the dark, he leveled his rifle, and aimed at the dark lump
as well as he could, and fired. He soon found he had hit the object, for it flounced
about at a terrible rate, and my father gathered himself up and ran into camp.
When his gun fired, there was an awful screaming throughout the encampment
by the women and children. My father was soon inquired of as to what was the
matter. He told them the circumstances of the case, but some said he was seared
and wanted an excuse to come in; but he affirmed that there was no mistake, that
there was something, and he had shot it; and if they would get a light and go with
him, if ho did not show them something, then they might call him a coward for-
ever. They got a light and went to the place, and there found an Indian, with a
rifle in one hand and a tomahawk in the other, dead. My father's rifle-ball had
struck the Indian nearly central in the head.
When we came within seven miles of the Crab Orchard, where there was a fort
and the first white settlement, it was nearly night. We halted, and a vote was
taken whether we should go on to the fort, or camp there for the night. Indians
had been seen in our rear through the day. All wanted to go through except seven
families, who refused to go any further that night. The main body went on, but
they, the seven families, carelessly stripped ofT their clothes, laid down without any
guards, and went to sleep. Some time in the night, about twenty-five Indians
rushed on them, and every one, men, women, and children, was slain, except one
man, who sprang from his bed and ran into the fort, barefooted and in his night
clothes. He brought the melancholy news of the slaughter. These murderous
bands of savages lived north of the Ohio Kiver, and would cross over into Ken-
tucky, kill and steal, and then recross the Ohio into their own country.
Kentucky was claimed by no particular tribe of Indians, but was regarded as a
common hunting-ground by the various tribes, east, west, north, and south. It
74
KENTUCKY.
abounded in various valuable game, such as buffalo, elk, bear, deer, turkeys, and
many other smaller game, and hence the Indians struggled hard to keep the white
people from taking possession of it. It was chiefly settled by Virginians, as noble
and brave a race of men and women as ever drew the breath of life.
In the fall of 1793, my father determined to move to what was then called the
Green River country, in the southern part of the state of Kentucky. He did so,
and settled in Logan county, nine miles south of Russellville, the county seat, and
within one mile of the state line of Tennessee.
Logan county, when my father moved to it, was called "Rogues' Harbor." Here
many refugees, from almost all parts of the Union, fled to escape justice or punish-
ment; for although there was law, yet it could not be executed, and it was a des-
perate state of society. Murderers, horse thieves, highway robbers, and counter-
feiters fled here until they combined and actually formed a majority. The honest
and civil part of the citizens would prosecute these wretched banditti, but they
would swear each other clear; and they really put all law at defiance, and carried
on such desperate violence and outrage that the honest part of the citizens seemed
to be driven to the necessity of uniting and combining together, and taking the
law into their own hands, under the name of Regulators. This was a very des-
perate state of things.
Shortly after the Regulators had formed themselves into a society, and estab-
lished their code of by-laws, on a court day at Russellville, the two bands met in
town. Soon a quarrel commenced, and a general battle ensued between the rogues
and Regulators, and they fought with guns, pistols, dirks, knives, and clubs. Some
were actually killed, many wounded, the rogues proved victors, kept the ground,
and drove the Regulators out of town. The Regulators rallied again, hunted, killed,
and lynched many of the rogues, until several of them fled, and left for parts un-
known. Many lives were lost on both sides, to the great scandal of civilized peo-
ple. This is but a partial view of frontier life.*
When my father settled in Logan county,, there was not a newspaper printed
south of Green River, no mill short of forty miles, and no schools worth the name.
*The most notorious of the desperadoes who infested the settlements were two brother-
named Harpe, of whom Judge Hall, iu his Western Sketches, has given this narrative :
In the fall of 1801 or 1802, a company consisting of two men and three women arrived
in Lincoln county, Ky., and encamped about a mile from the present town of Stanford.
The appearance of the individuals composing this party was wild and rude in the extreme.
The one who seemed to be the leader of the band, was above the ordinary stature of men.
His frame was bony and muscular, his breast broad, his limbs gigantic. His clothing was
uncoutli and shabby, his exterior, weatherbeaten and dirty, indicating continual exposure
to the elements, and designating him as one who dwelt far from the habitations of men,
and mingled not in the courtesies of civilized life. His countenance was bold and ferocious
and exceedingly impulsive, from its strongly marked expression of villainy. His face,
which wa.s larger than ordinary, exhibited the lines of ungovernable passion, and the com-
plexion announced that the ordinary feelings of the human breast were in him extinguished.
Instead of the healthy hue which indicates the social emotions, there was a livid unnatu-
ral redness, resembling that of a dried and lifeless skin. His eye was fearless and steady,
but it was also artful and audacious, glaring upon the beholder with an unpleasant fixed-
ness and brilliancy, like that of a ravenous animal gloating on its prey. He wore no cov-
ering on his head, and the natural protection of thick coarse hair, of a fiery redness, un-
combed and matted, gave evidence of long exposure to the rudest visitations of the sun-
beam and the tempest. He was armed with a rifle, and a broad leathern belt, drawn closely
around his waist, supported a knife and a tomahawk. He seemed, in short, an outlaw,
destitute of all the nobler sympathies of human nature, and prepared at all points for as-
sault or defense. The other man was smaller in size than him who led the party, but sim-
ilarly armed, having the same suspicious exterior, and a countenance equally tierce and
sinister. The females were coarse, and wretchedly attired.
The men stated in answer to the inquiry of the inhabitants, that their names were Harpe,
and that they were emigrants from North Carolina. They remained at their encampment
the greater part of two days and a night, spending the time in rioting, drunkenness and
debauchery. When they left, they took the road leading to Green River. The day suc-
ceeding their departure, a report reached the neighborhood that a young gentleman of
wealth from Virginia, named Lankford, had been robbed and murderel 011 what was
KENTUCKY. 75
Sunday was a day set apart for hunting, fishing, horse racing, card'playing, balls,
dunces, and all kinds of jollity and mirth. We killed our meat out of the woods,
Avild: and heat our meal and hominy with a pestle and mortar. We stretched a
deer skin over a hoop, burned holes in it with the prongs of a fork, sifted our meal,
baked our bread, eat it, and it was first-rate eating too. We raised, or gathered
out of the woods, our own tea. We had sage, bohea, cross-vine, spice, and sassa-
fras teas, in abundance. As for coffee, I am not sure that I ever smelled it for ten
years. We made our sugar out of the water of the maple-tree, and our molasses
too. These were great luxuries in those days.
We raised our own cotton and flax. We water-rotted our flax, broke it by hand,
scutched it; picked the seed out of the cotton with our fingers; our mothers and
sisters carded, spun, aniLwove it into cloth, and they cut and made our garments
and bed-clothes, etc. And when we got on a new suit thus manufactured, and
sallied out into company, we thought ourselves "so biff as anybody."
Time rolled on, population increased fast around us, the country improved, horse-
thjeves and murderers were driven away, and civilization advanced considerably.
Ministers of different denominations came in, and preached through the country;
then called, and is still known as the "Wilderness Road," which runs through the Rock-
castle hills. Suspicion immediately fixed upon the Harpes as the perpetrators, and Cap-
tain Ballenger, at the head of a few bold and resolute men, started in pursuit. They ex-
perienced great difficulty in following their trail, owing to a heavy fall of snow, which had
obliterated most of their tracks, but finally came upon them while encamped iti a bottom
on Green River, near the spot where the town of Liberty now stands. At first they made
a show of resistance, but upon being informed that it' they did not immediately surrender,
they would be shot down, they yielded themselves prisoners. They were brought back
to Stanford, and there examined. Among their effects were found some fine linen shirts,
marked with the initials of Lankford. One had been pierced by a bullet and was stained
with blood. They had also a considerable sum of money, in gold. It was afterward as-
certained that this was the kind of money Lankford had with him. The evidence against
them being thus conclusive, they were confined in the Stanford jail, but were afterward
sent for trial to Danville, where the district court was in session. Here they broke jail,
and succeeded in making their escape.
They were next heard of in Adair county, near Columbia. In passing through that
county, they met a small boy, the son of Colonel Trabue, with a pillow-case of. meal or
flour, an article they probably needed. This boy; it is supposed, they robbed and then
murdered, as he was never afterward heard of. Many years afterward, human bones, an-
swering the size of Colonel Trabue's son at the time of his disappearance, were found in
a sink hole near the place where he was said to have been murdered. The Harpes still
shaped their course toward the mouth of Green River, marking their path by murders and
robberies of the most horrible and brutal character. The district of country through which
they passed was at that time very thinly settled, and from this reason their outrages went
unpunished. They seemed inspired witli the deadliest hatred against the whole human
race, and such was their implacable misanthropy, that they were known to kill where there
was no temptation to rob. One of their victims was a little girl, found at some distance
from her home, whose tender age and helplessness would have been protection against any
but incarnate fiends. The last dreadful act of barbarity, which led to their punishment
and expulsion from the country, exceeded in atrocity all the others.
Assuming the guise of Methodist preachers, they obtained lodgings one night at a soli-
tary house on the road. Mr. Stagall, the master of, the house, was absent, but they found
his wife ami children, and a stranger, who, like themselves, had stopped for the night.
Hero they conversed and made inquiries about the two noted Harpes, who were represented
as prowling about the country. When they retired to rest, they contrived to secure an ax,
which they carried with them to their chamber. In the dead of night, they crept softly
down stairs, and assassinated the whole family, together with the stranger, in their sleep,
and then setting fire to the house, made their escape. When Stagall returned, he found
no wife to welcome him; no home to receive him. Distracted with grief and rage, he
turned his horse's head from the smoldering ruins, and .repaired to the house of Captain
John Leeper. Leeper was one of the most powerful men of his day, and fearless as pow-
erful. Collecting four or five other men well armed, they mounted and started in pursuit
of vengeance. It was agreed that Leeper should attack " Big Harpe," leaving " Little
Harpe" to be disposed of by Stagall. The others were to hold themselves in readiness
to assist Leeper and Stagall, as circumstances might require.
This party found the women belonging to the Harpes attending to their little camp Uv
76 KENTUCKY.
but the Methodist preachers were the pioneer messengers of salvation in these enJs
of the earth. Even in Rogues' Harbor there was a Baptist church a few miles west
of my father's, and a Presbyterian congregation a few miles north, and the Meth-
odist Ebenezer a few miles south.
Somewhere between 1800 and 1801. in the upper part of Kentucky, at a memor-
able place called "Cane Ridge," there was appointed a sacramental meeting by
some of the Presbyterian ministers, at which meeting, seemingly unexpected by
ministers or people, the mighty power of God was displayed in a very extraordin-
ary manner; many were moved to tears, and bitter and loud crying for mercy.
The meeting was protracted for weeksr Ministers of almost all denominations
flocked in from far and near. The meeting was kept up by night and day. Thou-
sands heard of the mighty work, and came on foot, on horseback, in carriages and
wagons. It was supposed that there were in attendance at times during the meet-
ing from twelve to twenty-five thousand people. Hundreds fell prostrate under the
mighty power of God, as men slain in battle. Stands were erected in the woods,
from which preachers of different churches proclaimed repentance toward God
and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and it was supposed, by eye and ear witnesses,
that between one and two thousand souls were happily and powerfully converted
to God during the meeting. It was not unusual for one, two, three, and four to
seven preachers to be addressing the listening thousands at the same time from the
different stands erected for the purpose. The heavenly fire spread in almost every
direction. It was said, by truthful witnesses, that at times more than one thousand
persons broke out into loud shouting all at once, and that the shouts could be heard
for miles around.
From this camp-meeting, for so it ought to be called, the news spread through all
the Churches, and through all the land, and it excited great wonder and surprise;
but it kindled a religious flame that spread all over Kentucky, and through many
other states. And I may here be permitted to say, that this was the first camp-
meeting ever held in the United States, and here our camp-meetings took their
rise.
To show the ignorance the early Methodist preachers had to contend with in
the western wilds, 1 will relate an incident that occurred to Wilson Lee, in Ken-
tucky :
There was in the congregation a very wicked Dutchman and his wife, both of
the road side; the men having gone aside into the woods to shoot an unfortunate traveler,
of the name of Smith, who had fallen into their hands, and whom the women had begged
might not be dispatched before their eyes. It was this halt that enabled the pursuers to
overtake them. The women immediately gave the alarm, and the miscreants, mounting
their horses, which were large, fleet and powerful, fled in separate directions. Leeper
singled out the Big Harpe, and being better mounted than his companions, soon left them
far behind. Little Harpe succeeded in escaping from Stagall, and he, with the rest of his
companions, turned and followed the track of Leeper and Big Harpe. After a chase of
about nine miles, Leeper came within gun shot of the latter and fired. The ball entering
his thigh, passed through it and penetrated his horse, and both fell. Harpe's gun escaped
from his hand and rolled some eight or ten feet down the bank. Reloading his rifle Lee-
per ran to where the wounded outlaw lay weltering in his biood, and found him with one
thigh broken and the other crushed beneath his horse. Leeper rolled the horse awiiy, and
set Harpe in an easier position. The robber begged that he might not be killed. Leeper
toid him that he had nothing to fear from him, but that Stagall was coming up, and could
not probably be restrained. Harpe appeared very much frightened at hearing this, and im-
plored Leeper to protect him. In a few moments Stagall appeared, and without uttering a
word, raised his rifle and shot Harpe through the head. They then severed the head from
the Dudy, and stuck it upon a pole where the road crosses the creek, from which the place
was then named and is- yet called Hurpe's Head. Thus perished one of the boldest and -
most noted freebooters that has ever appeared in America. Save courage, he was without
one redeeming quality, and his death freed the country from a terror which had long para-
Ivzed its boldest spirits.
The Little Harpe afterward joined the band of Mason, and became one of his most val
unble assistants in the dreadful trade of robbery and murder. He was one of the two
bandits that, tempted by the reward for their leader's head, murdered him, and eventually
themselves suS'ered the penalty of the law as previously related.
KENTUCKY.
77
whom were profoundly ignorant of the Scriptures and the plan of salvation. His
wii'i.' was a notorious scold, and so much was she given to this practice, that she
made her husband unhappy, and kept him almost always in a perfect fret, so that
he led a most miserable and uncomfortable life. It pleased (lod that day to cause
ih t preaching of Mr. Lee to reach their guilty souls, and break up the great deep
of their hearts. They wept aloud, seeing their lost condition, and they, then and
there, resolved to do better, and from that time forward to take up thi cro-H and
boar it, be it what it might.
A Rellffioua Encampment in tlie Wilderness.
The congregation were generally deeply affected. Mr. Lee exhorted them and
prayed for them as long as he consistently could, and, having another appointment
some distance off that evening, he dismissed the congregation, got a little refresh-
ment, saddled his horse, mounted, and started for his evening appointment. After
riding some distance, he saw, a little ahead of him, a man trauStftg alonii. carry-
ing a woman on his back. This greatly surprised Mr. Lee. He very naturally
supposed that the woman was a cripple, or had hurt herself in some way, so that
she could not walk. The traveler was a small man, and the woman large and
heavy.
.Before he overtook them Mr. Lee began to cast about in his mind how he could
render them assistance. When he came up to them, lo and behold, who should it
(>e but the Dutchman and his wife that had been so affected under his sermon at
meeting. Mr. Lee rode up and spoke to them, and inquired of the man what had
happened, or what was the matter, that he was carrying his wife.
The Dutchman turned to Mr. Lee and said, "Besure you did toll us in your sar-
mon dat we must take tip iJe cross and follow de Saviour, or dat we could not be
saved or go to heaven, and I does desire to go to heaven so much as any pody; and
^Hsh vife is so pad, she scold and scold all de time, and dish woman is de crcatest
cross I have in de ichoh world, and I docs take her up and pare her, for I must
stare my soul."
From 1801, for years, a blessed revival of religion spread through almost the
entire inhabited parts of the west, Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and many
other parts, especially through the Cumberland country, which was so called from
the Cumberland River, which headed and mouthed in Kentucky, but in its great
78
KENTUCKY.
bend circled south through Tennessee, near Xashville. The Presbyterians and
Methodists in a great measure united in this work, met together, prayed together-,
and preached together.
In this revival originated our camp-meetings, and in both these denominations
they were held every year, and, indeed, have been ever since, more or less. They
would erect their camps with logs, or frame them, and cover them with clapboards
or shingles. They would also erect a shed, sufficiently large to protect five thou-
sand people from wind and rain, and cover it with boards or shingles; build a
large stand, seat the shed, and here they would collect together from forty to fifty
miles around, sometimes further than that. Ten, twenty, and sometimes thirty
ministers, of different denominations, would come together and preach night and
day, four or five days together; and, indeed, I have known these camp meetings to
last three or four weeks, and great good resulted from them. I have seen more
than a hundred sinners fall like dead men under one powerful sermon, and I have
seen and heard more than five hundred Christians all shouting aloud the high
praises of God at once ; and I will venture to assert that many happy thousands
were awakened and converted to God at these camp meetings. Some sinners
mocked, some of the old dry professors opposed, some of the old starched Presby-
terian preachers preached against these exercises, but still the work went on and
spread almost in every direction, gathering additional force, until our country
seemed all coming home to God.
In this great revival the Methodists kept moderately balanced ; for we had ex-
cellent preachers to steer the ship or guide the flock. But some of our members
ran wild, and indulged in some extravagancies that were hard to control. The
Presbyterian preachers and members, not being accustomed to much noise or
shouting, when they yielded to it went into great extremes and downright wild-
ness, to the great injury of the cause of God.
Col. Daniel Boone, the celebrated
pioneer of Kentucky, was born of
English parentage, in Pennsylvania,
in 1734. When a small boy, his pa-
* r rents emigrated to the banks of the
Yadkin, in North Carolina. "At
that time the region beyond the Blue Ridge was an unknown wilderness to the
white people, for none had ventured thither, as far as is known, until about the
year 1750. It was almost twenty years later than this, when Boone was approach-
ing the prime of life, that he first penetrated the great Valley of the Mississippi, in
company with others. He had already, as a bold hunter, been within the eastern
verge of the present Kentucky, but now he took a long 'hunt' of about three years.
He had made himself familiar with the wilderness, and in 1773, in company with
other families, he started with his own to make a settlement on the Kain-tuck-ce
River. The hostile Indians compelled them to fall back, and Boone resided on the
Clinch River until 1775, when he went forward and planted the settlement of
Boonesborough, in the present Madison county, Kentucky. There he built a log
fort, and in the course of three or four years several other settlers joined him. His
wife and daughters were the first white women ever seen upon the banks of the
Kentucky River. He became a great annoyance to the Indians, and while at the
Blue Licks, on the Licking River, in February, 1778, engaged with others in
making salt, he was captured by some Shawnee warriors from the Ohio country,
and taken to Chillicothe. The Indians became attached to him, and he was adopted
into a family as a son. A ransom of five hundred dollars was offered for him, but
the Indians refused it. He at length escaped (in July following his capture), when
he ascertained that a large body of Indians were preparing to march against Boones~
borough. They attacked that station three times before the middle of September.
but were repulsed. During Boone's captivity, his wife and children had returned
to the house of her father, on the Yadkin, where the pioneer visited them in 1779,
and remained with them for many months. He returned to Kentucky in 1780,
with his family, and assisted Colonel Clark in his operations against the Indians in
the Illinois country."
KENTUCKY. 79
At the close of the war, Boone settled down quietly upon his farm. But he was
not long permitted to remain unmolested. His title, owing to the imperfect nature
of the land laws of Kentucky, was legally decided to be defective, and Boone was
deprived of all claim to the soil which he had explored, settled, and so bravely de-
fended. In 1795, disgusted with civilized society, he sought a new home in the
wilds of the far west, on the banks of the Missouri, then within the dominion of
Spain. He was treated there with kindness and attention by the public authorities,
and he found the simple manners of that frontier people exactly suited to his pe-
culiar habits and temper. AVith them he spent the residue of his days, and was
gathered to his fathers, Sept. 26th, 1820, in the 86th year of his age. He was bur-
ied in a coffin which he had had made for years, and placed under his bed, ready
to receive him whenever he should be called from these earthly scenes. In the
summer of 1845, his remains were removed to Frankfort. In person, Boone was
five feet ten inches in hight, and of robust and powerful proportions. He was or-
dinarily attired as a hunter, wearing a hunting shirt and moccasins. His biogra-
pher, who saw him at his residence, on the Missouri River, but a short time before
his death, says that on his introduction to Col. Boone, the impressions were those
of surprise, admiration and delight. In boyhood, he had read of Daniel Boone, the
pioneer of Kentucky, the celebrated hunter and Indian fighter, and imagination
had portrayed a rough, fierce-looking, uncouth specimen of humanity, and of
course, at this period of life, a fretful and unattractive old man. But in every re-
spect the reverse appeared. His high, bold forehead Avas slightly bald, and his silver
locks were combed smooth; his countenance was ruddy und fair, and exhibited the
simplicity of a child. His voice was soft and melodious; a smile frequently played
over his features in conversation; his clothing was the coarse, plain manufacture
of the family, but everything about him denoted that kind of comfort which was
congenial to his habits and feelings, and evinced a happy old age. His room was
part of a range of log cabins, kept in order by his affectionate daughter and grand-
daughter, and every member of the household appeared to delight in administering
to the comforts of "grandfather Boone," as he was familiarly called.
When age had enfeebled his once athletic frame, he made an excursion, twice a
year, to some remote hunting ground, employing a companion, whom he bound by
a written contract to take care of him, and should he die in the wilderness to bring
his body to the cemetery which he had selected as a final resting-place.
George Rogers Clark was
born in Albemarle county, Vir-
ginia, in 1752. He possessed
a most extraordinary military
genius, and became conspicu-
ously prominent in the con-
^"^- quest and settlement of the
whole west. "He first appeared
in history as an adventurer be-
yond the Alleghanies, in 1772.
He had been engaged in the business of land-surveyor for some time, and that year
he went down the Ohio in a canoe as far as the mouth of the Great Kanawha, in
company with Rev. David Jones, then on his way to preach the gospel to the west-
ern tribes. He was captain of a company in Dunmore's army, which marched
against the Indians on the Ohio and its tributaries, in 1774. Ever since his trip
in 1772, he ardently desired an opportunity to explore those deep wildernesses in the
great valleys, and in 1775 he accompanied some armed settlers to Kentucky, as
their commander. During that and the following year, he traversed a great ex-
tent of country south of the Ohio, studied the character of the Indians, and made
himself master of many secrets which aided in his future success. He beheld a
beautiful country, inviting immigration, but the pathway to it was made dangerous
y>y the enemies of the colonists, who sallied forth from the British posts at Detroit,
Kaskaskia and Vincennes, with Indian allies. Convinced of the necessity of pos-
sessing these posts, Clark submitted the plan of an expedition against them to the
Virginia legislature, and early in the spring of 1778 he was at the falls of the Ohio
(now Louisville) with four companies of soldiers. There he was joined by Simon
80 KENTUCKY.
Kenton, another bold pioneer. He marched through the wilderness toward those
important posts, and at the close of summer ail but Detroit were in his possession,
(/lark was now promoted to colonel, and was instructed to pacify the western
tribes, if possible, and bring them into friendly relations Avith the Americans.
While thus engaged, he was informed of the re-capture of Vincennes. With his
usual energy, and followed by less than two hundred men, he traversed the droAvned
lands of Illinois, through deep morasses and snow floods, in February, 1779, and on
the 19th of that month appeared before Vincennes. To the astonished garrison, it
seemed as if these rough Kentuckians had dropped from the clouds, for the whole
country was inundated. The fort was speedily surrendered, and commander Ham-
ilton (governor of Detroit), and several others, were sent to Virginia as prisoners,
(.'olonel Clavk also captured a quantity of goods, under convoy from Detroit, valued
at $")0,00(); and having sufficiently garrisoned Vincennes and the other posts, he
proceeded to build Fort Jefferson, on the western bank of the Mississippi, below the
Ohio. When Arnold invaded Virginia, in 1781, Colonel Clark joined the forces
under the Baron Steuben, and performed signal service until the traitor had de-
parted. He was promoted .to the rank of brigadier the same year, and went beyond
the mountains amain, hoping to organize an expedition against Detroit. His scheme
failed, and for awhile Clark was in command of a post at the Falls of the Ohio.
In the autumn of 1782, he penetrated the Indian country between the Ohio and the
lakes, with a thousand men, and chastised the tribes severely for their marauding
excursions into Kentucky, and awed them into comparatively peaceful relations.
For these deeds, John Randolph afterward called Clark the 'American Hannibal,
who, by the reduction of those military posts in the wilderness, obtained the lakes
for the northern boundary of our Union at the peace of 1783.' Clark made Ken-
tucky his future home, and during Washington s administration, when Genet, the
French minister, attempted to organize a force in the west against the Spaniards,
Clark accepted from him the commission of maioi'-ceneral in the armies of Franco.
The project was abandoned, and the hero of the north west never appeared in
public life afterward." General Clark was never married, and he was long in in-
iirin health. He died in February, 1818, and was buried at Locust Grove, near
Louisville.
u Gen. Charles Scott was a native of Cumberland county, Virginia. He raised
the first company of volunteers in that state, south of the James Kiver, that actually
entered into the continental service. So much was he appreciated that in 1777 the
shire town of Powhattan county was named in honor of him. Congress appointed
him a brigadier in the continental army on the 1st of April, 1777. He served with
distinction during the war. and at its termination he went to Kentucky. He settled
in Woodford county, in that state, in 1785. He was with St. Clair at his defeat in
1791, and in 1794 he commanded a portion of Wayne's army at the battle of the
Fallen Timber. He was governor of Kentucky from 1808 to 1812. He died on
the 22d of October, 1820, aged seventy-four years."
Scott was a man of strong natural powers, but somewhat illiterate and rough in
his manners. He was eccentric, and many amusing anecdotes are related of him.
When a candidate for governor, he was opposed by Col. Allen, a native of Ken-
tucky, who, in an address to the people when Scott was present, made an eloquent ap-
peal The friends of the latter, knowing he was no orator, felt distressed for him,
but Scott, nothing daunted, mounted the stump, and addressed the company nearly
as follows :
"Well, boys, I am sure you must all be well pleased with the speech you have just heard.
It does my heart good to think we have so smart a man raised up among us here, lie is a.
native Kentuckian. I see a good many of you here that I brought out to this country when
:i wilderness. At that time we hardly expected we should live to see such a smart man
rniscd up among ourselves. You who wore with me in those early times know we had no
time for education, no means of improving from books. We dared not then go about our
most common affairs without arms in our hands, to defend ourselves against the Indians.
Kut we guarded and protected the country, and now every one can go where he pleases, and
you now see what smart fellows are growing up to do their country honor. J'ut I think it
would be n pity to make this man governor; I think it would bo better to send him to Con-
gress. I don't think it requires a very smart man to make a governor, it' lie has sense
enough to gather smart men about who can help him on with the business of state. It
KENTUCKY. 81
would suit a worn-out old wife of a man like myself. But as to this young man, I am very
proud of him, as much so as any of his kin, if any of them have been here to-day listening
to his speech." Scott then descended from the stump, and the huzzas for the old soldier
made the welkin ring.
Gen. Benjamin Logan, one of the most distinguished pioneers, was born in Vir
ginia, of Irish parentage, about the year 1742. He was a sergeant in Boquet's ex-
pedition, and was in Dunmore's campaign. In 1775, he came to Kentucky with
Boone, Henderson; and others. The next year he brought out his family, and
established a fort, called "Logan's Fort," which stood at St. Asaph's, about a mile
west of the present town of Stanford, in Lincoln county. That period is memora-
ble in the history of Kentucky, as one of peculiar peril. The woods literally
swarmed with Indians. Having been reinforced by several white men, Logan de-
termined to maintain himself at all hazards.
" On the 20th of May, 1777, this fort was invested by a force of a hundred Indians; and
on the morning of that day, as some of the females belonging to it were engaged, outside
of the gate, in milking the cows, the men who acted as the guard for the occasion, were
fired upon by a party of the Indians, who had concealed themselves in a thick canebrake.
One man was shot dead, another mortally wounded, and a third so badly, as to be disabled
from making his escape; the remainder made good their retreat into the fort, and closed
the gate. Harrison, one of the wounded men, by a violent exertion, ran a few paces and
fell. His struggles and exclamations attracted the notice, and awakened the sympathies,
of the inmates of the station. The frantic grief of his wife gave additional interest to
the scene. The enemy forbore to fire upon him, doubtless from the supposition that some
of the garrison would attempt to save him, in which event they were prepared to fire upon
them from the canebrake. The case was a trying one; and there was a strong conflict be-
tween sympathy and duty, on the part ot the garrison. The number of effective men had
been reduced from fifteen to twelve, and it was exceedingly hazardous to put the lives of
any of this small number in jeopardy; yet the lamentations of his family were so distress-
ing, and the scene altogether so moving, as to call forth a resolute determination to save
him if possible. Logan, always alive to the impulses of humanity, and insensible to fear,
volunteered his services, and appealed to some of his men to accompany him. But so ap-
palling was the danger, that all, at first, refused. 'At length, John Martin consented, and
rushed, with Logan, from the fort; but he had not gone far, before he shrunk from the
imminence of the danger, and sprung back within the gate. Logan paused fora moment,
then dashed on, alone and undaunted reached, unhurt, the spot where Harrison lay
threw him on his shoulders, and, amidst a tremendous shower (/ rifle balls, made a safe
and triumphant retreat into the fort.
The fort was now vigorously assailed by the Indian force, and as vigorously defended
by the garrison. The men were constantly at their posts, whilst the women were actively
engaged in molding bullets. But the weakness of the garrison was not their only griev-
ance. The scarcity of powder and ball, one of the greatest inconveniences to which the
settlers were not unfrequently exposed, began now to be seriously felt. There were no in-
dications that the siege would be speedily abandoned; and a protracted resistance seemed
impracticable, without an additional supply of the munitions of war. The settlements on
Holston could furnish a supply but how was it to be obtained? And, even if men could
be found rash and desperate enough to undertake the journey, how improbable was it that
the trip could be accomplished in time for the relief to be available. Logan stepped for-
ward, in this extremity, determined to take the dangerous office upon himself. Encour-
aging his men with the prospect of a safe and speedy return, he left the tort under cover
of the night, and, attended by two faithful companions of his own selection, crept cau-
tiously through the Indian lines without discovery. Shunning the ordinary route through
Cumberland Gap, he moved, with incredible rapidity, over mountain and valley arrived
at the settlement on the Holston procured the necessary supply of powder and lead im-
mediately retraced his steps, and was again in the fort in ten days from the time of his
departure. He returned alone. The necessary delay in the transportation of the stores,
induced him to intrust them to the charge of his companions; and his presence at St.
Asaph's was all-important to the safety of its inhabitants. His return inspired them with
fresh courage; and, in a few days, the appearance of Col. Bowman's party compelled the
Indians to retire."
In the year 1779, Logan was first in command under Bowman, in his expedition
against the Indian town of Chillicothe. It failed through the imbecility of the com-
mander; but Logan gained great credit for his bravery and generalship on the occa-
sion. In the summer of 1788, he conducted a successful expedition against the
Indians in the Miami country. From this period until his death, Gen. Logan de-
6
82
KENTUCKY.
voted himself to the cultivation of his farm. He was a member of the convention
of 1792, which framed the first constitution of Kentucky. He died full of years
and of honors.
Gov. Isaac Shelby, the first governor of Kentucky, and the "hero of two wars."
w;.3 of Welsh
descent, and
was born near
Ha cars town.
age of 21 years
he emigrated
t o Virginia,
and engaged as a surveyor there, and in 1775, in Kentucky. Early in the Revo-
lution he was, for a time, in the commissary department; but later, in 1780, he was
commissioned as a colonel by Virginia, and raised 300 riflemen. He gained grfu
distinction in several actions, especially in the important battle of King's Moun-
tain, the turning point of the Revolution in the south. He was the most promi*
' nent officer in this celebrated victory, and originated the expedition which led to
it. After this he served under Gen. Marion.
In 1782, he was elected a member of the Legislature of North Carolina, but
soon after returned to Kentucky, and settled down upon a farm for life. " He was
elected the first governor of the new state, and after an interval of comparative
repose, he was again the incumbent of that important office in 1812. Another war
with Great Britain was then impending. The fire of 1776 still warmed his bosom,
and he called his countrymen to arms, when the proclamation of war went forth.
Henry Clay presented him with a sword, voted by the legislature of North Caro-
lina for his gallantry at King's Mountain, thirty-two years before, and with that
weapon he marched at the head of four thousand Kentucky volunteers, toward the
Canada frontier, in 1813, though the snows of three score and three winters were
upon his head. He fought gallantly upo i the Thames, in Canada; and for his
valor there, congress honored him with a gold medal. President Monroe appointed
him secretary of war in 1817, but he declined the honor, for he coveted the repose
which old age demands. His last public act was the holding of a treaty with the
Chickasaw Indians, in 1818, with General Jackson for his colleague. His sands
of life were now nearly exhausted. In February, 1820, he was prostrated by par-
alysis, yet he lived, somewhat disabled, until the 18th of July, 1826, when apo-
plexy terminated his life. He was then almost seventy-six years of age, and died
as he had lived, with the hope of a Christian."
Col. Richard M. Johnson, vice president of the United States, was born at Bry-
at's Station, five miles north-east of Lexington, in Oct., 1781. The outline of the
history of this one of the most distinguished natives of Kentucky, is given in the
monumental inscription, copied on page 908 of this work.
" Henry Clay was
born in Hanover county,
Virginia, April 12, 1777.
^ Having received a com-
mon school education,
>xO { ^~* he became at an early
v^5v, -^+ 1 >v / .X *& e ) a copyist in the
/to^/^t^ /7. L^C^ office of the clerk of the
court of chancery, at
Richmond. At nine-
teen he commenced the
study of law, and short-
ly afterward removed to Lexington, Kentucky, where he was admitted to the bar
in 1799, and soon obtained extensive practice. He began his political career, by
taking an active part in the election of delegates to frame a new constitution for
the state of Kentucky. In 1803, he was elected to the legislature by the citizens
7
KENTUCKY. 83
of Fayette county; and in 1800, he was appointed to the United States senate for
the remainder of the term of General Adair, who had resigned. In 1807, he was
again elected a member of the general assembly of Kentucky, and WHS chosen
speaker. In the following year occurred his duel with Humphrey Marshall. ]n
1809, he was again elected to the United States senate for the unexpired term of
Mr. Thurston, resigned. In 1811, he was elected a member of the house of repre-
sentatives, and was chosen speaker on the first day of his appearance in that body,
and was five times re-elected to this office. During this session, his eloquence
aroused the country to resist the aggressions of Great Britain, and awakened a na-
tional spirit. In 1814, he was appointed one of the commissioners to negotiate a
treaty of peace at Ghent. Returning from this mission, he was re-elected to con-
gress, and in 1818, he spoke in favor of recognizing the independence of the South
American Republics. In the same year, he put forth his strength in behalf of a
national system of internal improvements. A monument of stone, inscribed with
his name, was erected on the Cumberland road, to commemorate his services in
behalf of that improvement
In the session of 1819-20, he exerted himself for the establishment of protec-
tion to American industry, and this was followed by services in adjusting the Mis-
souri Compromise. After the settlement of these questions, he withdrew from
congress, in order to attend to his private affairs. In 1823 he returned to congress
and was re-elected speaker; and at this session he exerted himself in support of
the independence of Greece. Under John Quincy Adams, he filled the office of
secretary of state ; the attack upon Mr. Adams' administration, and especially upon
the secretary of state, by John Randolph, led to a hostile meeting between him and
Mr. Clay, which terminated without bloodshed. In 1829 he returned to Kentucky ;
and in 1831 was elected to the United States senate, where he commenced his la-
bors in favor of the Tariff; in the same month of his reappearance in the senate,
he was unanimously nominated for president of the United States. In 1836, he
was re-elected to the senate, where he remained until 1842, when he resigned, and
took his. final leave, as he supposed, of that body. In 1839, he was again nomi-
nated for the presidency, hut General Harrison was selected as the candidate. He
also received the nomination in 1844, for president, and was defeated in this elec-
tion by Mr. Polk.
He remained in retirement in Kentucky until 1849, when he was re-elected to
the senate of the United States. Here he devoted all his energies to the measures
known as the Compromise Acts. His efforts during this session weakened his
strength, and he went for his health to Havana and New Orleans, but with no per-
manent advantage ; he returned to Washington, but was unable to participate in
the active duties of the senate, and resigned his seat, to take effect upon the 6th
of September, 1852. He died in Washington City, June 29, 1852. He was inter-
ested in the success of the Colonization Society, and was for a Jong time one of
its most efficient officers, and also its president."
Gen, ZacJiary Taylor was a Virginian born, and a Kentuckian bred. In 1785,
while he was an infant a year old, his parents moved to the vicinity of Louis-
ville. At the age of 24 years, he entered the army as lieutenant of infantry, and
continued in the service of his country until his death, while holding the position
of President of the United States, July 9, 1850, at the age of 65 years. His bio-
graphy is written in honorable lines in the history of his country, and his memory
is warmly cherished in the hearts of her people.
OHIO.
THE territory now comprised within the limits of Ohio was, originally,
part of that vast region formerly claimed by France, between the Alleghany
and Rocky Mountains, known by the
general name of Louisiana. It re-
ceived its name from the river that
forms its southern boundary. The
word Ohio, in the Wyandot, signifies,
"fair" or "beautiful river" which
was the name given to it by the
French, the first Europeans who ex-
plored this part of the country.
The disastrous expedition, under
La Salle, who was murdered by his
own men, did not abate the ardor of
the French in their great plan of ob-
taining possession of the vast region
westward of the English colonies.
Iberville, a French officei', having in
ARMS or OHIO. char g e an expedition, sailed from
France to the Mississippi. He en-
tered the mouth of this river, and proceeded upward for several hundred
miles. Permanent establishments were made at different points, and from
this time, the French colonies west of the Allcghanies increased in numbers
and strength. Previous to the year 1725, the colony had been divided into
quarters, each having its local governor, but all subject tp the superior coun-
cil general of Louisiana. One of these quarters was established north-west
of the Ohio.
Before the year 1750, a French post had been fortified at the mouth of
the Wabash, and a communication opened with Canada, through that river
and the Maumee. About the same time, and for the purpose of checking
the French, the "Ohio Company" was formed, and made some attempts to
establish trading houses among the Indians.
The claims of the different European monarchs to large portions of Amer-
ica, were founded on the first discoveries of their subjects. In 1609, the
English monarch granted to the London Company, a tract of land two hun-
dred miles along the coast, "up into the land throughout from sea to sea, west
and north-west." In 1662, Charles II granted to certain settlers on the Cou-
85
86 OHIO.
nccticut, a tract which extended its present limits north and south, due
west to the Pacific Ocean.
In 1749, the year after the formation of the Ohio Company, it appears that
the English built a trading house upon the Great Miami. In 1752, this was
destroyed, after a severe battle, and the traders were carried away to Canada.
This was the first British settlement in this section of which we have any
record. The Moravian missionaries, prior to the American Revolution, had
a number of stations within the limits of Ohio. As early as 1762, the mis-
sionaries, Heckewelder and Post, were on the Muskingum. Mary Hecke-
welder, the daughter of the missionary, is said to have been the first white
child born in Ohio.
After Braddock's defeat, in 1755, the Indians pushed their excursions as
far as the Blue Ridge. In 1764, Gen. Bradstreet, having dispersed the In-
dian forces besieging Detroit, passed into the Wyandot country by way of
Sandusky Bay. A treaty of peace was signed by the chiefs and head men.
The Shawnees, of the Scioto River, and the Delawares, of the Muskingum,
however, still continued hostile. Col. Boquet, in 1764, with a body of troops,
marched from Fort Pitt into the heart of the Ohio country, on the Mus-
kingum River. This expedition was conducted with great prudence and
skill, and with scarcely any loss of life. A treaty of peace was effected with
the Indians, who restored the prisoners they had captured from the white
settlements. The next war with the Indians was Lord Dunmore's, in 1774.
In the fall of the year, the Indians were defeated at Point Pleasant, on the
Virginia side of the Ohio. Shortly after, peace was made with the Indians
at Camp Charlotte, a few miles north of the site of the city of Chillicothe.
During the Revolutionary war, most of the western Indians were more or
less united against the Americans. In the summer of 1780, Gen. Clark led
a body of Kentuckians against the Shawnees. Old Chillicothe, on the Lit-
tle Miami, was burnt on their approach, but at Piqua, on Mad River, six
miles below the site of Springfield, they gave battle to the whites and were
defeated. Their towns, Upper and Lower Piqua, were destroyed. In March,
1782, a party of Americans, in cold blood, murdered 94 of the defenseless Mo-
ravian Indians, within the limits of Tuscarawas county. In June following,
Col. Crawford, at the head of about 500 men, was defeated by the Indians,
three miles north of the site of Upper Sandusky, in Wyandot county. Col.
. Crawford was taken prisoner in the retreat, and burnt at the stake with hor-
rible tortures.
After the close of the Revolutionary war, the states which owned western
unappropriated lands, with a single exception, ceded their lands to the United
States. Virginia, in 1784. ceded all her claim to lands north-west of the
Ohio. In 1786, Connecticut also ceded her claim of soil and jurisdiction to
all the territory within her chartered limits west of Pennsylvania. She also,
in May, 1801, ceded her jurisdictional claims to all that territory called the
''Western Reserve of Connecticut." New York and Massachusetts also
ceded all their claims. Numerous tribes of Indians, by virtue of their prior
possession, asserted their respective claims, which, also, had to be extin-
guished, for which purpose treaties with the several tribes were made at vaii-
oud times.
Tlie Indian title to a large part of the territory within the limits of Ohio
ha\ii)g become extinguished, legislative action on the 'part of congress be-
came necessary before commencing settlements. In 1785, they passed an
ordinance for determining the mode of disposing of these lands. Under that
OHIO. 87
ordinance, the first seven ranges, bounded on the east by Pennsylvania and
on the south by the Ohio, were surveyed. Sales of parts of these were made
in New York in 1787, and sales of other parts of the same range were made
at Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. No further sales were made in, that dis-
trict until the land office was opened in Steubenville, July 1, 1801.
In October, 1787, the U. S. board of treasury sold to Manassah Cutler and
Winthrop Sargeant, the agents of the New England Ohio Company, a tract
of land, bounded by the Ohio, from the mouth of the Scioto to the intersec-
tion of the western boundary of the seventh range of townships then sur-
veying: thence by said boundary to the northern boundary of the tenth
township from the Ohio, etc. These bounds were altered in 1792. The set-
tlement of this purchase commenced at Marietta, at the mouth of the Mus-
kingum, in the spring of 1788, and was the first settlement formed in Ohio.
The same year in which Marietta was first settled, congress appointed Gen.
Arthur St. Clair governor. The territorial government was organized, laws
were made or adopted by the governor and Judges Parsons and Varnum.
The county of Washington, embracing about half the territory within the
present limits of Ohio, was established by the proclamation of the governor.
A. short time after the settlement had commenced, an association was formed
under the name of the " Scioto Land Company." A contract was made for
the purchase of part of the lands of the Ohio Company. Plans and descrip-
tions of these lands being sent to France, they were sold to companies and
individuals. On Feb. 19, 1791, two hundred and eighteen of these pur-
chasers left France, and arrived at Alexandria, Va., from whence they went
to Marietta, where about fifty of them landed: the remainder of them pro-
ceeded to Gallipolis, which was laid out about that time. Their titles to the
lands proving defective, congress, in 1798, granted them a tract on the Ohio,
above the mouth of the Scioto River, called the "French Grant."
In January, 1789, a treaty was made at Fort Harmar, between Gov. St.
Clair and the Wyandots, Chippewas, Pottawatomies, and Sacs, in which for-
mer treaties were renewed. It did not, however, produce the favorable re-
sults anticipated. The Indians, the same year, assumed a hostile appear-
ance, hovered around the infant settlements at the mouth of the Muskingum,
and between the Miamis. Nine persons were killed, the new settlers became
alarmed, and block houses were erected.
Negotiations with the Indians proving unavailing. Gen. Harmar was di-
rected to attack their towns. He marched from Cincinnati, in Sept., 1790,
with 1,300 men, and went into the Indian country near the site of Fort
Wayne, in north-western Indiana, and, after some loss, succeeded in burning
towns, and destroying standing corn, but the object of the expedition in
intimidating the Indians was entirely unsuccessful. As the Indians continued
hostile, a new army was assembled at Cincinnati, consisting of about 3,000
men, under the command of Gov. St. Clair, who commenced his march toward
the Indian towns on the Maumee. On the 4th of Nov., 1791, when near the
present northern line of Darke county, the American army was surprised
about half an hour before sunrise, as there is good reason to believe, by the
whole disposable force of the north-west tribes. The Americans were
totally defeated : upward of six hundred were killed, among whom was Gen.
Butler.
In the spring of 1794, an American army assembled at Greenville, in
Darke county, under the command of Gen. Anthony Wayno, consisting of
about 2,000 regular troops, and 1,500 mounted volunteers from Kentucky.
88 OHI -
The Indians had collected their -whole force, amounting to about 2.000 war-
riors, near a British fort at the foot of the rapids of Maumee. On the 20th
of Aug.,- 1794, Gen. Wayne encountered the enemy in a short and deadly
conflict, when the Indians fled in the greatest confusion. After destroying
all the houses and cornfields in the vicinity, the victorious army returned to
the mouth of ^the Auglaize, where Wayne erected Fort Defiance. The In-
dians, being convinced of their inability to resist the American arms, sued
for peace. A grand council of eleven of the most powerful tribes assembled
at Greenville, when they agreed to acknowledge the United States their sole
protector, and never to sell their lands to any other power.
At this period there was no fixed seat of government. The laws were
passed whenever they seemed to be needed, at any place where the territorial
legislators happened to assemble. The population of the territory continued
to increase and extend. From Marietta, settlers spread into the adjoining
country. The Virginia military reservation drew a considerable number of
Revolutionary veterans and others from that state. The region between the
Miamis, from the Ohio far upward toward the sources of Mad River, became
chequered with farms. The neighborhood of Detroit became populous, and
Connecticut, by grants of land within the tract reserved in her deed of ces-
sion, induced many of her citizens to seek a home on the borders of Lake
Erie.
The territorial legislature first met in 1799. An act was passed confirming
the laws enacted by the judges and governor, the validity of which had been
doubted. This act, as well as every other which originated in the council,
was prepared and brought forward by Jacob Bui-net, afterward a distinguished
judge and senator, to whose labors, at this session, the territory was indebted
for some of its most beneficial laws. William H. Harrison, then secretary of
the territory, was elected delegate to congress. In 1802, congress having ap-
proved the measure, a convention assembled in Chillicothe and formed a state
constitution, which became the fundamental law of the state by the act of the
convention alone, and by this act Ohio became one of the states of the federal
union.
The first general assembly under the state constitution met at Chillicothe,
March 1, 1803. Eight new counties were made at this session, viz: Gallia,
Scioto, Franklin, Columbiana, Butler, Warren, Greene and Montgomery.
In 1805, the United States, by a treaty with the Indians, acquired for thn
use of the grantees of Connecticut all that part of the Western Reserve which
lies west of the Cuyahoga. By subsequent treaties, all the country watered
by the Maumee and Sandusky was acquired, and the Indian title to lands
in Ohio is now extinct.
About the year 1810, the Indians, who, since the treaty at Greenville, had
been at peace, began to commit depredations upon the western settlers. The
celebrated Tecumseh was active in his efforts to unite the native tribes against
the Americans, and to arrest the further extension of the settlements. In
1811, Gen. Harrison, then governor of Indiana territory, marched against
the Indians on the Wabash. 'The battle of Tippecanoe ensued, in which the
Indians were totally defeated. In the war of 1812, with Great Britain, Ohio
bore her full share in the contest. Her sons volunteered with alacrity their
services in the field, and hardly a battle was fought in the north-west in
which spme of these citizen soldiers did not seal their devotion to their coun-
try in their blood.
In 1816, the seat of government was removed to Columbus. In 1817, the
OHIO.
89
first resolution relating to a canal connecting the Ohio Elver with Lake Erie
was introduced into the legislature. In 1825, an act was passed "to provide
for the internal improvement of the state by navigable canals." The con-
struction of these and other works of improvement has been of immense ad-
vantage in developing the resources of Ohio, which in little more than half a
century has changed from a wilderness to one of the most powerful states of
the union.
Ohio is bounded N. by Michigan and Lake Erie, E. by Pennsylvania and
Virginia, W. by Indiana, and southerly by Kentucky and Virginia, being
separated from these last named two states by the Ohio River, which washes
the borders of the state, through its numerous meanderings, for a distance of
more than 430 miles. It is about 220 miles long from E. to W., and 200
from N. to S., situated between 38 32' and 42 N. Lat., and between 80 35'
and 84 40' W. Long. The surface of the state covers an area of about
39,964 square miles, or 25,576, 960 acres, of which about one half are im-
proved.
The land in the interior of the state and bordering on Lake Erie is gen-
erally level, and in some places marshy. From one quarter to one third of
the territory of the state, comprising the eastern and southern parts bordering
on the Ohio River, is hilly and broken. On the margin of the Ohio, and
several of its tributaries, are alluvial lands of great fertility. The valleys of
the Scioto and the Great and Little Miami are the most extensive sections of
level, rich and fertile lands in the state. In the north-west section of the
state is an extensive tract of great fertility, called the "Black Swamp," much
of which, since the year 1855, has been opened into farms with un-
precedented rapidity. Though Ohio has no elevations which may be
termed mountains, the center of the state is about 1,000 feet above the level
of the sea. The summit of the abrupt hills bordering on the Ohio, several
hundred feet high, are nearly on a level with the surrounding country through
which the rivers have excavated their channels in the lapse of ages.
Ohio possesses in abundance the important minerals of coal and iron. The
bituminous coal region commences at the Ohio River, and extends in a belt,
between the Scioto and Muskingum Rivers, nearly to Lake Erie. Great quan-
tities of iron ore are found in the same section in a bed about 100 miles long
by 12 wide, said to be superior to any other in the United States for the finer
castings. Salt springs are frequent and very valuable. Marble and free-
stone, well adapted for building purposes, abound. Almost all parts are suit-
able for agricultural purposes, and the state ranks among the first in the pro-
ducts of the soil. Indian corn is the staple production. Large crops of
wheat, great quantities of pork, butter, cheese and wool are annually pro-
duced. The grain crops of Ohio are very large ; the estimate for 1860, a
favorable year, was: Indian corn, 80 millions of bushels; wheat, 30 millions;
and oats, 20 millions. It is estimated that the whole state has the natural
capacity to feed 18 millions of people. Population in 1800 was 45,365; in
1820, 581,434; in 1850, 1,980,408, and in 1860, 2,377,917.
MARIETTA, the capital of Washington county, and oldest town in the state,
is beautifully situated on the left or east bank of the Muskingum, at its con-
fluence with the Ohio, 104 miles south-east of Columbus, 62 below Wheeling,
Va., and 300, by the river, above Cincinnati. It is built principally on level
ground, surrounded by beautiful scenery. Many of the houses are con-
structed with great neatness, having fine gardens, and ornamental trees and
90
OHIO.
shrubbery, which mark the New England origin of its population. The
founders of the town comprised an unusual number of persons of refinement
and taste. Very many of them had served as officers in the armies of the
revolution, and becoming ruined in their fortunes in the service of their coun-
try, were thus prompted to seek a new home in the wilds of the west. Ma-
rietta College, in this place, was chartered in 1835, and is one of the most re-
spectable institutions of the kind in the state. Population about 5,000.
In the autumn of 1785, a
detachment of U. S. troops,
under the command of Maj.
Doughty, commenced the
erection of Fort Harmar, on
the west bank of the Musk-
ingum. It was named in
honor of Col. Harmar, to
whose regiment Major
Doughty was attached. In
the autumn of 1787, the di-
rectors of the Ohio Company
organized in New England,
preparatory to a settlement.
In the course of the winter
following, a party of about
40 men, under the Superin-
tcndenCC of Col Rufus Put-
nam, proceeded OVCr tllC Ai-
Ufrlinnine V>v flip nld Trillion
egIWIlIW uy U1C OKI
path which had been opened
into Braddock's road, and
boats being constructed, they proceeded' down the river, and on the 7th of
April, 1788, landed at the mouth of the Muskingum, and laid the foundation
of the state of Ohio.
"As St. Clair, who had been appointed governor the preceding October, had not
yet arrived, it became necessary to erect a temporary government for their internal
security, for which purpose a set of laws was passed and published, by being nailed
to a tree in the village, and Return Jonathan Meigs'was appointed to administer
them. It is a strong evidence of the good habits of the people of the colony, that
during three months but one difference occurred, and that was compromised. In-
deed, a better set of men altogether could scarce have been selected for the pur-
pose than Putnam's little band. Washington might well say, 'no colony in America
was ever settled under such favorable- auspices as that which was first commenced
at the Muskingum. Information, property and strength will be its characteristics.
I know many of the settlers personally, and there never were men better calculated
to promote the welfare of such a community.'
On the 2d of July, a meeting of the directors and agents was held on the bunks
of the Muskingum, for the purpose of naming the new-born city and its public
squares. As the settlement had been merely 'The Muskingum,' the name Marietta
was now formally given to it, in honor of Marie Antoinette.
On the 4th of -July, an oration was delivered by James M. Varnum, who, with
S. II. Parsons and John Armstrong, had been appointed to the judicial bench of
the territory, on the 16th of October, 1787. Five days later, the governor arrived,
and the colony began to assume form. The ordinance of 1787 provided two dis-
trict grades of government for the north-west territory, under the first of which the
whole power was in the hands of the governor and three judges, and this form was
at once organized upon the governor's arrival. The first law, which was 'for rcgu-
SOUTHERN VIEW OF THE ANCIENT MOUND, MABIETTA.
The engraving shows the appearance of the Mound as seen
from the dwelling of Mr. Rosseter, in Marietta, opposite the
grave-yard. Its base ia a regular circle, 115 feet in diameter ;
its perpendicular altitude is 30 feet. It is surrounded by a ditch
4 feet deep and 15 wide, defended by a parapet 4 feet high,
through which ia a gate-way.
OHIO. 91
ating and establishing the militia,' was published upon the 25th of July, and the
iext day appeared the governor's proclamation, erecting all the country that had
been ceded by the Indians east of the Scioto River into the county of Wash-
ington.
From that time forward, notwithstanding the doubt yet existing as to the In-
dians, all at Marietta went on prosperously and pleasantly. On the 2d of Septem-
ber, the first court was held, with becoming ceremonies, which was the first civil
court ever convened in the territory north-west of the Ohio.
'The procession was formed at the Point (where most of the settlers resided), in
the following order: 1st, the high sheriff, with his drawn sword; 2d. the citizens;
3d, the officers of the garrison at Fort Harmar; 4th, the members of the bar; 5th,
the supreme judges; 6th, the governor and clergyman; 7th, the newly appointed
judges of the court of common pleas, generaJs Hufus Putnam and Benj. Tupper.
They marched up a path that had been cut and cleared through the forest to
Campus Martius Hill (stockade), where the whole counter-marched, and the judges
(Putnam and Tupper) took their seats. The clergyman, Rev. Dr. Cutler, then in-
voked the divine blessing. The sheriff, Col. Ebenezer Sproat (one of nature's no-
bles), proclaimed with his solemn 'Oh yes' that a court is opened for the adminis-
tration of even-handed justice to the poor and* the rich, to the guilty and the inno-
cent, without respect of persons; none to be punished without a trial by their
peers, and then in pursuance of the laws and evidence in the case.' Although this
scene was exhibited thus early in the settlement of the state, few ever equaled it
in the dignity and exalted character of its principal participators. Many of them
belong to the history of our country, in the darkest as well as mo^t splendid pe-
riods of the revolutionary war. To witness this spectacle, a large body of Indians
was collected from the most powerful tribes then occupying the almost entire west.
They had assembled for the purpose of making a treaty. Whether any of them
entered the hall of justice, or what were their impressions, we are not told.' "
Campus Martins, at Marietta, in 1791.
Soon after landing, Campus Martius, a stockaded fort, was begun on the
verge of that beautiful plain, overlooking the Muskingum, on which arc
seated those celebrated remains of antiquity, but it was not completed with
palisades and bastions until the winter of 1790-1. It was a square of 180
feet on a side. At each corner was a strong block-house, surmounted by a
tower and sentry-box :
These houses were 20 feet square below, and 24 feet above, and projected 6 feet
beyond the curtains, or main walls of the fort. The intermediate curtains were
built up with dwelling houses, made of wood, whipsawed into timbers four inches
thick, and of the requisite width and length. These were laid up similar to the
92 OHI -
structure of log houses, with the ends nicely dove-tailed or fitted together so as to
make a neat finish. The whole were two stories high, and covered with good shin-
gle roofs. Convenient chimneys were erected of bricks, for cooking and warming
the rooms. A number of the dwelling houses were built and owned by private in-
dividuals, who had families. In the west and south fronts were strong gateways;
and over that in the center of the front looking to the Muskingum River, was a
belfry. The chamber underneath was occupied by the Hon. Winthrop Sargeant,
as an office, he being secretary to the governor of the N. W. Territory, (Jen. St.
Clair, and performing the duties of governor in his absence. . The dwelling houses
occupied a space from 15 to 30 feet each, and were sufficient for the accommoda-
tion of forty or fifty families, and did actually contain from 200 to 300 persons,
men, women and children, during the Indian war.
Before the Indians commenced hostilities, the block-houses were occupied as fol-
lows : the south-west one by the family of Gov. St. Clair ; the north-west one for
public worship and holding of courts. The south-east block-house was occupied
by private families ; and the north-east as an office for the accommodation of the
directors of the company. The area within the walls was 144 feet square, and af-
forded a fine parade ground. In the center was a well, 80 feet in depth, for the
supply of water to the inhabitants in case of a siege. A large sun-dial stood for
many years in the square, placed on a handsome post, and gave note of the march
of time. It is still preserved as a relic of the old garrison. After the war com-
menced, a regular military corps was organized, and a guard constantly kept night
and day. The whole establishment formed a very strong work, and reflected great
credit on the head that planned it
Ship building, at Marietta, was carried on quite extensively at an early day.
From the year 1800 to 1807, the business was very thriving. Com. Abm.
Whipple, a veteran of the Revolution, conducted the one first built, the St.
Clair, to the ocean.
At that time Marietta was made "a port of clearance," from which vessels could
receive regular papers for a foreign country. "This circumstance was the cause
of a curious incident, which took place in the year 1806 or 1807. A ship, built at
Marietta, cleared from that port with a cargo of pork, flour, etc., for New Orleans.
From thence she sailed to England with a load of cotton, and being chartered to
take a cargo to St. Petersburg, the Americans being at that time carriers for half
the world, reached that port in safety. Her papers being examined by a naval
officer, and dating from the port of Marietta, Ohio, she was seized, upon the plea
of their being a forgery, as no such port was known in the civilized world. With
considerable difficulty the captain procured a map of the United States, and point-
ing with his finger to the mouth of the Mississippi, traced the course of that stream
to the mouth of the Ohio; from thence he led the astonished and admiring naval
officer along the devious track of the latter river to the port of Marietta, at the
mouth of the Muskingum, from whence he hud taken his departure. This explan-
ation was entirely satisfactory, and the American was dismissed with every token
of regard and respect."
One of the early settlers in this region, gave Mr. Howe, for his work on
Ohio, the annexed amusing sketch, illustrating pioneer life:
People who have spent their lives in an old settled country, can form but a faint
idea of the privations and hardships endured by the pioneers of our now flourish-
ing and prosperous state. When I look on Ohio as it is, and think what it was in
1802, when 1 first settled here, I am struck with astonishment, and can hardly
credit my own senses. When I emigrated, I was a young man, without any prop-
erty, trade, or profession, entirely dependent on my own industry for a living. I
purchased 60 acres of new land on credit, 2 1-2 miles from any house or road, and
built a camp of poles, 7 by 4 feet, and 5 feet high, with three sides and a fire in
front. I furnished myself with a loaf of bread, a piece of pickled pork, some po-
tatoes, borrowed a frying pan, and commenced housekeeping. 1 was not hindered
from my work by company; for the first week I did not see a living soul, but, to
make amends for the want of it, 1 had every night a most glorious concert of
OHIO. 93
wolves and owls. 1 soon (like Adam) saw the necessity of a help-mate, and per-
suaded a voting woman to tie her destiny to mine. 1 built a log-house 20 feet
square quite aristocratic in those days and moved into it. I was fortunate
enough to possess a jack-knife; with that I made a wooden knife and two wooden
forks" which answered admirably for us to eat with. A bedstead was wanted:
took two round poles for the posts, inserted a pole in them for a side rail, two other
poles were inserted for end pieces, the ends of which were put in the logs of the
house some puncheons were then split and laid from the side rail to the crevice
between the loss of the house, which formed a substantial bed-cord, on which we
laid our straw bed, the only one we had on which we slept as soundly and woke as
happy as Albert and Victoria.
A Pioneer Dwelling in the Woods.
Tn process of time, a yard and a half of calico was wanted ; I started on foot
through the woods ten miles, to Marietta, to procure it; but alas! when 1 arrived
there I found that, in the absence of both money and credit, the calico was not to
be obtained. The dilemma was a serious one, and how to escape I could not de-
vise; but I had no sooner informed my wife of my failure, than she suggested that
I had a pair of thin pantaloons which I could very well spare, that would make
quite a decent frock : the pants were cut up, the frock made, and in due time, the
child was dressed.
The long winter evenings were rather tedious, and in order to make them pass
more smoothly, by great exertion, I purchased a share in the Belpre library, 6 miles
distant. From this I promised myself much entertainment, but another obstacle
presented itself I had no candles ; however, the Avoods afforded plenty of pine
knots with these 1 made torches, by which I could read, though I nearly spoiled
my eyes. Many a night have I passed in this manner, till 12 or 1 o'clock reading
to my wife, while she was hatcheling, carding or spinning. Time rolled on, the
payments for my land became due, and money, at that time, in Ohio, was a cash
article : however, 1 did not despair. I bought a few steers; some I bartered for
and others I got on credit my credit having somewhat improved since the calico
expedition slung a knapsack on my back, and started alone with my cattle for Rom-
ney, on the Potomac, where I sold them, then traveled on to Litchfield, Connecti-
cut, paid for my land, and had just $1 left to bear my expenses home, 600 miles
distant. Before I returned, I worked an^procured 50 cents in cash ; with this and
my dollar I commenced my journey homeward. I laid out my dollar for cheap
hair combs, and these, with a little Yankee pleasantry, kept me very comfortably
at the private houses where J stopped till I got to Owego, on the feusquehanna,
where I had a power of attorney to collect some money for a neighbor in Ohio.
94 OHIO.
At Marietta arc some ancient works, which, although not more remarka-
ble than others in the state, and not so extensive as some, are more generally
known, from having been so frequently described by travelers. They are on
an elevated plain, above the present bank of the Muskingum, on the east
side, and about half a mile from its junction with the Ohio. They consist
of walls and mounds of earth in direct lines, and in square and circular
forms. The largest square fort, or town, contained about forty acres, en-
compassed by a wall of earth, from six to ten feet high. On each side were
three openings, probably gateways. On the side next the Muskingum there
was a covert way, formed of two parallel walls of earth, upward of 200 feet
apart, extending probably, at the time of their construction, to the river.
There was also a smaller fort, consisting of 20 acres, having walls, gateways
and mounds. The mound in the present graveyard is situated on the south-
east of the smaller fort. The following inscriptions are copied from monu-
ments in this yard:
Sacred to the memory of Commodore ABRAHAM WHIPPLR, whose naval skill and courage
will ever remain the pride and boast of his country. In the REVOLUTION, he wns the first
on the seas to hurl defiance at proud Britain, gallantly leading the way to wrest from the
mistress of the sens her scepter, and there wave the star spangled banner. lie also con-
ducted to the sea the first square rigged vessel ever built on the Ohio, opening to commerce
resources beyond calculation. He was born Sept. 26th, A.D. 1733, and died Muy 26th, 1819,
aged 85 years.
Gen. RCFUS PUTNAM, died May 4, 1824, in the 87th year of his age.
Here lies the body of his Excellency, RETURN JONATHAN Mures, who wns born at Mld-
dletown, Connecticut, Nov. , 1766, and died at Marietta, March 29, 1825. For many
years his time and talents were devoted to the service of his country. He successively filled
the place of Judge of the Territory North-west of the Ohio, Scnntor of Congress of the
United States, Governor of the State, and Post Master General of the United States. To
the honoured and revered memory of an ardent Patriot, a practical Statesman, an enlight-
ened Scholar, a dutiful Son, an indulgent Father, an affectionate Husband, this monument
is erected by his mourning widow, Sophia Meigs.
In memory of Doctor SAMUEL HILDRKTH, a native of Massachusetts, who died at Belpre,
August 6th, 'A.D. 1823, aged 73 years.
Death is the good man's friend the messenger who calls him to his Father's house.
MARTHA BRAINERD, daughter of Dr. Joseph Spencer, Jr., and grand-daughter of Maj.
Gen. Joseph Spencer, officers in the array of the Revolution in 1775, the latter a, member
of the Continental Congress of 1778, born at Lebanon, Connecticut, Jan. 18, 1782, married
in Virginia to Stephen Radcliff Wilson, May 20th, 1798, died at Marietta, Jan. 10th, 1852.
GALLIPOLJS, the county seat of Gallia county, one of the oldest towns in
Ohio, is pleasantly situated on the Ohio River. 102 miles south-easterly from
Columbus, and contains about 2,800 inhabitants. It was settled in 1791, by
a French colony, sent out under the auspices of the "Scioto Company,"
which appears to have been in some way connected with the Ohio Company.
The agents of the Scioto Company, in Paris, were Joel Barlow, of the
United States; Playfair, an Englishman; and a Frenchman, named DC Sais-
son. A handsome, but deceptive French map was engraved, and glowing
representations of the country were given, and, being about the beginning
of the French Revolution, the "flattering delusion" took strong hold. The
terms to induce emigration were as fdPows: The company proposed to take
the emigrant to their lands and pay the cost, and the latter bound himself
to work three years for the company, for which he was to receive fifty acrca,
OHIO.
95
a house, and cow. About five hundred Frenchmen left their native country,
debarked mostly at Alexandria, Va., and made their way to the promised
land.
The location of Gallipolis was effected just before the arrival of the
French. Col. Rufus Putnam sent Maj. Burnham, with about 40 men, for
GatNpolig, i. e. Town of the French, in 1791.
that purpose, who m:ido the clearing, and erected block-houses and cabins on
the present public square. Eighty log cabins were constructed, 20 in each
row. At each of the corners were block -houses, two stories high. Above
the cabins, on the square, were two other parallel rows of cabins, which, with
a high stockade fence, formed a sufficient fortification in times of danger.
These upper cabins were a story and a half high, built of hewed logs, and
finished in better style than those below, being intended for the richer class.
The following is from a communication to the American Pioneer, from one
of the colonists, Waldeurard Meulette:
At an early meeting of the colonists, the town was named Gallipolis (town of
tlie French). I did not arrive till nearly all the colonists were there. 1 descended
the river in 1791, in flat boats, loaded with troops, commanded by Gen. St. Clair,
destined for an expedition against the Indians. Some of my countrymen joined
that expedition ; among others was Count Malartie, a captain in the French guard
of Louis XVI. General St. Clair made him one of his aids-de-camp in the battle,
in which he was severely wounded. He went back to Philadelphia, from whence
he returned to France. The Indians were encouraged to greater depredations and
murders, by their success in this expedition, but most especially against the Amer-
ican settlements. From their intercourse with the French in Canada, or some
other cause, they seemed less disposed to trouble us. Immediately after St. Clair' a
defeat, Col. Sproat, commandant at Marietta, appointed four spies for Gallipolis
two Americans and two French, of which I was one, and it was not until after the
treaty at Greenville, in 1795, that we were released.
Notwithstanding the great difficulties, the difference of tempers, education, and
professions, the inhabitants lived in harmony, and having little or nothing to do,
made themselves agreeable and useful to each other. The Americans and hunters,
employed by the company, performed the first labors of clearing the township,
which was divided into lots.
Although the French \vere willing to work, yet the clearing of an American
96
OHIO.
wilderness and its heavy timber, \vas far more than they could perform. To mi-
grate from the eastern states to the "far west," is painful enough now-a-days, but
how much more so it must be for a citizen of a large European town ! Even a
farmer of the old countries would find it very hard, if not impossible to clear land
in the wilderness. Those hunters were paid by the colonists to prepare their gar-
den ground, which was to receive the seeds brought from France; few of the col-
onists knew how to make a garden, but they were guided by a few books on that
subject, which they had brought likewise from France. The colony then began to
improve in its appearance and comfort. The fresh provisions were supplied by the
company's hunters, the others came from their magazines.
Breckenridge, in his Recollections, gives some reminiscences of Gallipolis,
related in a style of charming simplicity and humor. He was then a boy of
nine years of age :
Behold me once more in port, and domiciled at the house, or inn, of Monsieur, or
rather, Dr. Saugrain, a cheerful, sprightly little Frenchman, four feet six, English
measure, and a chemist, natural philosopher and physician, both in the English and
French signification of the word. . . . This singular village was settled by people
from Paris and Lyons, chiefly artisans and artists, peculiarly unfitted to sit down
in the wilderness and clear away forests. I have seen half a dozen at work in
taking down a tree, some pulling ropes fastened to the branches, while others wero
cutting around it like beavers. Sometimes serious accidents occurred in conse-
quence of their awkwardness. Their former employment had been only calculated
to administer to the luxury of highly polished and wealthy societies. There were
carvers and gilders to the king, coach makers, freizurs and peruke makers, and a
variety of others who might have found some employment in our larger towns, but
who were entirely out of their place in the wilds of Ohio. Their means by this
time had been exhausted, and they were beginning to suffer from the want of the
comforts and even the necessaries of life. The country back from the river was
still a wilderness, and the Gallipotians did not pretend to cultivate anything more
than small garden spots, depending for their supply of provisions on the boats
which now began to descend the river; but they had to pay in cash, and that was
become scarce. They still assembled at the ballroom twice a week; it was evi-
dent, however, that they felt disappointment, and were no longer happy. The pre-
dilections of the best among them, being on the side of the Bourbons, the horrors
of the French revolution, even in their remote situation, mingled with their private
misfortunes, which had at this time nearly reached their acme, in consequence of
the discovery that they had no title to their lands, having been cruelly deceived by
those from whom they had purchased. It is well known that congress generously
made them a grant of twenty thousand acres, from which, however, but few of them
ever derived any advantage.
As the Ohio was now more frequented, the house was occasionally resorted to,
and especially by persons looking out for land to purchase. The doctor had a small
apartment which contained his chemical apparatus, and I used to sit by him as
often as I could watching the curious operation of his blow-pipe and crucible. I
loved the cheerfal little man, and he became very fond of me in return. Many of
my countrymen used to come and stare at his doings, which they were half inclined
to think had a too near resemblance to the black art
The doctor was a great favorite with the Americans, as well for his vivacity and
sweetness of temper, which nothing could sour, as on account of a circumstance
which gave him high claim to the esteem of the backwoodsmen. He had shown
himself, notwithstanding his small stature and great good nature, a very hero in
combat with the Indians. He had descended the Ohio in company with two
French philosophers, who were believers in the primitive innocence and goodness
of the children of the forest. They could not be persuaded that any danger was to
be apprehended from the Indians; as they had no intentions to injure that people,
they supposed no harm could be meditated on their part. Dr. Saugrain was not
altogether so well convinced of their good intentions, and accordingly kept his pis-
tols loaded. Near the mouth of the Sandy, a canoe with a party of warriors ap-
proached the boat; the philosophers invited them on board by signs, when they
OHIO. 97
;;\]iic rather too willingly. The first tiling they did on coming on board of the boat
was to salute the two philosophers with the tomahawk ; and they would have treated
the doctor in the same way but tha,t he used his pistols with good effect killed two
of the savages, and then leaped into the water, diving like a dipper at the flash ot
the guns of the others, and succeeded in swimming to the shore with several severe
wounds whose scar? were conspicuous.
The doctor was married to an amiable young woman, but not possessing as much
vivacity as himself. As Madam San grain had no maid to assist her, her brother, a
boy of uiy age, and myself were her principal helps in the kitchen. We brought
water and wood, and washed the dishes. 1 used to go in the morning about twxi
two miles for a little milk, sometimes on the frozen ground, barefooted. I tried a
pair of savots, or wooden shoes, but was unable to make any use of them, although
they had been made by the carver to the king. Little perquisites, too, sometimes
fell to oar share -from blacking boots and shoes; my companion generally saved
his, while mine would have burned a hole in my pocket if it had i-emained there.
In the spring and summer, a good deal of my time was passed in the garden, weed-
ing the beds. While thus engaged, 1 formed an acquaintance with a young lady,
of eighteen or twenty, on the other side of the palings, who was often similarly oc-
cupied. Our friendship, which was purely Platonic, commenced Avitli the story of
IJluo Beard, recounted by her, and with the novelty and pathos of which 1 was
aiuch interested.
Soon after Breckenridge left the place, but in 1807 again saw Gallipolis:
As we passed Point Pleasant and the Island below it, Gallipolis, which I looked for with
anxious feelings, hove in sight. I thought of the French inhabitants I thought of my
friend Saugniiu, and I recalled, in the liveliest color?, the incidents of that portion of my
life which UM- passed here. A year is a long time at that period every day is crowded
with new and great and striking events. When the boat landed, I ran up the bank and
looked around; but aias! how changed! The Americans had taken the town in hand,
and no t.-;;ce of antiquity, that is, of twelve years ago, remained. I hastened to the spot
where I expected to find the abode, the little log house, tavern and laboratory of the doc-
tor, but they had vanished like the palace ot Aladdin. After some inquiry, I found a little
Frenchman, who, like the old woman of Goldsmith's village, was "the sad historian of the
deserted plain" that is, deserted by one race to be peopled by another. He led me to
where a few logs might be seen, as the only remains of the once happy tenement which had
sheltered me but all around it was a common; the town had taken a different direction.
My heart sickened; the picture which my imagination had drawn the scenes which my
memory loved to cherish, were blotted out and obliterated. A volume of reminiscences'
seemed to be annihilated in an instant! I took a hasty glance at the new town as I re-
turned to the boat. I saw brick houses, painted frames, fanciful inclosures, ornamental
trees. Even the pond, which had carried off a tl.ird of the French population by its ni'ila-
riti, had disappeared, and a pretty green had usurped its place,, with a neat brick court
house in the midst of it. This was too much; I hastened my pace, and with sorrow once
more pushed into the stream.
CINCINNATI, the metropolis of Ohio, and capital of Hamilton county, is on
the right or northern bank of the Ohio, 116 miles south-west of Oulumbus,
455, by the course of the river, from Pittsburg, Pa.; 1,447 above New Or-
leans, by the Mississippi and Ohio rivers; 518 west from Baltimore, G17
from Philadelphia, 704 from New York, 655 east from St. Louis, Mo., 492
from Washington City. Lut. 39 6' 30"; Long. 84 27' W. from Greenwich,
or 7 25' W. from Washington. It is the largest inland city in the United
States, and is frequently called the "Queen City of the West."
Soon after the first settlement of Ohio was commenced at Marietta, several
parties were formed to occupy and improve separate portions of Judge
Sym rues' purchase between the Miami Rivers. The first, led by Maj. Stites,
laid out the town of Columbia, at the mouth of the Little Miami. The second
party, about twelve or fifteen in number, under Matthias Denman and Robert
Patterson, after much difficulty and danger, caused by floating ice in the
Ohio, landed on its north bank, opposite the mouth of the Licking, Dec. 24,
7
98
OHIO.
1788. Here they proceeded to lay out a town, which they called Losanti-
villc, which was afterward changed to Cincinnati. The original price paid
by Mr. Denman for the land on which the city now stands, was, in value,
about fifteen pence per acre. A third party of adventurers, under the imme-
diate care of Judge Symines, located themselves at North Bend.
For some time it was a matter of doubt which of the rivals, Columbia, Cin-
cinnati or North Bend would eventually become the seat of business. The
garrison for the defense of the settlements having been established at Cincin-
nati, made it the head-quarters and depot of the army. In addition to this,
Cincinnati from the Kentucky side of the Ohio.
Parts of Covington and Newport, Ky., appear on the right; o, landing, Cincinnati ; 6, the suburb of
Fulton, up the Ohio, on the left of which is East Walnut Hills, and through which passes the Little Miami
Railroad, leading to the eastern cities; c, Mount Adams, on which is the Cincinnati Observatory; d, posi-
tion of Walnut Hills, three, miles from the city ; e, Mount Auburn, 480 feet above the bed of the Ohio; /,
Vine-street Hill,* four miles beyond which are the elegant country seats at Clifton ; g, valley of Mill-creek,
on which is Spring Grove Cemetery, and the railroad track to Dayton.
as soon as the county courts of the territory were organized, it was created
the seat of justice for Hamilton county. These advantages turned the scale
in favor of Cincinnati.
At first, North Bend had a decided advantage over it, as the troops de-
tailed by Gen. Harmar for the protection of the Miami settlers were landed
there, through the influence of Judge Symmes. It appears, however, that the
detachment soon afterward took its departure for Cincinnati. The tradition
is, that Ensign Luce, the commander of the party, while looking out very
leisurely for a suitable site on which to erect a block-house, formed an ac-
quaintance with a beautiful, black-eyed female, to whom he became much
attached. She was the wife of one of the settlers at thte Bend. Her husband
saw the danger to which he was exposed if he remained where he was. He
therefore resolved at once to remove to Cincinnati. The ensign soon fol-
lowed, and, as it appears, being authorized to make a selection for a military
work, he chose Cincinnati as the site, and notwithstanding the remonstrances
of Judge Symmes, he removed the troops and commenced the erection of a
block-house. Soon after Maj. Doughty arrived at Cincinnati with troops
from Fort Harmar, and commenced the erection of Fort Washington. The
* The bulk of the German population is in that portion of the city between tho base of
Mt. Auburn and Vine-street Hill. The line of the canal to Toledo cuts off the German set-
tlement from the south part of the city. "Over tho Rhine," t. e., over tho canal, is, in
common parlance, tho appellation given to that quarter. The total German population ia
estimated at 40,000.
OHIO. 99
following details upon the history of the place is extracted from Howe's Hist.
Collections of Ohio.
Soon as the settlers of Cincinnati landed, they commenced erecting three or
four cabins, the first of which was built on Front, east of and near Main-
street. The lower table of land was then covered with sycamore and maple
trees, and the upper with beech and oak. Through this dense forest the
streets were laid out, their corners being marked upon the trees. This survey
extended from Eastern How, now Broadway, to Western How, now Central-
avenue, and from the river as far north as Northern Row, now Seventh street.
In January, 1790, Gen. Arthur St. Clair, then governor of the north-west
territory, arrived at Cincinnati to organize the county of Hamilton. In the
succeeding fall, Gen. Harmar marched from Fort Washington on his expedi-
tion against the Indians of the north-west. In the following year (1791),
the unfortunate army of St. Clair marched from the same place. On his re-
turn, St. Clair gave Major Zeigler the command of Fort Washington and re-
paired to Philadelphia. Soon after, the latter was succeeded by Col. Wil-
kinson. This year, Cincinnati had little increase in its population. About
one half of the inhabitants were attached to the army of St. Clair, and many
killed in the defeat.
In 1792, about fifty persons were added by emigration to the population of
Cincinnati, and a house of worship erected. In the spring following, the
troops which had been recruited for Wayne's army landed at Cincinnati and
encamped on the bank of the river between the village of Cincinnati and
Mill-creek. To that encampment Wayne gave the name of "Hobson's choice,"
it being the only suitable place for that object. Here he remained several
months, constantly, d rilling his troops, and then moved on to a spot now in
Darke county, where he erected Fort Greenville. In the fall, after the army
had left, the sraall-pox broke out in the garrison at Fort Washington, and
spread with so much malignity that nearly one third of the soldiers and citi-
zens fell victims. In July, 1794, the army left Fort Greenville, and on the
20th of August defeated the enemy at the battle of the "Fallen Timbers," in
what is now Lucas county, a few miles above Toledo. Judge Burnet thus
describes Cincinnati at about this period:
Prior to the treaty of Greenville, which established a permanent peace between
the United States and the Indians, but few improvements had been made of any
description, and scarcely one of a permanent character. In Cincinnati, Fort Wash-
ington was the most remarkable object. That rude, but highly interesting struc-
ture stood between Third and Fourth streets, produced east of Eastern Row, now
Broadway, which was then a two pole alley, and was the eastern boundary of the
town, as originally laid out It was composed of a number of strongly built, hewed
log cabins, a story and a half high, calculated for soldiers' barracks. Some of them,
more conveniently arranged, and better finished, were intended for officers' quar-
ters. They were so placed as to form a hollow square of about an acre of ground,
with a strong block-house at each angle. It was built of large logs, cut from the
ground on which it stood, which was a tract of fifteen acres, reserved by congress
in the law of 1792, for the accommodation of the garrison.
The artificers' yard was an appendage to the fort, and stood on the bank of the
river, immediately in front It contained about two acres of ground, inclosed by
email contiguous buildings, occupied as work-shops and quarters for laborers.
Within the inclosure; there was a large two story frame house, familiarly called
the '^yellow house," built for the accommodation of the quartermaster general,
which was the most commodious and best finished edifice in Cincinnati.
On the north side of Fourth-street, immediately behind the fort, Col. Sargeant,
secretary of the territory, had a convenient frame house, and a spacious garden,
cultivated with care and taste. On the east side of the fort, Dr. Allison, the sur
100
OHIO.
ge(<n general of the army, had a plain frame dwelling, in the center of a large lot
cultivated as a garden and fruitery, which was called Peach Grove. The Pres-
byterian Church, an interesting edifice, stood on Main-street, in front of the spa-
cious brick building now occupied by the First Presbyterian congregation, it was
a, substantial frame building, about 40 feet by 30, inclosed with clapboards, but
neither lathed, plastered nor ceiled. The floor was of boat plank, resting on
wooden blocks. In that humble edifice the pioneers and their families assembled,
statedly, for public worship; and, during the continuance of the war, they always
attended with loaded rifles by their sides. That building was afterward neatly
finished, and somfr years subsequently (1814) was bold and removed to Vine-street.
On the north side of Fourth-street, opposite where St. Paul's Church now stands,
there stood a frame school-house, inclosed, but unfinished, in which the children
of the village were instructed. On the north side of the public square, there waa
>i strong log building, erected and occupied as a jail. A room in the tavern of
George Avery, near the frog-pond, at the corner of Main and Fifth-streets, hao
The First Church built in Cincinnati.*
been rented for the accommodation of the courts ; and as the penitentiary system
had not been adopted, and Cincinnati was a seat of justice, it was ornamented with
a pillory, stocks and whipping-post, and occasionally with a gallows. These were
all the structures of a public character then in the place. Add to these the cabins
and other temporary buildings for the shelter of the inhabitants, and it will com-
plete the schedule of the improvements of Cincinnati at the time of the treaty of
Greenville.
It may assist the reader in forming something like a correct idea of the appear-
ance of Cincinnati, and of what it actually was at that time, to know that at the
:i: The engraving represents the First Presbyterian Church, as it appeared in February,
1847, and is engraved from a drawing then taken by Mr. Howe for bis "Historical Collec-
tions of Ohio." It stood on the west side of Vine, just north of Fourth-street, on the spot
now occupied by the Summer Garden. Its original site was on the spot now occupied
by the First Presbyterian Church, on Fourth-street. In the following spring, it was taken
<(<>wn, nnd the materials used for the construction of several dwellings in the part of Cincin-
).;it.i called Texas. The greater proportion of the timber was found to be perfectly sound.
In 1791, a number of the inhabitants formed themselves into a company, to escort the Rev.
James Keinper from beyond the Kentucky River to Cincinnati ; nnd after his arrival, a
subscription was set on foot to build this church, which was erected in 1792. This sub-
scription paper is still in existence, and bears date January 16, 1792. Among its signers
were Gen. Wilkinson, Captains Ford, Peters and Shaylor, of the regular service, Dr. Alli-
son, surgeon to St. Clairand Wayne, Winthrop Sargeant, Capt. Robert Elliott and others
principally citizens, to the number of 106, not one of whom survive.
OHIO.
101
intersection of Mainland Fifth-streets there was a pond of water, full of aldei
bushes, from which the frogs serenaded the neighborhood during the summer
and fall, and which rendered it necessary to construct a causeway of logs, to pass
it. That morass remained in its natural state, with its alders and its frogs, several
years after Mr. B. became a resident of the place, the population of which, includ-
ing the garrison and followers of the army, was about six hundred. The fort was
then commanded by William H. Harrison, a captain rn the army, but afterward
president of the United States. In 1797, Gen. Wilkinson, the commander-in-chief
of the army, made it his head-quarters for a few months, but did not, apparently,
interfere with the command of Capt. Harrison, which continued till his resignation
in 1798.
During the period now spoken of, tho settlements of the territory, including Cin-
cinnati, contained but few individuals, and still fewer families, who had been ac-
customed to mingle in the circles of polished society. That fact put it in the power
of the military to give character to the manners and customs of the people. Such
Cincinnati in 1802. Population about 800.
The eng,
part of th
it was early called, Eastern Kuw.
a school, it must be admitted, was by no means calculated to make the most favor-
able impression on the morals and sobriety of any community, as was abundantly
proven by the result.
Idleness, drinking and gambling prevailed in the army to a greater extent than it has
done to any subsequent period. This may be attributed to the fact that they had been
several years in the wilderness, cut off from all society but their own, with but few
comforts or conveniences at hand, and no amusements but such as their own inge-
nuity could invent Libraries were not to be found men of literary minds, or
polished manners, were rarely met with ; and they had long been deprived of the
advantage of modest, accomplished female society, which always produces a salu-
tary influence on the feelin<rs and moral habits of u^n. Thus situated, the officers
were urired, by an irresistible impulse, to tax their wits for expedients to fill up the
chasms of leisure which were left on their hands, after a full discharge of their mil-
tary duties; and, as is too frequently the case, in such circumstances, the bottle,
the dice-box and the card-table were among the expedients resorted to, because
they were the nearest at hand, and the most easily procured.
It is a distressing fact that a very large proportion of the officers under General
Wayne, and subsequently under C!en. Wilkinson, were hard drinkers. Harrison,
Clark, Shomberg, Ford, Strong, and a few others, were the only exceptions. Such
were the habits of the army when they began to associate with the inhabitants of
Cincinnati, and of the western settlements generally, and to give tone to public
sentiment. As a natural consequence, the citizens indulged in the same practices
102
OHIO.
and formed the same habits. As a proof of this, it may be stated that when Mr.
Burnet came to the bar, there were nine resident lawyers engaged in the practice,
of whom he is and has been for many years the only survivor. They all becamn
confirmed sots, and descended to premature graves, excepting his brother, who was
a young man of high promise, but whose life was terminated by a rapid consump-
tion, in the summer of 1801. He expired under the shade of a tree, by the side
of the road, on the banks of Paint creek, a few miles from Chillicothe.
On the 9th of November, 1793, Win. Maxwell established, at Cincinnati, "the
Centinel of the North-Western Territory," with the motto, "open to all parties
influenced by none." It was on a half sheet, royal quarto size, and was the first
newspaper printed north of the Ohio River. In 1796, Edward Freeman became
the owner of the paper, which he changed to " Freeman's Journal," which he con-
tinued until the beginning of 1800, when he removed to Chillicothe. On the 2Sth
of May, 1799, Joseph Carpenter issued the first number of a weekly paper, entitled
the "Western Spy and Hamilton Gazette." On the llth of January, 1794, two
keel boats sailed from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh, each making a trip once in four
weeks. Each boat was so covered as to be protected against rifle and musket balls,
and had port holes to fire out at, and was provided with six pieces, carrying pound
balls, a number of muskets and ammunition, as a protection against the Indians
on the banks of the Ohio. In 1801, the first sea vessel equipped for sea, of 100
tuns, built at Marietta, passed down the Ohio, carrying produce; and the banks of
the river at Cincinnati were crowded with spectators to witness this novel event.
Dec. 19, 1801, the territorial legislature passed a bill removing the seat of gov
ernment from Chillicothe to Cincinnati.
January 2, 1802, the territorial legislature incorporated the town of Cincinnati,
and the following officers were appointed: David Zeigler, president; Jacob Burnefc,
recorder; \Vm. Ramsay, David E. Wade, Chas. Avery, John Reily, Wm. Stanley,
Samuel Dick, and Wm. Ruffner, trustees; Jo. Prince, assessor; Abram Cary, col-
lector; and James Smith, town marshal. In 1795, the town contained 94 cabins,
10 frame houses, and about 500 inhabitants.
Cincinnati is situated in a beautiful valley of about 12 miles in circumfer-
ence, surrounded by hills, which rise to the bight of about 500 feet. This
valley is divided nearly in the center by the Ohio River. On the Kentucky
side of the Ohio, the towns of Covington and Newport are situated in it, and
it is there pierced by the smaller valley of the Licking River, running south-
erly. On the Ohio side the valley is also pierced, below the settled part of
Cincinnati, by the valley of Mill creek, running northerly. Cincinnati is
laid out with considerable regard to regularity ; the streets in the center of
the city being bi'oad, and intersecting each other at right angles. Many of
the hills surrounding the city are adorned by stately and elegant mansions,
with ornamental grounds attached; while some of them are yet covered with
groves of ancient forest trees.
The greater part of the city is built on two terraces, or plains, sometimes
called "bottoms," of which the first is about 50, and the second 108 feet
above low water mark. These elevations, in grading, have been reduced '
more nearly to a gradual ascent of from 5 to 10 degrees from the river.
The city extends more than three miles along the river. The central por-
tions are compactly and handsomely built, with streets about 66 feet wide,
bordered with spacious warehouses, stores, etc., many of which are magnifi-
cent structures, of beautiful brown freestone, rising to the hight of 6 stories,
and with fronts of elaborate architecture. Main-street extends from the
steamboat landing, in a northerly direction, and Broadway, Sycamore, Wal-
nut, Vine, Race, Elm, and Plum-streets, are parallel to it. It is intersected
at rijrht angles by 14 principal streets, named Water, First, Second, Third)
etc. An open area upon the bank of the river, with about 1,000 feet front, east
OHIO.
103
from the foot of Main-street, embracing some 10 acres, is reserved for the land-
ing, and usually presents a scene of great activity. The shore is paved with
stone from low water mark to the top of the first bank, and furnished with
View on Fourth street, Cincinnati.
Tlie fiist building on the left Is the iron front clothing store of SpraRiiB A Co. Th<> Vont Office and Cus-
tom Iluun are in the structure with tin- On-i i:>n front. Mitchell A Uummo'sburg's Furniture Waroruoins,
tihi'lito's Jry Goods' establishment, appear beyond.
floating vharvos, which accommodate themselves to the great variation in
the bight of the river. From GO to 80 steamboats are often seen here at
once, presenting a scene of animation and business life.
The Ohb lliver, at Cincinnati, is 1,800 feet, or about one third of a mile,
104
wide, and its mean annual range from low to high water is about 50 feet :
the extreme range may be 10 feet more. The water is at its lowest point of
depression usually in August, September and October, and the greatest rise,
in December, March, May and June. Its current, at its mean hight, is three
miles an hour; when higher, or rising, it is more, and when very low it docs
not exceed two miles. The navigation of the river is rarely suspended by
ice. The city is supplied with water raised from the Ohio by steam power,
capable of forcing into the reservoir 5,000,000 gallons of water each twelve
hours. The reservoir is elevated about 200 feet above the bed of the Ohio,
and is estimated to contain 5,000,000 gallons.
In point of commercial importance, Cincinnati occupies a front rank in
the west. By means of the numerous steamers which are constantly plying
to and fro on the bosom of the majestic river, which rolls gracefully on the
south of the city, and the several canals and railroads which enter here,
Cincinnati is connected with every available point of importance in the
great and highly productive valley of the Mississippi. The trade is not,
however, confined to the interior : and a vast amount of foreign importation
and exportation is done. The pork business is carried on more extensively
here than at any other place in the world.
Manufacturing is entered into here with great energy, and employs a vast
amount of capital. Numerous mills and factories are in operation, besides
founderies, planing mills, rolling mills, saw mills, rolling mills, flouring mills,
type founderies, machine shop?, distilleries, etc. Nearly all kinds of ma-
chinery is driven by steam, and there are now about 300 steam engines in
operation in the city. Steamboat building is an extensive and important
business here. Among the most important branches of manufacture is that
of iron castings, implements and machinery of various kinds, as steam en-
gines, sugar mills, stoves, etc., some of the establishments employing hun-
dreds of hands. The manufacture of clothing is also a great interest; and
in the extent of the manufacture of furniture, the factories surpass any others
in the Union. Cincinnati is also the most extensive book publishing )i!:irt
in the west. The total value of the product of the manufacturing and in-
dustrial pursuits of Cincinnati, for 1859, was ascertained by Mr. Ci.st to sum
up more than one hundred and twelve millions of dollars. Among the
heaviest items were, ready made clothing 15 millions; iron castings, 0^
millions; total iron products, 13 millions; pork and beef packing, b'^ mil-
lions; candles and lard oil, 6 millions; whisky, 5^- millions; furniture, 3
millions; domestic liquors, 3^ millions; publications, newspapers, books, etc.,
2- millions; and patent medicines, 2 millions.
Cincinnati was the first city in the world to adopt the steam fire engine.
The machine used is of Cincinnati invention, by Abel Shawk. The fire de-
partment is under pay of the city. It is admirably conducted, and so efficient
that a serious conflagration is very rare. The huge machines, when on th<ir
way to a fire, are drawn through the streets by four powerful horses mov'ng
at lull gallop, and belching forth flames and smoke, form an imposing j-pec-
taclc.
Cincinnati has the first Observatory built on the globe by the co/tribu-
tions of "the people." It is a substantial stone building, on the hill oast of
the city, 5UO 1'cct above the Ohio, named Mt. Adams, from Join; Quincy
Aihxiu.s. who laid the corner stone of (he structure, Nov. 9, 1843. The tel-
escope is of German manufacture; it is an excellent instrument and cost
about 1 0,000.
OHIO. 105
The public buildings of Cincinnati are numerous, and some of thcm^ of
beautiful architecture! The Mechanics' Institute is a substantial building,
erected by voluntary subscription. The Ohio School Library and that of the
Mechanics' Institute are merged in one, which is free to the public : it has
Pike's Building.
24,000 volumes. The Catholic Institute, winch adjoins it, is an ele-
gant and capacious structure with a front of freestone. The Cincin-
nati College edifice is a large building of compact gray limestone.
In it are the rooms of the Chamber of Commerce and the Young
Mcns' Mercantile Library Association. This association has a largo
and excellent library, besides nil the principal American and foreign
periodicals. The Masonic Temple, corner of Third and Walnut, cost
150.000. It is one of the most beautiful and imposing buildings in
the Union. The material is a light freestone, and the style Byzan-
tine. The County Court House is the largest building in the city.
It cost more than a million of dollars: its front is of gray limestone,
and the whole structure is of the most durable character. Among the
theaters of the city, Pike's Opera House, for its beauty, had a national
reputation. It cost with the ground, nearly half a million of dollars:
its magnificent opera hall was justly the pride of the citizens. It was
burnt in 1866, and is now re-built, but without the opera hall.
Among the 110 churches of the city, the Catholic Cathedral, on Eighth
street, and the Jewish Synagogue opposite it, are the most imposing.
Cincinnati has its full share of literary and benevolent institutions :
five medical and four commercial colleges, the Weslyan Female, and St.
106
Xavier Colleges. The common school system is on the principle now in
vogue, of graded schools. The scholars are divided into three classes the
common, intermediate and high schools. And these, in turn, are graded, one
year being given to each grade. A child is taken at six years of age, and at
eighteen graduates at the high school, with an education based on the com-
mon branches, and completed with some of the languages and higher
branches of science.*-
Cincinnati is the center of many extensive railway lines, running north,
east, south and west, and also the terminus of the Miami Canal, extending
to Lake Erie and Toledo, and the Whitewater Canal, penetrating the heart
of Indiana. Population, in 1800, 759; in 1810, 2,5-10; in 1820, 9,602;
1830,24,831; 1840, 46,338; 1850, 118,761; in 1860. 171.293; the suburbs.
Covington and Newport, would increase this to about 200,000.
Cincinnati is noted for the successful manufacture of wine from native
grapes, particularly the Catawba. The establishment of this branch of in-
dustry is due to the unremitting exertions of Mr. 'Nicholas Longworth, a
resident of Cincinnati for more than half a century.
Prior to this, the manufacture of American wine had been tried in an
experimental way, but it had failed as a business investment. Learning that
wine could be made from the Catawba grape, a variety originating in North
Carolina, Mr. Longworth entered systematically into its cultivation, and to
encourage the establishment of numerous vineyards, he offered a market on
his own premises for all the must (juice), that might be brought him, with-
out reference to the quantity.
'At the same time he offered a reward of five hundred dollars to whoever should
discover a better variety. It proved a great stimulus to the growth of the Catawba
vine in the neighborhood of Cincinnati, to know that a man of Mr. Longworth' s
means stood ready to pay cash, at the rate of from a dollar, to a dollar and a quar-
ter a gallon, for all the grape juice that might be brought to him, without reference
to tiia quantity. It was in this way, and by urgent popular appeals through the
columns of the newspapers, that he succeeded, after many failures, and against the
depressing influence of much doubt and indifference, in bringing the enterprise up
*The forcing system prevails in the graded schools of our large cities to an alarming ex-
tent. It would seem as if, in the opinion of those who control these institution?, Provi-
dence had neglected to make the days of sufficient length, for children to obtain an educa-
tion. Tn some of our large cities, doubtless many children cnn be found, on any winter
ni^ltt. botwccn the Lite hours of 8 and 10, bu^v pouring over their books a necessity re-
quired for a respectable scholarship. Many, if the writer cnn believe alike teachers and
parents, break down under the system. Others, doubtless a-o to reap bitter fruits, in after
life, in long years of suffering, if, more happily, they fail to fill premature graves !
11. II. Barney, Esq., formerly superintendent of the public schools of Ohio, himself with
thirty-two years of experience as a teacher, thus expresses his views on this subject:
" This ill-judged system of education has proved, in numerous instances, fatal to the
health of the inmates of our public schools, exhausting their physical energies, irritating
their nerves, depressing and crushing, to a great extent, that elasticity of spirit, vigor of
body, and pleasantness of pursuit, which are essential to the highest success in education
as well as in every other occupation.
Parents, guardians, physicians, and sensible men and women everywhere, bear testimony
against a system of education which ignores the health, the happiness, and, in some c.ses,
even the life of the pupil. Yet this absurd, cruel system, is still persevered in, and will
continue to be, so long as our public schools are mainly filled with the children of the
poorer and humbler classes of society, and so long as the course of study and number of
study hours are regulated and determined by those who have had little or no experience in
the education or bringing up of children, or who, by educating their own offspring, at homo
or in private schools, have, in a measure, shielded them from the evils of this stern, rigor-
ous, unnatural system of educating tho intellect at the expense of the body, the affections,
this disposition, and the present as well as life long welfare of the pupil."
OHIO.
107
to its present high and stable position. When lie took the matter in hand there
"was much to discourage any one not possessed of the traits of constancy of pur-
pose and perseverance peculiar to Mr. Longworth. Many had tried the manufac-
ture of wine, and had failed to give it any economical or commercial importance.
LonywortJi s Vineyard.
Situated on the banks of the Ohio, four mik's above Cincinnati.
It was not believed, until Mr. Longworth practically demonstrated it, after many
long and patient trials of many valued varieties from France and Madeira, none
of which gave any promise of success, that a native grape was the only one upon
which any hope could be placed, and that of the native grapes, of which he had
experimented upon every known variety, the Catawba offered the most assured
promise of success, and was the one upon which all vine-growers might with con-
fidence depend. It took years of unremitted care, multiplied and wide-spread in-
vestigations, and the expenditure of large sums of money, to establish this fact,
and bring the agricultural community to accept it and act under its guidance.
The success attained by Mr. Longworth* soon induced other gentlemen resident
in the vicinity of Cincinnati, and favorably situated for the purpose, to undertake
the culture of the Catawba, and several of them are now regularly and extensively
engaged in the manufacture of wine. The impetus and encouragement thus given
to the business soon led the German citizens of Hamilton county to perceive its
advantages, and under their thrifty management thousands of acres, stretching up
from the banks of the Ohio, are now covered with luxuriant and profitable vine-
yards, rivaling in profusion and beauty the vino clad hills of Italy and France.
The oldest vineyard in the county of Hamilton is of Mr. Longworth' s planting.
The annual product of these vineyards may bo set down at between five and six
hundred thousand gallons, worth at present from one and a half to two dollars a
gallon ; but the price, owing to the rapidity of the consumption, will probably ad-
*' " Mr. Longworth was always curious aftor new and interesting things of Nature's pro-
ducing. It was the remark of an old citizen of Cincinnati, that, if Mr. Longworth was to
be suddenly thrown, neck and heels, into the Ohio River, ho would come to the surface with
a new variety of fish in each hand. His chief interest in horticultural matters, however,
has been expended upon the strawberry and the grape. The perfection of variety and cul-
ture to which he has, by his experiments and labors, brought these two important fruits of
the country, have established their extensive and systematic cultivation in all parts of the
west."
108
vance rather than decline. It is the prophecy of Mr. Flag";, Mr. Longworth' 9 son-
in-law, the gentleman who has charge of the commercial department of his wine
business, that, in the course of comparatively few years, the annual product of
the Sparkling Catawha will be counted by millions of bottles, while that of the
still sorts will be estimated by its millions of gallons. Mr. Longworth alone bot-
tles annually over 150,000 bottles, and has now~th his collars a ripening stock of
300,000 bottles. These cellars are situated on the declivity of East Sixth-street,
on the road to Observatory Hill. They occupy a space ninety feet by one hundred
and twenty-five, and consist of two tiers of massive stone vaults, the lower of which
is twenty-five feet below the surface of the ground. Here are carried on all the
various processes of wine making, the mashing, pressing, fining, racking, bottling,
labeling and boxing; and beneath the arches and along the walls are the wine butt*,
arranged and numbered in the order of the several vintages; piles of bottles stand
about, ready for the bottlers."
Within the last few years, the grape crop in the Ohio valley has been
much injured by mildew and rot, yet the crop, thus far, has been as reliable
as any other fruit. The most certain locality for the production of the
grape in Ohio, is Kelly's Island, in Lake Erie, near Sandusky City, where
the vines bear fruit when they fail in all other localities. This is ascribed to
the uniformity of temperature at night, during the summer months, by which
the formation of dew is prevented, and consequently of mildew. The grape
is now cultivated in vineyards, for making wine, in twenty-one states of the
Union. In the mountain regions of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and South
Carolina, the increase has been rapid and extensive. That district and Cal-
ifornia appear to be the most favorable grape producing parts of the Union.
Longworth's garden is among the curiosities of Cincinnati, and was for-
merly greatly visited by strangers. It is an inclosure of several acres, near
the heart of the city, and at the foot of Mt. Adams. The mansion, with its
art- treasures, is in the midst. On the grounds are several fine conservato-
ries, filled with rare plants, a grape-house for foreign vines, and experi-
mental forcing-house, for new varieties of strawberries and other plants.
Mr. Longworth died February 10, 1863, at the advanged age of eighty-one.
The suburbs of Cincinnati are very beautiful. Over on the hills the whole
surface of the country, for miles and miles in every direction, is disposed, in
exquisite undulations, with charming country seats, scattered here and there.
The prominent localities are Walnut Hills, the seat of Lane Seminary, Mt.
Auburn, Avondale and Clifton, the last containing the most elegant of rural
seats. Spring Grove Cemetery, an inclosure of 168 acres, is four miles from
Cincinnati a city of the dead in a beautiful location, and where nature and
art join their attractions.
North Bend, once the home of General Harrison, is 16 miles below the
city, and four from the Indiana line, at the northermost point of a bend in the
Ohio River. This place derives its chief interest from having been long the
residence of William Henry Harrison. The family mansion stood on a level
plat about 300 yards back from the Ohio, amid pleasing scenery. It was de-
stroyed by fire a few years since. The engraving on the following page is
copied from a drawing made in 1846 by Mr. Howe for his work on Ohio.
The eastern half of the mansion, that, is, the part on the reader's right, from
the door in the main building, was built of logs. The whole structure was
clapboarded and painted, and had a neat appearance.
This dwelling became noted in the presidential campaign of 1840, which re-
sulted in the election of Gen. Harrison to the presidency commonly called "the
Hard Cider Campaign." It is said that some opponent had declared in a public
speech that he was unfit for the office, because ho never had shown the ability to
OHIO.
109
raise himself beyond the occupancy of a log cabin, in which he lived very coarsely,
with no better beverage than hard cider. It was an unfortunate charge for the
wishes of the accuser. The taunt of his being a poor man, and living in a log
cabin, was seized upon by the whigs as an evidence of his incorruptibility in the
many responsible stations he had
held, and the log cabin became at
once the symbol of the party.
Thousands of these were erected
forthwith all over the land as ral-
lying points for political meetings.
Miniature cabins were carried in
political processions, and in some
cases barrels labeled "hard cider."
Such enthusiasm as was excited
among the masses of the western
pioneers by the nomination of their
favorite military leader had never
before been exceeded. Immense
mass meetings, with processions
and song singing became the order
of the time. Among the songs sung
by assembled multitudes in all
parts of the country, the most popu-
ular was one entitled "T/]>peca-
iw and Tyler too," in which occurred these verses:
AVh.it }\nf caused tiiis great commotion, motion, motion,
Our country through?
It is the ball that's rolling on
For Tippecanoe and Tyler too,
For Tippeear.oe and Tyler too;
And with them we'll beat little Van,
V.'in, Y:>n, Van, Van is a used up man,
And with them we'll beat little Van.
The latch-string hangs outside the door, door, door,
And is never pulled through,
For it never was the custom of
Old Tippeeanoe and Tyler too,
Old Tippeeanoe and Tyler too ;
And with them we'll beat little Van,
Van, Van, Van, Van is a used up man,
And with them we'll beat little Van.
The tomb of Harrison is near by, on a small oval mound, elevated about 150
feet above the Ohio, and commanding a view of beauty. It is a plain brick struc-
ture, without inscription.
NORTH BE.VD,
Residence of Pre?i<K-ut Harrison.
Near the tomb of Harrison is the grave of Judge Symmes. On a tablet there is
this inscription :
Here rest the remains of John Cloves Symmes, who at the foot of these hills made the
fi'.st settlement between the Miami Rivers. Born at Long Ibland, state of New York, July
21, A. D. 1742; died at Cincinnati, February 20, A. D. 1814.
Judge Symmes, before his removal to the west, was a member of congress fiom
Nv>\\- Jersey, and also chief justice of that state. Gen. Harrison married his
daughter, who, as late as 1860, still survived. At the treaty of Greenville, the In-
dians told Judge Symmes, and others, that in the war they had frequently brought
np their rifles to shoot him, and then on recognizing him refused to pull the trig-
ger. This was in consequence of his previous kindness to them, and spoke volumes
in his praise, as well as honor to the native instinct of the savages.
110
OHIO.
Three miles below North Bend, on the Ohio, was Sugar Camp Settlement, coin
posed of about thirty houses, and a block-house erected as a defense against the
Indians. This was about the
time of the first settlement
of Cincinnati. Until within
a few years, this block-
house was standing. The ad-
joining cut is from a draw-
ing taken on the spot in 1 S4G
We give it because it shows
the ordinary form of these
structures. Their distin-
guishing feature is that from
the bight of a man's shoulder
the building the rest of the
way up projects a foot or two
from the lower part, leaving
at the point of junction be-
tween the two parts a cavity
ANCIENT Ki,ocK-Horsr, NEAR NORTH BEND. through which to thrst rifles
on the approach of enemies.
Hamilton, the capital of Butler county, is 25 miles north of Cincinnati, on
the Miami Canal, river and railroad to Dayton, and at the terminus of a
railroad to llichmond. A hydraulic canal of 28 feet fall gives excellent
water power, and there are now in operation several flourishing manufactur-
ing establishments paper, flouring, woolen, planing mills, iron foundries,
etc. Population 8000. The well known Miami University is 12 miles north-
west of Hamilton, in the beautiful town of Oxford.
Jultn Gleves Sytnmes, the author of the "Theory of Concentric Spheres," demon-
strating that the earth is hollow, inhabited by human beings, and widely open at
the poles, was a native of New Jersey, and a nephew of Judge Symmes. He re-
pided in the latter part of his life at Hamilton, where he died in 1829, aged about
50 years. In early life he entered the army as an ensign. He was with Scott in
his Niagara campaign, and acted with braver) 7 . In a short circular, dated at St.
Louis, in 1818, Capt. Symmes first promul-
gated the fundamental principles of his
theory to the world. From time to time,
he published various articles in the pub-
lic prints upon the subject. He .also de-
livered lectures, first at Cincinnati in 1820,
und afterward in various places in Ken-
tucky and Ohio.
" In the year 1822, Capt. Symrries petitioned
the congress of the United States, setting
forth, in the first place, his belief of the ex-
istence of a habitable and accessible concave
to this globe; his desire to embark on a voy-
age of discovery to one or other of the polar
regions; his belief in the great profit and honor
his country would derive from such a dis-
covery; and prayed that congress would equip
and fit out for the expedition, two vessels,
of two hundred and fifty or three hundred
tuns burden; and grant such other aid as gov-
eminent might deem necessary to promote the
object. This petition was presented in the
senate by Col. Richard M. Johnson, on the 7th day of March, 1822, when (a motion to
refer it to the committee of foreign relations having failed), after a few remarks it was
laid on the table Ayes, 25. In December, 1823, he forwarded similar petitions to both
bouses of congress, which met with a similar fate. In January 1824, he petitioned th
JIOXI'MENT OF J. C. SYMMES.
Symnies' Hole" memory. It is surmounted
by a glolie " open at the poles."
OHIO.
Ill
general assembly of the state of Ohio, praying that body to pass a resolution ap;:robatory
of his theory; and to recommend him to congress for an outfit suitable to the enterprise.
This memorial was presented by Micajah T. Williams, and, on motion, the further con-
sideration thereof was indefinitely postponed."
His theory was met with ridicule, both in this country and Europe, and became
a fruitful source of jest and levity, to the public prints of the day. Notwithstand-
ing, lie advanced many plausible and ingenious arguments, and won quite a num
ber of converts among those who attended his lectures, one of whom, a gentleman
of Hamilton, wrote a work in its support, published in Cincinnati in 1826, in which
he stated his readiness to embark on a voyage of discovery to the North Pole, for
the purpose of testing its truth. Capt. Sy mines met with the usual fate of' pro-
jectors, in living and dying in great pecuniary embarrassment: but he left the
reputation of an honest man.
South-eastern view of tJie Court House, at Chillicothe.
This beautiful and commodious structure in in the central part of Chillicothe ; tho left wing, on the cor.
ner of Main and J'aint-stn-ets, attached to the main building, contains the offices of the Probate . I ud*e,
the Sheriff, and tho Clerk ; tho other wing, those of tho llocordor, Treasurer, and Auditor. The 1'irst
Presbyterian Church is seen on the left.
CHILLICOTHE is on the west bank of the Scioto, on the line of the Ohio
Canal and Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad, 45 miles S. of Columbus, 45
from Portsmouth, and 96 from Cincinnati. The Scioto curves around it on
the north, and Paint creek flows on the south. The site of the place is on a plain
about 30 feet above the river. It contains 17 churches, a young ladies'
Academy of the Notre Dame, a flourishing military academy, lAid about
9,000 inhabitants.
The new court house, in this town, is one of the best designed, most beautiful,
and convenient structures of the kind we have seen in our tour through the
United States. It was erected at an expense of about $100,000, and was
designed by Gen. James Howe, one of the county commissioners. A room
is set apart in the court house for the preservation of the relics of antiquity.
Here is preserved the table around which the members of the territorial
council sat when they formed the laws of the North West Territory, of which
Chillicothe was the capital. Around it also gathered the members who
formed the first constitution of Ohio. The old bell which called them to-
112
OHIO.
gethcr is preserved, also the copper eagle, which, for fifty years, perched on
the spire of the old state house.
In 1800, the old state house was commenced and finished the next year.
for the accommodation of the legislature and courts. It is believed that it
was the first public stone edi-
fice erected in the territory.
The mason work was done by
Major "Win. Kutledge, a sol-
dier of the Revolution, and
the carpentering by William
Guthrie. The territorial leg-
islature held their session in
it for the first time in 1801.
The convention that framed
the first constitution of Ohio
was held in it, the session
commencing on the first Mon-
day in November, 1802. In
April, 1803, the first state leg-
islature met in the house, and
held their sessions until 1810.
The sessions of 1810-11, and
1811-12, were held at Zanes-
ville, and from there removed
back to Chillicothe and held
in this house until 1816, when
Columbus became the perma-
nent capital of the state. This ancient edifice was standing until within a
few years.
In the war of 1812, Chillicothe was a rendezvous for United States troops. They
were stationed at Camp Bull, a stockade one mile N. of the town, on the west bank
of the Scioto. A large number of British prisoners, amounting to several hundred,
were at one time confined at the camp. On one occasion, a conspiracy was formed
between the soldiers and their officers who were confined in jail. The plan was
for the privates in camp to disarm their guard, proceed to the jail, release the
officers, burn the town, and escape to Canada. The conspiracy was disclosed by
two senior British officers, upon which, as a measure of security, the officers were
sent to the penitentiary in Frankfort, Ky.
Four deserters were shot at camp at one time. The ceremony was impressive
and horrible. The soldiers were all marched out under arms, with music playing,
to witness the death of their comrades, and arranged in one long extended lino in
front of the camp, facing the river. Close by the river bank, at considerable dis-
tances apart, the deserters were placed, dressed in full uniform, with their coats
buttoned up and caps drawn over their faces. They were confined to stakes in a
kneeling position behind their coffins, painted black, which came up to their waists,
exposing the upper part of their persons to the fire of their fellow-soldiers. Two
sections, of six men each, were marched before each of the doomed. Signals were
given by an officer, instead of words of command, so that the unhappy men should
not be apprised of the moment of their death. At the given signal the first sec-
tions raised their muskets and poured the fatal volleys into the breasts of their
comrades. Three of the four dropped dead in an instant; but the fourth sprang
up with great force, and ;ave a scream of agony. The reserve section stationed
before him were ordered to their places, and another volley completely riddled 1m
bosom. Even then the thread of life seemed hard to sunder.
On another occasion, an execution took place at the same spot under most mel-
ancholy circumstances. It was that of a mere youth of nineteen, the son of a
OLD STATE HOUSE, CHII.MCOTRE.
[Drawn by Henry Howe, in 1840.]
OHIO.
113
widow. In a frolic he had wandered several miles from camp, and was on bis re-
turn when he stopped at an inn by the way-side. The landlord, a fiend in human
simpe, apprised oi' the reward of $50, oifered for the apprehension of deserters,
porsuaded him to remain over night, with the offer of taking him into camp in the
morning, at which he stated he had business. The youth, unsuspicious of any-
thing wrong, accepted the offer made with such apparent kindness, when lo! on
his arrival next day with the landlord, he surrendered him as a deserter, swore
falsely as'to the facts, claimed and obtained the reward. The court-martial, igno-
rant of the circumstances, condemned him to death, and it was not until he was no
more, that his innocence was known.
Portsmouth from the Kentucky shore of the Ohio.
The view shows tho appinrnn*' of th-s Steamboat Landing, as seen from Springville, on the Kentucky
Fide of the Ohio. The Biggs' House, corner of Market and Front-streets, appears on the left, Gaylord &
Co.'s Rolling Mill on the right. Tlio Scioto Ilivur passes at the foot of the mountainous range on tho left.
PORTSMOUTH, the capital of Scioto county, is beautifully situated on the
Ohio River, at the mouth of the Scioto, 90 miles S. of Columbus, and 110
by the river above Cincinnati, at the terminus of the Erie and Ohio Canal,
and Scioto and Hocking Valley Railroad. It contains 16 churches, 5 foun-
deries, 3 rolling mills, 3 machine shops, and about 8,000 inhabitants. The
great iron region of the state lies north and east of Portsmouth, and adds
much to the business of the town. Here, on the Kentucky side of the Ohio,
is a range of mountainous hills, averaging 500 feet high. Opposite Ports-
mouth they rise precipitously to a hight of 600 feet, being the highest eleva-
tion on the Ohio River, presenting a very striking and beautiful appearance.
The Ohio is 600 yards wide at the landing, which is one of the best on the
river, there being water sufficient for the largest boats at all seasons. A -wire
suspension bridge passes over the Scioto at this place.
It is said that 1^- miles below the old mouth of the Scioto, stood, about
the year 1740, a French fort or trading station. Prior to the settlement at
Marietta, an attempt at settlement was made at Portsmouth, the history of
which is annexed from an article in the American Pioneer, by George Cor-
win, of Portsmouth:
In April, 1785, four families from the Redstone settlement in Pennsylvania, de-
scended the Ohio to the mouth of the Scioto, and there moored their boat under
the high bank where Portsmouth now stands. They commenced clearing the
8
114
OHIO
ground to plant seeds for a crop to support their families, hoping that the red men
of the forest would suffer them to remain and improve the soil. They seemed to
hope that white men would no longer provoke the Indians to savage warfare.
Soon after they landed, the four men, the heads of the families, started up tho
Scioto to see the paradise of the west, of which they had heard from the mouths
of white men who had traversed it during their captivity among the natives. Leav-
ing the little colony, now consisting of four women and their children, to the pro-
tection of an over-ruling Providence, they traversed the beautiful bottoms of the
Scioto as far up as the prairies above, and opposite to where Piketon now stands.
One of them, Peter Patrick by name, pleased with the country, cut the initials of
his name on a beech, near the river, which being found in after times, gave the
name of Pee Pee to the creek that flows through the prairie of the same name ;
and from that creek was derived the name of Pee Pee township in Pike county.
Encamping near the site of Piketon, they were surprised by a party of Indians,
who killed two of them as they lay by their fires. The other two escaped over the
hills to the Ohio River, which they struck at the mouth of the Little Scioto, just
as some white men going down the river in a pirogue were passing. They were
going to Port Vincennes, on the Wabash. The tale of woe which was told by these
men, with entreaties to be taken on board, was at first insufficient for their relief.
It was not uncommon for Indians to compel white prisoners to act in a similar
manner to entice boats to the shore for murderous and marauding purposes. After
keeping them some time running down the shore, until they believed that if there
was an ambuscade of Indians on shore, they were out of its reach, they took them
on hoard, and brought them to the little settlement, the lamentations at which can
not be described, nor its feeling conceived, when their peace was broken and their
hopes blasted by the intelligence of the disaster reaching them. My informant
was one who came down in the pirogue.
There was, however, no time to be lost; their safety depended on instant flight
and gathering up all their movables, tlu-y put off to Limestone, now Maysville, as
a place of greater safety, where the men in the pirogue left them, and my informant
said, never heard of them more.
Circlevillc, the county scat of Pickaway county, on the Scioto River, on
the line of the Erie and Ohio Canal, and on the railroad from Cincinnati to
Wheeling, is 26 miles S. from Columbus, and 19 N. from Chillicothe. It
lias numerous mills and factories, and an extensive water power. Population
about 5,000.
It was laid out in 1810, as the seat of justice, by Daniel Dresbatch, on
land originally belonging to Zeiger and Watt. The town is on the site of
ancient fortifications, one of which having been circular, originated the name
of the place. The old court hou<e, built in the form of an octagon, and de-
stroyed in 1841, stood in the center of the circle. There were two forts, one
being an exact circle of 69 feet in diameter, the other an exact square, 55
rods on a side. The former was surrounded by two walls, with a deep ditch
between them; the latter by one wall, without any ditch. Opposite each
gateway a small mound was erected inside, evidently for defense.
Three and a half miles south of Circleville are the celebrated Pickaway Plains,
said to contain the richest body of land in southern Ohio. '' They are divided into
two parts, the greater or upper plain, and the lesser or lower one. They com-
prise about 20,000 acres. When first cultivated the soil was very black, the result
of vegetable decomposition, and their original fertility was such as to produce one
hundred bushels of corn, or fifty of wheat to the acre. Formerly the plains were
adorned with a great variety of flowers.
Of all places in the west, this pre-eminently deserves the name of "classic
ground," for this was the seat of the powerful Shawnee tribe. Here, in olden time,
birrn.'ii the council fires of the red man; here the affairs of the nation in general
council were discussed, and the important questions of peace and war decided.
On these plains the allied tribes marched forth and met Gen. Lewis, and fou^hr
OHIO. 115
the sanguinary battle at Point Pleasant, on the Virginia bank of the Ohio, at the
eve of the Revolution. Here it was that Logan made his memorable speech, and
here, too, that the noted campaign of Dunmore was brought to a close by a treaty,
or rather a truce, at Camp Charlotte.
Among the circumstances which invest this region with extraordinary interest,
is the fact, that to those towns were brought so many of the truly unfortunate
^prisoners who were abducted from the neighboring states. Here they were immo-
lated on the altar of the red men's vengeance, and made to suffer, to the death, all
the tortures savage ingenuity could invent, as a sort of expiation for the aggres-
sions of their race.
Old Chillicothe, which was the principal village, stood on the site of Westfall, .
on the west bank of the Scioto, 4 miles below Circleville. It was here that Logan,
the Mingo chief, delivered his famous speech to John Gibson, an Indian trader.
On the envoy arriving at the village, Logan came to him and invited him into an
adjoining wood, where they sat down. After shedding abundance of tears, the
honored chief told his pathetic story called a speech, although conversationally
given. Gibson repeated it to the officers, who caused it to be published in the
Virginia Gazette of that year, so that it fell under the observation of Mr. Jefferson,
who gave it to the world in his Notes on Virginia: and as follows:
I appeal to any white man to say, if he ever entered Logan's cabin hungry, and I gave
him not meat; if ever he came cold or naked, and I gave him not clothing?
During the course of the last long and bloody war, Logan remained in his tent, an advo-
cate for peace. Nay, such was my love for the whites, that those of my own country pointed
ac me as they passed by, and said, " Logan is the friend of white men." I had even thought
to live with you, but for the injuries of one man. Colonel Cresap, the last spring, in cool
blood, and unprovoked, cut off all the relatives of Logan ; not sparing even my women and
children. There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any human creature. This
called on me for revenge. I have sought it. I have killed many. I have fully glutted my
vengeance. For my country, I rejoice at the beams of peace. Yet, do not harbor the
thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel
to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan? Not one.
This brief effusion of mingled pride, courage, and sorrow, elevated the character
of the native American throughout the intelligent world; and the place where it
was delivered can never be forgotten so long as touching eloquence is admired by
men.
The last years of Logan were truly melancholy. He wandered about from tribe
to tribe, a solitary and lonely man ; dejected and broken-hearted, by the loss of
his friends and the decay of his tribe, he resorted to the stimulus of strong drink
to drown his sorrow. He was at last murdered in Michigan, near Detroit. He
was, at the time, sitting with his blanket over his head, before a camp-fire, his
elbows resting on his knees, and his head upon his hands, buried in profound re-
flection, when an Indian, who had taken some offense, stole behind him and buried
his tomahawk in his brains. Thus perished the immortal Logan, the last of his
race.
At the various villages, were the burning grounds of the captives taken in war.
These were on elevated sites, so that when a victim was sacrificed by fire, the
smoke could be seen at the other towns.
The chief, Cornstalk, whose town was on Scippo Creek, two miles south-
easterly from Old Chillicothe, was a man of true nobility of soul, and a
brave warrior.
At the battle of Point Pleasant he commanded the Indians with consummate skill, and
if at any time his warriors were believed to waver, his voice could be heard above the din
of battle, exclaiming in his native tongue, " Be strong! be strong! " When he returned
to the Pickaway towns, after the battle, he called a council of the nation to consult what
should be done, and upbraided them in not suffering him to make peace, as he desired, on
the evening before the battle. "What," said he, " will you do now? The Big Knife is
coming on us, and we shall all be killed. Now you must fight or we are undone." But
no one answering, he said, " then let us kill all our women and children, and go and fight
until we die." But no answer was made, when, rising, he struck his tomahawk in a post
of the council house and exclaimed, " I'll go and make peace," to which all the warriors
grunted "ough! ough! " and runners were instantly dispatched to Dunmore to solicit
peace.
116
OHIO.
In the summer of 1777, he was atrociously murdered at Point Pleasant. As his mur-
derers were approaching, his son Elinipsico trembled violently. " His father encouraged
him not to be afraid, for that the Great Man above had sent him there to be killed and die
with him. As the men advanced to the door, Cornstalk rose up and met them: they fired
and seven or eight bullets went through him. So fell the great Cornstalk warrior whose
name was bestowed upon him by the consent of the nation, as their great strength and
support." Had he lived, it is believed that he would have been friendly with the Ameri-
cans, as he had come over to visit the garrison at Point Pleasant to communicate the de- ;
sign of the Indians of uniting with the British. His grave is to be seen at Point Pleas-
ant to the present day.
State Capitol, at Columbus.
COLUMBUS, the seat of justice for Franklin county, and capital of Ohio,
on the left bank of the Scioto, 110 miles N.E. from Cincinnati, 100 N.W.
from Marietta, and 139 S.E. from Cleveland, is on the same parallel of lati-
tude with Zanesville and Philadelphia, and on the same meridian with De-
troit, Mich., and Milledgeville, Geo.
The site of Columbus is level, and it is regularly laid out, with broad,
spacious streets: Broad -street, the principal one, is 120 feet wide. In the
center of the city is a public square of 10 acres, inclosed by a neat railing ;
and in the environs is Goodale Park, a tract of 40 acres, covei'ed with a
growth of native trees. The new state house, or capitol, is one of the most
magnificent buildings in the Union. It is 304 feet long by 184 wide, and
from its base to the top of the rotunda is 157 feet. The material is a hard,
whitish limestone, resembling marble.
Columbus is surrounded by a rich and populous country, and is a place of
active business. The National road, passes through it from east to west,
and the Columbus feeder connects it with the Ohio canal. Several plank
roads and turnpikes terminate here, and numerous railroads, stretching out
their iron arms in every direction, give it convenient communication with
all parts of the state and Union.
OHIO.
117
In the environs of the city are the various state institutions. The State
Penitentiary is a large and substantial edifice ; the buildings and inclosurcs
form a hollow square of six acres ; about 1,000 convicts have been confined
here at one time. The Ohio Lunatic Asylum, a noble structure, occupies
about an acre of ground, and has thirty acres attached to it, covered with
trees and shrubbery. The Deaf and Dumb Asylum is a handsome building,
surrounded with grounds laid out with taste. The Ohio Institution for the
Education of the Blind is surrounded by a plot of ground, of about 9 acres,
laid out with graveled walks, and planted with trees. The Starling Medi-
cal College is a handsome Gothic edifice. The Theological Seminary of the
German Lutherans, is about three fourths of a mile from the center of the
city. Columbus, as a commercial depot, has superior facilities, and it has
numerous and extensive manufacturing establishments. Population, in 1820,
1,400; in 1840, 6,048; in 1850, 18,138; and in 1860, 18,(J47.
From the first organization of the state government until 1816, there was no per-
manent state capital. The sessions of the legislature were held at Cliillicothe until
1810; the sessions of 1810-11 and 1811-12, were held at Zanesville; after that,
until December, 1816, they were again held at Cliillicothe, at which time the leg-
islature was first convened at Columbus.
Among the various proposals to the legislature, while in session at Zanesville,
for the establishment of a permanent seat of government, were those of Lyne Star-
ling, James Johnston, Alex. M'Laughlin and John Kerr, the after proprietors of
Columbus, for establishing it on the "high bank of the IScioto River, opposite
Franklinton," which site was then a native forest. On the 14th Feb., 1812, the
legislature passed a law accepting their proposals, and in one of its section?,
selected Cliillicothe as a temporary seat of government merely. By an act amend-
atory of the other, passed Feb. 17, 1816, it was enacted, " that from and after the
second Tuesday of October next, the seat of government of this state shall be
established at the town of Columbus."
Ohio While Sulphur Springs.
On the 19th of Feb., 1812, the proprietors signed and acknowledged their arti-
cles at Zanesville, as partners, under the law for the laying out, etc., of the town of
Columbus. The contract having been closed between the proprietors and the state,
the town was laid out in the spring of 1812, under the direction of Moses Wright.
For the first few years Columbus improved rapidly. Emigrants flowed in, appa-
rently, from all qua'rters, and the improvements and general business of the plac'e
kept pace with the increase of population. Columbus, however, was a rough spot
in the woods, oS' from any public road of much consequence.
The east and west
118 OHI -
travel passed through Zanesville, Lancaster and Chillicothe, and the mails came in
cross-line on horseback. The first successful attempt to carry a mail to or from
Columbus, otherwise than on horseback, was by Philip Zinn, about the year 1816,
once a week between Chillicothe and Columbus. The years from 1819 to 1826,
were the dullest years of Columbus ; but soon after it began to improve. The lo-
cation of the national road and the Columbus feeder to the Ohio canal, gave an
impetus to improvements.
The Ohio White Sulphur Springs are beautifully situated on the Scioto
River, in Delaware county, 17 miles north of Columbus, near the line of the
Springfield, Mt. Vernon and Pittsburg Railroad. Upon the estate are four
medicinal springs of different properties: one is white sulphur, one magne-
sian, and two chalybeate. The spring property consists of 320 acres, part
of it woodland, handsomely laid off in walks and drives. The healthiness
of the location and the natural attractions of the spot, joined to the liberal
and generous accommodations furnished by the proprietors, have rendered
this, at the present time, the most popular watering place in the west.
Newark, the capital of Licking county, on the Central Ohio Railroad, 33
miles easterly from Columbus, is a pleasant town of about 4,000 inhabitants.
Six miles west of Newark is Granville, noted for its educational institutions,
male and female, and the seat of Dennison University, founded in 1832, by
the Baptists. This was one of the early settled spots in Central Ohio. The
annexed historical items are from the sketches of Rev. Jacob Little:
In 1804, a company was formed at Granville, Mass., with the intention of making a
settlement in Ohio. This, called " the Scioto Company," was the third of that name which
effected settlements in this state. The project met with great favor, and much enthusiasm
was elicited; in illustration of which, a song was composed and sung to the tune of "Pleas-
ant Ohio," by the young people in the house and at labor in the field. We annex two
stanzas, which are more curious than poetical:
When rambling o'er these mountains Onr precious friends that stay behind,
And rocks, where ivies grow We're sorry now to leave ;
Thick as the hairs upon your head, But if they'll stay and break their shins,
'Mongst which you can not go; For them we'll never grieve;
Great storms of snow, cold winds that blow, Adieu, my friends I come on my dears,
We scarce can undergo; This journey we'll forego,
Says I, my boys, we'll leave this place And settle Licking creek,
For the pleasant Ohio. In yonder Ohio.
The Scioto company consisted of 114 proprietors, who made a purchase of 28,000 acres.
In the autumn of 1805, 234 persons, mostly from East Granville, Mass., came on to the
purchase. Although they had been forty-two days on the road, their first business, on their
arrival, having organized a church before they left the east, was to hear a sermon. The
first tree cut was that by which public worship was held, which stood just in front of the site
of the Presbyterian church. On the first Sabbath, November 16th, although only about a
dozen trees had be -n cut, they held divine worship, both forenoon and afternoon, at that
spot. The novelty of worshiping in the woods, the forest extending hundreds of miles
every way, the hardships of the journey, the winter setting in, the fresh thoughts of home,
with all the friends and privileges left behind, and the impression that such must be the
accommodations of a new country, all rushed on their nerves and made this a day of varied
interest. When they began to sing, the echo of their voices among the trees was so dif-
ferent from what it was in the beautiful meeting house they had left, that they could no
lonjrer restrain their tears. They wept when they rmu">nbered Zion. The voices of part of
the choir were for a season suppressed with emotion.
An incident occurred, which some Mrs. Sigourney should put into a poetical dress.
Deacon Theophilus Reese, a Welsh Baptist, had two or three yenrs before built a cabin a
mile and a halt north, and lived all this time without public worship. He had lost his
cows, mid he-iring a lowing of the oxen belonging to the company, set out toward them.
As he ascended the hills overlooking the town-plot, he heard the singing of the choir.
The reverberation of the sound from hill-tops and trees, threw the good man into a serious
dilemma. The music at first seemed to be behind, then in the tops of the trees or the
clouds. He stopped till, by accurate listening, he caught the direction of the sound, and
went on, till passing the brow of the hill, when he saw the audience sitting on the level
l.ilow. He went home and told his wife that ''the promise of God is a bond;" a Welsh
OHIO.
119
phrase, signifying that we have security, equal to a bond, that religion will prevail every-
where, lie said, "these must be. (food pro/ilf. 1 am not afraid to go among them.'"
Q hough lie could not understand English, he constantly attended the reading meeting.
I! curing the music on that occasion made such an impression upon his mind, that when he
became old and met the first settlers, he would alwavs tell over this storv.
. !
Court House, ZanesciUe.
E, tlie capital of Muskinguin county, is beautifully situated on
the cast bank of the Muskingutn River, opposite the mouth of the Licking
creek, 54 miles E. of Columbus, 82 from Wheeling:, and 179 E.N.E. from
Cincinnati. The Muskinjrum, in passing the town, has a natural descent of
nine feet in a distance of about a mile, which is increased by dams to sixteen
feet, thus affording great water-power, which is used by extensive manufac-
tories of various kinds. The number of factories using steam power is also
large, arising f'rc in the abundance of bituminous coal supplied from the sur-
rounding hills. Steamboats can ascend from the Ohio to this point, and
several make regular passages between Zancsville and Cincinnati. The Cen-
tral Ohio Railroad connects it with Columbus on one hand and Wheeling on
the other; the Z-mesville, Wilmington and Cincinnati Railroad, about 130
miles long, terminates here, and connects with another leading north to
Cleveland.
Five bridges cross the Muskingum here, including the railroad bridge,
connecting the city with Putnam, South Zanesville and West Zanesville, all
of which are intimately connected with the business interests of Zanes-ville
proper. There are 5 flouring mills, also iron founderies and machine shops,
which do an extensive business. The railroad bridge is of iron, 538 feet in
length, and contains 67 tuns of wrought iron and 130 tuns of cast iron.
The water of the river is raised, by a forcing pump, into a reservoir on a hill
100 feet high, containing nearly a million of gallons, and from thence dis-
tributed through the city in iron pipes. Zanesville has excellent schools,
among which is the Free School, supported by a fund of from $300,000 to
f.")(lii. (100, bequeathed by J. Mclntire, one of the founders of the place.
Within a circuit of a mile from the court house are about 16.000 inhabit-
ant?: within the city proper, about 10,000.
In May, 1736, congress passed a law authorizing Ebenczer Zane to open
120 OHI -
a road from Wheeling, Va., to Limestone, now Maysville, Ky. In the fol-
lowing year, Mr. Zane, accompanied by his brother, Jonathan Zane, and his
son-in-law, John Mclutire, both experienced woodsmen, proceeded to mark
out the new road, which was afterward cut out by the latter two. As a com-
pensation for opening this road, congress granted to Ebenezer Zane the priv-
ilege of locating military warrants upon three sections of land, not to exceed
one mile square each. One of these sections was to bo at the crossing of the
Muskingum, and one of the conditions annexed to Mr. Zane's grant was, that
he should keep a ferry at that spot. This was intrusted to Win. M'Culloch
and II. Crooks. The first mail ever carried in Ohio was brought from Ma-
rietta to M'Culloch's cabin, by Daniel Convers, in 1798.
Tn 1799, Messrs. Zane and M'Intire laid out the town, which they called West-
bourn, a name which it continued to bear until a post-office was established by the
postmaster general, under the name of Zanesvillo, and the village soon took the
same name. A few families from the Kanawha, settled on the west side of the
river soon after M'Culloch arrived, and the settlement received pretty numerous
accessions until it became a point of importance. It contained one store and no
tavern. The latter inconvenience, however, was remedied by Mr. M'Intire, who,
for public accommodation, rather than for private emolument, opened a house of
entertainment It is due to Mr. M'Intire and his lady to say that their accommo-
dations, though in a log cabin, were such as to render their house the traveler's
home. Prior to that time there were several grog shops where travelers might
stop, and after partaking of a rude supper, they could spread their blankets and
bearskins on the floor, and sleep with their feet to the fire. But the opening of
Mr. M'Intire's house introduced the luxury of comfortable beds, and although his
board was covered with the fruits of the soil and the chase, rather than the luxu-
ries of foreign clim-es, the fare was various and abundant. This, the tirst hotel at
Zanesville, stood at what is now the corner of Market and Second-streets, a few
rods from the river, in an open maple grove, without any underbrush ; it was a
pleasant spot, well shaded with trees, and in full view of the falls. Louis Phillippe,
late king of France, was once a guest of Mr. M'Intire.
At that time, all the iron, nails, castings, flour, fruit, with many other articles
now produced here in abundance, were brought from Pittsburgh and Wheeling,
cither upon pack-horses across the country, or by the river in canoes. Oats and
corn were usually brought about fifty miles up the river, in canoes, and were worth
from 75 cents to 1 per bushel: flour, $6 to $8 per barrel. In 1802,' David Har-
vey opened a tavern at the intersection of Third and Main-streets, which was about
tho first shingle roofed house in the town. Mr. M'Intire having only kept enter-
tainment for public accommodation, discontinued after the opening of Mr. Har-
vey's tavern.
In 1804, when the legislature passed an act establishing the county of Mus-
kiriiriim, the commissioners appointed to select a site for the county seat, reported
in favor of Zanesville. The county seat having been established, the town im-
proved more rapidly, and as the unappropriated United States military lands had
been brought into market during the preceding year (1803), and a land office
established at Za/iesville, many purchases and settlements were made in the
county.
The seat of government had been fixed temporarily at Chillicothe, but for sev-
oral reasons, many members of the legislature were dissatisfied, and it was known
tint a change of location was desired by them.
In February, 1810, tho desired law was passed, fixing the seat of government at
% inesviile, until otherwise provided. The legislature sat here during the sessions
of 'l!!-'ll and 'll-'J'J, when tbo present site of Columbus having been fixed upon
Cor t'.ic permanent scat, tho Chillicothe interest prevailed, and the temporary scat
was oiHH! more fixed at tiiat place, until suitable buildings could be erected at
Columbus.
Tho project of removing the seat of government had been agitated as early as
1S07 or' '8, and the anticipation entertained that Zanesville would be selected, gave
OHIO. 121
increased activity to the progress of improvement. Much land was entered in tho
county, and many settlements made, although as late as 1813, land was entered
within three miles of Zanesville. In 1809, parts of- the town plat were covered
with the natural growth of timber.
The following inscriptions are copied from monuments, the first three in
the ancient graveyard, on the hill at the head of Main-street, in Zanesville,
the others in the extensive cemetery in Putnam, the village opposite :
Sacred to the memory of JOHN MC!N'TIRK, who departed this life July 29, 1815, aged 56
years, lie was born at Alexandria, Virginia, laid out the town of Zanesville in 1800, of
which he was the Patron and Father. He was a member of the Convention which formed
the Constitution of Ohio. A kind husband, an obliging neighbor, punctual to his engage-
ments; of liberal mind, and benevolent disposition, his death was sincerely lamented.
Sacred to the memory of WILLIAM RAYNOLDS, a native of Virginia, ho emigrated to Ohio
in 1804, and settled in the town at the foot of this hill, where he departed this life Nov. 12,
1844, aged 50 years.
AVho, though formed in an age when corruption ran high,
And folly alone seemed with folly to vie ;
When genius with traffic too commonly strain'd,
Recounted her merits by what she had gain'd,
Yet spurn'd at those walks of debasement and pelf,
And in poverty's spite, dared to think for himself.
Man goeth to his long home, and mourners go about the streets. Within this case lieth
the mortal part of DAVID HARVEY, who was born in the parish of Hogcn, county of Corn-
wall, England, June 21, 1746; arrived in Fredericktown, Md., June, 1774, and voted for
the Independence of the United States ; supported the war by furnishing a soldier during
the term thereof, according to an act of the Assembly of that State. Arrived on the bank
of the Muskingum River, at Zanesville, Ohio, 10th of Dec., 1800. Died May, 1845, aged
69 years.
WILLIAM WKLLES, born in Glastcnbury, Conn., 1754. Among the pioneers of the North
West Territory, he shared largely in their labors, privations and perils. In 1790, he lo-
cated at Cincinnati. As Commissary he was with the army of St. Clair, and was wounded
in its memorable defeat. In 1800, ho settled in Zanesville, subsequently he removed to
Putnam, where he lived respected and beloved by all who knew him, and died universally
lamented, on tho 26th of Jan., 1814.
DR. INCREASE MATTHEWS, born in Braintree, Massachusetts, Dec. 22, 1772. Died Juno
6,1850. " Blessed is the man in whose spirit there is no guile." Psalms xxxii, 2. Dr.
Matthews emigrated to Marietta, Ohio, 1803. In the spring of 1801 he removed to Zanes-
ville, find the same year bought the land which forms the cemetery, including the town plat
of Putnam. For some time he was the only physician in the county. Among the early
pioneers of the valley of tho Muskingum, his many unostentatious virtues, and the purity
und simplicity of his life and character were known and appreciated.
Cosliocton, the capital of Coshocton county, is a small village, 30 miles
above Zanesville, at the forks of the Muskingum, and on the line of the
Pittsburg, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad. This vicinity was a favorite
residence of the Indians, especially the Shawnees, and they had numerous
villages on the Muskingum and its branches.
Before the settlement of the country, there were several military expeditions into
this ivgion. The first was made in the fall of 1764, by Col. Henry Boquet, with a
lurge body of British regulars and borderers of Pennsylvania and Virginia, Over-
awed by his superiority, and unable by his vigilance to effect a surprise, the
combined tribes made a peace with him", in which they agreed to deliver up their
captives. The delivery took place on the 9th of November, at or near the site of
Coshocton. The number brought in was 206, men, women and children, all from
122 OHIO.
the frontiers of Pennsylvania and Virginia. The scene which then took place was
very affecting, as related by Hutchins.
Language, indeed, can but weakly describe the scene, one to which the poet or painter
might have repaired to enrich the highest colorings of the variety of the human passions,
the philosopher, to find ample, subject for the mos-t serious reflection, and the man to exer-
cise all the tender and sympathetic feelings of the soul. There were to be seen fathers
and mothers recognizing and clasping their once lost babes, husbands hanging around the
necks of their newly recovered wives, sisters and brothers unexpectedly meeting together,
after a l"iig separation, scarcely able to speak the same language, or for some time to be
sure that they were the children of the same parents. In all these interviews joy and rap-
ture inexpressible were seen, while feelings of a very different nature were painted in the
looks of others, flVing from place to place, in eager inquiries after relatives not found;
trembling to receive an answer to questions; distracted with doubts, hopes and fears on
obtaining no account of those they sought for; or stiffened into living monuments of hor-
ror and woe, on learning their unhappy fate.
The Indians, too, as if wholly forgetting their usual savageness, bore a capital part in
hightening this most affecting scene. They delivered up their beloved captives with the
utmost reluctance shed torrents of tears over them recommending them to the care and
protection of the commanding officer. Their regard to them continued all the while they
remained in camp. They visited them from day to day, brought them what corn, skins,
horses, and other matters had been bestowed upon them while in their families, accompa-
nied with other presents, and all the marks of the most sincere and tender affection. Nay,
they didn't stop here, but when the army marched, some of the Indians solicited and ob-
tained permission to accompany their former captives to Fort Pitt, and employed them-
selves in hunting and bringing provisions for them on the way. A young Mingo carried
this still farther, and gave an instance of love which would make a figure even in romance.
A young woman of Virginia was among the captives, to whom he had formed so strong
an attachment as to call her his wife. Against all the remonstrances of the imminent
danger to which he exposed himself by approaching the frontier, he persisted in following
her, at the risk of being killed by the surviving relatives of many unfortunate persons who
had been taken captive or scalped by those of his nation.
But it must not be deemed that there were not some, even grown persons, who showed
an unwillingness to return. The Shawnees were obliged to bind some of their prisoners,
and force them along to the camp, and some women who had been delivered up, afterward
found means to escape, and went back to the Indian tribes. Some who could not make
their escape, clung to their savage acquaintances at parting, and continued many days in
bitter lamentations, even refusing sustenance.
In 1774, in Dunmore's war, a second expedition, of 400 Virginians, under
Col. Angus M'Donald, entered the country, and destroyed the Wakatomica
towns, and burnt the corn of the Indians. This was in the vicinity of Dres-
den, a few miles below the forks.
In the summer of 1780, a third expedition, called " ihe CosTircton campaign"
was made, under Col. Broadhead. The troops rendezvoused at Wheeling, and
inarched to the forks of the Muskingum. They took about 40 prisoners, whom they
tomahawked and scalped in cold blood. A chief, who, under promise of protec-
tion, came to make peace, was conversing with Broadhead, when a man, named
Wetzel, came behind him, and drawing a concealed tomahawk from the bosom of
his hunting shirt, lifted it on high and then buried it in his brains. The confiding
savage quivered, fell and expired.
In Tuscarawas county, which lies directly east and adjoining to Coshoc-
ton, as early as 1762, the Moravian missionaries, Rev. Frederick Post and
John Heckewelder, established a Mission among the Indians on the Tusca-
rawas, where, in 1781, Mary Heckewelder, the first white child born in Ohio,
first saw the light. Other missionary auxiliaries were sent out by that
society, for the propagation of the Christian religion among the Indians.
Among these was the Rev. David Zeisberger, a man whose devotion to the
cause was attested by the hardships he endured, and the dangers he encoun-
tered. Had the same pacific policy which governed the Friends of Penn-
sylvania, in their treatment of the Indians, been adopted by the white set-
OHIO. 123
tiers of the west, the efforts of the Moravian missionaries in Ohio would
have been more successful.
They had three stations on the Tuscarawas River, or rather three Indian villages,
viz : Booenbran, Gnadenhutten and Salem. The site of the first is about two miles
south of New Philadelphia; seven miles farther south was Gnadenhutten, in the
immediate vicinity of the present village of that name ; and about five miles below
that was Salem, a short distance from the village of Port Washington. The first
and last mentioned were on the west side of the Tuscarawas, now near the margin
of the Ohio canal. Gnadenhutten is on the east side of the river. It was here
that a massacre took place on the 8th of March, 1782, which, for cool barbarity, is
perhaps unequaled in the history of the Indian wars.
The Moravian villages on the Tuscarawas were situated about mid-way between
the white settlements near the Ohio, and some warlike tribes of Wyandots and
Delawures on the Sandusky. These latter were chiefly in the service of England, or at
least opposed to the colonists, with whom she was then at war. There was a Brit-
ish station at Detroit, and an American one at Fort Pitt (Pittsburg), which were
regarded as the nucleus of western operations by each of the contending parties.
The Moravian villages of friendly Indians on the Tuscarawas were situated, as the
saying is, between two fires. As Christian converts and friends of peace, both
policy and inclination led them to adopt neutral grounds.
Several depredations had Been committed by hostile Indians, about this time, on
the frontier inhabitants of western Pennsylvania and Virginia, who determined
to retaliate. A company of one hundred men was raised and placed under the
command of Col. Williamson, as a corps of volunteer militia. They set out for
the Moravian towns on the Tuscarawas, and arrived within a mile of Gnad^nhut-
ten on the night of the 5th of March. On the morning of the 6th, finding the In-
dians were employed in their corn-field, on the west side of the river, sixteen of
Williamson's men crossed, two at a time, over in a large sap-trough, or vessel used
for retaining sugar water, taking their rifles with them. The remainder went into
the village, where they found a man and a woman, both of whom they killed. The
sixteen on the west side, on approaching the Indians in the field, found them more
numerous than they expected. They had their arms with them, which was usual
on such occasions, both for purposes of protection and for killing game. The
whites accosted them kindly, told them they had come to take them to a place
where they would be in future protected, and advised them to quit work, and re-
turn with them to the neighborhood of Fort Pitt. Some of the Indians had been
taken to that place in the preceding year, had been well treated by the American
governor of the fort, and been dismissed with tokens of warm friendship. Under
these circumstances, it is not surprising that the unsuspecting Moravian Indians
readily surrendered their arms, and at once consented to be controlled by the ad-
vice of Col. Williamson and his men. An Indian messenger was dispatched to
Salem, to apprise the brethren there of the new arrangement, and both companies
returned to Gnadenhutten.
On reaching the village, a number of mounted militia started for the Salem settlement,
but e'er they reached it, found that the Moravian Indians at that place had already left
their corn-field?, by the advice of the messenger, and were on the road to join their breth-
ren at Gnadenhutten. Measures had been adopted by the militia to secure the Indians
whom they had at first decoyed into their power. They were bound, confined in two houses
and well guarded. On the arrival of the Indians from Salem (their arms having been pre-
viously secured without suspicion of any hostile intention), they were also fettered, and di-
vided between the two prison houses, the males in one, and the females in the other. The
number thus confined in both, including men, women and children, have been estimated
from ninety to ninety-six.
A council was then held to determine how the Moravian Indians should be disposed of.
This self constituted military court embraced both officers and privates. The late Dr.
Dodridge, in his published notes on Indian wars, etc., says: " Colonel Williamson put the
question, whether the Moravian Indians should be taken prisoners to Fort Pitt, or put to
death?''' 1 requesting those who were in favor of saving their lives to step out and form a
second rank. Only eighteen out of the whole number stepped forth as the advocates of
mercy. In these the feelings of humanity were not extinct. In the majority, which was
large, no sympathy was manifested. They resolved to murder (for no other word can ex-
124
OHIO.
press the act), the whole of the Christian Indians in their custody. Among these were
several who had contributed to aid the missionaries in the work of conversion and civiii-
y.ation two of whom emigrated from New Jersey after the death of their spiritual pastor,
Rev. David Braiuard. One woman, who could speak good English, knelt before the com-
mander and begged his protection. Her supplication was unavailing. They were ordered
to prepare for death. But the warning had been anticipated. Their firm belief in their
new creed was shown forth in the sad hour of their tribulation, by religious exercises of
preparation. The orisons of these devoted people were already ascending the throne of
the Most High! the sound of the Christian's hymn and the Christian's prayer found au
echo in the surrounding woods, but 110 responsive feeling in the bosoms of their execution-
ers. With gun, and spear, and tomahawk, and scalping knife, the work of death pro-
gressed in these slaughter houses, till not a sigh or moan was heard to proclaim the exist-
ence of human life within all, save two two Indian boys escaped, as if by a miracle, to
be witnesses in after times of the savage cruelty of the white man toward their unfortu-
nate race.
Thus were upward of ninety human beings hurried to an untimely grave by those who
should have been their legitimate protectors. After committing the barbarous act, Wil-
liamson and his men set fire to the houses containing the dead, and then marched oft' for
Shoenbrun, the upper Indian town. But here the news of their atrocious deeds had pre-
ceded them. The inhabitants hud all fled, and with them fled for a time the hopes of the
missionaries to establish a settlement of Christian Indians on the Tuscarawas. The fruits
of ten years' labor in the cause of civilization were apparently lost.
Those engaged in the campaign, were generally men of standing at home. When the
expedition was formed, it was given out to the public that its sole object was to remove
the Moravians to Pittsburg, and by destroying the villages, deprive the hostile savages of
a shelter. In their towns, various articles plundered from the whites, were discovered.
One man is said, to have found the bloody clothes of his wife and children, who had re-
cently been murdered. These articles, doubtless, had been purchased of the hostile Indi-
ans. The sight of these, it is said, bringing to mind the forms of murdered relations,
wrought them up to an uncontrollable pitch of frenzy, which nothing but blood could
satisfy.
In the year 1799, when the remnant of the Moravian Indians were recalled by the United
States to reside on the same spot, an old Indian, in company with a young man by the
name of Carr, walked over the desolate scene, and showed to the white man an excava-
tion, which had formerly been a cellar, and in which were still some moldering bones of
the victims, though seventeen years had passed since their tragic death the tears, in the
meantime, falling down the wrinkled face of this aged child of the Tuscarawas.
The Mission, having been resumed, was continued in operation until the
year 1823, when the Indians sold out their lands to the United States, and
removed to a Moravian station on the Thames, in Canada. The faithful
Zeisberger died and was buried at Goshen, the last abiding place of his flock.
In a small graveyard there, a little marble slab bears the following inscrip-
tion :
DAVID ZEISBERGER, who was born llth April, 1721, in Moravia, and departed this life 7th
Nov., 1808. aged 87 years, 7 months and 6 days. This faithful servant of the Lord labored
among the Moravian Indians, as a missionary, during the last sixty years of his life.
STBUBENVILLE, the capital of Jefferson county, is situated on the right
bank of the Ohio, on an elevated plain, 150 miles from Columbus, 36, in a
direct line, from Pittsburgh, and 75 by the river, and 22 above Wheeling,
Va. It is surrounded by a beautiful country, and is the center of an exten-
ive trade, and nourishing manufactories of various kinds, which are supplied
with fuel from the inexhaustible mines of stone coal in the vicinity. The
Female Seminary at this place, situated on the bank of the river, is a flour-
ishing institution, and has a widely extended reputation. It contains about
9,000 inhabitants.
Steubenville was laid out in 1798, by Bezabel Wells and James Ross. It derives
it* name from Fort Steuben, which was erected in 1789, on High-street, near the
site of the Female Seminary. It was built of block-houses connected by palisade
fences, and was dismantled at the tune of Wayne's victory, previous to which it
OHIO.
125
had been garrisoned by the United States infantry, under the command of Colonel
Beatty.
The old Mingo town, three miles below Steubenville, was a place of note prior
to the settlement of the country. It was the point where the troops of Col. Wil-
liamson rendezvoused in the infamous Moravian campaign, and those of Colonel
Crawford, in his unfortunate expedition against the Sandusky Indians. It was
View in SteubenvUle.
Tno pnarravinrr shows tlip niminrnni'p nf Market -street, looking westward, near tlie Court Kouse, which
rp;:.-:trs on the rifrhr ; a portion of tii Market on the left ; the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad crosses
IV arket-street in the distance, near which are Woolen I'ac-lorios.
also, at^one time, the residence of Logan, the celebrated Mingo chief, whose form
was striking and manly, and whose magnanimity and eloquence have seldom been
equaled. ^ He was a son of the Caynga chief Skikellimus, who dwelt at Shamokin,
3'a., in 1742, and was converted to Christianity under the preaching of the Mora-
vian missionaries. Skikellimns highly esteemed James Logan, the secretary of the
province, named his son from him, and probably had him baptized by the mission-
aries.
Logan took no part in the old French Avar, which ended in 1760, except that of
a peace maker, and was always the friend of the white people until the base mur-
der of his family to which has been attributed the origin of Dnmnore's war. This
event took place nenr the mouth of Yellow creek, in this county, about 17 miles
above Steubenville. During the war which followed, Logan frequently showed his
magnanimity to prisoners Avho fell into his hands.
Gmncaitf, in Ashtabula county, the north-eastern corner township of Ohio,
is on Lake Erie, and on the Lake Shore Railroad, 67 miles east of Cleve-
land ; it is distinguished as the landing place of the party who made the first
settlement of northern Ohio, in 1796; hence it is sometimes called the Ply-
mouth of the Western Reserve. There is a good harbor at the mouth of
Conneaut creek, and a light house.
On the 4th of July, 1796, the first surveying party of the Western Re-
serve landed at the mouth of Conneaut creek. Of this event, John Barr,
Esq., in his sketch of the Western Reserve, in the National Magazine for
December, 1845, has given the following sketch :
The sons of revolutionary sires, some of them sharers of themselves in the great
baptism of the republic, they made the anniversary of their country's freedom a
126 OHIO.
day of ceremonial and rejoicing. They felt that they had arrived at the place of
their labors, the to many of them sites of home, as little alluring, almost as
crowded with dangers, as were the levels of Jamestown, or the rocks of Plymouth
to the ancestors who had preceded them in the conquest of the sea-coast wilderness
of this continent. From old homes and friendly and social associations, they were
almost as completely exiled as were the cavaliers who debarked upon the shores of
Virginia, or the Puritans who sought the strand of Massachusetts. Far away as
they were from the villages of their birth and boyhood; before them the trackless
forest, or the un traversed lake, yet did they resolve to cast fatigue, and privation
and peril from their thoughts for the time being, and give to the day its due, to pa-
triotism its awards. Mustering their numbers, they sat them down on the east-
ward shore of the stream now known as Conneaut, and, dipping from the lake the
liquor in which they pledged their country their goblets, some tin cups of no rare
workmanship, yet every way answerable, with the ordnance accompaniment of two
or three fowling pieces discharging the required national salute the first settlers
of the Reserve spent their landing-day as became the sons of the Pilgrim Fathers
as the advance pioneers of a population that has since made the then wilderness
of northern Ohio to " blossom as the rose," and prove the homes of a people as re-
markable for integrity, industry, love of country, moral truth and enlightened leg-
islation, as any to be found within the territorial limits of their ancestral New
England.
The whole party numbered on. this occasion, fifty-two persons, of whom two were fe-
males (Mr3. Stiles and Mrs. Gunn, and a child). As these individuals were the advance
of after millions of population, their names become worthy of record, and are therefore
given, viz: Moses Cleveland, agent of the company; Augustus Porter, principal surveyor;
Seth Pease, Moses Warren, Amos Spafford, Milton Hawley, Richard M. Stoddard, sur-
veyors; Joshua Stowe, commissary; Theodore Shepard, physician; Joseph Tinker, princi-
pal boatman; Joseph Mclntyre, George Proudfoot, Francis Gay, Samuel Forbes, Elijah
Gunn, wife and child, Amos Sawten, Stephen Benton, Amos Barber, Samuel Hungerford,
William B. Hall, Samuel Davenport, Asa Mason, Amzi Atwater, Michael Coffin, Elisha
Ayres, Thomas Harris, Norman Wilcox, Timothy Dunham, George Goodwin, Shadrach
Benham, Samuel Agnew, Warham Shepard, David Beard, John Briant, Titus V. Munson,
Joseph Landon, Job V. Stiles and wife, Charles Parker, Ezekiel Hawley, Nathaniel Doan,
Luke Hanchet, James Hasket, James Hamilton, Olney F. Rice, John Lock, and four
others whose names are not mentioned.
On the 5th of July, the workmen of the expedition were employed in the erection of a
large, awkwardly constructed log building; locating it on the sandy beach on the east
shore of the stream, and naming it " Stowe Castle," after one of the party. This became
the storehouse of the provisions, etc., and the dwelling place of the families. No perma-
nent settlement was made at Conneaut until 1799, three years later.
Judge James Kingsbury, who arrived at Conneaut shortly after the sur-
veying party, wintered with his family at this place, in a cabin which stood
on a spot now covered by the waters of the lake. This was about the first
family that wintered on the Reserve.
The story of the sufferings of this family have often been told, but in the midst of plenty,
where want is unknown, can with difficulty be appreciated. The surveyors, in the prose-
cution of their labors westwardly, had principally removed their stores to Cleveland, while
the family of Judge Kingsbury remained at Conneaut. Being compelled by business to
leave in the fall for the state of New York, with the hope of a speedy return to his family,
the judge was attacked by a severe fit of sickness confining him to his bed until the setting
in of winter. As soon as able he proceeded on his return as far as Buffalo, where he hired
an Indian to guide him through the wilderness. At Presque Isle, anticipating the. wants
of his family, he purchased twenty pounds of flour. In crossing Elk creek, on the ice,
he disabled his horse, left him in the snow, and mounting his flour on his own back, pur-
sued his way, filled with gloomy forebodings in relation to the fate of his family. On his
arrival late one evening, his worst apprehensions were more than realized in a scene ago-
nizing to the husband and father. Stretched on her cot lay the partner of his cares, who
had followed him through all the dangers and hardships of the wilderness without repin-
ing, pale and emaciated, reduced by meager famine to the last stages in which life can be
supported, and near the mother, on a little pallet, were the remains of his youngest child,
bom in his absence, who had just expired for the want of that nourishment which the
mother, deprived of sustenance, was unable to give. Shut up by a gloomy wilderness, she
OHIO.
127
was far distant alike from the aid or Sympathy of friends, filled with anxiety for an absent
husband, suffering with want, and destitute of necessary assistance, and her children ex-
piring around her with hunger.
Such is the picture presented, by which the wives and daughters of the present day mr.y
form some estimate of the hardships endured by the pioneers of this beautiful country. It
appears that Judge Kingsbury, in order to supply the wants of his family, was under the
necessity of transporting his provisions from Cleveland on a hand sled, and that himself
and hired man drew a barrel of beef the whole distance at a single load.
Mr. Kingsbury subsequently held several important judicial and legislative trusts, and
until within a few years since, was living at Newburg, about four miles distant from Cleve-
land. He was the first who thrust a sickle into the first wheat field planted on the soil of
the Reserve. His wife was interred at Cleveland, about the year 1843. The fate of her
child the Jirst white child born on the Reserve, starved to death for want of nourishment
will not soon be forgotten.
Vie to in Superior-street, Cleveland.
The view shows the appearance of Superior-street looking westward. The Weddel House is seen on the
right. The Railroad, (.'anal, and Cuyahogu liiver, all pass within a few rods westward of the torn 1 story
building seeii at the head of the street.
CLEVELAND, the capital of Cuyahoga county, on the south shore of Lake
Erie, at the mouth of the Cuyahoga liiver, is, next to Cincinnati, the most
commercial city in the state, and with the exception of Chicago, Detroit and
Buffalo, of all the lake cities. It has great natural facilities for trade, and
is connected with the interior and Ohio River by the Ohio Canal and several
railroads. The various railroads terminating here are, the Cleveland and
Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, Cleveland and Mahoning, Cleve-
land arid Pittflburg, Cleveland and Erie, and Cleveland, Zanesville and Cin-
cinnati. It has a good harbor, which has been improved by piers extending
into the lake. It is situated 135 miles E.N.E. from Columbus, 255 from
Cincinnati, 130 from Pittsburg, 130 from Detroit, 183 from Buffalo, and 455
from New York. The location of the city is beautiful, being on a gravelly
128
OHIO.
plain elevated nearly 100 feet above the lake. The streets cross each other
at right angles, and vary from 80 to 120 feet in width. Near the center is a
handsome public square of 10 acres. The private residences are mostly of
a superior order, and in almost every street are indications of wealth and
taste. Euclid-street is an avenue of extraordinary width, running easterly
from the city, and extending for two miles into the country. There is no
single street in any city in the Union, which equals it in the combination of
elegant private residences, with beautiful shrubbery and park like grounds.
The unusual amount of trees and shrubbery in Cleveland has given it the
appellation of "the Forest City:" it is a spot where "town and country ap-
pear to have met and shaken hands." The city is lighted with gas, and also
supplied with the very best of water from the lake. The manufactures of
the city are extensive and important, consisting of steam engines and various
kinds of machinery, mill irons, stoves, plows, carriages, cabinet ware, edge
tools, copper smelting works, woolen goods, tanning and the manufacture of
oils. The agricultural products of the interior of the state are forwarded
here in large quantities, which are reshipped for eastern or European mar-
kets. Ship and steamboat building is also carried on to a considerable ex-
tent. The lumber trade is one of great prominence. The packing of beef
and pork is largely carried on. The wholesale and jobbing business in the
various mercantile departments is increasing daily.
Cleveland has 2 medical colleges, one of which is the Western Reserve
Medical College, the other is of the Homoeopathic school, a fine female sem-
inary on Kinsman's-street, 2 Roman Catholic convents, and a variety of be-
nevolent institutions. Ohio City, on the west side of the city, formerly a
separate corporation, is now comprised in Cleveland. Population, in 1796,
3; 1798, 16; 1825, 500; 1840, 6,071; 1850,17.034; and in I860, it was
43,550.
As early as 17;35, there was a French station within the present limits of Cuya-
hoga county, that in which Cleveland is situated. On Lewis Evans' map of the
middle British colonies, published
that year, there is marked upon the
west bank of the Cuyahoga, the
words, " French house," which was
doubtless the station of a French
trader. The ruins of a. house sap-
posed to be those of the one alluded
to, have been discovered on Foot's
farm, in Brooklyn township, about
five miles from the mouth of the
Cuyahoga. The small engraving an-
nexed, is from the map of Evans, and
delineates the geography as in the
original.
In 1786, the Moravian missionary
Zeisherger, with his Indian converts,
left Detroit, and arrived at the mouth
of the Cuyahoga, in a vessel called
the Mackinaw. From thenco, they
f rccccdod up the river about ten miles from the site of Cleveland, and settle. 1 in
:.n abandoned village of the Ottawa?, within the present limits of indepeadenee,
which they called Pilgerrnh, i. e. Pilgrim's rest. Their stay was brief, for in the
April following, they left for Huron Kiver, and settled near the site of Milan, Erie
count}', at a locality they named New Salem.
The British, who, after the revolutionary war, refused to yield possession of the
lake country west of the Cuyahoga, occupied to its shores until 1790. Their tnv-
OHIO. 129
rfers had a house in Ohio City, north of the Detroit road, on the point of the hill,
near the river, when the surveyors first arrived here in 1796. From an early day,
Washington, Jefferson and other leading Virginia statesmen regarded the mouth
of the Cuyahoga as an important commercial position.
The city was originally comprised in lands purchased by the Connecticut Land
Company," and formed a portion of what is termed the Western Reserve. This
company was organized in 1795, and in the month of May following, it commis-
sioned Gen. Moses Cleveland to superintend the survey of their lands, with a staff
of forty-eight assistants. On July 22, 1796, Gen. Cleveland, accompanied by Agus-
tus Porter, the principal of the surveying department, and several others, entered
the mouth of the Cuyahoga from the lake, but as they were engaged in making a
traverse, they continued their progress to Sandusky Bay. In the interim, Job P.
Stiles and his wife and Joseph Tinker arrived in a boat with provisions, and were
employed in constructing a house about half way from the top of the bank to the*
shore of the river, a short distance north of Main (Superior) street. On the re-
turn of the party from Sandusky, they surveyed and made a plat of the present
city of Cleveland.
, The first building erected in Cleveland, is supposed to have been in 1786, by Col.
James Hillman, of Youngstown, Mahoning county, who was engaged in conveying
flour and bacon from Pittsburg to the mouth of the Cuyahoga, for the use of the
Kritish army in the upper lakes. He visited the site of Cleveland six times, and
on one occasion caused a small cabin to be erected "near a spring in the hill side,
within a short distance of what is now the western termination of Superior-street"
It is probable that Stiles and Tinker availed themselves of this site, and possibly
it furnished a part of the materials to erect their hut.
In the winter of ] 796-7, the population consisted of three inhabitants. Early
in the spring of 1797, James Kingsbury and family, from New England, and Elijah
Gunn removed to Cleveland. The next families who came here were those of Maj.
Carter and l5zekiol Hawley, from Kirtland, the family of the major being accom-
panied by Miss Cloe Inches. In the spring of the following year (1798), Maj. Car-
ser sowed two acres of corn on the west side of Water-street. He was the first
person who erected a frame building in the city, which he completed in 1802. On
the 1st of July, 1797, William Clement was married to Cloe Inches. The ceremony
of this first marriage was performed by Seth Hart, who was regarded by the sur-
veying party as their chaplain. In 1 799, Rodolphus Edwards and Nathaniel Doane
with their families, emigrated from Chatham, Conn., to Cleveland, being ninety-two
days on their journey. In the autumn of this year, the whole colony, without ex-
ception, were afflicted with the fever and ague.
The following historical items were taken from the Traveler, and pub-
lished in the Cleveland Weekly Herald, Jan. 5, 1859:
The first city school was held in Maj. Carter's house in 1802, and the children
were taught by Anna Spafford. The first postoffice was established here in 1804,
when letters were received and transmitted every seven days. In the same year
the first militia training occurred. The place of rendezvous was Doane's corner,
and the muster amounted to about fifty men. In 1805, the harbor was' made a
port of entry, and classed within the Erie district. In the same year the territory
on the west side of the Cuyahoga was ceded to the states by treaty. In 1809, Joel
Thorpe and Amos Simpson each built a boat at Newberg, of six or seven tuns, and
conveyed them in wagons to the harbor, where they were launched. The first
judicial trial took place in 1812. It was held in the open air, beneath the shade
of a cherry tree, which then stood at the corner of Water and Superior-streets : it
being a charge of murder against an Indian, called John O'Mic, who was convicted
find executed. A court house was erected this year on the public square, opposite
the place where the stone church now stands. It was an unique structure; dun-
geons were excavated underneath fora city jail. In 1815, Cleveland was incor-
E orated with a village charter, and Alfred Kelley was the first president. Mr.
[olley was the first attorney in Cleveland. The first brick house in the city was
that of J. R. and J. Kelley, in 1814, in Superior-street. This edifice was soon suc-
ceeded bv another, built by Alfred Kelley, still standing in Water-street. In 1816
9
130
OHIO.
the first bank was established in the city, under the title of the " Commercial Bank
of Lake Erie." The number of vessels enrolled as hailing this year from Cleve-
land was but seven, and their aggregate burden 430 tuns. In 1817, the first church
was organized, which was the Episcopal church of Trinity. On July 31, 1818, the
first newspaper, "jf'Ae Cleveland Gazette and Commercial Register" was issued.
On the 1st of Sept., the same year, steamed in the " Walk-in-the- Water," the first
steamboat which entered the harbor. It was commanded by Capt. Fish, hailed
from Buffalo, and was on its way to Detroit.
In 1819. Mr. Barber built a log hut on the west side of the harbor, and may be
considered as the first permanent settler in Ohio City. The first Presbyterian
church was organized in 1820, and the stone church was erected on the public
square in 1834. In 1821, the first Sunday school was established in Cleveland,
which was attended by twenty scholars. In 1825, an appropriation of $5,000 was
* made by the government for the improvement of the harbor, and during this year
the first steamboat was built here, and the Ohio Canal commenced. In 1827, the
Cuyahoga Furnace Company commenced their manufactory, being the first iron
works erected in the city. In 1830, the light house was built at the termination of
Water-street, the lantern of which is 135 feet above the water level. In 1832, the
Ohio Canal_was completed. It had occupied seven years in its construction, is 307
miles in length, and cost $5,000,001). In 1836, Cleveland was incorporated a city:
the first mayor was John Willey. In 1840, the population had increased to 6,071 ;
in 1845, to 12,206. In 1851, Feb. 231, the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati
Railroad Avas opened for travel, and on the same day, forty miles of the Cleveland
and Pittsburg Railroad were likewise completed. Population, this year, 21.140.
The United States Marine Hospital, on the banks of the lake, was completed in
1852; it was commenced in 1844.
Kdxh-ru cii'ir <>f Toledo.
The view riiowti the appearance of part uf Toledo, :is cei-n from tlie opposite* bank of the Manmec, t one
of tin- K<Try landings. The Island House, tin- Union Passenger Depot, and the Telegraph Station appear
on the left.
TOLEDO, is a city and port of entry, in Lucas county, on the western
b;nik of the Maumec, 4 miles from its mouth, and 10 miles from Lake Erie,
134 miles N.W. of Columbus, 60 S.StW. of Detroit, and 100 W. of Cleve-
land, find 24fi, by canal, N. of Cincinnati. It is the terminus of the Wabash
and Erie Canal, the longest in the Union; also of the Miami and Erie Canal.
OHIO.
131
It is the port of north-eastern Indiana, and of a large region in north-western
Ohio. It is eminently a commercial town, has not only great natural fa-
cilities, but has also communication by canals and railroads in all direc-
tions.
The Michigan Southern Railroad and the air-line railroad passing through
northern Indiana, the Toledo, Wabash and Western Road, the Toledo and
Detroit Road, the northern and southern divisions of the Cleveland and To-
ledo Road, and the Dayton and Michigan Road, all terminate here in a com-
mon center at the Union Depot. The river is about half a mile wide here,
and forms a harbor admitting the largest lake vessels. Population in 1860,
13,784.
Toledo covers the site of a stockade fort, called Fort Industry, erected
about the year 1800, near what is now Summit-street. The site of the town
originally was two distinct settlements the upper, Port Lawrence, the lower,
Vistula.
In the summer of 1832, Vistula, under the impetus given it by Captain
Samuel Allen, from Lockport, N. Y., and Major Stickney, made quite a
noise as a promising place for a town. At the same time arrangements were
being made by Major Oliver and Micajah T. Williams, of Cincinnati, with
Daniel 0. Comstock and Stephen B. Comstock, brothers, from Lockport, for
the resuscitation of Port Lawrence, at the mouth of Swan creek. The Corn-
stocks took an interest, and became the agents of the Port Lawrence prop-
erty.
No sales of any importance were made before 1833. In Vistula, the first
stoi'e was started by Mr. E. Briggs ; W. J. Daniels was his clerk. Soon after
Flagg & Bissell opened a more extensive store of goods probably the first
pood assortment for the use of white people. In 1833, not much progress
was made toward building a town in Vistula or Port Lawrence. In 1834,
speculation in lots began, and with slight intermission continued until the
spring of 1837. Mr. Edward Bissell, from Lockport, a man of enterprise
and activity, became a part owner, and gave a great impetus to the growth
of Vistula. Through him and the Port Lawrence owners, many men of in-
fluence became interested in the new towns. Among these, Judge Mason,
from Livingston county, N. Y., deserves mention, as he became agent of
Mr. Bissell and the other chief owners, and made Vistula his place of resi-
dence.
In Port Lawrence the first Toledo steamer was built, and called the De-
troit. She was of one hundred and twenty tuns, and commanded by Capt.
Baldwin, son of a sea captain of that name, who was one of -the earliest set-
tlers in that place.
In 1836, Toledo was incorporated as a city. The same year the Wabash
and Erie Canal was located, but was not so far finished as to make its busi-
ness felt until 1845, when the Miami and Erie Canal was opened through
from Lake Erie to the Ohio, at Cincinnati.
In 1835, Toledo was the center of the military operations in the " Ohio and
Michigan war" originating in the boundary dispute between the two states. The
militia of both states were called out and marched to the disputed territory, under
their respective governors Lucas, of Ohio, and Mason, of Michigan. No blood
was shed, although, at one time, serious results were threatened. Michigan claimed
a narrow strip on her southern border of oight miles wide, which brought Toledo
into that state. The matter was referred to congress, who ceded to Michigan the
large peninsula between Lakes Huron, Superior and Michigan, now known as the
copper region in lieu of the territory in dispute.
132
OHIO.
PLAN ILLUSTRATING THE BATTLES OF THE MAUMEE.
[Explanations. The map shews
about eight miles of the country along
each side of the Maumee, including
the towns of Perrysburg, Maumee
City and "YVaterville.
Just previous to the battle of the
Fallen Timbers, in August, 1794,
Wayne's army was encamped at a lo-
cality called Roche de Bceuf, a short
distance above the present site of
Waterville. The battle commenced at
the Presque Isle hill. The routed In-
dians were pursued to even under the
guns of the British Fort Miami.
fort Meigs, memorable from having
sustained two sieges in the year 1813,
is shown on the east side of the Mau-
mee, with the British batteries on both
sides of the river, and near the Brit-
ish fort, is the site of Proctor's en-
campment.]
The Maumee Valley in which Tole-
do is situated, is noted in the early his-
tory of the country. It was a favorite
point with the Indians, particularly
that part in the vicinity of the vil-
lages of Maumee City and Perrysburg,
about nine miles south of Toledo. As
early as 1680, the French had a trading
station just below the site of Maumee
City; and in 1794, the British built
Fort Miami on the same spot. This
was within American territory, and
from this point the British traders in-
stigated the Indians to outrages upon
the American settlements. Two im-
portant events occurred in this vicinity
the victory of Wayne, August 20,
1794, and the siege of Fort Meigs,
in the war of 1812.
Wayne's battle ground is about three
miles south of Maumee City, on the
west side of the river. He approached
from the south, having with him about
three thousand men, of whom sixteen
hundred were Kentuckians under Gen.
Scott. From Wayne's official report we make the annexed extract, which
contains the principal points of this important victory :
The legion was on the right, its flanks covered by the Maumee : one brigade of
OHIO.
133
WAYNE'S BATTLE GROUND.
The view is from the north, showing on the left the Mau-
mee and in front Presque Isle Hill. On the right liy tho road-
side, is the noted Turkey Foot Rock.*
mounted volunteers on the left, under Brig. Gen. Todd, and the other in the rear,
under Brig. Gen. Barbee. A select battalion of mounted volunteers moved in front
of the legion, commanded by Major Price, who was directed to keep sufficiently
advanced, so as to give timely notice for the troops to form in case of action, it be-
ing yet undetermined whether the Indians would decide for peace or war.
After advancing about five miles,
Major Price's corps received so
severe a fire from the enemy, -who
were secreted in the woods and
high grass, as to compel them to
retreat. The legion was immedi-
ately formed in two lines, princi-
pally in a close thick wood, which
extended for miles on our left, and
for a very considerable distance
in front; the ground being cov-
ered with old fallen timber, prob-
ably occasioned by a tornado,
which rendered it impracticable
for the cavalry to act with effect,
and afforded the enemy the most
favorable covert for their mode of
warfare. The savages were form-
ed in three lines, within supporting distance of each other, and extending for near
two miles at right angles with the river. I soon discovered, from the weight of
the fire and extent of their lines, that the enemy were in full force in front, in
possession of their favorite ground, and endeavoring to turn our left flank. I there-
fore gave orders for the second line to advance and support the first; and directed
Major General Scott to gain and turn the right flank of the savages, with the whole
force of the mounted volunteers, by a circuitous route ; at the same time 1 ordered
the front line to advance and charge with trailed arms, and rouse the Indians
from their coverts at the point of the bayonet, and when up, to deliver a close and
well-directed fire on their backs, followed by a brisk charge, so as not to give them
time to load again.
I also ordered Captain Mis Campbell, who commanded the legionary cavalry, to
turn the left flank of the enemy next the river, and which afforded a favorable
field for that corps to act in. All these orders were obeyed with spirit and prompt-
itude; but such was the impetuosity of the charge by the first line of infantry, that
the Indians and Canadian militia and volunteers were driven from all their coverts
in so short a time, that although etery possible exertion was used by the officers
of the second line of the legion, and by Generals Scott, Todd and Barbee, of the
mounted volunteers, to gain their proper positions, but part of each could get up in
season to participate in the action ; the enemy being driven, in the course of one
hour, more than two miles through the thick woods already mentioned, by less than
one half their numbers. From every account the enemy amounted to two thousand
combatants. The troops actually engaged against them were short of nine hun-
dred. This horde of savages, with their allies, abandoned themselves to flight, and
dispersed with terror and dismay, leaving our victorious army in full and quiet pos-
session of the field of battle, which terminated under the influence of the guns of
the British garrison.
The loss of the enemy was more than that of the federal army. The woods were
* At this spot says tradition, an Indian chief named Turkey Foot, rallied a few of his
men and stood upon it fighting until his strength becoming exhausted from loss of blood, he
fell and breathed his last. Upon it have been carved by the Indians, representations of tur-
key's feet, now plainly to be seen, and it is said "the early settlers of and travelers through the
Mauinee valley, usually fourud many small pieces of tobacco deposited on this rock, which
had been placed there by the Indians as devotional acts, by way of sacrifices, to appease
the indignant spirit of the departed hero."
134 OHIO.
strewed for a considerable distance with the dead bodies of Indians and their white
auxiliaries, the latter armed with British muskets and bayonets.
We remained three days and nights on the banks of the Maumee, in front of the
field of battle, during which time all the houses and corn-fields were consumed
and destroyed for a considerable distance, both above and below Fort Miami, as
well as within pistol-shot of the garrison, who were compelled to remain tacit spec-
tators to this general devastation and conflagration, among which were the houses,
stores and property of Colonel M'Kee, the British Indian agent and principal stim-
ulator of the war now existing between the United States and the savages.
The loss of the Americans in this battle, was 33 killed and 100 wounded, inclu-
ding 5 officers among the killed, and 19 wounded. One of the Canadians taken in
the action, estimated the force of the Indians at about 1400. He also stated that
about 70 Canadians were with them, and that Col. M'Kee, Capt. Elliott and Simon
Girty were in the field, but at a respectable distance, and near the river.
When the broken remains of the Indian army were pursued under the British
fort, the soldiers could scarcely be restrained from, storming it This, independent
of its results in bringing on a war with Great Britain, would have been a desper-
ate measure, as the fort mounted 10 pieces of artillery, and was garrison by 450
men, while Wayne had no armament proper to attack such a strongly fortified place.
While the troops remained in the vicinity, there did not appear to be any commu-
nication between the garrison and the savages. The gates were shut against them,
and their rout and slaughter witnessed with apparent unconcern by the British.
That the Indians were astonished at the lukewarmness of their real allies, and re-
garded the fort, in case of defeat, as a place of refuge, is evident from various cir-
cumstances, not the least of which was the well known reproach of Tecumseh, in
his celebrated speech to Proctor, after Perry's victory. The near approach of the
troops drew forth a remonstrance from Major Campbell, the British commandant,
to General Wayne.* A sharp correspondence ensued, but without any special re-
sults. The morning before the ariny left, General Wayne, after arranging his force
in such a manner as to show that they were all on the alert, advanced with his nu-
merous staff and a small body of cavalry, to the glacis of the British fort, recon-
noitering it with great deliberation, while the garrison were seen with lighted
matches, prepared for any emergency. It is said that Wayne's party overheard
one of the British subordinate officers appeal to Major Campbell, for permission to
fire upon the cavalcade, and avenge such an insulting parade under his majesty's
guns; but that officer chided him with the abrupt exclamation, "be a gentleman !
be a gentleman /"f
After the defeat and massacre of the Kentuckians under "Winchester at the
River Raisin, near the site of Monroe, Michigan, in February, 1813, Gen.
Harrison cominander-in-chief of the army of the north-west, established his
advance post at the foot of the Maumee Rapids and erected a fort, subse-
quently named Meigs, in honor of Governor Meigs.
"On the breaking up of the ice in Lake Erie, General Proctor, with all his dispo-
sable force, consisting of regulars and Canadian militia from Maiden, and a large
body of Indians under their celebrated chief, Tecumseh, amounting in the whole
to two thousand men, laid siege to Fort Meigs. To encourage the Indians, he had
*Gen. Wayne was a man of most ardent impulses, and in the heat of action apt to forget
that he was the general not the soldier. When the attack on the Indians who were con-
cealed behind the fallen timbers, was commencing by ordering the regulars up, the late Gen.
Harrison, then aid to Wayne, being lieutenant with the title of major, addressed his superi-
or "Geu. Wayne, I am afraid you will get into the fight yourself, and forget to give mo
the necessary field orders." "Perhaps I may, replied Wayne, "and if I do, recollect the
standing order for the clay is, charge the rascals with the bayonet."
(That the Indian war was in a great measure sustained by British influences, admits of
ample proof. Gen. Harrison, in his letter to Hon. Thomas Chilton, shows this from his own
personal observation, and concludes it with this sentence. "If then the relation I have giv-
en is correct, the war of the revolution continued in the western country, until the peace of Green-
ville, in 1795."
OHIO. 135
promised them an easy conquest, and assured them that General Harrison should
be delivered up to Tecumseh. On the 26th of April, the British columns appeared
on the opposite bank of the river, and established their principal batteries on a
commanding eminence opposite the fort. On the 27th, the Indians crossed the
river, and established themselves in the rear of the American lines. The garrison,
not having completed their wells, had no water except what they obtained from the
river, under a constant firing of the enemy. On the first, second, and third of May,
their batteries kept up an incessant shower of balls and shells upon the fort. On
the night of the third, the British erected a gun and morter battery on the left bank
of the river, within two hundred and fifty yards of the American lines. The Indi-
ans climbed the trees in the neighborhood of the fort, and poured in a galling fire
upon the garrison. In this situation General Harrison received a summons from
Proctor for a surrender of the garrison, greatly magnifying his means of annoy-
ance; this was answered by a prompt refusal, assuring the British general that if
he obtained possession of the fort, it would not be by capitulation. Apprehensive
of such an attack, General Harrrison had made the governors of Kentucky and
Ohio minutely acquainted with his situation, and stated to them the necessity of
reinforcements for the relief of Fort Meigs. His requisitions had been zealously
anticipated, and General Clay was at this moment descending the Miami with twelve
hundred Kentuckians for his relief.
"At twelve o'clock in the night of the fourth, an officer* arrived from General
Clay, with the welcome intelligence of his approach, stating that he was just above
the rapids, and could reach them in two hours, and requesting his orders. Harri-
son determined on a general sally, and directed Clay to land eight hundred men on
the right bank, take possession of the British batteries, spike their cannon, imme-
diately return to their boats, and/cross over to the American fort. The remainder
of Clay's force were ordered to land on the left bank, and fight their way to the
fort, while sorties were to be made from the garrison in aid of these operations.
Captain Hamilton was directed -to proceed up the river in a pirogue, land a sub-
altern on the left bank, who should be a pilot to conduct Gen. Clay to the fort: and
then cross over and station his pirogue at the place designated for the other di-
vision to land. General Clay, having received these orders, descended the river in
order of battle in solid columns, each officer taking position according to his rank.
Col. Dudley, being the eldest in command, led the van, and wasorderecj to take the
men in the twelve front boats, and execute General Harrison's orders on the right
bank. He effected his landing at the place designated, without difficulty. General
Clay kept close along the left bank until he came opposite the place of Col. Dudley's
landing, but not finding the subaltern there, he attempted to cross over and join
Col. Dudley; this was prevent by the violence of the current on the rapids, and he
again attempted to land on the left bank, and effected it, with only fifty men amid
a brisk fire from the enemy on shore, and made their way to the fort, receiving their
fire until within the protection of its guns. The other boats under the command
of Col. Boswell, were driven further down the current, and landed on the right
to join Col. Dudley. Here they were ordered to re-embark, land on the left bank,
and proceed to the fort. In the mean time two sorties were made from the garri-
son, one on the left, in aid of Col. Bosweil, by which the Canadian militia and In-
dians were defeated, and he was enabled to reach the fort in safety, and one on the
right against the British batteries, which was also successful."
"Col. Dudley, with his detachment of eight hundred Kentucky militia, complete-
* This messenger was Capt. William Oliver, post master at Cincinnati in Taylor's admin-
istration, then a young man, noted for his heroic bravery. He had previously been sent
from the fort at a time when it was surrounded by Indians, through the wilderness, with
instructions to General Clay. His return to the fort was extremely dangerous. Capt. Les-
lie Coombs, now of Lexington, Ky., had been sent by Col. Dudley to communicate with Har-
rison. He approached the fort, and when within about a mile, was attacked by the Indians
find after a gallant resistance was foiled in his object and obliged to retreat with the loss of
nearly all of his companions. Oliver managed to get into the fort through the cover of the
darkness of the night, by which he eluded the vigilance of Tecumseh and his Indians, who
were very watchful and had closely invested it.
136 OHI -
Iy succeeded in driving the British from their batteries, and spiking the canno~.
Having accomplished this object, his orders were peremptory to return immedi-
ately to his boats and cross over to the fort : but the blind confidence which gener-
ally attends militia when successful, proved their ruin. Although repeatedly or-
dered by Col. Dudley, and warned of their danger, and called upon from the fort to
leave the ground; and although there was abundant time for that purpose, before
the British reinforcements arrived; yet they commenced a pursuit of the Indians,
and suffered themselves to be drawn into an ambuscade by some feint skirmishing,
while the British troops and large bodies of Indians were brought up, and inter-
cepted their return to the river. Elated with their first success, they considered
the victory already gained and pursued the enemy nearly two miles into the woods
and swamps, where they were suddenly caught in a defile and surrounded by
double their numbers. Finding themselves in this situation, consternation pre-
vailed ; their line became broken and disordered, and huddled together in unre-
sisting crowds, they were obliged to surrender to the mercy of the savages. For-
tunately for these unhappy victims of their own rashness, General Tecumseh com-
manded at this ambuscade, and had imbibed since his appointment more humane
feelings than his brother Proctor. After the surrender, and all resistance had
ceased, the Indians, finding five hundred prisoners at their mercy, began the work
of massacre with the most savage delight. Tecumseh sternly forbade it, and buried
his tomahawk in the head of one of his chiefs who refused obedience. This order
accompanied with this decisive manner of enforcing it, put an end to the massacre.
Of eight hundred men only one hundred and fifty escaped. The residue were slain
or made prisoners. Col. Dudley was severely wounded in the action, and after-
ward tomahawked and scalped.*
*This defeat was occasioned by the impetuous valor of his men. In one of the general
orders after the 5th of May, Harrison takes occasion to warn his men against that rash
bravery which he says " is characteristic of the Kentucky troops, and if persisted in is as fatal
in its results as cowardice."
After Dudley had spiked the batteries, which had but few defenders, some of his men
loitered about the banks and filled the air with cheers. Harrison, and a group of officers,
who were anxiously watching them from the grand battery, with a presentiment of the hor-
rible fate that awaited them, earnestly beckoned them to return. Supposing they were re-
turning their cheers, they reiterated their shouts of triumph. Harrison seeing this, ex-
claimed in tones of anguish, '' they are lost I they are lost! can I never get men to obey my
orders? " He then offered a reward of a thousand dollars to any man who would cross the
river and apprise Col. Dudley of his danger. This was undertaken by an officer, but ha
was too late.
Hon. Joseph R. Underwood, then a lieutenant, has given some extremely interesting de-
tails of the horrible scenes which ensued ; says he:
"On our approach to me uid garrison, the Indians formed a line to the left of the road,
there being a perpendicular bank to the right, on the margin of which the road passed. I
perceived that the prisoners were running the gauntlet, and that the Indians were whipping,
shooting and tomahawking the men as they ran by their line. When I reached the start-
ing place, I dashed off as fast as I was able, and ran near the muzzles of their guns, know-
ing that they would have to shoot me while I was immediately in front, or let me pass, for
to have turned their guns up or down their lines to shoot me, would have endangered them-
selves, as there was a curve in their line. In this way I passed without injury, except some
strokes over the shoulders with their gun-sticks. As I entered the ditch around the garri-
son, the man before me was shot and fell, and I fell over him. The passage for a while
was stopped by those who fell over the dead man and myself. How many lives were lost
at this place I can not tell probably between 20 and 40. The brave Captain Lewis was
among the number. When we got within the walls, we were ordered to sit down. I lay
in the lap of Mr. Gilpin, a soldier of Captain Henry's company, from Woodford. A new
scene commenced. An Indian, painted black, mounted the dilapidated wall, and shot one
of the prisoners next to him. He reloaded and shot a second, the ball passing through him
into the hip of another, who afterward died, I was informed, at Cleveland, of the wound.
The savage then laid down his gun and drew his tomahawk, with which he killed two
others. When ho drew his tomahawk and jumped down among the men, they endeavored
to escape from him by leaping over the heads of each other, and thereby to place others
between themselves and danger. Thus they were heaped upon one another, and as I did
not rise, they trampled upon me so that I could see nothing that was going on. The con-
fusion and uproar of this moment can not be adequately described. There was an excite-
OHIO. 137
Proctor seeing no prospect of taking the fort, and finding his Indians fast leav-
ing him, raised the siege on the 9th of May, and returned with precipitation to
Maiden. Tecumseh and a considerable portion of the Indians remained in ser-
rice; but large numbers left in disgust, and were ready to join the Americans.
On the left bank, in the several sorties of the 5th of May, and during the siege,
the American loss was eighty-one killed and one hundred and eighty-nine wounded.
The British force under Proctor, during the siege, amounted, as nearly a's could
be ascertained, to 3,200 men. of whom 600 were British regulars, 800 Canadian
militia, and 1,800 Indians. Those under Harrison, including the troops who arrived
on the morning of the 5th, under Gen. Clay, were about 1,200. The number of
his men fit for duty, was, perhaps, less than 1,100."*
On the 20th of July, the enemy, to the number of 5,000, again appeared
before Fort Meigs, and commenced a second siege. The garrison was, at
the time, under the command of Gen. Green Clay, of Kentucky. Finding
the fort too strong, they remained but a few days.
SANDUSKY CITY, port of entry, and capital of Erie county, is situated o-n
the southern shore of Sandusky Bay, 3 miles from Lake Erie, 105 miles N.
from Columbus, 47 E. from Toledo, 210 N.N.E. from Cincinnati, and 60
from Cleveland and Detroit. It is also on the northern division of the Cleve-
land and Toledo Railroad, and is the terminus of the Sandusky, Mansfield
and Newark, and Sandusky, Dayton and Cincinnati Railroads. The bay
is about 20 miles long and 5 or 6 wide, forming an excellent harbor, into
which vessels of all sizes can enter with safety in storms. The ground on
which the city stands, ri?es gently from the shore, commanding a fine view
of the bay with its shipping. The town is based upon an inexhaustible
quarry of fine limestone, which is not only used in building elegant and sub-
men t among the Indian!), and a fierceness in their conversation, which betokened on the
part of some a strong disposition to massacre the whole of us. The British officers and
soldiers seemed to interpose to prevent the further effusion of blood. Their expression was
" Oh, nicliee, wah I " meaning, " oh 1 brother, quit! " After the Indian who had occasioned
this horrible scene, had scalped and stripped his victims, he left us, and a comparative calm
ensued. The prisoners resumed their seats on the ground. While thus situated, u tall,
stout Indian walked into the midst of us, drew a long butcher knife from his belt and com-
menced whetting it. As he did so, he looked around among the prisoners, apparently se-
lecting one for the gratification of his vengeance. I viewed his conduct, and thought it
probable that he was to give the signal for a general massacre. But after exciting our fears
sufficiently for his satisfaction, ho gave a contemptuous grunt and went out from among us.
When it was near night, we were taken in open boats about nine miles down the river,
to the British shipping. On the day after, we were visited by the Indians, !n their bark
canoes, in order to make a display of their scalps. These they strung on a pole, perhaps
two inches in diameter, and about eight feet high. The pole was set up perpendicularly in
the bow of their canoes, and near the top the scalps were fastened. On some poles I saw
four or five. Each scalp was drawn closely over a hoop about four inches in diameter; and
the fle^h sides. I thought, were painted red. Thus their oanocs were decorated with a flag-
staff of a most appropriate character, bearing human scalps, the horrid ensigns of savage
warfare."
*" During the siege," says an eye witness, "one of our militia men took his station on
the embankment, and gratuitously forewarned us of every shot. In this he became so
skillful that he could, in almost every case, predict the destination of the ball. As soon as
the smoke issued from the muzzle of the gun, he would cry out, "shot," or "bomb," as the
case might be. Sometimes ho would exclaim, " block-house No. 1," or " look-out main bat-
tery ;" "now for the meat-home; " " yood-bij, if you will pass." In spite of all the expostu-
lations of his friends, he maintained his post. One day there came a shot that seemed to
defy all his calculations. He stood silent motionless perplexed. In the tame instant he
wan swept into eternity. Poor man ! ho should have considered, that when there is no ob-
liquity in the issue of the smoke, either to the right or left, above or below, the fatal mes-
senger would travel in the direct line of his vision. Ha reminded me of the peasant, in
the siege of Jerusalem, who cried out, " woe to the city I woe to the temple I woe to myself I "
138
OHIO.
stantial edifices in the place, but is an extensive article of export. It has a
large trade, and its manufactures, chiefly of heavy machinery, are important.
Population, about 12,000.
North-eastern view of Public Square, Sandusky.
The view shows, first, beginning nt tlie left, tlie Episcopal Church, then successively the Dutch Reformed
Church, the Court House, Catholic Church, tlie High School, Congregational Church, Methodist, Baptist,
and the Presbyterian Churches.
The French established a small trading post at the mouth of Huron River, and
another on the shore of the bay on or near the site of Sandusky City, which were
abandoned before the war of the revolution. The small map annexed is copied
from part of Evans' map of the Middle British Colonies, published in 1755. The
render will perceive upon the east bank
of Sandusky River, near the bay, a French
fort there described as " Fort Junandat,
built i)i 1754." The words Wandots are,
doubtless, meant for Wyandot towns.
Erie, Huron, and a small part of Otta-
wa counties comprise that portion of the
Western Reserve* known as " the Jire
.lands" being a tract of about 500,000
acres, granted by the state of Connecticut
to the sufferers by fire from the British in
their incursions into that state.
It is quite difficult to ascertain who the first
settlers were upon the fire lands. As early,
if not prior to the organization of the state,
several persons had squatted upon the lands,
at the mouth of the streams and near the
shore of the lake, led a hunter's life and
trafficked with the Indians. But they wore a
race of wanderers and gradually disappeared
before the regular progress of the settlements.
Those devoted missionaries, the Moravians, made a settlement, which they called New
* The Western, or Connecticut Reserve, comprises the following counties in northern Ohio,
viz : Ashtabula, Lake, Cuyahoga, Lorain, Erie, Huron, Medina, Summit, Portage, Trum-
bull, and the northern part of Mahoning.
OHIO. 139
Salem, as early as 1790, on Huron River, about two miles below Milan, on the Hathaway
farm. They afterward settled at Milan.
The first regular settlers upon the fire lands were Col. Jerard Ward, who came in the
spring of 1808, and Almon Ruggles and Jabez Wright, in the autumn succeeding. Ere the
close of the next year, quite a number of families had settled in the townships of Huron,
Florence, Berlin, Oxford, Margaretta, Portland and Vermillion. These early settlers gen-
erally erected the ordinary log cabin, but others of a wandering character built bark huts,
which were made by driving a post at each of the four corners, and one higher between
each of the two end corners, in the middle to support the roof, which were connected to-
gether by a ridge pole. Layers of bark were wound around the side of the posts, each up-
per layer lapping the one beneath to shed rain. The roof was barked over, strips being
bent across from one eave over the ridge pole to the other, and secured by poles on them.
The occupants of these bark huts were squatters, and lived principally by hunting. They
were the semi-oivilized race that usually precedes the more substantial pioneer in the west-
ern wilderness.
Fremont, formerly Lower Sandusky, on the west bank of Sandusky River,
is the county seat of Sandusky county, 30 miles easterly from Toledo, by the
Cleveland and Toledo Railroad. Population about 4,000.
The defense of Fort Stephenson, at this point, Aug. 2, 1813, just after
the siege of Fort Meigs, was a memorable event in the war of 1812.
This post had been established by Gen. Harrison, on Sandusky River, eighteen
miles from its mouth, and forty east of Fort Meigs. It was garrisoned by one
hundred and fifty men, under Major .
Bniiiiiiiif.!i:i,!i!e George Croghan, a young Kentuckinn,
just past twenty-one years of age. This
fort being indefensible against heavy
cannon, which it was supposed would
be brought against it by Proctor, it was
judged best by Harrison and his officers
in council, that it should be abandoned.
But the enemy appeared before the gar-
rison on the 31st of July, before the or-
der could "be executed ; they numbered
thirty-three hundred strong, including
the Indians, and brought with them six
FORT SANDUSKY.* pieces of artillery, which, luckily, were
of light caliber. To Proctor's summary
demand for its surrender, he was informed that he could only gain access over the
corpses of its defenders. The enemy soon opening their fire upon them, gave
Croghan reason to judge that they intended to storm the north-west angle of the
fort. In the darkness of night, he placed his only piece of artillery, a six pounder,
at that point, and loaded it to the muzzle with slugs. On the evening of the 2d,
three hundred British veterans marched up to carry the works by storm, and
when within thirty feet of the masked battery it opened upon them.f The effect
was decisive, twenty-seven of their number was slain, the assailants recoiled, and
having the fear of Harrison before them, who was at Fort Seneca, some ten miles
south, with a considerable force, they hastily retreated the same night, leaving be-
hind them their artillery and stores.
Upper Sanditsky, the county seat of Wyandot county, is a village of about
* Reference* to the Fort. Line I Pickets. Line 2 Embankment from the ditch to and
against the picket. Line 3 Dry ditch, nine feet wide by six deep. Line 4 Outward em-
bankment or glacis. A Block-house first attacked by cannon, b. B Bastion from which
the ditch was raked by Croghan's artillery. C Guard block-house, in the lower left cor-
ner. D Hospital during the attack. E E E Military store-houses. F Commissary's
store-house. G Magazine. H Fort gate. K K K Wicker gates. L Partition gate.
"fCol. Short, who commanded this party, was ordering his men to leap the ditch, cut down
the pickets, and give the Americans no quarters, when he fell mortally wounded into the
ditch, hoisted his white handkerchief on the end of his sword, and begged for that mercy
which he had a moment before ordered to be denied to his enemy.
140 OHIO.
1,500 inhabitants, 63 miles N. of Columbus, ou the W. bank of the Sandus-
ky, and on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad. It was for-
merly the chief town of the Wyandot Indians, who ceded their land to the
United States in 1843.
About three miles north of the town is the battle ground, where Col. Crawford
was defeated by the Indians, in 1782. After the massacre of the Moravian Indi-
ans on the Tuscarawas, the remainder settled in this vicinity among the hostile In-
dians. A second expedition was projected on the upper Ohio, to invade the Wy-
andot country, finish the destruction of the Christian Indians, and then destroy
the Wyandot towns in the vicinity. Four hundred and eighty men assembled at
the old Mingo towns, near the site of Steubenville, and elected Col. Wm. Craw- '
ford, a resident of Brownsville, as their commander. This officer was a native of
Virginia, and an intimate friend of Washington. At this time he was about 50
years of age.
It was determined to carry on a war of extermination " no quarter was to
be given to any man, woman or child." On the 7th of June, while marching
through the Sandusky plains, they were attacked by the Indians, concealed in the
high grass. The action continued until night closed in upon them. It was then
determined to retreat. Unfortunately, instead of doing so all in a body, one part
broke up into small parties, and these being pursued by detachments of Indians,
mostly fell into the hands of the enemy. Some were killed and scalped at the
time, while others were reserved for torture. Among the latter was Col. Crawford,
who perished at the stake.*
* The account of the burning of Crawford is thus given by Dr. Knight, his companion,
who subsequently escaped. When we went to the fire, the colonel was stripped naked, or-
dered to sit down by the fire, and then they beat him with sticks and their fists. Presently
after, I was treated in the same manner. They then tied a rope to the foot of a post about
fifteen feet high, bound the colonel's hands behind his back and fastened the rope to the
ligature between his wrists. The rope was long enough for him to sit down "or walk round
the post once or twice, and return the same way. The colonel then called to Girty, and
asked him if they intended to burn him ? Girty answered, yes. The colonel said he would
take it all patiently. Upon this, Captain Pipe, a Delaware chief, made a speech to the In-
dians, viz : about thirty or forty men, and sixty or seventy squaws and boys. When the
speech was finished, they all yelled a hideous and hearty assent to what had been said. The
Indian men took up their guns and shot powder into the colonel's body, from his feet as far
up as his neck. I think that not less than seventy loads were discharged upon his naked
body. They then crowded about him, and to the best of my observation, cut off his ears ;
when the throng had dispersed a little, I saw the blood running from, both sides of his head
in consequence thereof.
The fire was about six or seven yards from the post to which the colonel was tied ; it was
made of small hickory poles, burnt quite through in the middle, each end of the poles re-
maining about six feet in length. Three or four Indians, by turns, would take up, indi-
vidually, one of these burning pieces of wood, and apply it to his naked body, already
burr.t black with powder. These tormentors presented themselves on every side of him
with the burning fagots and poles. Some of the squaws took broad boards, upon which
they would carry & quantity of burning coals and hot embers, and throw on him, so that in
a short time, he had nothing but coals of fire and hot ashes to walk upon. In the midst of
these extreme tortures, he called to Simon Girty, and begged of him to shoot him ; but
Girty making no answer, he called to him again. Girty then, by way of derision, told the
colonel that he had no gun, at the same time turning about to an Indian who was behind
him, laughed heartily, and by all hia gestures, seemed delighted with the horrid scene.
Girty then came up to me and bade me prepare for death. He said, however, I was not to
die at that place, but to be burnt at the Shawnese towns. He swore by G d I need not
expect to escape death, but should suffer it in all its extremities.
Col. Crawford, at this period of his sufferings, besought the Almighty to have mercy on
his soul, spoke very low, and bore his torments with the most manly fortitude. He con-
tinued in all the extremities of pain for an hour and three quarters or two hours longer, as
near as I can judge, when at last, being almost exhausted, he lay down on his belly ; they .
then scalped him, and repeatedly threw the scalp in my face, telling me, " that was my great
captain." An old squaw (whose appearance every way answered the ideas people entertain
of the devil) got a board, took a parcel of coals and ashes and laid them on his back and
bead, after he had been scalped; he then raised himself upon his feet and began to walk
OHIO.
141
Near the town of Upper Sandusky stands the old Wyandot Mission Church,
built about the year 1824, from government funds, by Rev. James B. Fin-
ley. The Methodists here sustained the mission among the Indians for many
years. In 1816, John Stewart, a mulatto, a Methodist, came here, and gain-
ing much influence over the na-
tives, paved the way for a regular
mission, which was soon after
formed^ by Mr. Finley, who es-
tablished both a church and a
school. This was the first Indian
mission formed by the Methodists
in the Mississippi Valley. Mr.
Finley was very happy in his
efforts, and in his interesting his-
tory of Ae mission, gives the fol-
lowing touching anecdote of the
chief Sumniundewat, one of his
converts, who was subsequently
murdered by some vagabond
whites in Hancock county, while
extending to them hospitalities :
\\T\NPOT MISSION CHURCJI.
" Sum-mun-de-wat amused me after
he came home by relating a circumstance that transpired one cold evening, just before
sun-down. I met,' said he, on a small path, not far from my camp, a man who ask me
if I could talk English.' I said. ' Little.' He ask me, ' How far is it to a house? ' I an-
swer, ' I don't know may be 10 miles may be 8 miles.' ' Is there a path leading to it?'
' No by and by dis go out (pointing to the path they were on), den all woods. You go
home me sleep me go show you to-morrow.' Then he come my camp so take horse
tie give him some corn ami brush then my wife give him supper. He ask where I
come. I say, 'Sandusky.' He say,' You know Finley? ' ' Yes,' I say, 'he is my brother
my father.' Then he say,' He is my brother.' Then I feel something in my heart burn.
I say, ' You preacher? ' Ke say, ' Yes; ' and I shook hands and say, ' My brother! ' Then
we try talk. Then I say, ' You sing und pray.' So he did Then he say to me, ' Sing
and pray.' So I did; and I so much cry I can't pray. No go to sleep I can't I wake
my heart full. All night I pray and praise God, for his send me preacher to sleep my
camp. Next morning soon come, and he want to go. Then I go show him through the
woods, until come to big road. Then he took my hand and say, 'Farewell, brother; by
and by we meet up in heaven.' Then me cry, and my brother cry. We part I go hunt.
All day I cry, and no see deer jump up and run awrfy. Then I go and pray by some log.
My heart so full of joy, that I can not walk much. I sny, ' I can not hunt.' Sometimes
I sing then I stop and clap my hands, and look up to God, my heavenly Father. Then
the love come so fast in my heart, I can hardly stand. So I went home, and said, ' Thia
is my happiest day.' "
DAYTON, a city, and capital of Montgomery county, is situated on the E.
bank of the Great Miami, at the mouth of Mad River, 60 miles from
Cincinnati, 67 from Columbus, and 110 from Indianapolis. This is the
round the post ; they next put a burning stick to him, as usual, but ho seemed more insen-
sible of pain than before.
The Indian fellow who had me in charge, now took me away to Captain Pipe's house,
about three quarter? of a mile from the place of the colonel's execution. I was bound all
night, and thus prevented from seeing the last of the horrid spectacle. Next morning,
being June 12th, the Indian untied me ; painted me black, and we set off for the Shawncc
town, which he told me was somewhat less than forty miles distant from that place. We
soon came to the spot where the colonel had been burnt, as it was partly in our way ; I saw
his bones lying among the remains of the fire, almost burnt to ashes; I suppose, after he
was dead, they laid his body on the .fire. The Indian told me that was my big captain, and
gave the scalp halloo.
142 OHI -
tliircl city in Ohio, in population and wealth, and has extensive manufac-
tures and respectable commerce. Its manufactures consist principally of
railroad equipments, iron ware, paper, cotton, and woolen fabrics, etc.
The city is laid out with streets 100 feet wide, crossing each other at right
North-eastern view of the Cmirt House, Dai/ton.
Erected at an expense of about $100,000, and 127 feet in length by 62 in breadth. The style of architec-
ture is that of the Parthenon, with some slight variations.
angles. The public buildings are excellent, and much taste is displayed in
the construction of private residences, many of which are ornamented by
fine gardens and shrubbery. The abundant water power which Dayton pos-
sesses is one of the elements of its prosperity. In 1845, a hydraulic canal
was made, by which the water of Mad River is brought through the city.
Numerous macadamized roads diverge from the town, and radiate in all di-
rections ; several railroads terminate at Dayton, and by this means communi-
cation is had with every point in the Union. The Southern Ohio Lunatic
Asylum is established here. There are 27 churches, in 7 of which the Ger-
man language is used. Population in I860, 20,1;}2.
The first families who made a permanent residence in the place, arrived oiv
the 1st day of April, 1796. The first 19 settlers of Dayton, were Win. Ga-
hagan, Samuel Thompson, Benj. Van Cleve, Win. Van Cleve, Solomon (J <>.-<,
Thomas Davis, John Davis, James M'Clure, John M'Clure, Daniel Fen-ell,
William Hamer, Solomon Hamer, Thomas Hamer, Abraham Glussmire, John
Dorough, Win. Chenoweth, Jas. Morris, Wm. Newcom and George Newcom.
In 1803, on the organization of the state government, Montgomery county
was established. Dayton was made the seat of justice, at which time only
five families resided in the town, the other settlers having gone on to farms
in the vicinity, or removed to other parts of the country. The increase of
the town was gradual, until the war of 1812, which made a thoroughfare for
the troops and stores on their way to the frontier.
Springfield, a beautiful city and capital of Clarke county, is situated on
the National Road, on Mad River, 43 miles W. from Columbus, and 84 N.
from Cincinnati. It has great water power, well improved by a variety of
mills and manufacturing establishments. It is surrounded by a rich ar
populous country. Several macadamized roads terminate here, and railroauv
OHIO.
143
connect it with the principal towns in the state. Wittemberg College, un-
der the patronage of the Lutheran Church, chartered in 1845, is a short dis-
tance without the town, and is surrounded with spacious grounds. Popula-
tion, 8,000.
Springfield was laid out in 1803, by James Demint. The old Indian town,
Piqua, the ancient Piqua of the Shawnees, and the birth-place of TECUMSEII,
the celebrated Indian warrior, was situated on the N. side of Mad River,
about five miles W. from Springfield.
Xenia, the county seat of Green, is a well built town on the Little Miami
Railroad, 64 miles north of Cincinnati, in a rich country. The town was
laid off in 1803, by Joseph C. Vance. The name, Xenia, is said to be au
old French word, signifying a New Year's gift. Wilberforce University is
three and a half miles north-east of Xenia, an institution under the care of
the Methodist Episcopal Church North, for the special purpose of educating
colored youth of both sexes. Population about 5,000.
About three miles north, on the Little Miami, is the site of the Shawnee
town, Old Chillicothe. It was a place of note in the early history cf the
country, and a point to which Daniel Boone, with 27 other Kentuckians,
were brought prisoners in 1778.
Antioch College is at Yellow Springs, 9 miles north of Xenia. It is an
institution of considerable celebrity, the one over which the late Horace
Mann presided, with so much reputation to himself and benefit to his pupils.
First Court House in Greene county.
The engraving is a correct representation of the first court house in Greene. It
was erected five and a half miles north of the site of Xenia, near the Dayton road.
It was built by Gen. Bi-nj. Whiteman, as a residence for Peter Borders.
The first court for the trial of causes was held in it, in August, 1803, Francis
Dnnlnvy, presiding judge. A grand jury of inquest were sworn " for the body of
Greene county." After receiving the charge, "they retired out of court" a cir-
cumstance not to be wondered at, as there was but one room in the house. Their
place of retirement, or jury room, was a little squat shaped pole hut, shown on the
right of the view. But it appears there was nothing for them to do.
"But they wore not permitted to remain idle long: the spectators in attendance
promptly took the intittcr into consideration. They, doubtless, thought it a great
144 OHIO.
pity to have a learned court and nothing for it to do; so they set to and cut out
employment for their honors by engaging in divers hard fights at fisticuffs, right
on the ground. So it seems our pioneers fought for the benefit of the court. At
all events, while their honors were waiting to settle differences according to law,
they were making up issues and settling them by trial " l>y combat" a process by
which they avoided the much complained of "laws' delay," and incurred no other
damages than black eyes and bloody noses, which were regarded as mere trifles,
of course. Among the incidents of the day, characteristic of the times, was this :
A Mr. , of Warren county, was in attendance. Owen Davis, the owner of a
mill near by, and a brave Indian fighter, as well as a kind-hearted, obliging man,
charged this Warren county man with speculatiny in pork, alias stealing his
neighbor's hogs. The insult was resented a combat took place forthwith," in which
Davis proved victorious. He then went into court, and planting himself in front
of the judges, he" observed, addressing himself particularly to one of them, ' Well,
Ben, I've whipped that hog thief- what's the damage what's to pay ? and,
thereupon, suiting the action to the word, he drew out his buckskin purse, contain-
ing 8 or 10 dollars, and slammed it down on the table then shaking his fist at the
judge whom he addressed, he continued, ' Yes, Ben, and if you'd steal a hog,
yon, I'd whip you too.' He had, doubtless, come to the conclusion, that, as there
was a court, the luxury of fighting could not be indulged in gratis, and he was for
paying up as he went. Seventeen witnesses were sworn and sent before the grand
jury, and nine bills of indictment were found the same day all for affrays and
assaults and batteries committed after the court was organized. To these indict-
ments the parties all pleaded guilty, and were fined Davis among the rest, who
was fined eight dollars for his share in the transactions of the day."
Greenville, the capital of Darke county, on the Greenville and Miami
Railroad, is about 121 miles W. from Columbus. It contains some 1,500
inhabitants. In 1793, Gen. Wayne built Fort Greenville on the site of the
present town, and here the treaty of Greenville was concluded, between Gen.
Wayne and the Indians. Gen. St. Clair, at the head of 1,400 men, was de-
feated by the Indians in the north-west corner of Darke county, upward of
20 miles from Greenville, Nov. 4, 1791. The great object of St. Glair's
campaign was to establish a line of military posts between Fort Washington
(Cincinnati), and the junction of St. Mary and St. Joseph Rivers, now Fort
Wayne. The description of the battle is from Monette's history:
On the 3d of November, the army encamped in a wooded plain, among the
sources of a Wabash tributary, upon the banks of several small creeks, about fifty
miles south of the Miami towns. The winter had already commenced, and the
ground was covered with snow three inches deep.
Next morning, Nov. 4th, just before sunrise, and immediately after the troops
had been dismissed from parade, the Indians made a furious attack upon the mili-
tia, whose camp was about a quarter of a mile in advance of the main camp of
the regular troops. The militia immediately gave way, and fled with great pre-
cipitation and disorde' , with the Indians in close pursuit; and, rushing through the
camp, they threw the battalions of Majors Butler and Clark into confusion. The
utmost exertions of those officers failed to restore complete order. The Indians,
pressing close upon the militia, immediately engaged Butler's command with great
intrepidity and fury. The attack soon became general both in the front and second
lines, but the weight of the enemy's fire was directed against the center of each
line, where the artillery was stationed. Such was the intensity of the enemy's fire,
that the men were repeatedly driven from their guns with great loss. Confusion
was spreading among the troops, from the great numbers who were constantly fall-
ing, while no impression was made by their fire upon the enemy. " At length re-
sort was had to the bayonet. Col. Darke was ordered to charge with part of the
second line, and endeavor to turn the left flank of the enemy. This order was ex-
ecuted with great spirit. The Indians instantly gave way, and were driven back
three or four hundred yards; but, for want of a sufficient number of riflemen to
pursue this advantage, the} 7 soon rallied, and the troops were obliged in turn to
OHIO.
145
fall back. At this moment, the Indians had entered our camp by the left flank,
having driven back the troops that were posted there. Another charge was made
here by the second regiment, Rutler's and Clark's battalions, with equal effect, and
it was repeated several times, and always with success; but in each charge several
men were lost, and particularly the officers; which, with raw troops, was a loss
altogether irremedia-
ble." In the last charge
Major Butler was dan-
gerously wounded, and
every officer of the
second regiment fell
except three. The ar-
tillery being now si-
lenced, and all the of-
ficers killed except
Capt Ford, who was
severely wounded, and
more than half the
army having fallen, it
became necessary to
make a retreat, if pos-
sible. This was im-
mediately done, while
Major Clark protected
the rear with his bat-
talion. The retreat
was precipitous : it was
a perfect flight. The
camp and artillery was
abandoned; not a horse
Avas alive to draw the
cannon. The men, in
their flight and conster-
nation, threw away their arms and accouterments after pursuit had ceased, and
the road was strewed with them for more than four miles. The rout continued to
Fort Jefferson, twenty-nine miles. The action began half an hour before sunrise,
the retreat commenced at half past nine o'clock, and the remnant of the army
reached Fort Jefferson just after sunset The savages continued the pursuit for
four miles, when, fortunately, they returned to the scene of action for scalps and
plunder.
In this most disastrous battle, thirty-eight commissioned officers were killed on
the field. Six hundred non-commissioned officers and privates were either killed
or missing. Among the wounded were twenty-one commissioned officers, and two
hundred and forty-two non-commissioned officers and privates. Many of the
wounded died subsequently of their wounds. The Indian loss did not exceed sixty
warriors killed.
The grand error in this campaign was the impolicy of urging forward on a dan-
gerous service, far into the Indian country, an army of raw troops, who were un-
willing to enter upon the campaign, as was fully evinced by frequent desertions as
they approached the hostile towns. The army was fatally reduced by the detach-
ment sent to overtake the deserters from the Kentucky militia; and Gen. St. Clair
PLAN or ST. GLAIR'S BATTLE FIELD.*
* References. A High ground, on which the militia were encamped at the commence-
ment of the action. B C Encampment of the main army. D Retreat of the militia at
the beginning of the battle. E St. Glair's trace, on which the defeated array retreated.
F Place where Gen. Butler and other officers were buried. G Trail to Girty's Town, on
the River St. Marys, at what is now the village of St. Marys. H Site of Fort Recovery,
built by Wayne ; the line of Darke and Mercer runs within a few rods of the site of the
fort. I Place where a brasa cannon was found buried, in 1830 ; it is on the bottom where
the Indians were three times driven to the high land with the bayonet.
10
146 OHIO.
himself was quite infirm, and often unable to attend to his duties as commander-
in-chief. On the fatal day of his defeat, he was scarcely able to bo mounted upon
his horse, either from physical infirmity or culpable intemperance.*
The Indians engaged in this terrible battle comprised about nine hundred war-
riors. Among them were about four hundred Slia\vnese, commanded by Blue
Jacket, and chiefly from the waters of the Wabash. The remainder were com-
manded by Little Turtle, Buckongahelas, consisting of Delawares, Wyandots, Pota-
watamies, and Mingoes. The Delawares alone numbered nearly four hundred war-
riors, who fought with great fury. On the ground, during the battle, were seen
several British officers in full uniform from Detroit, who had come to witness the
strife which they had instigated. Simon Girty commanded a party of Wyandots.
Among the camp-followers in this campaign were nearly two hundred and fifty
women, of whom fifty-six were killed during the carnage; the remainder were
chiefly captured the Indians.
Wayne's troops subsequently built a fort, called Fort Recovery, on the sito
of the battle ground. In the summer of 1794, a second battle was fought
under the walls of the fort, between 140 Americans, under Major McMahon,
and a party of Indians, led on by British officers. McMahon and 22 others
'were killed, but the survivors gained the fort, which the enemy also attacked
but were driven off with severe loss.
Within Ohio, beside those already noticed are a large number of city-
like towns, most of which are on the lines of railroads, are capitals of their
respective counties, have numerous churches, literary institutions, manufac-
tories, and varied branches of industry some are lighted with gas, have
*St. Clair was an unfortunate officer in the Revolution, but still retained the confidence
and friendship of Washington. In Rush's " Washington in Domestic Life," is an account
of the interview between Mr. Tobias Lear, his private secretary, and Washington, imme-
diately after the reception by the latter of the news of St. Glair's defeat:
" The general now walked backward and forward slowly for some minutes without speak-
ing. Then he sat down on a sofa by the fire, telling Mr. Lear to sit down. To this moment
there had been no change in his manner since his interruption at table. Mr. Lear now per-
ceived emotion. This rising in him, he broke out suddenly, ' It's all over St. Glair's de-
feated routed; the officers nearly all killed, the men by wholesale; the rout complete
too shocking to think of and a surprise in the bargain 1 '
He uttered all this with great vehemence. Then he paused, got up from the sofa and
walked about the room several times, agitated but saying nothing. Near the door he stopped
short, and stood still a few seconds, when his wrath became terrible.
' Yes,' he burst forth, ' here on this very spot, I took leave of him ; I wished him success
and honor; you have your instructions, I said, from the secretary of war, I had a strict eyo
to them, and will add but one word beware of a surprise. I repeat it, BEWARK OF A SUR-
PRISE you know how the Indians fight us. He went off with that as my last solemn warn-
ing thrown into his ears. And yetl to suffer that ariny to bo cut to pieces, hack'd, butch-
ered, tomahaw'd by a surprise the very thing I guarded him against) ! Oh, God, oh, God,
he's worse than a murderer! how can he answer it to his country: the blood of the slain is
upon him the curse of widows and orphans the curse of Heaven? '
This torrent came out in tones appalling. His very frame shook. It was awful, said
Mr. Lear. More than once he threw his hands up as he hurled imprecations upon St. Glair.
Mr. Lear remained speechless, awed into breathless silence.
Washington sat down on the sofa once more. He seemed conscious of his passion, and
uncomfortable. He was silent. His warmth beginning to subside, he at length said in an
altered voice : 'This must not go beyond this room.' Another pause followed a longer
one when he said, in a tone quite low, ' General St. Glair shall have justice ; I looked
hastily through the dispatches, saw the whole disaster, but not all the particulars ; I will
receive him without displeasure; I will hear him without prejudice ; he shall have full jus-
tice.'
He was now, said Mr. Lear, perfectly calm. Half an hour had gone by. The storm was
over; and no sign of it was afterward seen in his conduct, or heard in his conversation.
The result is known. The whole case was investigated by congress. St. Clair was excul-
pated and regained the confidence Washington had in him when appointing him to that
command. He had put himself into the thickest of the fight und escaped unhurt, though
co ill as to be carried on a litter, and unable to mount his horse without help."
OHIO.
147
fire companies, and are, indeed, small cities. We mention the more promi-
nent, giving their populations, according to the census of 1860.
Mount Vernon City, Knox county. Population 4,147. Five miles east of
it, is Grambier, the seat of Kenyon College, founded in 1827, and named
after Lord Kenyon, one of its principal benefactors.
Mansfield City, Richland county, a manufacturing town, a great railroad
center, with 11 churches, 70 stores, six manufactories, and a population of
4,540. Wooster, Wayne county, has 60 stores, 10 churches, and in 1858,
4,837 inhabitants. Canton, Stark county, has 4,042 people. Massillon, in
the same county, has a population of 3,680. Youngstown, in Mahoning
county has 2,758 inhabitants. All of the above are in the northern section .
of the state, in the richest WHEAT counties of Ohio.
Akron, Summit county, had lOOstores of various kinds, and 7,000 inhab-
itants. It is on the summit level of the Ohio canal, and has abundance of
water power from the canal and Cuyahoga River, which is employed in a
variety of manufactures. The manufacturing village of Cuyahoga Falls, is
six miles north-east of Akron : the river falls there, in the space of two and
a half miles, more than 200 feet. Western Reserve College is at Hudson,
eight and a half miles northerly from the last. Norwalk, Huron county,
has 2,867 inhabitants. -E/yn'a,Lorain county, has 1,615 inhabitants, Oberlin
in the same county, 2,012 inhabitants: the collegiate institute at Oberlin is
a flourishing institution, numbering several hundred pupils of both sexes.*
Warren, Trumbull county, has 2,402 inhabitants. Ravenna, Portage county,
has 36 stores, and a population of 1,797. Painesville, Lake county, has
2,615 inhabitants. Aslitubula, in Ashtabula county, 1,427 inhabitants. The
above are on the WESTERN RESERVE.
Tiffin, Seneca county, is the seat of Heidelberg College, and a theological
seminary of the German Reformed Church. It has 12 churches and 4,010
inhabitants. Bucyrus, Crawford county, has 40 stores and 2,210 inhabitants.
Delaware, Delaware county, has 14 churches and 3,895 inhabitants. It is
the seat of the Ohio Wesleyan University and two female colleges. Belle-
fontaine, Logan county, has 2,600 inhabitants. Sidney, Shelby county, has
2,055 inhabitants. Urbana, Champaign county, the seat of Urbana Univer-
sity and a female seminary, has a population of 3,429. Piqua, Miami
county, has 40 stores, numerous manufactories, mechanic shops, and 4,620
inhabitants. Troy, in the same county, has 2,640 inhabitants. Lima, in Allen
* Many of the pupils at Oberlin, male and female, are of African origin, and mingle on
terras of social equality with the others. This singularity is in accordance with the an-
nexed published synopsis of the institution:
1. To educate youths of both sexes, so as to secure the development of a strong mind in
a .sound body, connected with a permanent, vigorous, progressive piety all to be aided by a
judicious system of manual labor.
2. To beget and to confirm in the process of education the habit of self-denial, patient
endurance, a chastened moral courage, and a devout consecration of the whole being to
God, in seeking the best good of man.
3. To establish universal liberty by the abolition of every form of sin.
4. To avoid the debasing association of the heathen classics, and make the bible a text-
book in all the departments of education.
5. To raise up a church and ministers who shall be known and read of all men in deep
sympathy with Christ, in holy living, and in efficient action against all which God forbids.
6. To furnish a seminary, affording thorough instruction in all the branches of an edu-
cation for both sexes, and in which colored persons, of both sexes, shall be freely admitted,
and on the terms of equality and brotherhood.
148 OHI -
county, has 2079 inhabitants. All of the above are in the north-western
quarter of the state, north of the national road and west of Columbus.
Lebanon, Warren county, has 2,498 inhabitants. .Eaton, Preble county,
and Germantown, Montgomery county, have each about 1,500 inhabitants,
as also have 'Wilmington, Hillsboro 1 and Greenfield. Ripley, on the Ohio
River in Brown county, has 2,715 inhabitants. The above are all in the
south-western quarter of Ohio.
Lancaster, Fairfield county, has 4,320 inhabitants. Logan, Hocking
county, M ' Connelhville, in Morgan, Wellsville, in Columbiana, New Lisbon,
in Columbiana, and Cambridge, in Guernsey county, have each about 1500
inhabitants. Pomeroy, on the Ohio River, in Meigs county, is in the midst
of the great coal producing region of the state, to which it owes its impor-
tance ; its population is 6,480. Ironton, on the Ohio River, in Lawrence
county has 3,700 inhabitants. This town was laid out in 1849, by the Ohio
Iron and Coal Company, and derives its importance from the iron business,
the principal furnaces of the Ohio iron district being in its vicinity. All of
the above, excepting Wellsville and New Lisbon, are in the south-eastern
quarter of Ohio.
Beside the above, Ohio contains many villages ranging from 1,000 to
2,000 inhabitants.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, MISCELLANIES, ETC.
Tecumseh, the renowned warrior and chieftain of the Shawnees, was born
about the year 1768, at the Indian town of Piqua, situated on the north side
__=; _, - ..... ===. of Mad River, some five miles
west of the site of Springfield,
Clarke county. He early showed
a passion for war, and at 17
years evinced signal prowess in
the capture of some boats on the
Ohio ; but when his party burned
a prisoner, he was struck with
horror, and by his eloquence
SITE OP PIQUA. persuaded them never to be
An Indian village and the birth-place of Tecnm 8e h. Qf &
1795, he became a chief, and soon rose to distinction among his people.
In 1805, Tecumseh and hia brother Laulewasikaw, the prophet, established
themselves at Greenville and gained a great influence over the Jndians, through
the pretended sorcery of the latter. Shortly after the great project of Tecumseh
was formed of a confederacy of all the western tribes against the whites. In this
he was backed, it is supposed, by the insiduous influence of British agents, who
presented the Indians with ammunition, in anticipation, perhaps, of hostilities be-
tween the two countries, in which event the union of all the tribes against the
Americans was desirable.
The battle of Tippecanoe, fought Nov. 7, 1811, with the brother of Tecumseh, in
which the prophet was defeated, for a time annihilated the hopes of the brothers.
Tecumseh was hot in this battle. In the war which soon after ensued with Eng-
land, Tecumseh was the ally of King George, and held the rank of brigadier-
general, having, under his command, about 2,000 Indians. He was present at
several engagements, and was eventually killed in the battle of Moravian towns,
in Canada, near Detroit, Oct. 5, 1813.
" Thus fell the Indian warrior Tecumseh, in the 44th year of his age. He was five feet
ten inches high, and with more than usual stoutness, possessed all the agility and perse-
OHIO.
149
verance of tho Indian character. His carriage was dignified, his eye penetrating, hia
countenance, which even in death, betrayed the indications of a lofty spirit, rather of the
sterner cast. Had he not possessed a certain austerity of manners, he could never have
controlled the wayward passions of those who followed him to battle. He was of a silent
habit ; but when his eloquence became roused into action by the reiterated encroachment
of the Americans, his strong intellect could, supply him with a flow of oratory that enabled
him, as he governed in the rield, so to prescribe in the council."
" William Henry Harrison was born in Charles county, Virginia, Feb. 9, 1773 ;
was educated at Hauipden Sidney College, and afterward studied medicine. He
received, from Washington, a military com-
mission in 1791, and fought under Wayne in
1792. After the battle of Maumee Rapids, he
was made captain, and placed in command of
Fort Washington. In 1797, he was appointed
secretary of the North-west Territory; and in 1799 and 1800, he was a delegate to
congress. Being appointed governor of Indiana, he was also superintendent of
Indian affairs, and negotiated thirteen treaties. He gained a great victory in the
battle of Tippecanoe, Nov. 7,1811. In the war with Great Britain, he was com-
mander of the North-west army, and was distinguished in the defense of Fort
Meigs, and the victory of the Thames. From 1816 to 1819, he was a representa-
tive in congress, from Ohio; and from 1825 to 1828, United States Senator. In
1828, he was minister to the Republic of Colombia; and on his return he resided
upon his farm, at North Bend, Ohio. In 1840, he was elected president of the
United States, by 234 votes out of 294, and inaugurated March 4, 1841. He died
in the presidential mansion, April 4, 1841."
In traveling through the west, one often meets with scenes that remind
him of another land. The foreigner who makes his home upon American
soil, does not at orice assimilate
in language, modes of life, and
current of thought with those
congenial to his adopted coun-
try. The German emigrant ia
peculiar in this respect, and so
much attached is he to his
fatherland, that years often
elapse ere there is any percepti-
ble change. The annexed en-
graving, from Howe's Ohio, il-
lustrates these remarks,: "It
shows the mud cottage of a
German Swiss emigrant, now
standing in the neighborhood
of others of like character, in
the north-western part of Co-
luuibiana county, Ohio. The
frame work is of wood, with the interstices filled with light colored clay, and
the whole surmounted by a ponderous shingled roof, of a picturesque form.
Beside the tenement, hop vines are clustering around their slender support-
ers, while hard by stands the abandoned log dwelling of the emigrant de-
serted for one more congenial with his early predilections."
Return Jonathan Meigs * was born in Middletown, Connecticut, in 1740. He
Swiss I^IIGKAXT'S COTTAGE.
* Lossing gives this pleasant anecdote of the origin of his name, RETURN. "A bright-eyed
Connecticut girl was disposed to coquette with her lover, Jonathan Meigs ; and on one oc-
150
was a colonel in the army of the revofution, and saw much service. He was with
Arnold at Quebec, was one of the first to mount the parapet at the storming of
Stony Point, and received an elegant sword and a vote of thanks for a gallant ex-
ploit at Sagg Harbor, where, with 70 of his "Leather Cap Battalion," composed of
Connecticut men, he stormed a British post, and carried off nearly a hundred pris-
oners. After the war he became a surveyor for the Ohio Land Company, and was
one of the first settlers of Marietta. He drew up a system of laws for the first emi-
grants, which were posted on a large oak near the mouth of the Muskingum. He
was appointed a judge by Gen. St Clair, and in 1801 Indian agent by Jefferson
among the Cherokees, among whom he continued to reside until his death, in 1823,
at the age of 83 years. The Indians loved and revered him as a father. His son,
Return Jonathan Meigs, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, from 1808 to
1810; was governor of the state from 1810 to 1814, and post-master-general of the
United States from 1814 to 1823. He died at Marietta in 1825.
Rvfus Putnam, who has been styled "the FATHER OP OHIO," was born at Sutton,
Massachusetts, in 1738. He was distinguished in the war of the revolution, hold-
ing the office of brigadier-general. From 1783 to 1787, he was busy organizing a
company for emigrating to, and settling, the Ohio country. On the 7th of April,
1788, he landed with the first pioneer party at the mouth of the Muskingum, and
there founded Marietta, the first settlement in Ohio. He was appointed surveyor-
general of the United States by Washington, in 1796, was a member of the con-
vention which formed the first Constitution of Ohio, and died in 1824.
Gen. Duncan McArthur, was born of Scotch parentage, in Dutchess county, N.
Y., in 1782, and at the age of 18 entered the army, and was in several Indian cam-
paigns. By force of talent he rose, in 1808, to the post of major general of the
state militia. At Hull's surrender he was second in command, but on his release
as a prisoner of war, the democratic party, by an overwhelming majority, elected
him to congress. On the resignation of Gen. Harrison, in 1814, he was in supreme
command of the north-west arrny, and projected an expedition into Canada, where,
at or near Malcolm's Mill, he defeated a body of Canadians. He was a represent-
ative in congress again from 1823 to 1825; in 1830, was chosen governor of the
state, and died a few years later. He was a strong-minded, energetic man, and
possessed a will of iron.
Gen. Nathaniel Massie was born in Virginia, in 1763, and was bred a surveyor.
In 1791, he made the first settlement within the Virginia Military District, the
fourth in Ohio, and the only one between the Scioto and Little Miami, until after
the treaty of Greenville in 1795. This was at Manchester, on the Ohio, opposite
Maysville, Ky. His business, for years, was the surveying of lands in the military
district His payments were liberal, as he received in many cases one half of the
land for making the locations; yet the risk was immense, for, during the Indian
hostilities, every creek that was explored and every line that was run, was done
by stealth and at the risk of life from the lurking Indians, from whom he had sev-
eral narrow escapes.
After the defeat of the Indians by Wayne, the surveyors were not interrupted
by the Indians ; but on one of their excursions, still remembered as " the starving
tour" the whole party, consisting '-r ?S men, suffered extremely in a driving snow
storm for about four days. They a?ie in a wilderness, exposed to this severe
storm, without hut, tent, or covering, and what was still more appalling, without
provision, and without any road or even track to retreat on, and were nearly 100
miles from any place of shelter. On the third day of the storm, they luckily killed
casion, when ho had pressed his suit with great earnestness, and asked for a positive an-
swer, she feigned coolness, and would give nim no satisfaction. The lover resolved to be
trifled with no longer, and bade her farewell, forever. She perceived her error, but he was
allowed to go far down the lane before her pride would yield to the more tender emotions
of her heart. Then she ran to the gate and cried, "Return, Jonathan 1 Return, Jonathan!"
He did return, they were joined in wedlock, and in commemoration of these happy words
of the sorrowing girl, they named their first child, Return Jonathan afterward a hero in
our war for independence, a noble western pioneer, and a devoted frinnd of the Cheroiees "
OHIO.
151
GKAVB OF SIMON KE.NTON.
two wild turkeys, which were boiled and divided into 28 parts, and devoured with
great avidity, heads, feet, entrails and all.
In 1796, Massie laid the foundation of the settlement of the Scioto valley, by lay-
ing out on his own land the now large and beautiful town of (Jhillicothe. The
progress of the* settlements brought large quantities of his land into market.
Gen. Massie was a member of the convention which formed the first state consti-
tution. In 1807, he was a competitor with Return Jonathan Meigs for governor,
they being the two most popular men in Ohio. Meigs was elected by a slight
majority. Massie contested the election, Meigs having lost his residence by absence.
The legislature decided in Massie's favor, whereupon he magnanimously resigned.
In 1813, this noble pioneer was gathered to his fathers.
Simon Kenton, a native of Culpeppcr county, Virginia, and one of the
bravest and noblest of
western pioneers, and the
friend of Daniel Boone,
resided in the latter part
of his life, on the head
waters of Mad River,
about five miles north of
Bellefontaine, in Logan
county. His dwelling
was the small log house
shown on the extreme
right of the annexed view.
There he died, in 183G,
at the advanced age of
81 years. When 16 years
of age, he had an affray
with a young man who Lad married his lady love. Supposing, erroneously,
that he had killed his rival, he fied to the wilderness of Kentucky. This
was in the year 1771. From that time, during the whole of the revolution-
ary war, down to the treaty of Greenville, in 1795, he was probably in more
expeditions against the Indians, encountered greater peril, performed more
heroic feats, and had more narrow escapes from death, than any man of his
time.
In 1778, he was captured by the Indians, compelled to run the gauntlet, and then
condemned to be burnt at the stake. He was saved by the interposition of Simon.
Girty, a renegade white, who had known Kenton in Dunmore's campaign. Shortly
after he was again sentenced to death, and a second time was saved by a Canadian
Frenchman, who prevailed upon the Indians to send him" to the British at Detroit
From thence he finally escaped, and again engaged in Indian warfare.
In 1782, hearing he had not killed his rival in love, he returned to Virginia, in
order to remove his father's family to his new home in Kentucky. Notwithstand-
ing the great services he had rendered his country, on account of some defect in
his land titles, he lost his property, aod was imprisoned twelve months for debt, on
the very spot where he had built bis cabin in 1775. In 1802, he settled in Urbana,
Ohio, where he remained some years, and was elected brigadier general of militia.
He was in the war of 1812, under Harrison, at the battle of Moravian town, whore
he displayed his usual intrepidity. About the year 1820, he removed to the head
of Mad River. At the time of his death the frosts of more than 80 winters had
fallen on his head without entirely whitening his locks. His biographer thus de-
scribes his personal appearance and character:
" General Kenton was of fair complexion, six feet one inch in hight. He stood
and waJked very erect; and, in the prime of life, weighed about one hundred and
ninety pounds. He never was inclined to be corpulent, although of sufficient full,
ness to form a graceful person. He had a soft, tremulous voice, very pleasing to
152
OHIO.
the hearer. He had laughing gray eyes, which seemed to fascinate the beholder.
He was a pleasant, good-humored and obliging companion. When excited, or pro-
voked to anger (which was seldom the case), the fiery glance of his eye would al-
most curdle the blood of those with whom he came in contact. His rage, when
roused, was a tornado. In his dealing, he was perfectly honest; his confidence in
man, and his credulity, were such, that the same man might cheat him twenty
times; and if he professed friendship, he might cheat him still"
Jacob Burnet was born in Newark, N. J., in 1770, educated at Princeton, and
in 1796 admitted to the bar. He then emigrated to Cincinnati, and commenced
the practice of his profession. Until the formation of the constitution of Ohio, in
1802, he attended court regularly at Cincinnati, Marietta and Detroit, the last of
which was then the seat of justice for Wayne county. The jaunts between these
remote places were attended with exposure, fatigue, and hazard, and were usually
performed on horseback, in parties of two or more, through a wilderness country.
At that period the whole white population between Pennsylvania and the Missis-
sippi, the Ohio and the lakes, was only about 5,000 souls. Mr. Burnet at once rose
to the front rank in his profession. He was appointed, in 1799, a member of the
lirst territorial legislature of the North-West Territory; and the first code of laws
were almost wholly framed by him. In 1821, he became one of the judges of the
supreme court of Ohio; and in 1828, was elected to the national senate, as suc-
cessor of Gen. Harrison. Nearly his entire life was passed in positions of honor
and responsibility. On the recommendation of Lafayette, he Avas elected a mem-
ber of the French Academy of Sciences. His Notes upon the North-West Terri-
tory are among the most valuable contributions to the history of the west extant
Judge Burnet died in 1853, aged 83 years.
BRADY'S LEAP.
It was across the Cuyahoga River, in northern Ohio, near the site of Franklin Mills,
and a few miles east ot the village of Cuyahoga Falls, that the noted Capt. Sum'l Brady
made his famous leap for life, about
the year 1780, when pursued by a
party of Indians. Brady was the
Daniel Boone of the north-east part
of the valley of the Ohio, which is
full of traditions of his hard}' adven-
tures and hairbreadth escapes. Bra-
dy's Pond is the spot where Brady
concealed himself after his leap, the
circumstances of which we quote be-
low. It is a small, beautiful sheet of
water, two and a half miles from the
village, a little north of the Ravcuna
road :
" Having in peaceable times often
hunted over this ground with the In-
dians, and knowing every turn of the
Cuyahoga as familiarly as the villager
knows the streets of his own hamlet, Brady directed his course to the river, at a spot where
the whole stream is compressed, by the rocky cliffs, into a narrow channel of only 22 feet
across the top of the chasm, although it is considerably wider beneath, near the water, and
in highth more than twice that number of feet above the current. Through this pass the
water rushes like a race horse, chafing and roaring at the confinement of its current by the
rocky channel, while, a short distance above, the steam is at least fifty yards wide. As he
approached the chasm, Brady, knowing that life or death was in the effort, concentrated
his mighty powers, and leaped the stream at a single bound. It so happened, that on the
opposite cliff, the leap was favored by a low place, into which he dropped, and grasping the
bushes, he thus helped himself to ascend to the top of the cliff". The Indians, for a few
moments, were lost in wonder and admiration, and before they had recovered their recol-
lection, he was half way up the side of the opposite hill, but still within reach of their
rifles. They could easily have shot him at any moment before, but being bent on taking
him alive for torture, and to glut their long delayed revenge, they forbore to use the riile;
but now seeing him likely to escape, thev nil fired upon him: one bullet severely wounded
BUADV'S POND.
OHIO.
153
him in the hip, but not so badly as to prevent his progress. The Indians having to make
a considerable circuit before they could cross the stream, Brady advanced a good distance
ahead. His limb was growing stiff' from the wound, and as the Indians gained on him, he
made for the pond which now bears his name, and plunging in, swam under water a con-
siderable distance, and came up under the trunk of a large oak, which had fallen into the
pond. This, although leaving only a small breathing place to support life, still completely
sheltered him from their sight. The Indians, tracing him by the blood to the water, made
diligent search all round the pond, but finding no signs of his exit, finally came to the
conclusion that he had sunk and was drowned. As they were at one time standing on the
very tree, beneath which lie was concealed, Brady, understanding their language, was very
glad to hear the result of their deliberations, and after they had gone, weary, lame, and
hungry, he made good his retreat to his own home. His followers also returned in safety.
The chasm across which he leaped is in sight of the bridge where we crossed the Cuyu-
hoga, and is known in all that region by the name of ' Brady's Leap.' "
In the center of the beautiful public square in Cleveland stands the statue
of Oliver Hazard Perry, the " Hero of Lake Erie." It was inaugurated with
great ceremony on the 10th
of September, 1860, the an-
niversary of his signal vic-
tory. Among those pres-
ent were the governor and
legislature of Ehode Island,
Perry's native state, soldiers
of the last war, survivors
of the battle of Lake Erie,
military from Rhode Island,
New York, Pennsylvania,
and aliout 70,000 visitors
from the surrounding coun-
try. Among the ceremo-
nies of the occasion was a
mock battle on the lake in
imitation of that which ter-
minated in the victory of
Perry. Hon. Geo. Bancroft
was the orator of the day.
The statue is of Carrara
marble, standing upon a
high pedestal of Illiode
Island granite. The figure
can not be better described
than in the words of Mr.
THK PERKY STATUE, AT CLEVELAND. Walcutt, the artist, after he
had unvailed the statue: "It is the Commander bold and confident giving
directions to his men, while watching through the smoke of battle the effect
of his broadsides on the enemy. Figuratively, it is the impersonation of
the triumphant hero, gazing with pride and enthusiasm over the beautiful
land he saved by his valor, and pointing to the lake as if reminding us of
the scene of his victory." The drapery represents the official dress of a
commodore in the United States navy. On the front of the pedestal is an
alto-relievo, representing the incident of Perry's passage from the Lawrence
to the Niagara, with an inscription recording the date of the engagement.
On either side of the pedestal is a figure, representing a sailor-boy and mid-
shipman.
154 OHIO.
Arthur St. Glair, the first governor of the North-west Territory, was a native
of Scotland. He was a lieutenant under Wolfe, and a major general in the Revo-
lution; subsequently was a delegate to congress from Pennsylvania, and, in 1787,
was chosen its president. While governor of the North-west Territory, from 1788
to 1802, he was much esteemed by the people, being easy and frank in his address,
of great integrity and uprightness of purpose, and of extensive information. He
had the respect and friendship of Washington. The great misfortune of his life
was his sore defeat by the Indians, Nov. 4, 1791. He died in abject poverty, in
1818, in a cabin amojig the mountains of Pennsylvania.
Col. Jared Mansfield was born in New Haven, Conn., in 1759. He was edu-
cated at Yale College, and was subsequently professor of natural philosophy at
West Point. He was appointed, by President Jefferson, surveyor general of the
United States, upon which he introduced and perfected the present admirable sys-
tem of dividing the public land, by north and south and east and west lines, into
ranges, townships and sections. This simple plan has been of an untold benefit to
the rapid and easy settlement of the west. He died in 1830. Ed. D. Mansfield,
Esq., the commissioner of statistics for the state of Ohio, is his son.
Charles Hammond was born in Maryland in 1779, and died in Cincinnati in
1840, where most of his life was passed. He was one of the most able of lawyers
and as a journalist acquired a greater reputation than any man who ever resided
in the west. For many years he edited the Cincinnati Gazette.
Nathan Guilford, lawyer and journalist of Cincinnati, was born in Spencer,
Mass., in 1786, and died in 1854. His memory is especially revered for his long
and eminent services in laying the foundation of the common schools of Ohio
" a state which has one third of a million of men capable of bearing arms, but
keeps no standing army but her school teachers, of whom she pays more than,
20,000, which provides a library for every school district, and registers as students
more than 600,000 children. These growing in beauty and strength in this land
of the wheat, the corn and the vine, where the purity of domestic morals is main-
tained by the virtue and dignity of woman, constitutes its present glory and ita
future hope."
INDIANA.
INDIANA was originally included in the limits of "New France," and
afterward in the " North-west Territory." Its territory was traversed by the
French traders and Catholic mission-
aries at an early period. According
to some historians, Vincennes was
occupied as a French military post in
1716, and as a missionary station as
early as 1700. The first original
settlers were, probably, mostly, or en-
tirely, French soldiers from Canada,
belonging to the army of Louis XIV.
Their descendants remained an almost
isolated community, increasing very
slowly for nearly one hundred years,
and in the mean time they imbibed a
taste for savage life, from habits of
intercourse with their Indian neigh-
bors exclusively, with whom they
often intermarried. In consequence
of this fraternization with the In-
dians, they became somewhat degenerated as a civilized community.
By the treaty of peace between France and Great Britain in 1763, all the
French possessions in this region were transferred to Great Britain, but the
settlers still retained their original rights. During the revolutionary war,
the French settlers displayed their hereditary animosity against the English.
In 1778, a Spanish resident gave such information respecting the strength
and position of the British force at Vincennes, that by his directions, Gen.
Clark, of Virginia, easily obtained possession. By the treaty of 1783, the
territory comprised in the limits of Indiana came into the possession of the
United States.
In the Indian war which succeeded the first settlement of what is now the
state of Ohio, several military expeditions were sent into the present limits
of Indiana. The first, in order of time, was that of Gen. Harmar, who
marched, in the autumn of 1790, with a large body of troops from Fort
Washington, at Cincinnati, against the Indian towns on the Maumee, on or
near the site of Fort Wayne. The towns were destroyed, but detached par-
ties of the army were defeated in two separate engagements.
155
ARMS OF INDIANA.
150 INDIANA.
In May, of the next year, 750 Kentuckians, under Gen. Charles Scott,
rendezvoused at the inouth of the Kentucky River, and, crossing the Ohio
on the 23d, inarched northward with great rapidity. In about three weeks
the expedition returned to Kentucky, without the loss of a man, after hav-
ing surprised and destroyed several towns on the Wabash and Eel Rivers,
killed 32 of the enemy in skirmishes, and taken 58 prisoners.
In the succeeding August, Col. James Wilkinson left Fort Washington
with 550 mounted Kentucky volunteers, to complete the work which had
been so successfully begun by Gen. Scott, against the Indians on the Wabash
and its tributaries. The expedition was successful. Several towns were de-
stroyed, the corn was cut up and 34 prisoners taken.
By the treaty of Greenville, in 1795, the United States obtained valuable
tracts of land, for which they paid the Indians money and goods. Other
tracts were obtained, afterward, in the same manner. But, notwithstanding
this, a part of the Indians still remained hostile, and being excited by the
eloquence of Tecumseh, the celebrated Shawnee warrior, several of the Indian
tribes united in resistance to the progress of the whites at the west.
Although by the ordinance of 1787, slavery was forever prohibited in the
territory north-west of the Ohio, strong and repeated efforts were made to es-
tablish the institution temporarily within the Indiana Territory. The first
of these was made in 18023, through the instrumentality of a convention
presided over by the territorial governor, William Henry Harrisouj which
petitioned congress to temporarily suspend the operation of the anti-slavery
clause of the ordinance. These attempts were repeated through a succession
of years, until the winter of 1806-7, when a final effort was made by the ter-
ritorial legislature to this end. All were without avail, although some of the
committees of congress, to whom the subject was referred, reported in favor of
the measure. *
Just previous to the war of 1812, with Great Britain, Indiana was ha-
rassed by the hostile movements of the Shawnees, led on by Tecumseh and
his brother the Prophet. To oppose these proceedings, bodies of regular
troops and militia were concentrated at Vincennes, and placed under the
command of William Henry Harrison, then governor. On Nov. 7, 1811, the
governor appeared before Prophet's town, or TIppecanoc, on the Wabash,
and demanded restitution of the property which the Indians had carried off.
After a conference it was agreed that hostilities should not commence until
*'The arguments by which this policy was advocated, are thus set forth in the following
extract of a report of a congressional committee, made in favor of the prayer of the peti-
tioners on the 14th of February, 1806. " That, having attentively considered the facts
stated in the said petitions and memorials, they are of opinion that a qualified suspension,
for a limited time, of the sixth article of compact between the original states, and the peo-
ple and states west of the River Ohio, would be beneficial to the people of the Indiana Ter-
ritory. The suspension of this article is an object almost universally desired in that terri-
tory.
It appears to your committee to be a question entirely different from that between slavery
and freedom ; inasmuch as it would merely occasion the removal of persons, already slaves,
from one part of the country to another. The good effects of this suspension, in the pres-
ent instance, would be to accelerate the population of that territory, hitherto retarded by
the operation of that article of compact, as slave-holders emigrating into the western coun-
try might then indulge any preference which they might feel for a settlement in the Indiana
Territory, instead of seeking, as they are now compelled to do, settlements in other states
or countries permitting the introduction of slaves. The condition of the slaves themselves
would be much ameliorated by it, as it is evident, from experience, that the more they are
separated and diffused, the more care and attention are bestowed on them by their masters,
each proprietor having it in his power to increase their comforts and conveniences, in pro-
portion to the suiallness of their numbers."
INDIANA. 157
*tfxt morning. The enemy, however, attempted to take Harrison by sur-
prise the night after the conference. The governor knowing the character of
his wily foe, arranged his troops in battle order as they encamped. Just be-
fore day they were attacked by the Indians, but the Americans being pre-
pared for the onset, they successfully repelled the savages. The conflict,
though short, was unusually severe ; the Indians fought with desperate cour-
age, but the fate of the battle was soon decided, and the Indians fled in every
direction, having lost, it is supposed, about 150 of their number. Harrison
now laid waste their country, and soon afteward the tribes sued for peace.
The war of 1812, with Great Britain, gave a fresh impetus to Indian hos-
tilities. Seduced into the British service, the Indians, after committing
great cruelties, received full retribution from the Americans; their villages
were destroyed and their country laid waste.
The outline of the military events which occurred within the present boun-
daries of the state, are as follows :
Fort Harrison, situated on the Wabash, 60 miles above Vincennes, was attacked
on the night of the 4th of September, 1812, by several hundred Indians from the
Prophet's town. In the evening previous, 30 or 40 Indians appeared before the
fort with a flag, under the pretense of obtaining provisions. The commander,
Capt Zachary Taylor (since president}, made preparations for the expected at-
tack. In the night, about 11 o'clock, the Indians commenced the attack by firing
on the sentinel. Almost immediately, the lower block-house was discovered to
have been set on fire. As this building joined the barracks which made part of
the fortifications, most of the men panic stricken, gave themselves up for lost. In
the ine^n time, the yells of several hundred savages, the cries of the women and
children, and the despondency of the soldiers, rendered it a scene of confusion.
But the presence of mind of the captain, did not forsake him. By the most stren-
uous exertions on his part, the fire was prevented from spreading, and before day
the men had erected a temporary breast-work seven feet high, within the spot
where the building was consumed. The Indians kept up the attack until morning,
when, finding their efforts ineffectual, they retired. At this 'time, there were not
more than 20 men in the garrison fit for duty.
Shortly after, Gen. Hopkins, with a large force, engaged in two different expe-
ditions against the Indians on the head waters of the Wabash and the Illinois.
The first was in October. With 4,000 mounted volunteers from Kentucky, Illi-
nois and Indiana, he left Vincennes early in the month, relieved Fort Harrison on
the 10th, and from thence, marched for the Kickapoo villages, and the Peoria
towns the first 100, and the last 160 miles distant. But his men mutinizing, he
was obliged to return before reaching the hostile towns. On the llth of Novem-
ber, lie marched from Fort Harrison, on his second expedition, with a detachment
of regular troops and volunteers. On the 20th, he arrived at the Prophet's tovrn,
at which place and vicinity, he destroyed 300 wigwams, and large quantities of
Indian corn. Several other expeditions were successfully accomplished, against
the Indians on the Wabash, the Illinois, and their tributaries, by which the se-
curity of that frontier was effected.
Immediately after the massacre at Chicago, Fort Wayne was closely besieged
by several hundred Miami and Pottawatomie Indians. The garrison numbered
only some 60 or 70 effective men. The siege continued until near the middle of
September, when Gen. Harrison marched to its relief with 2,500 men, upon which
the Indians fled.
From Franklinton, in Central Ohio, Harrison, in November, sent Col. Camp-
bell, with 600 men, against the Indian towns on the Missininneway, a branch of
the Wabash. They destroyed several of their towns, and defeated the Indians in
a. hard fought battle, but the severity of the weather compelled them to return.
Until 1800, the territory now included in Indiana, remained a portion of
the North-west Territory. In this year it was, including the present state
158 INDIANA.
of Illinois, organized under the name of Indiana Territory. In 1809, tho
western part of the territory was set off as " Illinois Territory." In 1816,
Indiana was admitted into the Union as a sovereign state. In 1851, a new
constitution was adopted by the people.
Until 1818, the central part of Indiana was an unbroken wilderness, in-
habited by the Miami, Delaware, and Shawnee Indians. By a treaty at St.
Mary's, Ohio, October 2, 1818, between Lewis Cass, Jonathan Jennings,
arid Benjamin Park, commissioners, and the Delaware Indians, the latter
ceded all their territory in Indiana to the United States, covenanting to de-
liver the possession in 1821. This region was afterward called "the New
Purchase." Its reported fertility and beauty attracted settlers, who imme-
diately entered the country and made settlements at various points.
Indiana is bounded N. by Michigan and Lake Michigan, W. by Illinois,
E. by Ohio, and S. by the Ohio River. It lies between 37 45' and 41 52'
N. Lat., and 85 49' 30" and 88 2' 30" W. Long. Its extreme length from
north to south is 276 miles, and its greatest width 176, containing 33,809
square miles, or 21, 637,760 acres. The soil of the state is generally good,
and much of it highly fertile. The richest lands are found in the river bot-
toms, where the soil is very deep. This is especially the case in the valleys
of the Wabash and its tributaries, and in some parts of the Ohio valley.
There are no mountains in Indiana, but the country bordering on the Ohio,
and in some other parts is hilly and broken. It is estimated that about two
thirds of the state is level, or at most slightly undulating. Bordering on all
the principal streams, except the Ohio, are strips of bottom and prairie land
from three to five miles in width. Remote from the rivers, the country is
broken and the soil light. Between the Wabash and Lake Michigan, the
surface is generally level, interspersed with woodlands, prairies and swamps.
On the shores of Lake Michigan are sand hills 210 feet high, back of which
are sandy hillocks with a growth of pine. The prairies bordering on the
Wabash have a soil from two to five feet in depth.
The principal agricultural production of Indiana is Indian corn : great
quantities of pork and flour are annually exported. It is stated that Indiana
has beds of coal within her limits covering 7,700 square miles, capable of
yielding 50,000,000 bushels to the square mile. The population of Indiana
in 1800 was 4,875; in 1820, 147,178; in 1840, 685,886; in 1850, 988,393 ;
and in 1860, 1,359,802.
VINCENNES, the county seat of Knox county, is pleasantly situated on the
left bank of Wabash River, 120 miles S.W. of Indianapolis, 192 from Cin-
cinnati, 147 from St. Louis, and 56 N. of Evansville, on the Ohio. It is on
the line of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, and is connected with Evans-
ville at the south, and with Terra Haute and other places at the north, by
railroad. The town is regularly laid out on a fertile level prairie. The
Wabash is navigable for steamboats to this point. Vincennes contains eight
churches. It is the seat of a Catholic bishopric, and a large, spacious Cathe-
dral is erected here. Considerable attention is paid to education, and of the
principal institutions, several are Catholic, viz: an ecclesiastical seminary,
female academy, and two orphan asylums. The Vincennes University has
125 students. Population about 6,000.
Vincennes is the oldest town in the state: it was settled by a colony of
French emigrants from Canada, in 1735. Some historians claim that it was
occupied as a French post as early as 1720. It received its present name in
INDIANA.
159
1735, from M. de Vincennes, a French officer who was killed that year among
the Chickasaws. For a long period nothing of much moment seems to have
occurred in the history of St. Vincent, as Vincennes was sometimes called.
At the commencement of the American Revolution, most of the old French
South view of the Harrison House, Vincennes.
The honse here represented was erected by (Jen. Harrison, when governor of the territory. Tt stands
n the banks of tho Wabash, a few rods easterly from the railroad bridge. The grove in which Tecnmseh
met the council is immediately in front of the house, two trees of whinh, seen on the left, are the only ones
remaining. The track of tho Uhio and Mississippi Railroad appears in the foreground.
posts were garrisoned with British troops, who incited the Indian tribes in
their vicinity to take up arms against the Americans. In 1778, Col. George
Rogers Clark was sent by the legislature of Virginia, with a small force, to
take possession of the British posts on the western frontiers. By his address
he succeeded in obtaining possession of Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes,
without bloodshed.
In Dec., 1778, Hamilton, the British governor at Detroit, came down upon
St. Vincent, or Vincennes, with a large body of troops in an unexpected
manner. At this time, Post Vincennes was garrisoned by two men only,
Capt. Helm, of Virginia, and one Henry. " Helm, however, was not dis-
posed to yield, absolutely, to any odds; so, loading his single cannon, he
stood by it with a lighted match. When the British came nigh he bade
them stand, and demanded to know what terms would be granted the garri-
son, as otherwise he should not surrender. The governor, unwilling to lose
time and men, offered the usual honors of war, and could scarcely believe
his eyes when he saw the threatening garrison to be only one officer and one
private." On the 24th of Feb., 1779, Col. Clark, with a force of one hun-
dred and seventy men, including pack-horsemen, etc., re-appeared before
Vincennes, and demanded its surrender. It was garrisoned at this time by
seventy-nine men, under the command of Lieut. Gov. Hamilton, who was
called the "hair buyer," for his. offering the Indians a certain sum for each
scalp they brought in. He was compelled to give up "Fort Sackville," and
with some others, was sent prisoner to Virginia.
With the capture of Vincennes and the other British posts, of Kaskaskia,
160
INDIANA.
Cahokia, etc., in the Illinois country, by Clark, Virginia acquired the coun-
try then known as the North-west Territory, which she ceded to the gen-
eral government, in 1789. When the Indiana Territory was organized in
1800, Vincennes was made the capital, and so remained until 1313, when
Corydon became the capital of the Territory and in 1816 of the state. In
1825, Indianapolis, within the " New Purchase," became the state capital.
The following account of the celebrated interview between Tecumseh and
Gen. Harrison, in front of the Harrison House, now standing in Vincennes,
is from Judge Law's " Colonial History of Post Vincennes, etc.:"
In the spring of 1810, Gen. Harrison, being governor of the North-western Ter-
ritory, and residing at Vincennes the seat of government had learned from va-
rious quarters that Tecumseh had been visiting the different Indian tribes, scat-
tered along the valleys of the Wabash and Illinois, with a view of forming an alli-
ance and making common cause against the whites, and that there was great prob-
ability that his mission had been successful. Aware, as he was, that if this was
the case, and that if the combination had been formed, such as was represented,
the settlements in the southern portion of Indiana and Illinois were in great dan-
ger; that Vincennes itself would be the first object of attack, and that, with a
handful of troops in the territory, a successful resistance might not be made; and
not probably fully aware of the extent of the organization attempted by Tecumseh,
and desirous of avoiding, if he could, the necessity of a call to arms, he sent a
message to him, then residing at the "Prophet's Town," inviting him to a council,
to be held at as early a period as possible, for the purpose of talking over and
amicably settling all difficulties which might exist between the whites and the
Shawnees. It was not until the month of August of the same year, that Tecum-
seh, accompanied by about seventy of his warriors made his appearance. They
encamped on the banks of the Wabash, just above the town, and Tecumseh gave
notice to the governor that, in pursuance of his invitation, he had come to hold a
talk " with him and his braves." The succeeding day was appointed for the meet-
ing. The governor made all suitable preparations for it. The officers of the ter-
ritory and the leading citizens of the town were invited to be present, while a por-
tion of a company of militia was detailed as a guard fully armed and equipped
for any emergency. Notice had been sent to Tecumseh, previous to the meeting,
that it was expected that himself and a portion of his principal warriors would be
present at the council. The council was held in the open Jawn before the gov-
ernor's house, in a grove of trees which then surrounded it. But two of these, I
regret to say, are now remaining. At the time appointed, Tecumseh and some
fifteen or twenty of his warriors made their appearance. With a firm and elastic
step, and with a proud and somewhat defiant look, he advanced to the place where
the governor and those who had been invited to attend the conference were sitting.
This place had been fenced in, with a view of preventing the crowd from encroach-
ing upon the council during its deliberations. As he stepped forward he seemed
to scan the preparations which had been made for his reception, particularly the
mi-litary part of it, with an eye of suspicion by no means, however, of fear. As he
came in front of the dais, an elevated portion of the place upon which the governor
and the officers of the territory were seated, the governor invited him, through his
interpreter, to come forward and take a seat with him and his counsellors, premis-
ing the invitation by saying: "That it was the wish of their 'Great Father,' the
President of the United States, that he should do so." The chief paused for a
moment, as the words were uttered and the sentence finished, and raising his tall
form to its greatest hight, surveyed the troops and the crowd around him. Then
with his keen eyes fixed upon the governor for a single moment, and turning them
to the sky above, with his sinewy arm pointing toward the heavens, and with a tone
and manner indicative of supreme contempt for the paternity assigned him, said,
in a voice whose clarion tone was heard throughout the whole assembly:
"My Father? The sun is my father the earth is my mother and on her bosom
INDIANA.
I icill recline." Having finished, he stretched himself with his warriors on the
green sward. The effect, it is said, was electrical, and for some moments there was
perfect silence.
The governor, through the interpreter, then informed him, " that he had under-
stood he had complaints to make and redress to ask for certain wrongs which he,
Tecumseh, supposed had been done his tribe, as well as the others; that he felt
disposed to listen to the one and make satisfaction for the other, if it was proper
he should do so. That in all his intercourse and negotiations with the Indians, he
had endeavored to act justly and honorably with them, and believed he had done
so, and had learned of no complaint of his conduct until he learned that Tecumseli
was endeavoring to create dissatisfaction toward the government, not only among
the Shawnees, but among the other tribes dwelling on the Wabash and Illinois;
and had, in so doing, produced a great deal of trouble between them and the
whites, by averring that the tribes whose land the government had lately pui-chascd,
had no right to sell, nor their chiefs any authority to convey. That he, the gov-
ernor, had invited him to attend the council, with a, view of learning from his own
lips, whether there was any truth in the reports which he had heard, and to learn
whether he, or his tribe, had any just cause of complaint against the whites, and,
if so, as a man and a warrior, openly to avow it. That as between himself and as
great a warrior as Tecumseh, there should be no concealment all should be done
by them under a clear sky, and in an open path, and with these feelings on his own
part, he was glad to meet him in council." Tecumseh arose as soon as the gov-
ernor had finished. Those who knew him speak of him as one of the most splen-
did specimens of his tribe celebrated for their physical proportions and fine forms,
even among the nations who surrounded them. Tall, athletic and manly, digni-
fied, but graceful, he seemed the beau ideal of an Indian chieftain. In a voice
first low, but with all its indistinctness, musical, he commenced his reply. As he
wanned with his subject, his clear tones might be heard, as if " truinpet-tongued,"
to the utmost limits of the assembled crowd who surrounded him. The most per-
fect silence prevailed, except when the warriors who surrounded him gave their
gutteral assent to some eloquent recital of the red man's wrong and the white
man's injustice. Well instructed in the traditions of his tribe, fully acquainted
with their history, the /councils, treaties, and battles of the two races for half a
century, he recapitulated the wrongs of the red man from the massacre of the Mo-
ravian Indians, during the revolutionary war, down to the period he had met the
governor in council. lie told him " he did not know how he could ever ajsjain be
the friond of the white man." In reference to the public domain, he asserted
"that the Great Spirit had given all the country from the Miami to the Mississippi,
from the lakes to the Ohio, as a common property to all the tribes that dwelt within
those borders, and that the land could not, and should not be sold without the con-
sent of all. That all the tribes on the continent formed but one nation. That if
the United States would not give up the lands they had bought of the Miamis, the
Delawares, the Pottowatomies, and other tribes, that those united with him were
determined to fall on those tribes and annihilate them. That they were deter-
mined to have no more chiefs, but in future to be governed by their warriors.
That their tribes had been driven toward the setting sun, like a galloping horse
(Ne-kat-a cush-e Ka-top o-lin-to.) That for himself and his warriors, he had de-
termined to resist all further aggressions of the whites, and that with his consent,
or that of the Shawnees, they should never acquire another foot of land. To those
who have never heard of the Shawnee language, I may here remark it is the
most musical and euphonious of all the Indian languages of the west. When
spoken rapidly by a fluent speaker, it sounds more like the scanning of Greek and
Latin verse, than anything [ can compare it to. The effect of this address, of
which I have simply given the outline, and which occupied an hour in the delivery,
may be readily imagined.
William Henry Harrison was as brave a man as ever lived. All who knew him
will acknowledge his courage, moral and physical, but he was wholly unprepared
for such a speech as this. There was a coolness, an independence, a defiance in
the whole manner and matter of the chieftain's speech which astonished even him.
He knew Tecumseh well. He had learned to appreciate his high qualities as a
11
162 INDIANA.
man and warrior. He knew his power, his skill, his influence, not only over his
own tribe, but over those who dwelt on the waters of the Wabash and Illinois. He
knew he was no braggart that what he said he meant what he promised he in-
tended to perform. He was fully aware that he was a foe not to be treated light
an enemy to be conciliated not scorned one to be met with kindness not contempt.
There was a stillness throughout the assembly when Tecumseh had done speaking
which was painful. Not a whisper was to be heard all eyes were turned from
the speaker to the governor. The unwarranted and unwarrantable pretensions of
the chief, and the bold and defiant tone in which he had announced them, stag-
gered even him. It was some moments before he arose. Addressing Tecumseh,
who had taken his seat with his warriors, he said : " That the charges of bad faith
made against the government, and the assertion that injustice had been done the
Indians in any treaty ever made, or any council ever held with them by the United
States, had no foundation in fact. That in all their dealings with the red man,
they had ever been governed by the strictest rules of right and justice. That
while other civilized nations had treated them with contumely and contempt, ours
had always acted in good faith with them. That so far as he individually was con-
cerned, he could say in the presence of the 'Great Spirit,' who was watching over
their deliberations, that his conduct, even with the most insignificant tribe, had
been marked with kindness, and all his acts governed by honor, integrity and fair
dealing. That he had uniformly been the friend of the red man, and that it was
the first time in his life that his motives had been questioned or his actions im-
peached. It was the first time in his life that he had ever heard such unfounded
claims put forth, as Tecumseh had set up, by any chief, or any Indian, having the
least regard for truth, or the slightest knowledge of the intercourse between the
Indian and the white man, from the time this continent was first discovered."
What the governor had said thus far had been interpreted by Barren, the inter-
preter to the Shawnees, and he was about interpreting it to the Miamis and Potta-
watomies, who formed part of the cavalcade, when Tecumseh, addressing the in-
terpreter in Shawnec, said, ; ' Tie lies!" Barron, who had, as all subordinates (es-
pecially in the Indian department) have, a great reverence and respect for the
"powers that be," commenced interpreting the language of Tecumseh to the
governor, but not exactly in the terms made use of, when Tecumseh, who under-
stood but little English, perceived from his embarrassment and awkwardness, that
he was not giving his words, interrupted him and again addressing him in Shaw-
nee, said: "No, no; tell Mm he lies." The gutteral assent of his party showed
they coincided with their chief's opinion. Gen. Gibson, secretary of the territory,
who understood Shawnee, had not been an inattentive spectator of the scene, and
understanding the import of the language made use of, and from the excited state
of Tecumseh and his party, was apprehensive of violence, made a signal to the
troops in attendance to shoulder their arms and advance. They did so. The
speech of Tecumseh was literally translated to the governor. He directed Barron
to say to him, "he would hold no further council with him," and the meeting broke
up.
One can hardly imagine a more exciting scene one which would be a finer sub-
ject for an " historical painting," to adorn the rotunda of the capitol, around which
not a single picture commemorative of western history is to be found. On the
succeeding day, Tecumseh requested another interview with the governor, which
was granted on condition that he should make an apology to the governor for his
language the day before. This he made through the interpreter. Measures for
defense and protection were however taken, lest there should be another outbreak.
Two companies of militia were ordered from the country, and the one in town
added to them, while the governor and his friends went into council fully armed
and prepared for any contingency. The conduct of Tecumseh upon this occasion
was entirely different from that of the day before. Firm and intrepid, showing
not the slightest fear or alarm, surrounded as he was with the military force quad-
rupling his own, he preserved the utmost composure and equanimity. No one
could have discerned from his looks, although he must have fully understood the
object of calling in the troops, that he was in the slightest degree disconcerted.
He waa cautious in his bearing, dignified in his manner, and no one from observ-
INDIANA.
ing him would for a moment have supposed he was the principal actor in the
thrilling scene of the previous day.
In thie interval between the sessions of the first and second council, Tecumseh
had told Barron, the interpreter, " that he had been informed by the whites, that
the people of the territory were almost equally divided, half in favor of Tecumseh,
and the other adhering to the governor." The same statement he made in council.
He said " that fwo Americans had made him a visit, one in the course of the pre-
ceding winter, the other lately, and informed him that Governor Harrison had pur-
chased land from the Indians without any authority from the government, and that
one half of the people were opposed to the purchase. He also told the governor
that he, Harrison, had but two years more to remain in office, and if he, Tecumseh,
could prevail upon the Indians who sold the lands not to receive their annuities
for that time, that when the governor was displaced, as he would be, and a good
man appointed as his successor, he would restore to the Indians all the lands pur-
chased from them." After Tecumseh had concluded his speech, a Wyandot, a
Kickapoo, a Pottawatomie, an Ottowa, and a Winnebago chief, severally spoke, and
declared that their tribes had entered into the " Shawnee Confederacy," and would
support the principles laid down by Tecumseh, whom they had appointed their
leader.
At the conclusion of the council, the governor informed Tecumseh " that he
would immediately transmit his speech to the president, and as soon as his answer
was received would send it to him; but as a person had been appointed to run the
boundary line of the new purchase, he wished to know whether there would be
danger in his proceeding to run the line." Tecumseh replied, " that he and his
allies were determined that the old boundary line should continue, and that if the
whites crossed it, it would be at their peril." The governor replied, "that since
Tecumseh had been thus candid in stating his determination, he would be equally
so with him. The president, he was convinced, would never allow that the lands
on the Wabash were the propert}' of any other tribes than those who had occupied
them, and lived on them since the white people came to America. And as the title
to the lands lately purchased was derived from those tribes by fair purchase, he
might rest assured that the right of the United States would be supported by the
e word."
"So be it," was the stern and haughty reply of the "Shawnee chieftain," as he
and his braves took leave of the governor and wended their way in Indian file to
their camping ground. And thus ended the last conference on earth between the
chivalrous and gallant Tecumseh, the Shawnee chief, and he who since the period
alluded to has ruled the destinies of the nation as its chief magistrate. The bones
of the first lie bleaching on the battle-field of the Thames those of the last are
deposited in the mausoleum that covers them on the banks of the Ohio.
INDIANAPOLIS, the capital of Indiana, and seat of justice for Marion
county, is on the west fork of White River, at the crossing of the National
Road, 109 miles N.W. from Cincinnati, 86 N.N.W. from Madison, on the
Ohio, and 573 W. by N. from Washington. The city is located on a fertile
and extensive plain, two miles N.W. of the geographical center of the state,
which was formerly covered with a dense growth of timber. The original town
plat was a mile square, but it has extended itself on all^ sides. Washington-
street through which the National Road passes, the principal street in the city, is
120 feet wide, Circle-street 80 feet, the others 90 feet. On the 1st of Jan.,
1825, the public offices of the state were removed from Corydon, the former
capital, to Indianapolis, and the ^eat of government established here; but
the legislature held its sessions in the county court house, until Dec., 1834,
when tha- state house was completed. This showy structure, 180 feet long
by 80 wide, is on the model of the Parthenon at Athens, and was built at -
cost of about 860,000.
164
INDIANA.
Indianapolis is one of the greatest railroad centers in 'the world, nearly
one hundred different trains pass in and out of the city daily, and from 3,000
to 5,000 persons visit the place in twenty-four hours. It is stated that the
citizens of 80 of the 91 counties in the state, can coine to Indianapolis, attend
View of the State House, from Wasltiny ion-street, Indianapolis.
to business, and return the same day. The completion of the Madison and
Indianapolis Railroad gave a great, impetus to the growth of the place : then
the population was about 4,000, in I860. 18,612.
The streets of the city are broad, laid out at right angles, well shaded and
adorned with a number of very superior buildings. The benevolent institu-
tions of the state, for the insane, deaf and dumb, and the blind, are located
at this place, and are an ornament to the city and state. The city has 16
churches, a system of free graded schools, and is the seat of the North-west-
ern Christian University, a nourishing institution under the patronage of
the Christian Church. The university building is an elegant edifice in the
Gothic style.
The following historical items are extracted from Howard's Historical
Sketch of Indianapolis, in the city directory for 1857 :
In IS 18, Dr. Douglass ascended White River from the lower counties, tarrying
at the bluffs for a short time, and Col. James Paxton descended it from its he;id-
waters, reaching this place in January or February, 1819. He ao;ain returned ia
1820, and made some preparations for settlement, but never completed them. The
honor due to the 'first settler,' belongs to John Pogue, who came from White-
water and settled here on the 2d day of March, 1819. His cabin stood by a hirire
spring, close to the east bank of ' Pogue' s Run,' near the present residence of W.
P. Xoble. Its ruins were visible until withya a few years, and perhaps exist at
this time. Pogue was killed by the Indians in April, 1821. His horses were
missing one morning in that month, and as some disturbance had been heard
among them during the night, he concluded the Indians had stolen them, and
armed himself for pursuit. When last seen he was near the Indian camp, and as
his horses and clothes were afterward seen in their possession, little doubt re-
INDIANA.
165
mained as to his fate. His death greatly excited the settlers, but their numerical
weakness prevented an effort to avenge it. The little stream which once pursued
a very torturous course through the south-east part of the city, alarming the few
inhabitants of that section by its high floods, but which is now so changed that its
old character is utterly lost, was named after Pogue, and will be a memorial of
him as 'the first settler' of Indianapolis.
Main Passenger Railroad Station, Union Depot, Indianapolis.
Showing the appearance of the Station as it is entered from the west.
In February, 1820, John and James McCnrmick built a cabin near the present
river bridge. In the early part of March, John Msixwell and John Cowen built
cabins in the north-west corner of the donation, near the Michigan road. Fall
creek bridge. In April, IS2I, Mr. Maxwell was appointed a justice of the pence
by Gov Jennings, nnd was the first judicial officer in 'the New Purchase.' He
retained the olHce until June, and then resigned. The citizens held an informal
election, and selected James Mcllvaine, who was thereupon appointed a justice by
Gov. Jennings, in Oct., 1821.
In the latter part of March, and in April and May of 1820. a number of emi-
grants arrived, and at the end of the latter month there were 15 families on the
donation. Among them were Messrs. Davis, Bainhill, Corbley, Wilson, Van Blari-
cuin and Harding. Emigrants now began to turn their faces toward the infant
settlement, and it slowly and steadily increased for a year afterward.
The eagerness of the settlers to appropriate lands in the New Purchase, found
its counterpart in the action of the state, concerning the location of the new seat
of government. The act of Congress, of April 19, 1816, authorizing the formation
of a state government, donated four sections of the unsold public lands to the
state, for a permanent seat of government, giving the privilege of selection. The
subject was considered immediately after the treaty at St. Marys, and on the llth
of January, 1820, the legislature, by law, appointed George Hunt, John Conner,
John Gilliland, Stephen Ludlow, Joseph Bartholomew, John Tipton, Jesse B. Dun-
ham, Frederick Rapp, Win. Prince, and Thomas Emerson, commissioners to select
a location for a permanent seat of government. * * * The present site was selected,
which gave the place instant reputation, and in the spring, and summer, and fall
of 1819, it rapidly increased in population. Morris Morris, Dr. S. G. Mitchell, J.
and J. Given, Wm. Reagan, M. Nowland, J. M. Ray, James Blake, Nathaniel Cox,
Thomas Anderson, John Hawkins, Dr. Dunlap, David Wood, D. Yandes, Col. Rua-
acll, N. M. Clearty, Dr. Coe, D. Maguire, and many others arrived, and the cabins
16
INDIANA.
rapidly increased along the river bank. On January 6, 1821, the legislature con-
firmed the selection of the site and named it Indianapolis.
The settlement afterward moved east, the unparalleled sickness of 1821 con-
vincing the settlers that a residence away from the river was the best for them. A
fine grove of tall straight sugar trees stood on the 'Governor's Circle.' On Sun-
days the early settlers assembled there to hear preaching by Rev. John McClung.
They sat on the logs and grass about him in Indian style. This gentleman was
probably ffie first preacher in the place, and preached the first sermon on this spot
in the summer or fall of 1821. Other authorities say that the first sermon was
preached this year where the state house now stands, by Rev. Risen Hammond.
Calvin Fletcher, Esq., who now lives just north of the city, was then the only
attorney-at-law in the new settlement, and the ultimate judge in all knotty cases.
There was no jail nearer than Connersville, and the culprit sentenced to imprison-
ment, had to be conveyed by the constable and his posse, on horseback through
the woods to that place. This involved much time, trouble and expense, and the
shorter plan was afterward adopted to scare them away. An instance occurred on
Christmas day, 1821. Four Kentucky boatmen, who had 'whipped their weight
in wild-cats,' came from ' the bluffs' to 'Naples' (as they called the town), to have
a jolly Christmas spree. The 'spree' began early, and the settlers were aroused
before the dawn, by a terrible racket at Daniel Larken's grocery. A hasty recon-
noissance revealed the four heroes busily engaged in the laudable work of 'taking
it down.' A request to desist provoked strong expletives, attended by a display of
large knives, which demonstration caused the citizens to 'retire' to consult. They
were interested ia the grocery, .and besides that, such lawless proceedings could
not be tolerated. They therefore determined to conquer at all hazards. James
Blake volunteered to grapple the ring leader, a man of herculean size and strength,
if the rest would take the three other.*. The attack was made at once, the party
conquered, and marched under guard through the woods to Justice Mcllvaine's
cabin. They were tried and heavily fined, and in default of payment ordered to
jail. They could not pay, and it was deemed impossible to take them through the
woods to Connersville at that season of the year. A guard was, therefore, placed
over them, with the requisite instructions, and during the night the doughty he-
roes escaped to more congenial climes.
Toward the end of the summer [1821], and during the fall, epidemic, remittent,
and intermittent fevers and agues assailed the people, and scarcely a person was
left untouched. Although several hundred cases occurred, not more than five ter-
minated fatally.
After escaping death by disease, the people were threatened with starvation.
Jn consequence of sickness, the influx of people and the small amount of grain
raised, the supply of provisions in the settlement became very meager in the fall
and winter of 1821. No roads had been opened to the town, and all goods and
provisions had to be packed on horseback, 50 or/ 60 miles through the woods, or
brought up the river in keel boats. The latter method was adopted in 1822, and
the arrival of each boat was greeted by a concourse of ' the whole people,' and duly
announced in the 'Indianapolis Gazette.' Coffee was worth 50 cents a pound,
tea, $2 00; corn, $1 00 per bushel; flour, $4 00 to $5 00 per hundred; coarse
muslin, 45 cents per yard, and other goods in proportion. To relieve the people
ami prevent starvation, flour and other articles were brought from the White-
water Valley, and corn was purchased at the Indian villages up the river and
boated down to the town. The nearest mill was Goodlandin on Whitewater River,
and the arrival of a cargo of meal and flour, or of other articles from that quarter,
produced general joy in the settlement. The settlers generously relieved each
other's distress in this case, as in the preceding sickness, and many pecks of meal,
sacks of flour, parcels of fish, meat, and other articles of food, were distributed to
some more destitute neighbor.
After the October sale of lots, the weather, which, during the summer, had been
very wet and changeable, and in the fall cold and gloomy, changed, and a long and
beautiful Indian summer began. The sick quickly recovered their health, strength
and spirits. The settlement rapidly tended to the east, for the sickness had been
worse near the river, and the new comers and older settlers built their cabins
INDIANA. 167
along Washington-street much farther from it than before. The dreary appear-
ance of the settlement during the fall, no longer clung to it, and notwithstanding
the threatened famine, the hopes of the settlers rose higher than ever. Washing-
ton-street was the first street cleared, and during the fall of 1821, was completely
blocked up by felled trees and prickly ash bushes. John Hawkins built a large
log tavern where the Capitol House now stands, using logs cut from the site and
adjoining street in its erection. The main settlement was still west of the canal,
near the spot now occupied by the Carlisle House-. A group of cabins in this vi-
cinity, was dignified by ' Wilmot's Row,' from a man of that name who kept a store
in the vicinity, and who was one of the first merchants of the place. The first
merchant was a man named Nicholas Shaffer. He had a little store on the high
ground, south of Pogue's Run, commencing in the spring of 1821. He was the
first person who died on the donation. He died in May or June. 1821, and was
buried in Pogue's Run Valley, near the present site of the sixth ward school
house.
The first marriage, the first birth, and the first death, occurred in 1821. The
first wedding was between Miss Reagan and Jeremiah Jolmson. He walked to
Connersville and back, 120 miles, for his marringe license; and others did the
same until the county was organized The first Presbyterian minister was
0. P. Gaines, who came in Aug. 1821 : the first Baptist minister was John Water,
who came in the fall of 1821 : the first Methodist minister was James Scott, who
came in Oct. 1822. The first physician was Isaac Coe, who came in 1821. The
ih-st attorney was Calvin Fletcher, who came in Sept., 1821. Joseph C. Reed, who
came in 1821. was the first school teachor : the first school house stood just north
of the State Bank, near a large pond. The first market house was built-in 1822,
in the maple grove on the Governor's Circle. The first brick house was bj^Jt in
1822, by John Johnson, on the lot east of Robert's Chapel: the first frame house
vas built by James Blake, in 1821-2, on the lot east of the Masonic Hall, it was
also the first plastered house On Jan. 28, 1822, the first number of the
'Indiana Gazette' was published in a cabin south-east of the Carlisle House, and west
of the canal. This paper, the first in the town or in the 'New Purchase,' was edited
arid printed by George Smith and Nathaniel Botton. In 1823, the Presbyterians
erected the first church on the lot just north of Maj. A. F. Morrison's residence.
It cost, with the lot, about $1,200, and was regarded as a very fine and expensive
one for the town. It now forms part of a carriage manufactory.
The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the grave-yard
in this place:
NOAH NOBLE, born in Virginia, Jan. 15, A. D., 1791. Governor of Indiana from 1831 to
1837. Died at Indianapolis Feb. A. D. 1844.
ANDREW KENNEDY, late a Representative to Congress from Indiana, born July 24, 1810.
Died Dec.*31, 1847. This stone is erected to his memory by his friends, in token of their
love of the man, and their respect for his ability and integrity as a Statesman.
JAMES WHITCOMB, a native of Vermont, Born Dec. 1795, brought to Ohio when 11 years
old. SELF-TAUGHT, commenced practice of Law 1822, at Bloomington, Indiana, was State
and Circuit Attorney ; State Senator ; Commissioner of General Land Office ; twice Governor
of Indiana. Died Oct. 1852, at the City of New York, while Senator of the United States.
Eminent in learning, Devoted to Country and God.
ISAAC COE, M.D., born July 25, 1782, died July 30, 1855, the founder of Sabbath Schools
in Indianapolis.
TERRE HAUTE, city, and the county seat for Vigo county, is situated on
the left or eastern bank of the Wabash River, 73 miles west of Indianapolis;
109 N. from Evansville; 69 N. from Vincennes, and 187 E. from St. Louis
168
INDIANA.
The town site is elevated about 60 feet above low water, and somewlut above
the contiguous prairie which is about 10 miles long and two wide. It is on
the line of the Wabash and Erie Canal. The National Road here crosses
the river on a fine bridge. Being situated in a fertile district, having steam-
boat and railroad communication in various directions. Terre Haute is the
Cuurt House and other baildinys, Terre Haute.
A* soon from the north-west corner of the Public Square. Tlie Sfiite B:ink un<l the spire of the Metho-
dist Church appear on the. riirht ; the Mayor's office, or Town Rnll, and tho tower of the Uoirersulist
Church on the left. A grove of Locust trees formerly surrounded the Court House.
center of large business operations, among which pork packing is extensively
carried on. Several fine educational establishments are also in operation,
among which are two female colleges. In the vicinity, some three or four
miles distant, is the nunnery and highly popular Catholic Female College,
named "St. Mary of the Woods." Great taste is displayed here in the
grounds, shrubbery and lawns surrounding the private dwellings. Its early
settlers made their homes attractive by a generous attention to the planting
of shade trees on the streets, and throughout the public grounds.
Terre Haute offers great inducements for all kinds of manufacturing busi-
ness; fuel and labor are cheap and abundant. It is surrounded by extensive
coal fields; good quarries of building stone lie near; iron ores of superior
quality are in close proximity, and with every facility for transportation by
canal, river and railroad. The city contains 10 churches, and about 10,000
inhabitants.
Terre Haute (French words for high land), was founded in 1816; in 1830
it contained 600 inhabitants: in 1840, about 2,000. The first settlement
was made on the river bank. Fort Harrison was situated about three miles
to the north : and in the war of 1812, was successfully defended by Capt.
Zachary Taylor, from an attack by the Indians as related on page 1017.
The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the grave yard
at this place :
WILLIAM C. LIXTOX, born in 1795, died Jan. 31, 1S35. He was one of the earliest settlers
INDIANA.
of Terra Haute, one of the most successful merchants. The Friend and Patron of the yc ung.
Hundreds yet survive to revere his memory, and their children rise up to call it ble.?scd.
The impress of his genius and his enterprise, will long survive all that is mortal of the up-
right citizen, the kind friend and the public benefactor.
Here lie the remains of THOMAS II. BI,AKK, born in Calvert Co., Md., July 25, 1792, died
in Cincinnati Nov. 28, 1849. He was one of the earliest settlers of this place; had boon
Presiding Judge of a circuit ; a Representative in Congress; Commissioner of the General
Land Office ; tilled other offices of responsibility under the State and General Governments,
and was, at the time of Lis death, the President Trustee of the Wabash and Erie Canal.
For honor, frankness, and integrity, as a firm and generous friend, he was extensively
known, and died without reproach upon his name, leaving a memory for noble manly vir-
tues that will lonj' be cherished.
RICHMOND, in Wayne county, is situated 4 miles from the eastern bound-
ary of the state, on the east fork of Whitewater River, where it is crossed
by the National Road and Cen-
tral Railroad, G8 miles from In-
dianapolis, 40 from Dayton, 0.,
and 64 N.N.W. from Cincin-
nati. It is the center of an ac-
tive trade, possesses railroad
communications in various di-
rections, and has flourishing
manufactories of cotton, wool,
flour, iron, paper, etc.. for which
the river affords abundant mo-
tive power. In the vicinity are
22 flouring mills and 24 saw
in ills. A large number of agri-
cultural implements are manu-
factured here. The principal
street is the old National Road,
running east and west, which is
thickly built upon for about a
mile. There is a fine bridge
erected here, with stone abut-
ments, over which the National Road passes, containing tablets or monu-
ments erected by the citizens, on which are engraved the names of the con-
tractors and builders of the bridge. The Friends Boarding School, about a
mile from the post-office, is the principal literary institution, and has about
100 students of both sexes. Population about 7,000.
The first emigrants to the neighborhood were principally from Kentucky, North
Carolina, and Ohio. Richmond was laid out in 1816, and the lands patented to
John Smith and Jeremiah Cox. In 1818, Ezra Boswell, Thomas Swain, Robert
Morrison, and John McLnne were elected trustees, the number of voters at the
time being twenty-four. The town was first called Smithfield, from the name of
the proprietor.
Until 1817, the early emigrants procured their flour at Germantown, or some
other distant settlement in the Miami valley. In the year named a " tub mill " was
erected by Jeremiah Cox, where the present oil mill stands. The first opening in
the forest was made by Woodkirk, on the land now owned by C. W. Starr, near
where J. Cox built his brick house. The making of the National Road through
Richmond, in 1828, gave an impulse to the place. Dr. J. T. Plummer, in his His-
torical Sketch of Richmond, states, " 1 hold in distinct remembrance the old log
meeting house of 1823, standing near the site of the present large brick one. 1 re-
FRIF.NUS' BOAIUUNG SCHOOL
170
INDIANA.
member its leaky roof, letting the rain through upon the slab benches with throe
pair of legs and no backs ; its charcoal fires, kept in sugar kettles (for as yet no
stoves were procured), and the toes pinched with cold of the young who sat re-
mote from the kettles," etc.
The first post office was established in 1818, Robert Morrison being the first post-
master. The first tavern stood at the north-east corner of Main and Pearl-street?,
with the sign of a green tree : it was kept by Jonathan Bayles. The first lawyer,
pays Dr. Plummer, *' was one Hardy, who boarded at Ephraim Lacey's tavern, and
walked the pavement (such as it was) with his thumbs stuck in the arm-holes of
his vest, and his head pompously thrown back spouting the phrase l Qui facit per
alhun,facit per se:' but still no business came, and he concluded to go further
south where merit was better rewarded." A Dr. Cushman came here in 1820, who
afterward returned to Fort Wayne, where he was an associate judge. He opened
a distillery at the south part of the town, on the side of the hill on Front-street,
near a spring. A large portion of the inhabitants at that time being Friends (com-
monly called Quakers), this enterprise did not succeed, and the establishment
passed into the hands of Dr. Ithamer Warner, who also soon abandoned it, and it
went down to rise no more. Dr. Warner was the principal physician for many
years. He came into the county about 1815, and died in March, 1835. Dr. T hos.
Carroll, now of Cincinnati, settled in Richmond in 1819, and left in 1823; he was
probably the first regular physician in Richmond.
The first newspaper published in Richmond was the Richmond Weekly Intelli-
gencer. This was in 1821. The printing office was on Front-street; the editor
was Elijah .Lacy. The second was the Public Ledger, first issued in 1824; the
Richmond Palladium was first issued in 1831. The Jeffersonian, was established
in 1836, by a democratic association, under the title of " Hickory Club," and was
principally edited by S. E. Perkins, now a judge of the supreme court. The In-
diana Fanner was commenced in 1851 : the Broad Axe of Freedom was first
issued by .Jamison & Johnson, in 1855. The Richmond Library was incorporated
and established in 1326. In 1853 a railroad communication was opened to Cin-
cinnati, by way of Dayton.
Most of the earliest residents of Wayne county, were members of the Society
of Friends. The first meeting of the society was held in 1807, in a log building
vacated by Jeremiah Cox. Jesse Bond, John Morrow and Wm. William* were
among their earliest ministers. The next religious society was the Methodist Epis-
copal, who held their first meeting in 1819, in a small log house on Front-street.
Daniel Fraley was, perhaps, the first Methodist preacher in this section. John W.
Sullivan was the first stationed minister in Richmond. The first Presbyterian
church was established in 1837, by T. 111. Hughes and P. H. Golliday, with 28
members; their first preacher was Charles Sturdevant. The English Evangelical
Lutheran congregation was organized in 1853. The Catholic church was organized
in 1846. St. Paul's Episcopal church was organized in 1838. George Fiske was
their first minister. The German Evangelical Lutheran was organized in 1845.
The African Methodist Episcopal church was organized in 1836. The gas works
were built in 1855.
EVANSVILLE, the county seat of Vanderburgh county, is situated on the
high northern bank of the Ohio River, 200 miles from its entrance into the
Mississippi, 200 miles below Louisville, Ky., and 144 S.S.AV. of Indianapo-
lis. The Wabash and Erie Canal, 462 miles in extent, the longest on the
continent, terminates here. It is a place of much trade, being the chief
mart of the rich valley of Green River, in Kentucky. The annual exporta
of the city exceed seven millions of dollars in value, of which pork, lard
and tobacco are the principal articles. It has four extensive iron founderies,
several large ,flour mills, a brass foundery, and upward of sixty steam engines
are employed in the various manufactories. The Bodian coal mine, about a
mile from the court house, supplies the work-shops with fuel. It contains
14 churches, in about half of which the German language is used. The
INDIANA.
171
Marine Hospital here is a fine building, erected at a cost of $75,000. Popu-
lation about 13,000.
Evansville received its name from Robert Morgan Evans, a native of Virginia,
who, with James W. Jones, of Kentucky, and Hugh McGary, were the three orig-
inal proprietors of the place. The plat of the city was laid out in 1836, by these
proprietors, and was originally covered by a dense forest. The first house in
South-westertt view of Evansville.
As it nppears from the Kentucky side of the Ohio Hiver. The side-walk in front of the line of houses,
seen iu the view, is 21 inches above the highest rise of water ever known.
Evansville was built by Hugh McGary, the patentee of the land. It was a log
structure, occupying the site of the Pavilion House, shown in the view; the second
house was built by Jonathan Robinson, on the river bank, between Mulberry and
Green streets. David Hart, of Fayette county, Ky., Isaac Blackford, now judge
of the court of claims, in Washington, and Elisha Harrison, from Ohio, were among
the first settlers of the place.
The first school house was erected, in 1831, by joint stock, and stood directly in
the rear of the Washington House, opposite the court house. The New School
Presbyterian church, now standing, was erected in 1832, and was the first house
of worship built in the place. It was used at first as a kind of union house, where
ministers of various denominations preached. Rev. Calvin Butler, a Congrega
tional clergyman from the east, was the first regular preacher who occupied the
pulpit. The Freewill Baptists, in or about 1837, erected the next church build-
ing; Rev. Benoni Stinson was their first minister. The German Lutheran and
Catholic chm-ches were established at or about the same period. The court house
was erected in 1856. The first tavern was kept by Wood, on Main, between
Second and Third-streets.
The city limits extend to Pigeon creek, the village of Lamasco being included.
The name La-mas-co is compounded of the names of Law, Me Call and Scott, the
original proprietors of the tract on both sides of Pigeon creek. The village was
laid out in 1856, and the Bodian coal mine opened the same year. This mine re-
ceived its appellation from the maiden name of Mrs. Kersteman, the wife of the
superintendent. It is opened 280 feet below the surface, about 200 feet lower
than the bed of the river. The vein is 5 feet thick. The coal is delivered to the
inhabitants of the city at ten cents per bushel, fixed by law at 75 pounds to the
bushel.
172
INDIANA.
K.U>I'"S ClHHU'K.
From a [x'tiril pkntcli, iiiafl<-
Rlmiit tlii' yc;ir ISI'O. l>y 1'rof.
liirliani Owen. Tlie olinrch is
cruciform in utiapo, about 110 liy
Kid ft-rt, iiml is yet standing,
tliougli divestal of the cupola.
NEW HARMONY is a village of about 800 inhabitants, in Poscy county, in
that part of Indiana called " the Pocket." It stands on the Wabash, about
100 miles from its mouth, following its meanders, but only 15 from the Ohio
at Mount Vernon, its nearest point, and the south-westernmost town )f the
state. The place has acquired a wide reputation
from two socialistic experiments the first by George
Rapp, of Germany, and the last by Robert Owen,
of Scotland.
The Rappites, or, as they are sometimes called,
Harmon-ties, first emigrated from Wirtemburg, in
Germany, about the year 1803, having left their
country, as they asserted, on account of persecution
for their religious opinions, and first built a town
in western Pennsylvania, which they called Har-
mony. But having the cultivation of the grape
very much at heart, which did not appear to thrive
as well as they wished, they sold out their estab-
lishment at Harmony, and in 1814, under the
guidance of their pastor. Rev. George Rapp, moved
to the Wabash, where the climate was supposed to
be more congenial to their wishes. There they
cleared the land, built a beautiful village, which
they called New Harmony, containing about 150
houses, planted orchards and vineyards, erected
mills and factories of various kinds, and made "the
wilderness blossom like the rose." According to tlieir system, all property
was held in common, there being no such thing known to them as an indi-
vidual owning any. After remaining some eight or ten years, the Rappites
discovered that the unhcalthiness of this then new country, called for a
change of climate, so they beat a speedy retreat. The society, therefore, re-
turned to Pennsylvania in 1825, and selecting a site on the Ohio, 18 miles
below Pittsburg, cleared the land, and built the present handsome town of
Economy, which contains some 500 inhabitants. It is yet a thriving com-
rnunity, and since the death of its founder, is governed by nine trustees.
The Duke of Saxe Weimer, who visited Economy about the year 1826, haf
left some interesting facts, upon the peculiarities of the Rappites :
At the inn, a fine large frame house, we were received by Mr. Rapp, the princi
pal, at the head of the community. He is a gray-headed and venerable old man
most of the members emigrated 21 years ago from Wirtcmburg along with him.
The elder Rapp is a large man of 70 years old, whose powers age seems not U
have diminished ; his hair is gray, but his blue eyes, overshadowed by strons
brows, are full of life and fire. Rapp's system is nearly the same as Owen's coin
munify of goods, and all members of the society work together for the common in
torost, by which the welfare of each individual is secured. Rapp does not hold
his society together by these hopes alone, but also by the tie of religion, which is
entirely wanting in Owen's community; and results declare that Ilapp's system is
the better. No great results can be expected from Owen's plan; and a sight of it
is very little in its favor. What is most striking and wonderful of all is, that so
plain a man as Rapp can so successfully bring and keep together a society of
nearly 700 persons, who, in a manner, honor him as a prophet. Equally so 1'or
example is his power of government, which can suspend the intercourse of the
sexes. lie found that the society was becoming too numerous, wherefore the mem-
bers agreed to lice with their wives as sisters. All nearer intercourse is forbidden,
as well as marriage; both are discouraged. However, some marriages constantly
occur, and children are born every year, for whom there is provided a school and
INDIANA.
173
a teacher. The members of the community manifest the very highest degree of
veneration for the elder Rapp, whom they address and treat as a father. Mr.
Frederick Rapp is a large, good-looking personage, of 40 years of age. He pos-
sesses profound mercantile knowledge, and is the temporal, as his father is the
spiritual chief of the community. All business passes through his hands; he re-
presents the society, which, notwithstanding the change in the name of residence,
is called the Harmony Society, in all their dealings with the world. They found
that the farming and cattle raising, to which the society exclusively attended in
both their former places of residence, were not sufficiently productive for their in-
dustry, they therefore have established factories.
The warehouse was shown to us, where the articles made here for sale or use
are preserved, and I admired the excellence of all. The articles for the use of the
society are kept by themselves, as the members have no private possessions, and
everything is in common; so must they in relation to all their personal wants be
supplied from the common stock. The clothing and food they make use of is of
the best quality. Of the latter, flour, salt meat, and all long keeping articles, are
served out monthly; fresh meat, on the contrary, and whatever spoils readily, is
distributed whenever it is killed, according to the size of the family, etc. As every
house has a garden, each family raises its own vegetables, and some poultry, and
each family has its own bake oven. For such things as are not raised in Economy,
there is a store provided, from which the members, with the knowledge of the di-
rectors, may purchase what is necessary, and the people of the vicinity may also
do the same.
Mr. ilapp finally conducted us into the factory again, and said that the girls had
especially requested this visit, that 1 might hear them sing. When their work is
done, they collect in one of the factory rooms, to the number of 60 or 70, to sing
spiritual and other songs. They have a peculiar hymn book, containing hymns
from the Wirtemburg psalm book, and others written by the elder Rapp. A chair
was placed for the old patriarch, who sat amidst the girls, and they commenced a
hymn in a very delightful manner. It was naturally symphonious and exceedingly
well arranged. The girls sang four pieces, at first sacred, but afterward, by Mr.
Rapp's desire, of a gay character. With real emotion did I witness this interest-
ing scene. The factories and workshops are wanned during winter by means of
pipes connected with the steam-engine. All the workmen, and especially the fe-
males, had very healthy complexions, and moved me deeply by the warm-hearted
friendliness with which they saluted the elder Rapp. I was also much gratified to
see vessels containing fresh sweet-smelling flowers standing on all the machines.
The neatness which universally reigns here is in every respect worthy of praise.
The second socialistic experiment here, proved less successful than the
first. We give its history in the annexed communication from a corres-
pondent familiar with the details :
In 1824, the village of the Rappites, including 20,000 acres of land, was pur-
chased by Mr. Robert Owen, of New Lanark, Scotland, who, after a most success-
ful experiment in ameliorating the physical and moral condition of the laboring
classes in that manufacturing village, believed that New Harmony would be a
highly suitable place for testing his "social system," as explained in his "New
Views of Society." As soon, therefore, as the Harmonites had removed, to estab-
lish themselves at Economy, Pennsylvania, he gave a general invitation for those
favorable to the community, in opposition to the competitive system, to give its
practicability a fair trial at New Harmony. The call was responded to by about
seven or eight hundred persons, and Mr. Owen was also joined by another wealthy
gentleman from Scotland, Mr. William Maclure, who purchased from Mr. Owen
part of the property; and for one year the community progressed, in some respects,
rather favorably, but chiefly at their expense, under the name of "The Prelimina-
ry Society." As all institutions, however, to be permanent, must be self-sustain-
ing, unless largely endowed, the above society, hoping better to effect the desired
object by a division into departments having more immediately similar views and
interests, formed agricultural, educational, and other similar subdivisions, or com-
munities, which sustained themselves, at the furthest, two years more; being
174
INDIANA.
broken up partly by designing individuals, who joined the society only from selfish
motives; partly also from inexperience in so novel an experiment; and partly,
doubtless, from the difficulty of any large number of persons ever having views
sufficiently similar to enable them to co-operate successfully for the common good.
Since that social experiment, a period to which (although a failure as regards its
pecuniary sustaining power) many of the older inhabitants still look back with
pleasure, as a prornotive of benevolent, unselfish feeling, the houses, lots and ad-
joining lands have passed into the hands of individuals; and New Harmony pro-
gresses gradually, on the old system, being a quiet, orderly country town, geograph-
ically out of the great commercial thoroughfare.
The entire surviving family of the late Robert Owen, comprising three sons, one
daughter, and numerous grandchildren, still resides there. The eldest son, Robert
Dale Owen, represented the first district in congress, and has since been minister
to Naples; the second son, William, died there some years since. The third son,
Dr. D. D. Owen, has conducted two geological surveys for the United States, and
is state geologist for three western states; he possesses, in New Harmony, one of
the best scientific collections in the west, and a well-appointed laboratory. The
fourth son, Dr. Richard Owen, was for nearly ten years professor of geology in the
Western Military Institute (latterly the literary department of the University of
Nashville, Tennessee), and later connected with the geological survey of Indiana.
The daughter, Mrs. Fauntleroy, is widow of the late R. II. Fauntleroy, who lost
his life in the service of the IT. S. coast survey.
New Harmony was, at one period, the home of various distinguished individu-
als, who united in the social experiment, such as : Dr. (r. Troost, the celebrated
mineralogist, afterward state ideologist of Tennessee, and professor in the Univer-
sity of Nashville; of Win. P. D'Arusmont, who married Miss Frances Wright; of
Thomas Say, the naturalist, to whose memory a fine monument was erected in
New Harmony ; of Joseph Neef, formerly an associate with Pestalozzi ; of C. A.
Lesneur, the ichthyologist, who was naturalist in the voyage of La Perouse to New
Holland, afterward curator of the Havre museum; and the town is still the resi-
dence of several scientific persons, and the seat of the Indiana School of Practical
Sciences.
As noted above, the celebrated Fanny Wright, was connected with the
social scheme of Mr. Owen, at New Harmony. Thirty years ago her name
was in the public papers of the day, as the most prominent of "the strong
minded" of her sex in all the land. She was gifted with mental powers
which impressed every one who approached her. The annexed sketch of
this extraordinary woman is from a published source:
She was born at Dundee, in Scotland, it is believed, in 1 796, and was better
known by her maiden name, Fanny Wright, than by that of her husband, Darus-
mont. Her father, Mr. Wright, was intimate with Dr. Adam Smith, Dr. Cullen,
and other men of literary and scientific eminence in his day. Hence, probably,
his daughter, Fanny, became tinctured with an ambition to distinguish herself as
a propagandist of social and political novelties. At the age of eighteen she wrote
a little book, called " A Few Days in Athens," in which she defended the opinions
and character of Epicurus.
In 1818 she visited America, where she remained three years, and soon after pub-
lished her observations under the title of " V r iews on Society and Manners in Amer-
ica." She afterward visited Paris in compliance with an invitation from La Fayette.
After her return to America, about the year 1825, she purchased 2,000 acres of
land in Tennessee, subsequently the site of Memphis, and peopled it with a num
ber of slave families whom she had redeemed.
In 1833, she appeared as a public lecturer. Her deep soprano voice, her com-
manding figure, and marvelous eloquence, combined with her zealous attacks on
negro slavery, and some other prominent features in American institutions, soon
made her famous throughout our country. Her powers of oratory drewcroAvds of
listeners, especially in Nc\v York: Fanny Wright Societies were formed, resemb-
ling those of the French Communists.
Elated by her powers of oratory, she visited all .the principal cities of the Amer-
INDIANA.
175
ican Union ; but as she too frequently made the philosophy of her " Few Days in
Athens " the groundwork of her discourses, she aroused the hostility of the press
and the clergy. During two years she battled, as it were single-handed, by means
of her pen and verbally, with her powerful foes, and kept her name ringing through-
out the country. Meanwhile she had her redeemed slaves taught agricultural pur-
suits, and educated in general knowledge ; but although lor a time promising well,
from some cause not generally known, the experiment failed, and the slaves were
sent to Hayti.
She then joined Robert Owen in his Communist scheme at New Harmony, edit-'
ing the Gazette, and lecturing in behalf of the enterprise, in some of the large
cities and towns of the western states, but with a success which did not equal her
expectations. Subsequently, Miss Wright married M. A'Drusmont, a man who pro-
fessed her own system of philosophy; but they soon separated, and she resided
during the remainder of her life Jin America, with an only daughter, the fruit of
her marriage. Her husband's suit at law, to obtain possession of her property,
added still further to her notoriety.
This circumstance, and her ill health, tended to cool her political enthusiasm, if
not to modify her opinions. Her experience did not, on the whole, afford much
cause for self-gratulation, or furnish encouragement to others to embark in any sim-
ilar enterprises for the reformation of society. She died at Cincinnati, January
13, 1853, aged 57 years.
Smith eastern view in Calhoun-street, Furl Wayne.
FORT WAYNE, the county seat of Allen county, is situated on the line of
the Wabash and Erie Canal, at the confluence of the St. Joseph's and St.
Mary's Rivers, which here unite and form the Mauniee, 112 miles N.E. from
Indianapolis, 110 E.N.E. from Lafayette, and 96 W. from Toledo. It is a
flourishing place, and by means of its railroad, canal and plank road com-
munications, is quite a center of business.. It is regularly laid out on level
and fertile prairie land. About half the population are of recent foreign de-
scent. Four newspapers are published in this place, one of which is in the
German language. Population in 1800, 10,388.
The Twightees, a branch of the Miami tribe, had a village at Fort Wayne,
in their language called Ke-ki-o-que. At one time it was called " French
Store," as it was for a long time a trading post of that nation, and the site
of a military post. About the year 1764 the English built a fort here.
Old Fort Wayne was erected here in 1794, and was continued a military post
until 1819, until the removal of the Miamis and Pottawatomies, in 1841: it
was resorted to by them for the disposal of their furs, and to spend their
176
INDIANA.
annuities. It was against the Indian villages in this vicinity, that Harmar's
expedition -was directed, the particulars of which we annex:
" In the autumn of 1790, about 1,300 troops, of whom less than one fourth were
regulars, marched from Cincinnati, under General llarmer, against the Indian
towns on the Maumec, near the site of Fort Wayr*. When within a short dis-
tance of their point of destination, Col. Hardin was detached with six hundred and
fifty men. This advance, on reaching the Indian villages found them deserted.
The next day, the main body having arrived, their towns, containing three hun-
dred wigwams, were burnt, the fruit trees girdled, and 20,000 bushels of corn de-
stroyed. While the troops were at the villages, a detachment of one hundred and
fifty Kentucky militia and thirty regulars, under Col. Hardin, were sent on an In-
dian trail, when they fell into an ambush of seven hundred warriors under Little
Turtle. At the first fire the militia fled without firing a shot, but the thirty regu-
lars resisted with the greatest obstinacy untilKa.il were killed, except two officers
"and two or three privates. Ensign Armstrong was saved by falling behind a log
while on the retreat, which screened him from his pursuers; while Captain Arm-
strong was preserved by plunging up to his neck in a swamp. There he remained
all night a spectator of the war dance over the bodies of the dead and wounded
soldiers, and the shrieks of the latter, as they were tortured, mingling with the
yells of the savages.
When the army had proceeded one day on the return march, Col. Hardin and
Maj. Willis were sent back with four hundred men, of whom sixty were regulars,
to surprise the Indians, whom it was supposed would return. On entering the
town a few of the enemy were seen, who immediately fled, and decoyed the iniiitia
into an irregular pursuit in different directions. This being accomplished, Little
Turtle fell, with his main body, upon the regulars with great fury. They threw
down their guns, and with their tomahawks, rushed upon the bayonets of the sol-
diers. While a soldier was engaged in the use of his bayonet upon one Indian,
two others would sink their tomahawks in his head. The result was that every
regular fell, together with their gallant major. Ere the conflict was over, a part
of the militia who had returned from the pursuit, joined iu the contest, but were
compelled to retreat, leaving the dead and wounded in the hands of the enemv.
The expedition, in destroying the Indian villages, had accomplished the great
object of its mission, although under circumstances of misfortune. It was suc-
ceeded by such vigorous exertions, on the part of the savages, that they must have
succeeded in breaking up the American settlements, were it not for the total de-
struction of their property and provision* just at the approach of winter."
The siege of Fort Wayne, iu the war of 1812, was a memorable event in
the history of this regioi^ the particulars of which we derive from Howe's
"Great West:"
In August, 1812, immediately after the disgraceful surrender of Hull, about five
hundred Indian warriors laid siege to Fort Wayne, a dilapidated structure of wood
which had been built in Wayne's campaign, near the north-eastern corner of In-
diana, at the junction of the St. Joseph s and St. Mary's Rivers, main branches of
the Maumee. The garrison, amounting to less than one seventh of their number,
was commanded by Capt. Rhea, an old officer broken down by intemperance, and
of a timid disposition. As at that period the whole surrounding region was a wil
derness, and they were far from succor, their danger was imminent.
They were finally saved from the horrors of an Indian massacre, by the daring
bravery and address of a young Virginian, named William Oliver. This young
man, scarce twenty-one years of age, to a slender and delicate, though active iigure,
united in a high degree the qualities of undaunted courage, enthusiasm, firmness,
and sagacity. A resident of Fort Wayne, he was at this time, temporarily absent
at Cincinnati, and learning on his return route that the Indians had appeared be-
fore the fort, he voluntarily hurried back to the city to urge the troops stationed
at that point to hasten to its relief. This being accomplished, he set out again with
all speed toward the fort, intending to reach it, and penetrate through its swarm
of surrounding savages in adv.\nce of the relief, for the purpose of encouraging
the garrison to persevere in its defense until their arrival.
INDIANA.
177
At St. Mary's River he came to an encampment of Ohio militia, with whom was
Thomas Worthington, of Chillicothe (afterward governor of Ohio), then on t e
frontier as Indian commissioner, to whom Oliver communicated his intention <f
entering the fort, or of perishing in the attempt. Worthington had been originally
opposed to the policy of declaring war ; hut now that it had been commenced, was
zealous for its vigorous prosecution ; yet this did not save him from the taunt of an
ill-bred brother officer, who accused him of a want of patriotism. Being a high
View of old Fort Wayne.
[Copied from E. P. Abbott's Map of the city of Fort Wayne, published in 1855.]
spirited man of the keenest sense of honor, this accusation stung Worthington to
the quick, and he felt eager to embark in any enterprise, howsoever desperate, to
show the unjustness of the charge, and his willingness to peril his all for his coun-
try. In him Oliver found a zealous confederate, notwithstanding old experienced
frontiersmen endeavored to dissuade him from the dangerous undertaking. United-
ly, they induced sixty-eight of the militia, and sixteen Shawnee Indians, to accom-
pany them.
On the second day's march, thirty-six of the party, consulting their fears, secret-
ly deserted their companions, and returned to the main body. The remainder con-
tinued their route, and at sunset in their camp, heard the evening gun from the
fort, through an intervening forest of twenty-four miles. As the reduced party was
not strong enough to encounter the enemy, Worthington was very reluctantly in-
duced to remain at this point with his men, while Oliver, with three friendly In-
lians, pushed on. Being well armed and mounted, they started at day-break the
\iext morning, proceeding with great caution. When within five miles of the fort,
4hey perceived holes which the Indians had dug on each side of the road for con-
cealment, and to cut off all who should approach toward the place. Upon observ-
ing these, they abandoned the main road, struck off across the country, and reached
the Maumee one and a half miles below the fort. Tying their horses in a thicket,
they stole cautiously along through the forest to ascertain if the Indians had ob-
tained possession. Oliver at length discovered, with feelings of joy, the American
flag waving above the fort; but not deeming even this as conclusive, he approached
on the east side so near as not only to discern the blue uniform of a sentinel, but
to recognize in his countenance that of an acquaintance.
Having satisfied himself on this point, they returned, remounted their horses,
and taking the main road, moved rapidly onward. Upon reaching the gate of the
esplanade, they found it locked, and were thus compelled to pass down the river
bank, and then ascend it at the northern gate. They were favored in doing so, by
the withdrawal of the savages from this point, in carrying out a plan, then on the
point of consummation, for taking the fort by an ingenious stratagem.
For several days previous to this time, the hostile chiefs, under a flag of truce,
!iad baen holding intercourse with the garrison. In their interviews with Captain
R'uea, that officer had shown such a spirit of timidity, that they felt persuaded that
12
178 INDIANA.
it could be made available at the proper moment, to put him and his men in their
power. They had, accordingly, arranged their warriors in a semicircle on the west
and south sides of the fort, and at a short distance from it. Five of the chiefs, un-
der pretense of treating with the officers of the garrison, were to pass into the
fort, and gain admittance into the council-room with scalping-knives and pistols se-
creted under their blankets. Then, at a certain signal, they were to assassinate
the two subaltern officers, seize Captain Khea, and with threats of instant death,
if he did not comply, and promises of safety, if he did, compel him to order the
gates to be thrown open for the admission of their warriors.
The plan, thus arranged, was in the act of being carried into execution, at the
moment when Oliver and his companions reached the gate. Their safe arrival at
that particular moment, may be justly considered as miraculous. One hour sooner
or one hour later would have, no doubt, been inevitable destruction both to himself
and escort; the parties of Indians who had kept close guard, for eight days previ-
ous, upon the roads and passes in different directions, having all, at that moment,
been called in to aid in carrying the fort.
Winnemac, Five Medals, and three other hostile chiefs, bearing the flag of truce,
under which they were to gain admittance to carry out their treacherous intentions,
were surprised by suddenly meeting at the gate Oliver and his companions;. Com-
ing from different directions, and screened by the angles of the fort, they were not
visible to each other until that moment. Winnemac showed great chagrin, uttered
an ejaculation of disappointment, and hastily returning to the Indian camp, in-
formed the chiefs and warriors that the stratagem was defeated.
Oliver immediately upon his arrival, wrote a hasty letter to Worthington, de-
scribing the situation of the fort, which he sent by the Indians. Luckily their
movements were not observed, until they had actually started from the garrison
gate. They now put spurs to their horses, and dashed off at full speed. The hos-
tile Indians were instantly in motion to intercept them ; the race was a severe and
perilous one, but they cleared the enemy's line in safety, and then their loud shor.t
of triumph rose high in the air, and fell like music upon the ears of the beleaguered
garrison. They safely delivered the letter, and a few days after Gen. Harrison ar-
rived with reinforcements, the enemy having continued the siege until within a
few hours of his arrival, and that, too, with such perseverance, that the vigilance
of the garrison alone saved them from a general conflagration from the burning
arrows of the savages.*
In the year 1830, Fort Wayne contained about 100 inhabitants. The old
fort was situated in the north-eastern section of the city ; the Wabasli and
Erie Canal passes through a part of its site. The first church erected was
built by the Old School Presbyterians; this house is still standing, and is
now occupied by the English Lutherans. The Methodists erected the second
church, the Baptists the third. The Catholics erected their first house of
worship on Calhouu-street, and it is now standing. The first regular Pro-
testant clergyman was Rev. James Chute, from Columbus, Ohio. The Rev.
Stephen R. Bull and N. B. Griffiths were the first Methodist preachers ; they
preached at first in the north-west part of the place, in a brick school-house,
long since taken down. This school-house was the first built. Benjamin
Cushman and Lewis G. Thompson were among the early physicians. David
H. Colerick and Henry P. Cooper were among the early lawyers. The " Fort
Wayne Sentinel" was established about 1833, by Noel & Tigar; their office
stood at the east end of the canal basin, near or on the spot where the ware-
house of Messrs. Hill & Orbison now stands. The " Fort Wayne Weekly
Times" was established as a whig journal, in 1840.
Little Turtle, the celebrated Indian chieftain, died at this place in 1812,
his grave, near Fort Wayne, used to be shown to visitors, and was formerly
*01iver was postmaster at Cincinnati, in Taylor's administration. He died there a few
years since.
INDIANA.
179
much visited by the Indians, who cherished his memory with great respect
and veneration. He commanded the Indians at the defeat of St. Clair. The
following notice appeared in the public prints at the time of his death:
"Fort Wayne, July 21, 1812. On the 14th hist., the celebrated Miami
chief, the Little Turtle, died at this place, at the age of 65 years. Perhaps
there is not left on this continent one of his color so distinguished in coun-
cil and in war. His disorder was the gout. He died in a camp, because he
chose to be in the open air. He met death with great firmness. The agent
for Indian affairs had him buried with the honors of war, and other marks
of distinction suited to his character."
The following inscriptions are from monuments in the graveyard at Fort
Wayne :
Sacred to the memory of COL. ALEXANDER EWING, one of the bravest soldiers of the Rev-
olution : from the year 1780 to the peace of 1783, he was actively engaged in the Ranger
service on the frontiers of New York and Pennsylvania. He was a volunteer at the battle
of the Thames, in 1813, and among the first who broke the British lines on that occasion,
so glorious to the arms of .his country. Died at Fort Wayne, Jan. 1, 1827, aged 60 years.
Sacred to the memory of CHARLES W. EWING, eldest son of Col. A. and Mrs. C. Ewing,
Attorney and Counsellor at Law and President Judge of the 9th Judicial Circuit of the
State of Indiana. Died at Fort Wayne, Jan. 9, 1843, aged 45 years.
SAMUEL BIGGER, late Governor of this State, died Sept. 9, 1846. A patriot and a Christ-
ian, he died in the full hope of a glorious immortality.
I would not live always, no, welcome the tomb :
Since Jesus has been there, I dread not its gloom.
Optatum, meuiu suavium, quod. Te in terrain retnuevit, eondonato.
REV. SAMUEL BRENTON, A.M., died March 29, 1857, aged 46 yrs. 4 mo. 7 da. He was a
devoted minister of the M. E. church, and 4 years a member of Congress. He was faithful
to his Country, the Church, and his God. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright,
for the end of that man is peace. Rejoice in the Lord always.
SAMUEL LEWIS, born June 13, 1796, died Jan. 2, 1843. He filled with distinction import-
ant civil offices, and was eminent as a Christian.
In memory of MARY, wife of REV. A. T. RANKIN, Pastor of the First Presbyterian
Church, Fort Wayne, la., who departed this life July 19, 1841, aged 31 years. Here rests
all .that can die of a Home Missionary. Her work is done. She sleeps in Jesus.
REV. JESSE HOOVER, died May 24, 1838, aged 28 years. Organizer of the first German
Evangelical Church at Fort Wayne, in the year 1836, and was its faithful pastor till God
called him home.
Mir nach spricht Christus unser Held.
Hier ruhe in Gott ADAM H. WEPEL, geb, am 7 Jum 1802, gett am Mai, 1852. Sammt
feinen 6 vereits vor ihm entfchlenen kindern harret er nun der seligen und froehlichen Nu-
ferstedung der Todten. Wenn Gottes Mort nicht ware inoin Troft gewesen so ware ieh
vergangen meinen elende.
LAFAYETTE, the capital of Tippecanoe county, is next to Indianapolis,
the most important city of Central Indiana. It is on the Wabash River, and
on the Wabash and Erie Canal, with three or four important railroad lines
passing through it, and distant 64 miles north-west of Indianapolis. By
river, canal, and railroad, it is united with 78 counties of the state. Im-
mediately around the city for miles, lie some of the richest, portions ol 1"-
180
INDIANA.
diana. It also possesses all the elements necessary to a flourishing manu-
facturing city. By river, canal and creeks, sites for machinery propelled by
water can be obtained of any amount of power, while by railroad and canal
it is brought into the immediate neighborhood of inexhaustible mines of
Southern View of Lafayette from near the Valley Railroad.
The Wabash Kiver, canal, etc., pass by the distant buildings whirh are on the extreme left. Ohio-street,
passing the two principal Hotels and the Court House, appears iu the cent nil jarl. 'Hie Presbyterian and
other churches on the right.
coal, iron and clay, and other materials necessary to carry on successfully all
kinds of manufactures. Lafayette was laid out, on government land, May
17, 1825, by William Digby : it has 14 churches and in 1860,9,426 inhab-
itants.
In the heart of the city on the public square, a few years since, while bor-
ing for pure water at the depth of 230 feet, a stream of medicinal water was
struck. A careful analysis proves it of immense value, and to compare, fa-
vorably with the most celebrated mineral waters of Europe. It is similar to
the Blue Lick Springs of Kentucky, and is a salt sulphur water. It is ap-
plicable to numerous diseases, viz : bronchitis, rheumatism, dyspepsia, dis-
eases of the liver, kidneys, sexual organs, and in general for disturbances of
the secretive organs or surfaces. The stream is constant and ample for all
bathing and drinking purposes.
Seven miles north of Lafayette, on the line of the railroad to Chicago, is
the Battle Field of Tippecanoe, where, just before the gray of morning, Nov.
7, 1811, Gen. William Henry Harrison, then governor of the territory of
Indiana, at the head of 900 men, principally militia and volunteers, defeated
an equal body of Indians under the Prophet, Tensskwautawa, the brother of
Tecumseh. The town of the Prophet. Keth-tip-e-ca-mink, corrupted in mod-
ern orthography, to Tippecanoe, stood over a mile distant, on the Wabash: it
extended along the stream from the site of Davis' Ferry to the mouth of
the Tippecanoe. Tecumseh was not present in the action, being absent at
the south among the Creeks and Seminoles, to unite them with the northern
INDIANA.
181
tribes in his grand confederacy against the whites,
tive of the battle is from Drake's Tecurnseh :
The subjoined narra-
On the 5th of November, 1811, Go\r. Harrison, with about 900 effective troops,
composed of 250 of the 4th regiment United States infantry, 130 volunteers, and a
body of militia, encamped within 10 miles of the Prophet's town. On the next
Eastern View of the JlaWe Field of Tippecanoe.
The phice of Harrison's cncHinpnicnt is F]KWII l.y HIP inHopcd fem-e, vitliin which is six or eight acres of
ground. The main body ot the biivj;es were it. tin- \\lnal field in frc nt, lliis side of the railroad. It waa
then a marsh, covered \vilh tall grass, in wliich they were concealed.
day, when the army was within five miles of the village, reconnoitering parties of
the Indians were seen, but they refused to hold any conversation with the inter-
preters sent forward by the governor to open a communication with them. When
within a mile and a half of the town, a halt was made, for the purpose of encamp-
ing for the night. Several of the field oliicers urged the governor to make an im-
mediate assault on the village; but this he declined, as his instructions from the
president were positive, not to attack the Indians, as long as there was a proba-
bility of their complying with the demands of government. Upon ascertaining,
however, that the ground continued favorable for the disposition of his troops, quite
up to the town, he determined to approach still nearer to it. In the meantime,
Capt. Dubois, with an interpreter, was sent forward to ascertain whether the
Prophet would comply with the terms proposed by the governor. The Indians,
however, would make no reply to these inquiries, but endeavored to cut oft' the
messengers from the army. When this fact was reported to the governor, he de-
termined to consider the Indians as enemies, and at once march upon their town.
He had proceeded but a short distance, however, before he was met by three In-
dians, one of them a principal counselor to the Prophet, who stated that they were
sent to know why the army was marching upon their town that the Prophet was
desirous of avoiding hostilities that he had sent a pacific message to Gov. Harri-
son by the Miami and Potawatomie chiefs, but that those chiefs had unfortunately
gone down on the south side of the Wabash, and had thus failed to meet him.
Accordingly, a suspension of hestilities was agreed upon, and the terms of peace
182 INDIANA.
were to be settled on the following morning by the governor and the chiefs. In
moving the army toward the Wabash, to encamp for the night, the Indians became
again alarmed, supposing that an attack was. about to be made on the town, not-
withstanding the armistice which had just been concluded. They accordingly be-
gan to prepare for defense, and some of them sallied out, calling upon the advanced
corps, to halt. The governor immediately rode forward, and assured the Indians
that it was not his intention to attack them, but that he was only in search of a
suitable piece of ground on which to encamp his troops. He inquired if there
was any other water convenient, beside that which the river afforded; and an .In-
dian, with whom he was well acquainted, answered, that the creek which had been
crossed two miles back, ran through the prairie to the north of the village. A
halt was then ordered, and Majors Piatt, Clark and Taylor, were sent to examine
this creek, as well as the river above the town, to ascertain the correctness of the
information, and decide on the best ground for an encampment. In the course of
half an hour, the two latter reported that they had found, on the creek, everything
that could be desirable in an encampment an elevated spot, nearly surrounded
by an open prairie, with water convenient, and a sufficiency of wood for fuel. *
The army was now marched to this spot, and encamped "on a dry piece of ground,
which rose about 10 feet above the level of a marshy prairie in front toward the
town; and, about twice as high above a similar prairie in the rear; through which,
near the foot of the hill, ran a small stream clothed with willows and brushwood.
On the left of the encampment, this bench of land became wider; on the right,
it gradually narrowed, and terminated in an abrupt point, about 150 yards from
the right bank." f
The encampment was about three fourths of a mile from the Prophet's town;
and orders were given, in the event of a night attack, for each corps to maintain its
position, at all hazards, until relieved or further orders were given to it. The
whole army was kept, during the night, in the military position, which is called,
lying on their arms. The regular troops lay in their tents, with their accoutre-
liients on, and their arms by their sides. The militia had no tents, but slept with
their clothes and pouches on, and their guns under them, to keep them dry. The
order of the encampment was the order of battle, for a night attack; and as every
man slept opposite to his post in the line, there was nothing for the troops to do,
in case of an assault, but to rise and take their positions a few steps in the rear of
the tires around which they had reposed. The guard of the night consisted of two
captain' s -commands of 42 men, and four non-commissioned officers each; and two
subaltern's guards of 20 men and non-commissioned officers each the whole
amounting to about 130 men, under the command of a field officer of the day.
The night was dark and cloudy, and after midnight there was a drizzling rain. It
was not anticipated by the governor or his officers, that an attack would be made
during the night: it was supposed that if the Indians had intended to act offen-
sively, it would have been done on the inarch of the army, where situations pre-
sented themselves that would have given the Indians a great advantage. Indeed,
within three miles of the town, the army had passed over ground so broken and
unfavorable to its march, that the position of the troops was necessarily changed
several times, in the course of a mile. The enemy, moreover, had fortified their
town with care and great labor, as if they intended to act alone on the defensive.
It was a favorite spot with the Indians, having long been the scene of those myste-
rious rites, performed by their Prophet, and by which they had been taught to be-
lieve that it was impregnable to the assaults of the white man.
At four o'clock in the morning of the 7th, Ck>v. Harrison, according to his prac-
tice, had risen, preparatory to the calling up the troops; and was engaged, while
drawing on his boots by the fire, in conversation with Gen. Wells, Col. Owen, and
Majors Taylor and Hurst. The orderly-drum had been roused for the purpose of
giving the signal for the troops to turn out, when the attack of the Indians sud-
denly commenced upon the left flank of the camp. The whole army was instantly
on its feet; the camp-fires were extinguished; the governor mounted his horse and
*M'Afee's History of the Late War. f Ibid.
INDIANA. 133
proceeded to the point of attack. Several of the companies had taken their places
in the line within forty seconds from the report of the first gun; and the whole of
the troops were prepared for action in the course of two minutes; a fact as credit-
able to their own activity and bravery, as to the skill and energy of their officers.
The battle soon became general, and was maintained on both sides with signal and
even desperate valor. The Indians advanced and retreated by the aid of a rattling
noise, made with deer hoof's, and persevered in their treacherous attack with an ap-
parent determination to conquer or die upon the spot. The battle raged with un-
abated fury and mutual slaughter, until daylight, when a gallant and successful
charge by our troops, drove the enemy into the swamp, and put an end to the
conflict.
Prior to the assault, the Prophet had given assurances to his followers, that in
the coming contest, the Great Spirit would render the arms of the Americans una-
vailing; that their bullets would fall harmless at the feet of the Indians; that the
latter should have light in abundance, while the former would be involved in thick
darkness. Availing himself of the privilege conferred by his peculiar office, and,
perhaps, unwilling in his own person to attest at once the rival powers of a sham
prophecy and a real American bullet, he prudently took a position on an adjacent
eminence; and, when the action began, he entered upon the performance of
certain mystic rites, at the same time singing a war-song. In the course of
the engagement, he was informed that his men were falling: he told them to
fight on, it would soon be as he had predicted ; and then, in louder and ajlder strains,
his inspiring battle-song was heard commingling with the sharp cracK of the rifle
and the shrill war-hoop of his brave but deluded followers. i
Throughout the action, the Indians manifested more boldness and perseverance
than had, perhaps, ever been exhibited by them on any former occasion. This
was owinir, it is supposed, to the influence of the Prophet, who, by the aid of his
incantations, had inspired them with a belief that they would certainly overcome
their enemy : the supposition, likewise, that they had taken the governor's army
by surprise, doubtless contributed to the desper.ite character of their assaults. They
were commanded by some daring chiefs, and although their spiritual leader was
not actually in the battle, he did much to encourage his followers in their gallant
attack. Of the force of the Indians engaged, there is no certain account. The
ordinary number at the Prophet's town during the preceding summer, was 450;
but a few days before the action, they had been joined by all the Kickapoos of the
prairie, and by several bands of the Pottawatomies, from the Illinois River, and
the St. Joseph's, of Lake Michigan. Their number on the night of the engage-
ment was probably between 8(>0 and 1,000. Some of the Indians who were in the
, action, subsequently informed the agent at Fort Wayne, that there were more than
1,000 warriors in the battle, and that the number of wounded was unusually great.
In the precipitation of their retreat, they left 38 on the field; some were buried
during the engagement in their town, others, no doubt, died subsequently of their
wounds. The whole number of their killed, was probably not less than 50.
Of the army under Gov. Harrison, 35 were killed in the action, and 25 died sub-
sequently of their wounds: the total number of killed and wounded was one hun-
dred and eighty-eight.
Both officers and men behaved with much coolness and bravery qualities
which, in an eminent degree, marked the conduct of Gov. Harrison throughout the
engagement. The peril to which he was subjected may be inferred from the fact
that a ball passed through his stock, slightly bruising his neck; another struck
his saddle, and glancing hit his thigh; and a third wounded the horse on which
he was riding.
Peace on the frontiers was one of the happy results of this severe and brilliant
action. The tribes which had already joined in the confederacy were dismayed;
and those which had remained neutral, now decided against it
During the two succeeding days, the victorious army remained in camp, for the
purpose of burying the dead and taking care of the wounded. In the meantime,
Col. Wells, with the mounted riflemen, visited the Prophet's town, and found it
deserted by all the Indians except one, whose leg had been broken in the action.
184 INDIANA.
The houses were mostly burnt, and the corn around the village destroyed. * On
the 9th, the army commenced its return to V r incennes, having broken up or com-
mitted to the flames all their unnecessary baggage, in order that the wagons might
be used for the transportation of the wounded.
The defeated Indians were greatly exasperated with the Prophet: they re-
proached him in bitter terms for the calamity he had brought upon them, and ac-
cused him of the murder of their friends who had fallen in the action. It seems,
that after pronouncing some incantations over a certain composition, which he
had prepared on the night preceding the action, he assured his followers, that by
the power of his art, half of the invading army was already dead, and the other
half in a state of distraction ; and that the Indians would have little to do but
rush into their camp, and complete the work of destruction with their toma-
hawks. " You are a liar'" said one of the surviving Winnebagoes to him, after
the action, " for you told us that the white people were dead or crazy, when they
were all in their senses and fought like the devil." The Prophet appeared de-
jected, and sought to excuse himself on the plea that the virtue of his composition
had been lost by a circumstance of which he had no knowledge, until after the bat-
tle was over. His sacred character, however, was so far forfeited, that the In-
dians actually bound him with cords, and threatened to put him to death. After
leaving the Prophet's town, they marched about 20 miles and encamped on the
bank of Wild Cat creek.
With the^attle of Tippecanoe, the Prophet lost his popularity and power among
the Indians. His magic wand was broken, and the mysterious charm, bv means
of which ho had fqr years, played upon the superstitious minds of this wild people,
scattered through a vast extent of country, was dissipated forever. It was not alone
to the character of his prophetic office that he was indebted for his influence over
his followers. The position which be maintained in regard to the Indinn lands,
and the encroachments of the white people upon their hunting grounds, increased
his popularity, which was likewise greatly strengthened by the respect and defer-
ence with which the politic Tecumseh the master spirit of his day uniformly
treated him. He had, moreover, nimble wit, quickness of apprehension, much
cunning and a captivating eloquence of speech. These qualities fitted him for
playing his part with great success; and sustaining for a series of years, the char-
acter of one inspired by the Great Spirit. He was, however, rash, presumptuous
and deficient in judgment. And no sooner was he left without the sagacious
counsel and positive control of Tecumseh, than he foolishly annihilated his own
power, and suddenly crushed the grand confederacy upon which he and his broth-
er had expended years of labor, and in the organization of which they had incurred
much personal peril and endured great privation.
Tecumseh returned from the south through Missouri, visited the tribes on the
Des Moines.and crossing the head-waters of the Illinois, reached the Wabash a few
days after the disastrous battle of Tippecanoe. It is believed that he made a strong
impression upon all the tribes visited by him in his extended mission; and that
he had laid the foundation of numerous accessions to his confederacy. He reached
the banks of the Tippecanoe, just in time to witness the dispersion of his followers,
the disgrace of his brother, and the final overthrow of the great object of his am-
bition, a union of all the Indian tribes against the United States: and all this, the
result of a disregard to his positive commands. His mortification was extreme ;
and it is related on good authority, that when he first met the Prophet, he re-
proached him in bitter terms for having departed from his instructions to preserve
Reace with the United States at all hazards. The attempt of the Prophet to pal-
ate his own conduct, excited the haughty chieftain still more, and seizing him
by the hair and shaking him violently, he threatened to take his life.
* The village had been destroyed in 1791, by Gen. Charles Scott, of Kentucky. In his
report of the expedition, he says that " many of the inhabitants of the village were French,
and lived in a state of civilization. By the books, letters, and other documents found there,
it is evident that the place was in close connection with, and dependent on, Detroit: " the
village "consisted of about 70 houses, many of them well finished." In November, 1S1 2,
the village was destroyed the third time in the second expedition of Gen. Hopkins.
INDIANA.
185
BATTLE FIELD OF TIPPECANOE.
[Explanations. , point from whence the engraved view was drawn ; I />,
line of railroad to Chicago; c, position of Battle Ground Institute; d, place
where the Indians first began the attack ; e e, front line where occurred the
main conflict; /, Gen. Harri-
son's marquee; h, point where
Maj. Daviess is said to have
been slain ; <?, grave of Daviess.
The black lines indicate the
fence now inclosing the battle
ground.]
The highest officers among
the Americans slain at Tippe-
canoe, were two Kentucky
majors Abraham Owen and
Joseph Hamilton Daviess.
The particulars of the death
of Abraham Owen we give
below, from Smith's Indiana
Sketches :
Gen. Harrison rode a beautiful fleet gray mnre, that he had tied with the saddle
on, to a stake near his marquee, to be ready. at a moment in case of alarm.
Maj. Owen, of Kentucky, rode a bay horse. After the gray mare was hitched, it
became necessary, in order to pass a baggage wagon, to remove her and tie her at
another place; without the knowledge of Gen. Harrison, the bay horse of Maj.
Owen was afterward tied to the post where the gray mare had been.
The moment the alarm was given, every soldier was upon his feet, and the
mounted officers in their saddles. Gon. Harrison ran to the post where he left his
gray. mare ; finding Maj. Owen's bay horse he mounted, leaving the gray for the
major if he could find her. The general dashed down to where he heard the fir-
ing, rode up to Capt. Spencer's position, at the point of the high ground around
which the prairies meet; there the enemy had made the first main attack deadly
in effect. There stood the bravo ensign John Tipton, and a few of*the surviving
"men of the company. Gen. Harrison. " Where is the captain of this company ?"
Ensign Tipton. "Dead." '' Where are the lieutenants?" "Dead." "Where is the
ensign?" "I am here." "Stand fast, my brave fellow, and I will relieve you in a
minute." Gen. Tipton told me, in after years, that a cooler and braver man, on
the field of battle, than Gen. Harrison, never lived. It was a deadly night, the In-
dians with rifles in their hands, concealed from view, in the darkness of the night,
fighting to desperation, under the inspiration of their superstition being the at-
tacking party, and knowing where their enemy lay, had great advantages, which
nothing but the indomitable courage of our brave men could have met and finally
repelled. The moment the alarm was given, the brave Maj. Owen ran to his stake,
but his horse was gone; near by he found and mounted the gray mare of the Gen-
eral. He was scarcely in the saddle, before he fell mortally wounded, pierced
with rifle balls, which were intended, no doubt, for Gen. Harrison, as the Indians
knew he rode a gray, and must have been in ambush near. The men and officers
that fell that dreadful night were the bravest of the brave.
I visited the common grave of these brave dead, who fell in that terrible battle only
a few years since. You will find it in a grove of white oak trees perforated by
balls, standing near the center of the inclosed grounds.
Maj. Daviess was a colleague of Henry Clay at the Kentucky bar, where
he stood very high as an advocate. At the time of his death he was 37
years of age. It is the tradition that he was killed in the marsh at the point
indicated on the map; but from Gen. Harrison's report of the action, we in-
fer that this event took place on high ground, on or near where the railroad
line lays; that states that it was during the execution of an order to dislodge
186
INDIANA.
some Indians from trees 15 or 20 paces in front of the left line, that Daviess
became outflanked, and fell mortally wounded.
The land on which the battle was fought, was purchased by Gen. John
Tipton, and presented to the state of Indiana, as a burial place for his fallen
comrades. Tipton was the brave ensign of Capt. Spencer's company, noticed
above. His name is most honorably identified with the history of the state.
He was a senator in congress from 1832 to 1839, and chairman of the Com-
mitte of Indian Affairs, an office for which he was peculiarly well qualified,
having been, for many years, Indian agent, and well acquainted with most
of the Indian tribes. He was a warm hearted man, and possessed uncommon
force of character: he was one of the original projectors of the Wabash and
Erie Canal, and also one of the founders of Logansport, where he died in
1839.
The reader will notice the building on the right of the view. This is the
Battle Ground Institute, under the charge of Rev. E. H. Staley. It is a
flourishing seminary for both sexes. A number of small neat houses stand
above it, erected, some of them, by the parents of the children, many of the
latter brothers and sisters, who here live together, obtaining, away from
their homes, a double education, that of house keeping, with that derived
from books.
South-eastern view of Madison.
As seen from the Kentucky sido of the Ohio, near Milton ferry. The terminus of the Railroad is seen
on the left, the Court House on the right.
MADISON, the county seat of Jefferson county, is situated 86 miles S.S.E.
from Indianapolis, 50 above Louisville, and 100 below Cincinnati. It is lo-
cated in a beautiful and picturesque valley, which, with the hills on the Ken-
tucky shore and those of Indiana, and the bold curve and broad sweep of
the Ohio River, affords a panorama rarely equaled. The valley in which the
city is situated, is nearly three miles long, which is inclosed on the north by
steep and rugged hills about 400 feet high. This place has very superior
advantages for trade, and the navigation is usually open in ordinary seasons.
Great quantities of breadstuffs are exported, and a large amount of capital
is employed in founderies, machine shops, etc., and the establishments for
INDIANA.
187
packing pork are very extensive. Madison has gas and water works, the lat-
ter of which is owned by the city. The annual value of sales of produce
and merchandise, and industrial products, is eight millions of dollars. With-
in five miles of the city is the well known Hanover College. Population is
about 12,000.
The site of Madison was originally a dense growth of poplars, beech and
walnut, and the present landing was covered with a growth of cottonwood,
the water's edge being fringed with willows. The original proprietors were
John Paul and Jonathan Lyon. A few families had settled here on Mount
Glad, now a part of North Madison, in 1807-8. Col. John Vawter first
came to Madison in 1806, and moved into the country in March, 1807 ; he
held the first public sale of lots in Feb., 1811. The first white child born
in Madison was Dawson Blackmore, Jr. His father came here from western
Pennsylvania, in the tall of 1809, and located himself in a framed log-house,
now standing in Walnut-street. The first sermon preached in Madison is
said to have been delivered in Mr. Blackmore's house, by a Methodist
itinerant preacher. The first regular house of worship was built on East-
street, on the site of the present St. John's church.
The following are the names of a number of the earlier settlers of Madison, pre-
vious to 1820: Milton Stapp, Jeremiah Sullivan, C. P. J. Arvin, Daniel Wilson,
Thomas Brown, Nicholas D. Grover. Geo. W. Leonard, Moody Park, Victor King,
Chas. W. Basnett, William Brown, D. Blarkmore, sen., D. Blackmore, jr., Silas
Ritchie, .lohn Bering, John G. Soring, William G. Wharton, W. J. McClure, John
Ritchie, S. C. Stephens, Howard Watts, John Haney, Rufus Gale, William Randall,
Gamaliel Taylor, E. < i. Whitney, M. Shannon, Edward Shannon, Jesse D. Bright,
Michael G. Bright, David Bright, Jacob Wildman, George Wagoner, Andrew Wood-
fill, Alexander Washer. Williamson Dunn, Wm. McKee Dunn, James Vawter, Jno.
Hunt, Simeon Hunt, Cornelius Vaile, Geo. Short, and David McClure.
One of the first sermons ever preached in Madison, was by that celebrated
and eccentric itinerant, Lorenzo l)ow, who "held forth" standing on a poplar
log, near the site of the court house. He was born in Coventry, Connecti-
cut, in , and died at Washington City, in , aged years, where his
grave is now to be seen. He traveled through the United States from fifteen
to twenty times, visiting the wilderness parts, often preaching where a ser-
mon was never heard before. Occasionally he went to Canada, and made
three voyages to England and Ireland, where, as elsewhere, he drew crowda
around him, attracted by his long flowing beard and hair, singularly wild
demeanor, and pungency of speech. During the thirty years of his public
life, he must have traveled nearly two hundred thousand miles.
Pickett, in his History of Alabama, avers that he was the earliest Protestant
preacher in that state; says he: "Down to this period (in 1803), no Pro-
testant preacher had ever raised his voice, to remind the Tombigbee and Ten-
saw settlers of their duty to the MOST HIGH. Hundreds, born and bred in
the wilderness, and now adult men and women, had never even seen a
preacher. The mysterious and eccentric Lorenzo Dow, one day, suddenly ap-
peared at the Boat Yard. He came from Georgia, across the Creek nation,
encountering its dangers almost alone. He proclaimed the truths of the
gospel here, to a large audience, crossed over the Alabama, and preached two
sermons to the 'Bigbee settlers,' and went from thence to the Natchez set-
tlements, where he also exhorted the people to 'turn from the error of their
ways.' He then visited the Cumberland region and Kentucky, and came
back to the Tombigbee, filling his appointments to the very day. Again
188
INDIANA.
plunging into the Creek nation, this holy man of God once more appeared
among the people of Georgia."
When Dow was in Indiana, Judge 0. H. Smith had the pleasure of listen-
ing to a discourse from him, some items of which he has thus preserved
among his Sketches: "In the year 1819,"" states the judge, "I was one of a
congregation assembled in the woods back of Rising Sun, anxiously await-
SuutJi-iresfe.nl. view of ffeic Albany.
The view shows tin; appearance of tlie city, !iss<-i-n from the high lilufT which rises immediately south of it.
The. Ohio River appears on the right, with I'ortlaml. a station for steanihoats, on the Kentucky side of the
Ohio, at the foot of the Canal around tli.- Falls, three miles from Louisville.
ing the arrival of Lorenzo Dow. Time passed awny, we had all become im-
patient, when in the distance we saw him approaching at a rapid rate through
the trees on his pacing pony. He rode up to the log on which I was sitting,
threw the reins over the neck of the pony, and stepped upon the log, took
off his hat, his hair parted in the middle of his head, and flowing on either
side to his shoulders, his beard resting on his breast. In a minute, at the
top of his voice, he said:
' Behold, 1 come quickly, and my reward is with me.' My subject is repentance.
We sin;:, 'while the lamp holds out to burn, the vilest sinner may return.' That
idea lias done much harm, and should be received with many grains of allowance.
There are cases where it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for a man to repent unto salvation. Let me illustrate : Do you sup-
pose that the man among you who went out last fall to kill his deer and bear tor
winter meat, and instead killed his neighbor's hogs, salted them down, and is now
livitiy on the meat, can repent while it is unpaid forf I tell you nay. Except he
restores a just compensation, his attempt at repentance will be the basest hypo-
crisy. Except ye repent, truly ye shall all likewise perish.'
He preached some thirty minutes. Down he stepped, mounted his pony,
and in a few minutes was moving on through the woods at a rapid pace to
meet another appointment."
INDIANA.
189
NEW ALBANY, the county seat of Floyd county, is beautifully situated on
the right hank of the Ohio River, at the termination of the New Albany and
Salem Railroad, 2 miles below the falls of the Ohio, 3 miles below Louisville,
about 140 below Cincinnati, and 100 S. by E. from Indianapolis. The city
has wide straight streets, running parallel with the river, and crossed at right
angles by others. A large business is done here in building and repairing
steamboats, etc. There are also large iron foundries, machine shops and
factories. . It has two seminaries, a theological college under the patronage
of the Presbyterians, and about 10,000 inhabitants.
The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the grave yard
in New Albany :
" The citizens of FLOYD COUNTY have erected this monument in memory
of their HONORED DEAD.
' Glory is the soldier's prize,
The soldier's wealth is honor.'
Here rest the bodies of Francis Bailey,
aged 35; Apollos J. Stephens, 27; Warren
B! Robinson, 24; Charles H. Goff, 23;
members of the 'Spencer Greys,' company
A, 2d Reg't Indiana Volunteers, who fell
at the battle of BUENA VISTA, Mexico,
Feb. 22 and 23. 1847.
' The soldier is his country's stay
In day and hour of danger.'
' How sleep the brave who sink to rest,
By all their country's wishes blest?'
John T. Lewis, aged 21 ; Martin How-
ard, 18; Joseph Morgan, 19; Laiken Cun-
ningham, 22; members of the 'Spencer
Greys,' died in the Mexican campaign,
184U-7; also Henry W. Walker, aged 37;
Thos. J. Tyler, aged 19, of the same com-
pany, who returned home and died of disease contracted in the service."
REV. JOHN MATTHEWS, D.D., Professor of Theology in the Presbyterian Theological Sem-
rnary at New Albany, la. Born in Guilford county, N. C., Jan. 19, 1772 ; died in New Al-
bany, May 18, 1848, astat 76 years nnd 4 rno. " Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord
from henceforth ; yea, saith the Spirit, that they mny rest from their labors ; and their
works do follow them."
MILITARY MONUMENT, NEW AI.BANY.
LEONIDAS SHACKKLFORD, of Glasgow, Missouri, born Jan. 7, 1833, died Aug. 5, 1852. In
whose memory this monument is erected by his brothers and sisters. Without earthly
friends, he died in a strange land, realizing in full a sainted mother's prayer, that a pre-
cious Bible which she had given him would be his guide through life, nnd in death his con-
solation. Prov. verses 17 to 23.
Logansport, the county seat of Cass county, is situated on the Wabash
River and Canal, at the mouth of Eel River, and is intersected by the Toledo,
Wabash and Western and the Cincinnati, Logansport and Chicago Railroads,
70 miles N. by W. from Indianapolis, 166 W. of Toledo, and 42 N.E. from
Lafayette. It is at the head of steamboat navigation, and just below the
falls, which furnish immense water power, and has a large trade by river,
canal and plank roads with the fertile region on every side, th products of
which are sent to the eastern and southern markets. Logansport has a city
11)0 INDIANA.
charter, 3 banks, G churches, and a fine court house of hewn stone. West
Logansport, on the west bank of Eel River, is included in the corporate
limits. Population, in 1860, 3,690.
Jeffcrsonville is a flourishing town, Opposite Louisville, Ky., on the Ohio
River, which is here about three fourths of a mile wide, 108 miles S. by E.
of Indianapolis, and 48 below Madison. It is at the terminus of the Jeffer-
sonville and Indianapolis Railroad, and on the site of old Fort Steuben, and
is beautifully situated just above the falls in the Ohio, which descend 22
feet in two miles, producing a rapid current, which, in time, by the immense
water power it affords, will, if a canal is made around the falls on the In-
diana side, render this a large and prosperous manufacturing city. Jeffer-
sonville has great facilities for doing business, and is said to possess the best
landing place on the Ohio River. The state penitentiary is located here.
Population about 3,500.
Lawrencebiiry, city and county seat of Dearborn, is on the Ohio, 22 miles
below Cincinnati, and two miles below the mouth of the Big Miami, the line
of separation between Ohio and Indiana. The Ohio and Mississippi, and
Indianapolis and Cincinnati Railroads, intersect at this point. Population
about 4,000.
A few miles below Lawrenceburg, is a small stream emptying into the
Ohio, known as Laughery's creek. It derived its name from the calamitous
defeat of Col. Archibald Laughery by the Indians. This took place in the
spring of 1782, and was the most disastrous military event that ever Occur-
red upon the soil of Indiana. The annexed account is/rom Day's Hist. Col-
lections, of Pa. :
Col. Laughery had been requested, by Col. Clark, to raise 100 volunteers in
the county of Westmoreland, Pa., to aid him against the Ohio Indians. The com-
pany was raised principally at his own expense, and he also provided the outfit
and munitions for the expedition. In this he was aided by the late Robert Orr, by
birth an Irishman, but who manifested a deep and generous interest in his adopted
country. Mr. Orr was one of the officers, and next in command under Col.
Laughery.
There were 107 men in the expedition, who proceeded in boats down the Ohio,
to meet Gen. Clark, at the Falls. At the mouth of a creek in the south-eastern part
of Indiana, that bears the name of the commander, the boats were attacked by the
Indians. Of the whole detachment, not one escaped. Col. Laughery was killed,
and most of his officers. Capt. Orr, who commanded a company, had his arm
broken with a ball. The wounded, who were unable to travel, were dispatched
with the tomahawk, and the few who escaped with their lives, were driven through
the wilderness to Sandusky. Capt Orr was taken to Detroit, where he lay in the
hospital for several months, and, with the remnant who lived, was exchanged, in
the spring of 1783.
South Bend, the county seat of St. Joseph, is on the Michigan Southern and
Northern Indiana Railroad, 85 miles easterly from Chicago; also on St. Jo-
seph River, which furnishes, by means of a darn at this point, a vast water
power. It has some 30 stores, 6 churches, 2 Catholic Female Seminaries,
and in 1860, 4,013 inhabitants.
Michigan City is on Lake Michigan, in La Porte county, 54 miles by rail-
road from Chicago, and 154 from Indianapolis. It has communication by
the Michigan Central, and New Albany and Salem Railroads, and the lake
with all parts of the country. It is noted for the manufacture of railroad
cars, and has about 4,000 inhabitants.
Laporte, the county seat of Laporte county, in the north-western part of
the state, is at the junction of the Cincinnati, Peru and Chicago, with the
INDIANA.
191
Michigan Southern and Northern Railroads, 58 miles from Chicago, on the
northern margin of the beautiful and fertile Door Prairie, so named from an
Indian chief. It was first organized as a city in 1853, is a very flourishing
business place, and has 9 churches and 6,000 inhabitants.
Jiloomingfon, the county seat of Monroe county, is on the line of the New
Albany and Salem Railroad, 96 miles north from New Albany. It was
laid out in 1818, by Benjamin
Park, agent for the county com-
missioners. Its public build-
ings are substantial, and the
public square pleasantly orna-
mented with shade trees and
shrubbery. It is noted as a
place of education. It has two
female seminaries, and is the
seat of the State University,
founded in 1835. Grecncusih-,
capita] of the neighboring coun-
ty of Putnam, 40 miles by rail-
road weot of Indianapolis, is
the seat of the Indiana Asbury
I'MVEKSITV op INDIANA, BI.OOMIXGTON.
University, founded in 1837, and which is not excelled by any institution in
the state. Unusual attention is given in this vicinity to the cultivation of
fruit, the apple, pear, peach and grape, for which the soil is well adapted.
CratofordtvUle,, the county seat of Montgomery, which adjoins Putnam on
the north, is on the rfcw Albany and Salem Railroad, and 45 miles north-
west of Indianapolis. It is in a rich country, and is the seat of Wabush Col-
lege, founded in 1835, an institution of excellent repute. Blooming-ton,
Greencastle, and Crawfordsville, have each about 2,500 inhabitants.
Corydon, the county seat of Harrison county, in southern Indiana, is a
town of about 1.200 inhabitants. In 1813, the seat of government of the
Territory of Indiana was removed from Vin-
cennes to this place. When, in 181G, Indiana
was erected into a state, Oorydon was made the
capital, and so remained until 1825, when it was
removed to Indianapolis. The court house here,
built of stone, was the original state house, and
the edifice in which was formed the first consti-
tution of Indiana.
Vr.vay, the county seat of Switzerland county,
is a small town oh the Ohio River, about half
way between Cincinnati and Louisville. The
place is of note, from its having been one of the
first settlements in the state, and for the attempt
made there to cultivate the grape for the pur-
pose of manufacturing wine.
It was laid out in the year 1813, by John
Francis Denfour and Daniel Denfour, emigrants
from Switzerland, who, in remembrance of their native town, gave it its
present name. Part of the land was entered by John James Denfour and
his associates, in the beginning of the present century, and an extended
credit given, by an act of congress, with a view of encouraging the culture
of the grape.
THE OLD STATE HOIISE.
Situated in Corydon, tho original
capital of Indiana.
192
INDIANA
li part of Indiana are some curiosities of nature. Eleven miles from
in Crawford county, is the Wyandot Cave, which is considered bv
TlIK Jl'O HOCK,
About seventy feet high.
In tlie south
Corjdon, and
many to equal the celebrated Mammoth Cave of Kentucky. It has boon explored
for several miles, and found to contain magnificent chambers and galleries, rich in
stalactites and other lime concretions. Twoother
curiosities, which are near the line of the Ohio
and Mississippi railroad, have only come into no-
tice since the construction of that Avork. The
Jn</ Ruck is at Shoal Station, in Martin county,
150 miles west of Cincinnati, and derives its
name from its resemblance in form to a homely
ami useful utensil. It is a lone standing pillar
of sandstone, of about seventy feet in hight, in
the midst of a. forest of beach and sugar trees.
It is an unusual object for this reuion ; but in
the valley of the I'pper M issouri and on the high
table lands farther west such formations abound.
Lieut. Simpson, in his explorations in Xew Mex-
ico, f-innd at. one spot '' high sandstone rooks
of almost every shape and character imaginable.
There were to be seen at once, domes, pillars,
turrets, pinnacles, spires, castles, vases, tables,
pitched roofs, and a number of other objects of
a, well defined figurative character."
Near Mitchell's Station, in Lawrence county,
28 miles east of the above, is Hamera Mill Stream Cave. Water flows out at all
seasons sufficient to furnish motive power fora saw mill, grist mill, and a distillery
located about a quarter of a mile from the opening. It is owned by Mr. Hugh
Ham or. The source of the stream has never been ascertained. At the time of
the construction of the railroad, two of
the surveyors attempted to explore it to
its source. They entered it in a canoe,
and were absent two days and the in-
tervening night, penetrating it, as they
judged, about nine miles, and without
reaching its termination. No particular
change was found in the dimensions of
the cavity, excepting an occasional open-
ing out into large chambers. Such an
exploration in certain seasons would bo
perilous. Often, after a hard shower of
rain, the water suddenly rises and pours
out in such a volume as to completely fill
up the mouth of the cavern, issuing from
it like water from the pipe of a fire en-
gine. In 1856, Capt. John Pope, of the
corps of U. S. topographical engineers,
discovered a similar curiosity near the
base of the Rocky Mountains, in about
lat. 32 desr. and long. 105- deg., which he
named Phantom River. A stream of
pome GO feet in width came out of one
HAMF.K'S Mn.i, STUF. KM CAVE.
It has l>een explored about nino miles in a canoe.
It furnishes motive power for two mills and a dis-
tillery.
cave, ran 150 feet in daylight, and then
plunging into another by a cascade of a great but unknown depth, was seen no
more.
Beside the towns described, Indiana contains numerous others of from
1,500 to 2,500 each. These are mostly count}- scats, some of them on rail-
road lines, and places of active business. They are, Attica, in Fountain
INDIANA. 193
county ; Aurora, in Dearborn county ; Cambridge City, in Wayne county ;
Cannelton, in Perry county ; Columbus, in Bartholomew county ; Connersville,
in Fayette county; Delphi, in Carroll county; Franltlin,\n Johnson county;
Goshen, in Elkhart county; Greensburg, in Decatur county; Huntington, in
Huntington county; MishawaJca, in St. Joseph county; Mt. Vernon, in
Posey county; Muncie, in Delaware county; Peru, in Miami county; Prince-
ton, in Gibson county; Rising Sun, in Ohio county; RocJcville, in Parke
county; and Shelbyville, in Shelby county.
13
ILLINOIS.
THE name of this state, Illinois, is partly Indian and partly French : it
signifies real men, and was originally applied to the Indians who dwelt on
the banks of the river of that name.
For a long period the great tract of
territory lying N.W. of the Ohio, was
termed the "Illinois country." The
first white men of whom we have
any authentic knowledge, who tra-
versed any part within the present
limits of Illinois, were James Mar-
quctte, a Catholic missionary, and M.
Joliet, both Frenchmen from Canada.
This was in 1673. The next were
Robert de la Salle, a young Frenchman
of noble family, and Louis Hennepin,&
Franciscan friar. After leaving
Chicago, La Salle and his companions
proceeded down Illinois River, and
reached Peoria Jan. 4, 1680.
The first settlements in Illinois
were made by the French, at Kaskas-
kia, Caliokia, and Peoria. It clearly appears that Father Gravier began a
mission among the Illinois before 1693, and became the founder of Kaskas-
kia. At first it was merely a missionary station, and the inhabitants of the
village consisted entirely of natives; the other villages, Peoria and Cahokia,
seem at first to have been of the same kind.
At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements in Illinois are
represented to have been in a flourishing condition. Kaskaskia had become
a considerable town before any great progress had been made on the lower
Mississippi. The French writers of this period give glowing descriptions of
the beauty, fertility, and mineral wealth of the country, and to add to its
attractions, a monastery of Jesuits was established at Kaskaskia.
From the beginning to the middle of the eighteenth century, but little is
related. Disputes arose, between England and France, respecting the boun-
daries of their different colonies, which, unhappily, had never been sufficient-
ly defined. The French, anticipating a struggle for the preservation of their
American possessions, strengthened their fortifications on the Great Lakes,
on the Ohio, the Wabash, the Illinois, and in other parts of the valley of
195
ARKS or ILI.INOIS.
196 ILLINOIS.
the Mississippi. The British, on the other hand, claimed the country on the
Ohio, and in the vicinity, by virtue of their ancient discoveries and the char-
ters which they had granted. The Ohio Company, which was formed soon
after, produced hostilities between the two nations. On the termination of
the French war, by which Great Britain obtained possession of Canada, the
whole of the Illinois country also came into their possession. The total
white population could not then have exceeded 3,000.
The following descriptions of the French settlements at this period, and
there were none other in Illinois, we find in Perkins' Annals, the edition by
J. M. Peck. It is there copied from " The Present State of the European
Settlements on the Mississippi, by Capt. Philip Pitman," published in Lin-
don in 1770:
"The village of Notre Dame de Cascasquias (Kaskaskia), is by far the most con-
siderable settlement in the country of the Illinois, as well from its number of in-
habitants, as from its advantageous situation.
Mons. Paget was the first who introduced water-mills in this country, and he
constructed a very fine one on the River Cascasquias, which was both for grinding
corn and sawing boards. It lies about one mile from the village. The mill proved
fatal to him, being killed as he was working it, with two negroes, by a party of
the Cherokees, in the year 1764.
The principal buildings are, the church and the Jesuits' house, which has a
small chapel adjoining it; these, as well as some other houses in the village, are
built of stone, and, considering this part of the world, make a very good appear-
ance. The Jesuits' plantation consisted of two hundred and forty arpents (a little
over 200 acres) of cultivated land, a very good stock of cattle, and a brewery ;
which was sold by the French commandant, after the country was ceded to the
English, for the crown, in consequence of the suppression of the order.
Mons. Beauvais was the purchaser, who is the richest of the English subjects in
this country; he keeps eighty slaves; he furnishes eighty-six thousand weight of
flour to the king's magazine, which was only a part of the harvest he reaped in
one year.
Sixty-five families reside in this village, besides merchants, other casual people,
and slaves. The fort, which was burnt down in October, 1766, stood on the sum-
mit of a high rock opposite the village, and on the opposite side of the (Kaskaskia)
river. It was an oblongular quadrangle, of which the exterior polygon measured
two hundred and ninety by two hundred and fifty-one feet. It was built of very
thick squared timber, and dove-tailed at the angles. An officer and twenty sol-
diers are quartered in the village. The officer governs the inhabitants, under the
direction of the commandant at Chartres. Here also are two companies of
militia."
Prairie du Rocher. or "La Prairie de Roches," as Captain Pitman has it, is next
described
"As about seventeen (fourteen) miles from Cascasquias. It is a small village,
consisting of twelve dwelling-houses, all of which are inhabited by as many fami-
lies. Here is a little chapel, formerly a chapel of ease to the church at Fort
Chartres. The inhabitants here are very industrious, and raise a great deal of
corn and every kind of stock. The village is two miles from Fort Chartres. [This
means Little Village, which was a mile, or more, nearer than the fort.] Jt takes
its name from its situation, being built under a rock that runs parallel with the
River Mississippi at a league distance, for forty miles up. Here is sr company of
militia, the captain of which regulates the police of the village."
Saint Phillippe is a small village about five miles from Fort Chartres, on the
road to Kaoquias. There are about sixteen houses and a small church standing;
all of the inhabitants, except the captain of the militia, deserted it in 1765, and
went to the French side (Missouri). The captain of the militia has about twenty
slaves, a good stock of cattle, and a water-mill for corn and planks. This village
stands in a very fine meadow, about one mile from the Mississippi."
"The village of Saint Famille de Kaoquias," so Pitman writes, "is generally
ILLINOIS.
197
reckoned fifteen leagues from Fort Chartres, and six leagues below the mouth of
the Missouri. It stands near the side of the Mississippi, and is marked from the
river by an island of two leagues long. The village is opposite the center of this
island ; it is long and straggling, being three quarters of a mile from one end to
the other. It contains forty-five dwelling-houses, and a church near its center.
The situation is not well chose-n, as in the floods it is generally overflowed two or
three feet. This was the first settlement on the Mississippi. The land was pur-
chased of the savages by a few Canadians, some of whom married women of the
Kaoqnias nation, and others brought wives from Canada, and then resided there,
leaving their children to succeed them.
The inhabitants of this place depend more on hunting, and their Indian trade,
than on agriculture, as they scarcely raise corn enough for their own consumption;
they have a great plenty of poultry, and good stocks of horned cattle.
The mission of St. Sulpiee had a very fine plantation here, and an excellent
house built on it. They sold this estate and a very good mill for corn and planks,
to a Frenchman who chose to remain under the English government. They also
disposed of thirty negroes and a good stock of cattle to different people in the
country, and returned to France in 1764. What is called the fort is a small house
standing in the center of the village. It differs nothing from the other houses, ex-
cept in being one of the poorest. It was formerly inclosed with high pallisades,
but these were torn down and burnt. Indeed, a fort at this place could be of but
little use."
The conquest of Illinois from the British, in 1778, by Gen. Geo. Rogers
Clark, when he took possession of the forts of Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and St.
Vincent, the latter now the Vincennes of Indiana, was one of the most
romantic episodes in our western history. It made known the fertile plains
of Illinois to the people of the Atlantic states, exciting an emigration to the
banks of the Mississippi. Some of those in that expedition afterward were
among the first emigrants. Prior to this, the only settlements in Illinois,
were the old French villages of Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Peoria, Prairie du
llocher, Fort Chartres, Fort Massac, Village a Cote, Prairie du Pont, and a
few families scattered Tilong the Wabash and Illinois. In October, 1778, the
general assembly of Virginia passed an act to organize the county of Illinois.
In 178-t, Virginia ceded her claims to the territory north-west of the Ohio
to the United States. This, by the ordinance of 1787, was erected into the
Worth-west Territory. Still the Illinois country remained without any
organized government until March, 1790, when Gov. St. Clair organized St.
Clair county. *
The first settlement in Illinois by emigrants from the United States, was in 1781,
near Bcllefontaine, Monroe bounty, in the south-western part of the state. It was
made by James Moore, with his family, accompanied by James Garrison, Robert
Kidd, Shadrach Bond, and Larken Rutherford. Their route out was through tho
wilderness from Virginia to the Ohio, then down that stream to the Mississippi,
and up the latter to Kaskaskia. Part of them settled in the American bottom, near
Harrisonville. This station afterward became known as the block-house fort.
Othor parties joined them and the settlements increased. They, however, suffered
much from the Indians until Wayne's treaty, in 1795, brought peace. Many were
killed, others taken captives, and often while laboring in the field they were obliged
to carry their rifles, and also often at night compelled to keep guard.
In 1800, Illinois formed part of a separate territory by the name of In-
diana, in conjunction with the state now bearing that name. A second di-
vision took place in 1809, and the western portion of Indiana was formed
into a separate territory bearing the name of Illinois. In 1818, Illinois was
erected into a separate state. Hon. Niuian Edwards, chief justice of Ken-
tucky, was chosen governor, and Nathaniel Pope, Esq., secretary. Since that
period it has rapidly gone forward, increasing in population, wealth and power.
198 ILLINOIS.
In the year 1812, Gen. Hull, who surrendered Detroit into the hands of
the British, directed Capt. Heald, who commanded Fort Dearborn, at Chi-
cago, to distribute his stores to the Indians, and retire to Fort Wayne. Not
having full confidence in the Indians, he threw the powder into the well and
wasted the whisky. As these were the articles they most wanted, they were
so exasperated that they fell upon the garrison, after they had proceeded two
miles from the fort, and massacred 41 of them, with 2 women and 12 chil-
dren, the latter tomahawked in a wagon by one young savage.
In 1840, the Mormons being driven out of Missouri, located a city on the
east bank of the Mississippi River, which they called Nauvoo. They had
extraordinary privileges granted them by the state. But here, as elsewhere,
numerous difficulties arose between them and the inhabitants in the vicinity.
The military were called out by the governor to suppress the disorders which
arose. Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet and leader, with his brother
Hiram, were imprisoned in a jail in Carthage. On June 27, 1844, they
were both killed by a mob, which broke into their place of confinement.
The Mormons, soon after this event, began their movement toward the
Rocky Mountains.
At the time of the first settlement of Illinois by the French, it is sup-
posed that within the present limits of the state, there were some eight or
nine thousand Indians. They are described, by travelers, as having been re-
markably handsome, kind, and well mannered. When the French first came
they were feasted by the natives in four courses, the first of hominy, the
second of fish, the third of dog, which the Frenchmen appear to have de-
clined, and the whole concluded with roasted buffalo. Few or none of the
descendants of the tribes occupying this region, now linger within or around
it, their titles having been extinguished from time to time by treaties with
'the United States government. The white inhabitants were somewhat
annoyed by hostile Indians during the war of 1812, and also in 1832, during
the prevalence of the "Black Hawk war," which created much distress and
alarm in the northern part of the state.
Illinois is bounded N. by Wisconsin, E. by the southein portion of Lake
Michigan, by the state of Indiana, and by the Ohio River, S. by the Ohio
River, dividing it from Kentucky, and W. by the Mississippi River, divid-
ing it from Missouri and Iowa. It lies between 37 and 42 30' N. lat., and
87 17' and 91 50' W. long., being about 380 miles in its extreme length
from N. to S., and about 200 in its greatest and 140 in its average breadth
from E. to W., containing upward of 35,000,000* of acres, of which, in 1850,
only 5,175,173 acres were improved, showing an immense capability for in-
crease of population in this very fertile state, which has scarcely any soil
but that is capable of cultivation.
The surface is generally level, and it has no mountains. About two
thirds of it consists of immense prairies, presenting to view, in some places,
immense plains extending as far as the eye can reach, beautifully covered
with grass, herbage and flowers. These prairies are generally skirted with
wood, near which are settlements. They are also, in many places, inter-
spersed with groups of trees.
The largest prairie in Illinois is denominated the Grand Prairie. Under
this general name is embraced the country lying between the waters falling
into the Mississippi, and those which enter the Wabash Rivers. It does not
consist of one vast tract, but is made up of continuous tracts with points of
timber projecting inward, and long arms of prairie extending between. The
ILLINOIS.
southern points of the Grand Prairie are formed in Jackson county, and ex-
tend in a north-eastern course, varying in width from one to twelve miles,
through Perry, Washington, Jefferson, Marion, Fayette, Effingham, Coles,
Champaign, and Iroquois counties, where it becomes connected with the
prairies that project eastward from the Illinois River. A large arm lies in
Marion county, between the waters of Crooked creek and the east fork of
the Kaskaskia River, where the Vincennes road passes through. This part
alone is frequently called the Grand Prairie.
For agricultural purposes, Illinois is unsurpassed by any state in the
Union. In some of her river bottoms the rich soil is 25 feet deep. The
great American bottom, lying on the Mississippi, 80 miles in length, is of
exceeding fertility, and has been cultivated for 100 years without apparent
deterioration. Illinois is the greatest corn producing state in the Union; its
yield in 1860 was estimated at 100,000,000 of bushels, and the average yield
per acre at over 50 bushels.
Illinois is rich in minerals. In the north-west part of the state vast beds
of lead ore abound. Bituminous coal is found in almost every county, and
may be often obtained without excavation. Iron ore is found in many local-
ities, and copper, zinc, etc. There are salt springs in the southern part of
the state from which salt is manufactured, and also medicinal springs in va-
rious places. Illinois is most favorably situated for internal commerce. By
means of the great rivers on her borders, Lake Michigan at the north-east,
and by her magnificent system of railroads, she has great facilities for com-
ir.unication in every direction. Population, in 1810, was 12,282; in 1830,
157,445; in 1850,851,470; in 1860, 1,691,238.
CHICAGO, the most populous commercial city of the north-west, is on the
western side of Lake Michigan, about 30 miles northward from its south end,
at the mouth of Chicago River, on the margin of a prairie of several miles
in width. It is 928 miles from New York, 278 from Detroit, 180 from Ga-
lena, 285 from St. Louis, 300 from Cincinnati, and 183 from Springfield.
Population, in 1840, 4,853; in 1850, 29,963; and in 1860, 109,420.
The following sketch of the history of Chicago is given in a recent pub-
lication :
The first explorers of Lake Michigan, the first white men to pitch their tents on
the Chicago prairie, and to haul up their boats upon its river banks and lake shore,
were the French Jesuit missionaries and fur traders, under the guidance of Nicho-
las Perrot, who was also acting as the agent of the government in the west. This
was in the latter part of the year 1669. At that time this territory was in the pos-
session of the Miami tribe of Indians, but subsequently the Pottawatomies crowded
back the Miamis, and became the sole possessors, until the year 1795, when they
became parties to the treaty with Wayne, by which a tract of land six miles square
at the mouth of the Chicago River, was ceded to the United States the first ex-
tinction of Indian title to the land on which Chicago is built. For nearly a hun-
dred years during the time of the French possession, and after its cession to the
English, Chicago has little mention in history.
During this time it is only known from incidental circumstances, that in those
dark days of French possession, there was a fort near the mouth of the river, that
there were Indian villages near the Calumet and on the Des Plaines, that here
were the roving grounds of the Pottawatomies, and that from the head waters of
the Illinois to the Chicago River, was the common portage for the trade and tran-
sit of the goods and furs between the Indians and the traders, and that the ship-
ping point was from the port at Chicago. The few white men who were there
200
ILLINOIS.
were there not for the purpose of making settlements, but simply to carry on a
trade with the Indians, the gain from which must have been of no inconsiderable
amount. They were men of limited education, and could not have been expected
to have any accounts of their adventures. This state of things existed until the
close of the general western Indian war, soon after the termination of the war of
the revolution. During this war the intrigue of the English was constantly excit-
ing the Indians to warfare, to such a degree that, after peace was declared betweeo
Chicago in 1831.
Fort Dearborn is seen in the central part, on a slightly elevated point, on the south side of Chicago
River, near the lake shore shown in front.
the old and the new country, a general war of the Indians against the United
States broke out. This war continued until 1795, when, after having been severely
punished by Gen. Wayne, the chiefs of the several tribes assembled, by his invi-
tation, at Greenville, Ohio, and there effected a treaty of peace, thus closing the
war of the west. In this treaty numerous small tracts of land were ceded by the
Indians to the states, and among them wjis one described as "one piece of land six
miles square, at the mouth of Chicajo (Chicago) River, emptying into the south-
west end of Lake Michigan, where a fort formerly stood.'
This may be called the first " land sale," and which has been the precursor to a
business which has entailed to its participants independence and wealth. But lit-
tle time passed before the proprietors thought best to enter upon active possession,
and in 1804 a fort was built upon the spot by government. This fort remained
until the year 1816, when it was destroyed by the Indians, at the time of the mas-
sacre. This fort was called Fort Dearborn, a name which it retained during its
existence. Its location was upon a slightly elevated point on the south side of
the river, near the lake shore, and commanded a good view of the lake, the prairie
extending to the south, the belt of timber along the south branch and the north
branch, and the white sand hills to the north and south, which had for so many
years been the sport of the lake winds. Up to the time of the erection of this fort,
no white man had made here his home, the Pottawatomie Indians having undis-
puted sway. After the establishment of the garrison, there gathered here a few
families of French Canadians and half-breeds, none of whom possessed more than
ordinary intelligence.
The only link in the chain of civilization which admits of identity, existed in
the Kinzie family, who came here to reside in 1804, the same year in which the
fort was built, John Kinzie, then an Indian trader in the St. Joseph country,
Michigan, in that year became the first permanent white resident of Chicago, and
to him is due the honor of establishing many of the improvements which have
made Chicago what it is. For nearly twenty years he was, with the exception of
the militarv, the only white inhabitant of northern Illinois. During the years from
1804 to 1820, the lake trade was 'carried on by a small sail vessel, coming in in the
ILLINOIS.
fall and spring, bringing the season's supply of goods and stores for the fort,
and taking away the stock of furs and peltries which had accumulated. Mr.
Kinzie pursued the business of fur trading until the breaking out of hostilities
with the Indians, which resulted in the massacre of 1812. The friendly feelings
which had been cultivated between himself and the Indians, preserved himself
and family from the fate which befell his neighbors of the fort. Removing for a
time, in 1816 he returned to Chicago, and reopened the trade with the Indians, re-
siding there until the time of his death, in 1828.
It was a saying with the Indians that " the first white man who settled there was
a negro," by which was meant Jean Baptiste Point-au-Sable, who, in 1796, built
the first house in Chicago, which he afterward sold to Le Mai, who subsequently
Bold it to Mr. Kinzie. In 1812 there were but five houses outside of the fort, all
of which, with the exception of that owned by Mr. Kinzie, were destroyed at the
time of the massacre. In August, 1816, a treaty was concluded by commissioners
appointed by the government, with the various Indian tribes, by which the coun-
try between Chicago and the waters of the Illinois River was ceded to the United
States on the 4th of July.
In the same year, the troops again returned to their former locality, and a new
fort was erected, under the direction of Capt. Hezekiah Bradley, then commander.
It stood upon the same ground as the former one, and remained until the summer
of 1856, when it was demolished to make room for the increasing amount of business.
The reoccupancy of the fort by the troops continued until May, 1823, after which
time it was occupied by the Indian agent, and used for the temporary accommoda-
tion of families of residents recently arrived. On the 10th of August, 1828, the fort
was again occupied by a company of volunteers, and afterward by two companies
of regular troops, under the command of Major Fowle and Captain Scott. These
last remained until May, 1831, when the fort was given in charge of George W.
Dole, as agent for the government.
On the breaking out of the Black Hawk war, in 1832, it was reoccupied by a
detachment under Gen. Scott, until the removal of the Indians, in 1836, and, until
near the time of its demolition, was held by the government for the occasional use
of its army officers, engineers and agents connected with the public works. From
1816 to 1830, Chicago had gained the number of twelve or fifteen houses, with a
population of less than one hundred. In 1818, the public square, where now
stands the court house, was a pond, on whose banks the Indians had trapped the
muskrat, and where the first settlers hunted ducks. This pond had an outlet in a
"slough," as it was then called, which passed over the present site of theTremont
House, entering the river at the end of State-street. Along the shores of the river
the wild onion was found in great abundance, to which the Indians gave the name
Chi kajo, and from which the city doubtless derived its name. In the autumn of
1829, the town of Chicago was laid out, which is the part now known on the maps
as the ''original town."
The site of Chicago is low, being but about five feet above the lake, but
sufficiently elevated to prevent inundation. " The general direction of the
lake shore here, is north and south. The water, except at the mouth of the
river, is shoal, and vessels missing the entrance ground, go to pieces in a
Btonn, within 100 rods of the shore. The harbor of Chicago is the river,
and nothing more. It is a short, deep, sluggish stream, creeping through
the black, fat mud of the prairie, and in some places would hardly be thought
worthy of a name; but it makes itself wonderfully useful here. Outside of
its mouth a vessel has no protection, nor are there any piers or wharves.
The mouth of the river has been docked and dredged out, to afford a more
easy entrance; but, after you are once in, it narrows to a mere canal, from
50 to 75 yards in width. The general course of the river, for about three
fourths of a mile, is at right angles with the lake shore, and this portion is
what is known as the, Chicago River. It here divides, or, more properly, two
brunches unite to form it, coming from opposite directions, and at nearly
202
ILLINOIS.
right angles to the main stream. These are called, respectively, the 'North
Branch ' and the ' South Branch,' and are each navigable for some four
miles, giving, in the aggregate, a river front of some 15 or 16 miles, capable
of being increased by canals and slips, some of which have already been con-
structed. Into the ' South Branch' comes ,the Illinois canal, extending from
this point 100 miles to Lasalle, on the Illinois River, forming water commu-
nication between the lakes and the Mississippi. For the want of a map,
take the letter H; call the upright column on the right hand the lake shore;
let the cross-bar represent Chicago River, the left hand column will stand
for the two branches, and you have a plan of the water lines of the city of
Chicago, which will answer very well for all purposes of general description.
The Court House, Chicago.
The view is from the north. The material is of blue lime stone, from Lockport, New York. On the left
is the Mechanic's Institute Hall.
The three divisions thus formed are called, respectively, ' North Side,'
'South Side,' ' West Side.' In this narrow, muddy river, lie the heart and
strength of Chicago. Dry this up, and Chicago would dry up with it, mean
and dirty as it looks. From the mouth of the St. Joseph River, in Michi-
gan, round to Milwaukie, in the state of Wisconsin, a distance, by the lake
shore, of more than 250 miles, Chicago is the only place where 20 vessels
can be loaded or unloaded, or find shelter in a storm. A glance at the map,
then, will show that it is the only accessible port and hence the commer-
cial center of a vast territory, measuring thousands of square miles of the
richest agricultural country in the world. On this fact, and not on the pres-
ent actual value, are really based those fabulous prices of corner lots and
wharf improvements, which have sometimes provoked the sneers of the
skeptic."
Chicago is regularly laid out with streets crossing at right angles, and ia
adorned with many magnificent buildings of brick and stone, public and
ILLINOIS. 203
private, comparing well with any city in this country or any other. The
shore of the lake and northern parts of the city, are occupied with the finest
af residences. Some of the most remarkable public buildings are, the Court
[louse, the Merchants Exchange, the Marine Hospital, the Medical College,
the Second Presbyterian Church, etc. Burch's and Wadsworth's blocks, on
Lake-street, are rows of iron front stores, that, in extent and beauty, have no
squal in any business houses in any city of Europe.
A very elegant building material has recently been brought into use. It
is found in great> abundance about 20 miles from the city, on the line of the
[llinois canal. " It is a compact lime-stone, of a pale yellow shade, some-
what lighter than the celebrated Caen stone of France, now so fashionable in
New York. The grain is so fine that the fracture, or cut surface, resembles
that of chalk in texture. It is durable, ie easily wrought, and the color is
peculiarly pleasing and grateful to the eye. There is another stone of simi-
tar texture, of the color of freshly fractured slate, or of the mark made on
i slate by a pencil; but it is not so beautiful as the kind before mentioned.
Et soils readily, and has, at a short distance, the effect of a dirty white.
Ihere are also other architectural stones in considerable abundance and va-
riety; but none of great beauty or importance have come under our ob-
servation. The Presbyterian Church on Wabash Avenue, is built of a blue,
bituminous lime-stone, the pitchy matter of which has exuded and run down
the sides, giving the building the appearance of having a partial coat of tar.
The general impression it produces, is that of great antiquity; and if this
idea could be preserved and harmonized by the early pointed gothic, and
a good growth of ivy, the effect would be very fine."
Until 1856, most of the streets of Chicago were planked, and the build-
ings then erected were generally without cellars. As a consequence, in the
spring of the year, the ground asserted its original character of swamp. The
planks actually floated, and as the heavy wagons passed along, the muddy
water gushed out on every side. Since 1856, such a grade has been estab-
lished, that when finished, will raise the entire city from two to five feet.
" There is, with almost every block of buildings, a change of grade, some-
times of one foot, sometimes of three feet, sometimes of five. These ascents
or descents are made by steps, or by short, steep, inclined planes of board?.,
with or without cleats or cross pieces, to prevent slipping, according to the
ftlncy of the adjoining proprietor who erects them. The profile of a Chicago
sidewalk would resemble the profile of the Erie canal, where the locks are
most plenty. It is one continual succession of ups and downs. The reason
of this diversity is, that it was found necessary, at an early period in the
history of the place, to raise the grade of the streets. It was afterward found
necessary to raise the "grade still higher, and again still higher as each
building is erected, its foundation and the sidewalk adjoining have been made
to correspond to the grade then last established, and so it will not happen
until the city is entirely rebuilt, that the proper grade will be uniformly at-
tained. In the mean time, the present state of things will repress undue
curiosity in the streets, and keep fire-engines off the sidewalks, which is a
great point gained."
The process of raising of the houses and stores, in Chicago, is one of great
interest, literally, a method of digging a great city out of the mud. "Build-
ings of brick, or stone, 150 feet by 200, and five stories high, are raised up
several feet by a system of screws, without a crack or the displacement of a
single thing. A hotel contracts to be lifted up. In a short time 2,000
19
204
ILLINOIS.
screws are under it, and little by little the house rises. Nothing is changed
within. The kitchen cooks, the dirining-roora eats, the bar drinks, and all
the rooms smoke, as if nothing was troinii: on! A block of stores and offices
Raising a Block of Buildings in Chicago.
The entire block on the north side of Lake-street, extending from Clark to La Salle-strect, having a front
of :-J2(t feet 18 shown in the. process of being raised up four feet and two thirds, by 6,000 screws placed un-
der it ; tnrjied, at signals, by a force of 600 men. Most of the stores aro 180 feet deep, and five days were
consumed in the task.
begins this new process of growth, an/I all the tenants maintain their usual
functions ; and, except the outrageous neaps of dirt and piles of lumber, every-
thing goes on as before. The plank into the door gets a little steeper every
day. But goods come in and go out, and customers haunt the usual
places."
The most remarkable feat of the kind occurred in Chicago, in the spring
of 1860, when an immense block was raised. This is shown in our engrav-
ing, and thus described in the Chicago Press and Tribune of the time, under
the caption of ''The Great Building Raising"
For the past week the marvel and the wonder of our citizens and visitors has
been the spectacle of a solid front of first class business blocks, comprising the en-
tire block on the north side of Lake-street, between Clark and La Salle-streets, a
length of 3l!0 feet, being raised about four feet by the almost resistless lifting force
of fi,000 screws.
The block comprises 13 first class stores, and a large double marble structure,
the Marine Hank Building. Its subdivisions are a five-story marble front block
ILLINOIS.
205
of three stores ; a second four-story block of throe stores, and a five-story block or
four stores, at the corner of Clark-street these all presenting an unbroken front,
in the heart of our city, and filled with occupants.
This absence from annoyance to the merchants and the public is due to the skill
with which the contractors have hung the sidewalks to the block itself, and carried
up the same with the rise of the building. The block has been raised four feet
eight inches, the required hight, in five days, ending with Friday last, and the ma-
sons are now busy putting in the permanent supports. The entire work will oc-
cupy about four weeks.
An estimate from a reliable source makes the entire weight thus raised to be
about 35,000 tuns. So carefully has it been done, that not a pane of glass has been
broken, nor a crack in masonry appeared. The internal order of the block has
prevailed undisturbed.
The process of raising, as indicated above, is by the screw, at 6,000 of which,
three inches in diameter and of three eighths thread, 600 men have been employed,
each man in charge of from eight to ten screws. A complete system of signals
was kept in operation, and by these the workmen passed, each through his series,
giving each screw a quarter turn, then returning to repeat the same. Five days'
labor saw the immense weight rise through four feet eight inches, to where it now
stands on temporary supports, rapidly being replaced by permanent foundations.
The work, as it stands, is worth going miles to see, and has drawn the admiration
of thousands within the past week.
The bridges of Chicago are among the curiosities of the place. The nu-
merous branches of the river require a large number of bridges. The river
being navigable, and but little below the level of the streets, compels all of
these to be made draw bridges. These are hung in the middle, and turn
South icest View of the Railroad Depot, Grain Houses, Chicago.
The Illinois Central Passenger, and DIP freight depot, etc., are seen in the central piirt. Sturgpg and
Buckingham 1 !! grain houses standing on the lake shore, appear on the right ; each of which will contain
7.1(1,01)0 bushels of grain ; enough, it is estimated, to feed the entire population of the city for live years;
225.000 bushels can be received and stored in each of them in a single day. ,
on a pivot, the motive power being two men standing there with a cross-bar.
The operation of turning a bridge, occupies about two minutes. While the
process is going on, a closely packed row of vehicles, sometimes, accumulates
of a quarter of a mile in length. Policemen are stationed at either end, to
prevent persons from driving, jumping, or being pushed into the water.
The manufacturing establishments of Chicago are numerous, consisting of
206 ILLINOIS.
iron foundries and machine shops, steam flouring, saw and planing mills,
manufactories of agricultural implements, etc. Numerous steamboats and
vessels ply between this place and Buffalo, and the various places on the
Upper Lakes, and a direct trade is had, by sailing vessels, with Europe,
via the lakes, Welland canal, River St. Lawrence, and the Atlantic Ocean.
The city is a great shipping point for an immense and fertile region. The
Illinois and Michigan canal is 60 feet wide at the top, six feet deep, and
107 miles long, including five miles of river navigation. Through this is
brought a large amount of produce from the south and south-west. This and
the railroads radiating from Chicago, add to the vast accumulation which is
shipped here for the Atlantic sea-board. Chicago is within a short distance
from extensive coal fields, and is the natural outlet for the produce of one of
the richest agricultural sections of the Union. Great quantities of lumber
are also brought here by l$ike navigation.
The imports of Chicago, in 1858, a year of general depression, were
691,000,000, and the exports $83,000,000 in value, equal to one quarter of
the whole foreign commerce of the United States. The tunnage was 67, 000
tuns, seven eighths of which was in sailing crafts, and the remainder by
steamers.
The grain trade of Chicago is, perhaps, the greatest of any place in the
world, averaging, at present, about 30,000,000 of bushels yearly. The grain
houses are all situated on the bank of the river and its branches, with rail-
road tracks running in the rear, so that a train of cars loaded with grain
may be standing opposite one end of a large elevating warehouse, being
emptied by elevators, at the rate of from 6 to 8,000 bushels per hour,
while at the other end the same grain may be running into a couple of pro-
pellers, and be on its way to Buffalo, Montreal, and other pUvces within
six or seven hours.
The Illinois Central Railroad grain warehouses can discharge 12 cars
loaded with grain, and also load two vessels at once, at the rate of 24,000
bushels per hour ; or receive from 24 cars at once, at the rate of 8,000 bush-
els per hour. With the present conveniences, it is estimated that in every
10 hours half a million of bushels of grain can be handled.
The university of Chicago, a well endowed institution, originated in
1854, in a generous donation from the Hon. Stephen A. Douglass of 10
acres, comprising part of a beautiful grove, adjacent to the southern limitg
of the city. It has. in all its departments, about 200 students. John C
Burroughs, D.D., is president.
The most thrilling event in the history of Illinois, was the " massacre at
Chicago," in the last war with Great Britain. There were then but five
houses outside of the fort, at this point, then the trading station of John
Kinzie, ''the Father of Chicago." The garrison numbered about 75 men,
many of them old and inefficient soldiers. The officers in command, were
Capt. Heald, Lieut. Helm, and Ensign B-onan, the latter a very young man,
high spirited and honorable.
On Aug. 7, 1812, Catfish, a distinguished Pottawatomie chief, arrived from
Detroit, bringing dispatches from Gen. Hull, giving orders to Capt. Heald
to evacuate the fort and distribute all the United States property, in the fort
and factory, to the Indians, and then retire to Fort Wayne, on the site of the
city of that name in Indiana.
ILLINOIS. 207
These ill timed, and as it proved afterward, fatal orders of Hull, were
obeyed, so far as to evacuate the fort; but even this was done by Heald, in
spite of the remonstrances of his officers, who were satisfied of the evil de-
signs of the Indians. On the 12th, a council was held with the Indians, at
which Capt. Heald informed them of his intention to distribute among them
the goods stored in the factory, together with the ammunition and provisions
of the garrison. On the next day the goods were disposed of as promised;
but fearing the Indians might make a bad use of liquor and ammunition,
Heald gave orders for their destruction. During the night the contents of the
liquor barrels were poured into the river, and the powder thrown into the
well. This coming to the knowledge of the Indians, exasperated them to a
high degree, as they prized these articles more than all the rest.
The 15th of August was the day fixed for leaving the post. The day pre-
vious, Capt. Wells, a relative of Capt. Heald, arrived with an escort of 15
friendly Miami Indians from Fort Wayne. He had heard of the orders for
the evacuation of the fort, and realizing the danger of the garrison incum-
bered with the women and children, marching through the territory of the
hostile Pottawatomies, hastened to dissuade his relative from leaving the
fort. But he arrived too late, steps had been taken, which made it as
equally dangerous to remain.
" The fatal morning of the 15th, at length arrived. All things were in readiness,
and nine o'clock was the hour named for starting. Mr. Kinzie had volunteered
to accompany the troops in their march, and had entrusted his family to the care
of some friendly Indians, who had promised to convey them in a boat around the
head of Lake Michigan to a point on the St Joseph's River; there to be joined by
the troops, should the prosecution of their march be permitted them. Early in
the morning Mr. Kinzie received a message from To pee-nee-bee, a chief of the
St. Joseph's band, informing him that mischief was inteuded by the Pottawatomies
who had engaged to escort the detachment; and urging him to relinquish his de-
sign of accompanying the troops by land, promising him that the boat containing
himself and family, sliould be permitted to pass in safety to St. Joseph's.
Mr. Kinzie declined, according to this proposal, as he believed that his presence
might operate as a restraint upon the fury of the savages, so warmly were the
greater part of them attached to himself and his family. The party in the boat
consisted of Mrs. Kinzie and her four younger children, their nurse Grutte, a
clerk of Mr. Kinzie's, two servants and the boatmen, beside the two Indians
who acted as their protectors. The boat started, but had scarcely reached the
mouth of the river, which, it will be recollected, was here half a mile below the
fort, when another messenger from To-pee-nee-bee arrived, to detain them where they
were. In breathless expectation sat the wife and mother. She was a woman of
uncommon energy and strength of character, yet her heart died within her as she
folded her arms around her helpless infants, and gazed upon the march of her hus-
band and eldest child to certain destruction.
As the troops left the fort, the band struck up the Dead March. On they came
in military array, but with solemn mien. Capt. Wells took the lead at the head
of hia little band of Miamis. He had blackened his face before leaving the garri-
son, in token of his impending fate. They took their route along the lake shore.
When they reached the point where commenced a range of sand hills, inter-
vening between the prairie and the beach, the escort of Pottawatomies, in num-
ber about 500, kept the level of the prairie, instead of continuing along the
beach with the Americans and Miamis. They had marched about half a mile
south ot the present site of the Hound House of the Illinois Central Railroad, when
Capt. Wells, who had kept somewhat in advance with his Miamis, came riding fu-
riously back. ' They are about to attack us,' shouted he ; ' form, instantly, and
charge upon them. 1 Scarcely were the words uttered, when a volley was showered
from among the sand hills. The troops were hastily brought into line, and
208 ILLINOIS.
charged up the bank. One man, a veteran of 70 winters, fell as they ascended.
The remainder of the scene is best described in the words of an eye-witness and
participator in the tragedy, Mrs. Helm, the wife of Capt. (then Lieutenant) Helm,
and step-daughter of Mr. Kinzie."
'' After we had left the bank, the firing became general. The Miamis fled at the
outset. Their chief rode up to the Pottawatomies and said: 'You have de-
ceived the Americans and us. You have done a bad action, and (brandishing
his tomahawk) I will be first to head a party of Americans to return and pun-
ish your treachery." So saying, he galloped after his companions, who were now
scouring across the prairies.
The troops behaved most gallantly. They were but a handful, but they seemed
resolved to sell their lives as dearly as possible. Our horses pranced and bounded,
and could hardly be restrained as the balls whistled among them. I drew off a
little, and gazed upon my husband and father, who were yet unharmed. I felt
that my hour was come, and endeavored to forget those I loved, and prepare my
self for my approaching fate.
"While I was thus engaged, the surgeon, Dr. Van Voorhees, came up. He was
badly wounded. His horse had been shot under him, and he had received a ball
in his leg. Every muscle of his face was quivering with the agony of terror. He
said to me 'Do you think they will take our lives? I am badly wounded, but I
think not mortally. Perhaps we might purchase our lives by promising them a
large reward. Do you think there is any chance ? '
" ' Dr. Van Voorhees,' said I, ' do not let us waste the few moments that yet re-
main to us, in such vain hopes. Our fate is inevitable. In a few moments we
must appear before the bar of God. Let us make what preparation is yet in our
power.
" ' Oh ! I can not die,' exclaimed he, 'I am not fit to die if I had but a short
time to prepare death is awful!' I pointed to Ensign Ronan, who, though mor-
tally wounded and nearly down, was still fighting, with desperation, on one
knee.
" 'Look at that man,' said T, 'at least he dies like a soldier.' 'Yes,' replied the
unfortunate man, with a convulsive gasp, ' but he has no terrors of the future he
is an unbeliever!'
" At this moment a young Indian raised his tomahawk at me. By springing
aside, I avoided the blow which was intended for my skull, but which alighted on
my shoulder. I siezed him around the neck, and while exerting my utmost efforts
to get possession of his scalping-knife, which hung in a scabbard over his breast,
I was dragged from his grasp by another and an older Indian. The latter bore
me, struggling and resisting, toward the lake. Notwithstanding the rapidity with
which I was hurried along, I recognized, as I passed them, the lifeless remains of
the unfortunate surgeon. Some murderous tomahawk had stretched him upon the
very spot where I had last seen him. 1 was immediately plunged into the water
and held there with a forcible hand, notwithstanding my resistance. I soon per-
ceived, however, that the object of my captor was not to drown me, for he held me
firmly, in such a position as to place my head above water. This reassured me,
and regarding him attentively, I soon recognized, in spite of the paint with which
he was disguised, The Black Partridge.
" When the firing had nearly subsided, my preserver bore me from the water
and conducted me up the sand-banks. It was a burning August morning, and
walking through the sand in my drenched condition, was inexpressibly painful
and fatiguing. I stooped and took off my shoes to free them from the sand,
with which they were nearly filled, when a squaw siezed and carried them off,
and I was obliged to proceed without them.
" When we had gained the prairie, I was met by my father, who told me that
my husband was safe but slightly wounded. They led me gently back toward the
Chicago River, along the southern bank of which was the Pottawatomie encamp-
ment. At one time I was placed upon a horse without a saddle, but finding the
motion insupportable, I sprang off. Supported partly by my kind conductor,
Black Partridge, and partly by another Indian, Pee-so-tum, who held dangling in
ILLINOIS. 209
his hand a scalp, which by the black ribbon around the queue, I recognized as
that of Capt. Wells, I dragged my fainting steps to one of the wigwams.
"The wife of Wau-bee-nee-inah, a chief from the Illinois Hiver, was standing
near, and seeing my exhausted condition she siezed a kettle, dipped up some water
from a stream that flowed near, threw into it some maple sugar, and stirring it up
with her hand gave it me to drink. This act of kindness, in the midst of so many
many horrors, touched me most sensibly, but my attention was soon diverted to
other objects.
"The fort had become a scene of plunder to such as remained after the troops
marched out. The cattle had been shot down as they ran at large, and lay dead
or dying around. This work of butchery had commenced just as we were leaving
the fort. I well remembered a remark of Ensign Ronan, as the firing went on.
'Such,' turning to me, 'is to be our fate to be shot down like brutes!' ' Well
sir,' said the commanding officer, who overheard him, 'are you afraid?' 'No,' re-
plied the high spirited young man, 'I can march up to the enemy where you dare
not show your face ; ' and his subsequent gallant behavior showed this to be ntr
idle boast.
" As the noise of the firing grew gradually less, and the stragglers from the vic-
torious party came dropping in, 1 received confirmation of what my father had
hurriedly communicated in our rencontre on the lake shore; namely, that the
whites had surrendered after the loss of about two thirds of their number.
They had stipulated, through the interpreter, Peresh Leclerc, for the preservation
of their lives, and those of the remaining women and children, and for their de-
livery at some of the British posts, unless ransomed by traders in the Indian coun-
try. It appears that the wounded prisoners were not considered as included
in the stipulation, and a horrible scene ensued upon their being brought into
camp.
"An old squaw, infuriated by the loss of friends, or excited by the sanguinary
scenes around her, seemed possessed by a demoniac ferocity. She siezed a stable
fork and assaulted one miserable victim, who lay groaning and writhing in the
agony of his wounds, aggravated by the scorching beams of the sun. With a deli-
cacy of feeling scarcely to have been expected under such circumstances, Wau-
bee-nee-mah stretched a mat across two poles, between me and this dreadful scene.
1 was thus spared, in some degree, a view of its horrors, although 1 could not en-
tirely close my ears to the cries of the sufferer. The following night five more of
the wounded prisoners were tomahawked.
" The Americans, after their first attack by the Indians, charged upon those who
had concealed themselves in a sort of ravine, intervening between the sand banks
and the prairie. The latter gathered themselves into a body, and after some hard
fighting, in which the number of whites had become reduced to 28, this little band
succeeded in breaking through the enemy, and gaining a rising ground, not far
from the Oak Woods. The contest now seemed hopeless, and Lieut. Helm sent
Peresh Leclerc, a half-breed boy in the service of Mr. Kinzie, who had accompa-
nied the detachment and fought manfully on their side, to propose terms of
capitulation. It was stipulated that the lives of all the survivors should be spared,
and a ransom permitted as soon as practicable.
" But, in the mean time, a horrible scene had been enacted. One young savage,
climbing into the baggage-wagon, containing the children of the white families,
12 in number, tomahawked the children of the entire group. This was during the
engagement near the sand hills. When Capt. Wells, who was fighting near, beheld 1
it, he exclaimed: 'Is that their game, butchering the women and children? Then
I will kill too !' So saying, he turned his horse's head, and started for the Indian
camp, near the fort, where had been left their squaws and children.
" Several Indians pursued him as he galloped along. He laid himself flat on the
neck of his horse, loading and firing in that position, as he would occasionally turn
on his pursurers. At length their balls took effect, killing his horse, and severely
wounding himself. At this moment he was met by Winnemeg and Wau-beii'See,
who endeavored to save him from the savages who had now overtaken him. Aa
they supported him along, after having disengaged him from his horse, he re- 1
ceivcd his death-blow from another Indian, Pee-so-tum, who stabbed him in the back.
14
0|0 ILLINOIS.
"The heroic resolution of one of the soldier's wives deserves to be recorded.
She was a Mrs. Corbin, and had, from the first, expressed the determination never
to fall into the hands of the savages, believing that their prisoners were always
subjected to tortures worse than death. When, therefore, a party came upon her,
to make her a prisoner, she fought with desperation, refusing to surrender, although
assured, by signs, of safety and kind treatment, and literally suffered herself to be
cut to pieces, rather than become their captive.
"There was a Sergeant Holt, who, early in the engagement, received a ball in
the neck. Finding himself badly wounded, he gave his sword to his wife, who was
on horseback near him, telling her to defend herself he then made for the lake,
to keep out of the way of the balls. Mrs. Holt rode a very fine horse, which the
Indians were desirous of possessing, and they therefore attacked her, in hopes of
dismounting her. They fought only with the butt-ends of their guns, for their ob-
ject was not to kill her. She hacked and hewed at their pieces as they were thrust
against her, now on this side, now on that. Finally, she broke loose from them,
and dashed out into the prairie. The Indians pursued her, shouting and laughing,
and now and then calling out: ' The brave woman ! do not hurt her ! ' At length
they overtook her again, and while she was engaged with two or three in front, one
succeeded in siezing her by the neck behind, and dragging her, although a large
and powerful woman, from her horse. Notwithstanding that their guns had been
so hacked and injured, and even themselves cut severely, they seemed to regard
her only with admiration. They took her to a trader on the Illinois River, by
whom she was restored to her friends, after having received every kindness during
her captivity."
"The heart of Capt. Wells was taken out, and cut into pieces, and distributed
among the tribes. His mutilated remains remained unburied until the next day,
when Billy Caldwell gathered up his head in one place, and mangled body in an-
other, and buried them in the sand. The family of Mr. Kinzie had been taken
from the boat to their home, by friendly Indians, and there strictly guarded. Very
soon a very hostile party of the Pottawatomie nation arrived from the Wabash, and
it required all the skill and bravery of Black Partridge, Wau-ben-see, Billy Gold-
well (who arrived at a critical moment), and other friendly Indians, to protect
them. Runners had been sent by the hostile chiefs to all the Indian villages, to
apprise them of the intended evacuation of the fort, and of their plan of at-
tacking the troops. In eager thirst to participate in such a scene of blood, but
arrived too late to participate in the massacre. They were infuriated at their
disappointment, and sought to glut their vengeance on the wounded and priso-
ners.
On the third day after the massacre, the family of Mr. Kinzie, with the attaches
of the establishment, under the care of Francois, a half-breed interpreter, were
taken to St. Joseph's in a boat, where they remained until the following No-
vember, under the protection of To-pee-nee-bee, and his band. They were then car-
ried to Detroit, under the escort of Chandonnai, and a friendly chief by the name
of Kee-po-tah, and, with their servants, delivered up, as prisoners of war, to the
British commanding officer. Of the other prisoners, Capt. Heald and Mrs. Heald
were sent across to the lake of St. Joseph's, the day after the battle. Capt. Heald had
received two wounds, and Mrs. Heald seven, the ball of one of which was cut from
her arm by Mr. Kinzie, with a pen-knife, after the engagement. Mrs. II. was
ransomed on the battle field, by Chandonnai, a half breed from St. Joseph's, for a
mule he had just taken, and the promise of ten bottles of whisky. Capt. Heald
was taken prisoner by an Indian from the Kankakee, who, seeing the wounded
and enfeebled state of Mrs. Heald, generously released his prisoner, that he
might accompany his wife.
Lieut. Helm was wounded in the action and taken prisoner ; and afterward
taken by some friendly Indians to the Au-sable, and from thence to St. Louis, and
liberated from captivity through the agency of the late Thomas Forsyth, Esq. Mrs.
Helm received a slight wound in the ankle; had her horse shot from under her;
and after passing through the agonizing scenes described, went with the family of
Mr. Kinzie to Detroit. The soldiers with their wives and children, were dispersed
among the different villages of the Pottowatomies, upon the Illinois, Wabash, Rock
ILLINOIS.
211
River and Milwaukie. The largest proportion were taken to Detroit, and ran-
somed the following spring. Some, however, remained in captivity another year,
and experienced more kindness than was expected from an enemy so mer-
ciless.
Captain (subsequently Major) Heald, his wife and family, settled in the coun-
ty of St. Charles, Mo., after the war, about 1817, where he died about 15 years
since. He was respected and beloved by his acquaintances. His health was im-
paired from the wounds he received."
Northwestern view of the State House, Springfield.
The engraving shows the appearance of the State Capitol, as seen from the Mayor's office, in Woshing-
ton-street. The Court House and the Bank building are seen on the left.
SPRINGFIELD, the capital of Illinois, is situated near the center of the
state, four miles S. from Sangamon River, on the border of a rich and beau-
tiful prairie, 97 miles from St. Louis, 75 N.E. from Alton, and 188 S.W.
from Chicago. It is laid out with great regularity on what was formerly an
open prairie, the streets being wide and straight, and ornamented with shade
trees. The state capitol stands on a square of three acres in the center of
the city, which is beautifully adorned with trees, shrubbery and flowers.
From the unusual attention given to the cultivation of shrubbery and flow-
ers, Springfield is sometimes fancifully and pleasantly termed the "Flower
City." It contains the governor's house, court house, 12 churches, 4 bank-
ing houses, the Illinois State University, and in 1860 6,499 inhabitants.
The first settlers of Springfield appear to have been several members of a family
by the name of Kelly, who, sometime during the year 1818 or 1819, settled, upon
the present site of the city; one of them, John Kelly, erected his rude cabin upon
the spot where stands the building known as the "Garrett House; " this was the
first habitation erected in the city, and, perhaps, also, in the county of Sangamon.
Another of the Kellys built his cabin westward of the first, and near the spot
where stands the residence of Mrs. Torrey; and the third near or upon the spot
where A. G. Herndon resides. A second family, by the name of Duggett, settled
in that portion of the western part of the city known by the early inhabitants as
"Newsonville," sometime in the early part of 1820; and some half dozen other
families were added to the new settlement during the year 1821.
212 ILLINOIS.
The original name of Springfield was Calhoun. At a special term of the county
commissioners' court, held in April, 1821, at Kelly's house, they designated a cer-
tain point in the prairie, near John Kelly's field, on the waters of Spring creek, as
a temporary seat of justice for the county, and that "said county seat should be
called and known by the name of Springfield." The first court house and jail
was built in the latter part of 1821, at the N.W. corner of Second and Jefferson-
streets. The town was surveyed and platted by James C. Stephenson, Esq., and
he is said to have received block 21 for his services. Town lots, at that period,
could not have been considered very valuable, as tradition says he proposed to give
Dr. Merryman one fourth of the block for his pointer dog to which he took a fancy,
and which offer was rejected. In 1823, Springfield did not contain more than a
dozen log cabins, which were scattered about in the vicinity of where the court
house then stood, and the Sangamon River was the boundary line of settlements
in the northern part of the state. The site of Springfield was originally an open
prairie, destitute of trees or shrubbery : where the state house now stands, was
formerly a kind of swamp, where, during the winter, the boys amused themselves
in skating.
The first tavern in Springfield was an old-fashioned two story log house, kept by
a person named Price, which stood where the residence of Charles Lorsh now
stands. The first tavern of much pretension was the old "Indian Queen Hotel."
built by A. G. Herndon. The first store, for the sale of dry goods, in Springfield,
was opened by Elijah lies, now occupied by John Hay.
In 1837, the seat of government for the state was removed from Vandalia to
Springfield, and the first session of the legislature here was in the winter of 1839-
40. The senate held its session in the old Methodist church, aiid the house of
representatives met in the second Presbyterian church. In 1840, Springfield re-
ceived a city charter. Benjamin S. Clement was elected the first mayor, and Jas.
R. Gray, Joseph Klein, Washington lies, and Wm. Prentiss, aldermen. The St.
Louis, Alton and Chicago Railroad was commenced in Aug., 1850, and was finished
from Alton to Springfield, Sept., 1852: from this period Springfield has rapidly ad-
vanced in wealth and population.
The following inscriptions are copied from monuments in the city ceme-
tery :
NINIAN EDWARDS, chief justice of Ky., 1808; governor 111. Territory, 1809 to 1818; U.
S. senator, 1818 to 1824 ; governor state of 111., 1826 to 1830 ; died July 20, 1833, in the 59th
year of his age.
PASCAL PAOLI ENOS, a native of Windsor, Conn., emigrated to the valley of the Missis-
sippi in 1816 ; with three others founded the city of Springfield in 1824, and died A.D.
1832, aged sixty-two. The pioneers acknowledge his virtues.
Erected by the Whigs of Springfield in memory of JOHN BRODIE, who departed this life
on the 3d of Aug., 1844, in the 42d year of his age. [Second monument.] The grave of
JOHN BRODIE, a native of Perth, Scotland, who departed this life on the 3d of Aug., 1844,
in the 42d year of his age.
Far from his native isle he lies,
Wrapped in the vestments of the grave.
[In the old graveyard.] Sacred to the memory of Rev. JACOB M. EARLY, a native of
Virginia, and for seven years a resident of Springfield, 111., combining in his character
splendid natural endowments, a highly cultivated mind, undaunted moral courage, and the
graces of the Christian religion. Eminent in the profession of his choice, and successful
in his ministry, he enjoyed a large share of the respect and affections of an extensive ftnd
respectable acquaintance. Though called suddenly from life, he met death with a calm
and amazing fortitude, in the certain hope of a blissful immortality, through our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. He was born Feb. 22, 1806, and died March 11, 1838, aged 32 yrs. 18
days.
ILLINOIS.
213
RESIDENCE OF Ar.'.-j. LINCOLN,
Springfield is noted as having been the home of Abraham Lincoln, president
of the United States. He is a descendant of the pioneers of Kentucky.
His grandfather removed from
Virginia at un early day, and
finally fell on the frontiers be-
neath the tomahawk of the sav-
age. His son, Thomas, and the
father of Abraham, traveled
about from neighborhood to
neighborhood, working as a la-
borer, until he finally settled in
what was then Hardin, now La-
rue county, Ky., and there, in
1809, was born the subject of this
sketch. When in his eighth
year, the family removed to
Spencer Co., Ind. When Abra-
ham was 21 years of age, they again emigrated to Macon, Illinois. Soon
after he engaged as a flat boatman on the Mississippi, then he took charge
of a store and a mill at New Salem, and on the outbreak of the Black Hawk
war he was chosen captain of a company of volunteers. In 1834 he was,
for the first time, elected to the legislature of Illinois, and soon after com-
menced the study of law. In 1837 he removed to Springfield and entered
upon his professional career. In 1840, and again in 1844, he was one of
the electors on the Whig ticket in Illinois; in 1846 was elected to congress
from the Springfield district. In 1858, he was brought prominently before
the public by his memorable senatorial contest with the distinguished Ste-
phen A. Douglass. This was the final point in his career which led to his
nomination and subsequent election, by the Republican party, to the Presi-
dency. His history illustrates the power of natural capacity, joined to in-
dustry, to overcome poverty and other obstacles in the way of obtaining an
education, in a country whose institutions give full freedom to the exercise
of all manly faculties.
KasJtaskia, a small village and the county seat of Randolph cou'nty, is on
Kaskaskia River, 10 miles above its confluence with the Mississippi, and on
a neck of land between them, two miles from the latter, and 142 miles
S. of Springfield. It has the distinction of being the oldest town in Illinois,
and, perhaps, in the whole western states. It was founded by Father Gravier,
a Catholic missionary, some where about the year 1693. It was, at first,
merely a missionary station inhabited by the natives. In 1763, when ceded
by the French to the English, it contained about 130 families. It was the
first capital of the territory, and retained that rank until 1818.
Judge Hall, in his " Sketches of the West," gives a pleasant picture of
the characteristics of the French settlers in this region. Says he:
They made no attempt to acquire land from the Indians, to organize a social sys-
tem, to introduce municipal regulations, or to establish military defenses ; but
cheerfully obeyed the priests and the king's officers, and enjoyed the present, with-
out troubling their heads about the future. They seem to have been even careless
as to the acquisition of property, and its transmission to their heirs. Finding
themselves in a fruitful country, abounding in game, where the necessaries of life
could be procured with little labor, where no restraints were imposed by govern-
ment, and neither tribute nor personal service was exacted, they were content to
live in unambitious peace, and comfortable poverty. They took possession of so
much of the vacant land around them as they were disposed to till, and no more.
214 ILLINOIS.
Their agriculture was rude; and even to this day, some of the implements of hus-
bandry and modes of cultivation, brought from France a century ago, remain un>
changed by the march of mind, or the hand of innovation. Their houses were
comfortable, and they reared fruits and flowers; evincing, in this respect, an at-
tention to comfort and luxury, which has not been practiced among the English or
American first settlers; but in the accumulation of property, and in all the essen-
tials of industry, they were indolent and improvident, rearing only the bare neces-
saries of life, and living from generation to generation without change or improve-
ment
The only new articles which the French adopted, in consequence of their change
of residence, were those connected with the fur trade. The few who were en-
gaged in merchandise turned their attention almost exclusively to the traffic with
the Indians, while a large number became hunters and boatmen. The voyageitrs,
engagees, and couriers des bois, as they are called, form a peculiar race of men.
They were active, sprightly, and remarkably expert in their vocation. With all
the vivacity of the French character, 'they have little of the intemperance and bru-
tal coarseness usually found among the boatmen and mariners. They are patient
under fatigue, and endure an astonishing degree of toil and exposure to the weather.
Accustomed to live in the open air, they pass through every extreme, and all the
sudden vicissitudes of climate, with little apparent inconvenience. Their boats
are managed with expertness, and even grace, and their toil enlivened by the song.
As hunters, they have roved over the whole of the wide plain of the west, to the
Rocky Mountains, sharing the hospitality of the Indians, abiding for long periods,
and even permanently, with the tribes, and sometimes seeking their alliance by
marriage. As boatmen, they navigate the birch canoe to the sources of the long-
est rivers, and pass from one river to another, by laboriously carrying the packages
of merchandise, and the boat itself, across mountains, or through swamps or woods,
so that no obstacle stops their progress. Like the Indian, they can live on game,
without condiment or bread ; like him they sleep in the open air, or plunge into
the water at any season, without injury.
The French had also a fort on the Ohio, about thirty-six miles jibove the junc-
tion of that river with the Mississippi, of which the Indians obtained possession
by a singular stratagem. This was just above the site of Metropolis City, and was
a mission station as early as 1711. A number of them appeared in the day time
on the opposite side of the river, each covered with a bear-skin, and walking on
all-fours, and imitating the motions of that animal. The French supposed them
to be bears, and a party crossed the river in pursuit of them. The remainder of
the troops left their quarters, and resorted to the bank of the river, in front of the
garrison, to observe the sport In the meantime, a large body of Indian warriors,
who were concealed in the woods near by, came silently up behind the fort, en-
tered it without opposition, and very few of the French escaped the carnage.
They afterward built another fort on the same ground, which they called Massacre,
in memory of this disastrous event, and which retained the name of Fort Massac,
after it passed into the hands of the American government
These paragraphs of Hall are quoted by Peck, in the "Western Annals,
and to them are appended these additional facts from his own pen:
The stylo of agriculture in all the French settlements was simple. Both the Spanish
and French governments, in forming settlements on the Mississippi, had special regard to
convenience of social intercourse, and protection from the Indians. All their settlements
were required to be in the form of villages or towns, and lots of a convenient size for a
door yard, garden and stable yard, were provided for each family. To each village were
granted two tracts of land at convenient distances for " common fields " and "commons.' 1 ''
A common field is a tract of land of several hundred acres, inclosed in common by the
villagers, each person furnishing his proportion of labor, and each family possessing indi-
vidual interest in a portion of the field, marked off and bounded from the rest. Ordinances
were made to regulate the repaiis of fences, the time of excluding cattle in the spring, and
the time of gathering the crop and opening the field for the range of cattle in the fall.
Each plat of ground in the common field was owned in fee simple by the person to whom
{.'ranted, subject to sale and conveyance, the same as any landed property.
A common is a tract of land granted to the town for wood and pasturage, in which each
ILLINOIS. 215
owner of a village lot has a common, but not an individual right. In some cases this
tract embraced several thousand acres.
By this arrangement, something like a community system existed in their intercourse.
If the head of a family was sick, met with a casualty, or was absent as an eiiyiyef, big
family sustained little inconvenience. His plat in the common field was cultivated by his
neighbors, and the crop gathered. A pleasant custom existed in these French villages not
thirty years since, and which had come down from the remotest period.
The husbandman on his return at evening from his daily toil, was always met by his
affectionate femme with the friendly kiss, and very commonly with one, perhaps two of the
youngest children, to receive the same salutation from le prre. This daily interview was
at the gate of the door yard, and in view of all the villagers. The simple-hearted people
were a happy and contented race. A few traits of these ancient characteristics remain,
but most of the descendants of the French are fully Americanized.
The romantic details of the conquest of Kaskaskia, in the war of the
devolution, by the Virginians, under Clark, we take from Monette :
The whole of the Illinois country being, at that time, within the chartered limits
of Virginia, Col. George Rogers Clark, an officer of extraordinary genius, who had
recently emigrated to Kentucky, with slight aid from the mother state, projected
and carried out a secret expedition for the reduction of these posts, the great
fountains of Indian massacre.
About the middle of June (1778), Clark, by extraordinary exertions, assembled
at the Falls of the Ohio six incomplete companies. From these he selected about
150 frontier men, and descended the Ohio in keel boats en rvitte for Kaskaskia;
on their way down they learned, by a messenger, of the alliance of France with
the United States. About forty miles from the mouth of the Ohio, having first
concealed their boats by sinking them in the river, they commenced their inarch
toward Kaskaskia. Their route was through a pathless wilderness, interspersed
with morasses, and almost impassable to any except backwoodsmen. After several
days of great fatigue and hardships, they arrived, unperceived, in the evening of
the 4th of July, in the vicinity of the town. In the dead of night Clark divided
his little force into two divisions. One division took possession of the town while
the inhabitants were asleep; with the other Clark in person crossed to the oppo-
site side of the Kaskaskia River, and secured possession of Fort Gage. So* little
apprehensive was he of danger, that the commandant, Rocheblave, had not even
posted a solitary sentinel, and that officer was awakened by the side of his wife to
find himself a prisoner of war.
The town, containing about 250 dwellings, was completely surrounded, and all
avenues of escape carefully guarded. The British had cunningly impressed the
French with a horror of Virginians, representing them, as bloodthirsty and cruel
in the extreme. Clark took measures, for ultimate good, to increase this feeling.
During the night the troops filled the air with war whoops; every house was en-
tered and the inhabitants disarmed; all intercourse between them was prohibited;
the people were ordered not to appear in the streets under the penalty of instant
death. The whole town was filled with terror, and the minds of the poor French-
men were agitated by the most horrid apprehensions. At last, when hope had
nearly vanished, a deputation, headed by Father Gibault, the village priest, ob-
tained permission to wait upon Col. Clark. Surprised as they had been, by the
sudden capture of their town, and by such an enemy as their imagination had
painted, they were still more so when admitted to his presence. Their clothes
were dirty and torn by the briars, and their whole aspect frightful and savage.
The priest, in a trembling, subdued tone, said to Clark:
" That the inhabitants expected to be separated, never to meet again on earth,
and they begged for permission, through him, to assemble once more in the church,
to take a final leave of each other." Clark, aware that they suspected him of hos-
tility to their religion, carelessly told them, that he had nothing to say against their
church; that religion was a matter which the Americans left everyone for him-
self to settle with his God; that the people might assemble in the church, if they
wished, but they must not leave the town. Some further conversation was at-
tempted, but Clark, in order that the alarm might be raised to its utmost hight,
repelled it with sternness, and told them at once that he had not leisure for further
216 ILLINOIS.
intercourse. The whole town immediately assembled at the church ; the old and
the young, the women and the children, and the houses were all deserted. The
people remained in church for a longtime after which the priest, accompanied hy
several gentlemen, waited upon Col. Clark, and expressed, in the name of the vil-
lage, " their thanks for the indulgence they had received." The deputation then
desired, at the request of the inhabitants, to address their conqueror on a subject
which was dearer to them than any other. " They were sensible," they said, " that
their present situation was the fate of war ; and they could submit to the loss of
property, but solicited that they might not be separated from their wives and chil-
dren, and that some clothes and provisions might be allowed for their future sup-
port." They assured Col. Clark, that their conduct had been influenced by the
.British commandants, whom they supposed they were bound to obey that they
were not certain that they understood the nature of the contest between Great
Britain and the colonies that their remote situation was unfavorable to accurate
information that some of their number had expressed themselves in favor of the
Americans, and others would have done so had they durst. Clark, having wound
up their terror to the highest pitch, resolved now to try the effect of that lenity,
which he had all along intended to grant. He therefore abruptly addressed them :
" Do you," said he, " mistake us for savages ? I am almost certain you do from
your language. Do you think that Americans intend to strip women and children,
or take the bread out of their mouths ? My countrymen disdain to make war upon
helpless innocence, it was to prevent the horrors of Indian butchery upon our
own wives and children, that we have taken up arms, and penetrated into this
stronghold of British and Indian barbarity, and not the despicable prospect of
plunder. That since the King of France had united his arms with those of Amer-
ica, the war, in all probability, would shortly cease. That the inhabitants of Kas-
kaskia, however, were at liberty to take which side they pleased, without danger
to themselves, their property, or their families. That all religions were regarded
by the Americans with equal respect; and that insult offered to theirs, would be
immediately punished. And now," continued he, " to prove my sincerity, you will
please inform your fellow-citizens that they are at liberty to go wherever they
please, without any apprehension. That he was now convinced they had been
misinformed, and prejudiced against the Americans, by British officers; and that
their friends in confinement should immediately be released." The joy of the vil-
lagers, on hearing the speech of Col. Clark, may be imagined. The contrast of
feeling among the people, on learning these generous and magnanimous intentions
of Col. Clark, verified his anticipations. The gloom which had overspread the
town was immediately dispersed. The bells rung a merry peal; the church was
at once filled, and thanks offered up to God for deliverance from the terrors they
had feared. Freedom to come and go, as they pleased, was immediately given ;
knowing that their reports would advance the success and glory of his arms.
So great an effect had this leniency of Clark upon them, that, on the evening of
the same day, a detachment, under CuptJ Howman, being detached to surprise Caho-
kia, the Kaskaskians offered to go with it, and secure the submission of their neigh-
bors. This having been accomplished, the two chief posts in Illinois had passed,
without bloodshed, from the possession of England into that of Virginia.
But St. Vincennes, upon the Wabash^ the most important post in the west, except
Detroit, still remained in possession of the enemy. Clark thereupon accepted the
offer of Father Gibault, Avho, in company with another Kaskaskian, proceeded on
a mission of peace to St. Vincennes, and by the 1st of August, returned with ^he
intelligence that the inhabitants of that post had taken the oath of allegiance to
the American cause.
Clark next established courts, garrisoned three conquered towns, commenced a
fort which proved the foundation of the flourishing city of Louisville, and sent the
ill-natured Kocheblave a prisoner to Virginia. In October, Virginia extended her
jurisdiction over the settlements of the Upper Mississippi and the Wsibash, by the
organization of the county of Illinois, the largest, at that time, in the world. Had
it not been for the conquest of the Illinois country by Clark, it would have re-
mained in the possession of England at the close of the Revolution, and continued,
like Canada, to the present day, an English province.
ILLINOIS. 217
Having reduced these English posts to submission, Clark opened negotia-
tions with the Indians, showing throughout that masterly insight into their
character that was ever so wonderfully displayed by him in dealing with men,
white or red. Among the incidents of his diplomacy is this one, given by
Mr. Peck :
A party of Indians, known as Meadow Indians, had come to attend the council with
thcii neighbors. These, by some means, were induced to attempt the murder of the in-
vaders, and tried to obtain an opportunity to commit the crime proposed, by surprising
Clark and his officers in their quarters. In this plan they failed, and their purpose was dis-
covered by the sagacity of the French in attendance; when this was done, Clark gave
them to the French to deal with as they pleased, but with a hint that some of the leaders
would be as well in irons. Thus fettered and foiled, the chiefs were brought daily to the
council house, where he whom they proposed to kill, was engaged in. forming friendly re-
lations with their red brethren. At length, when, by these means, the futility of their pro-
ject had been sufficiently impressed upon them, the American commander ordered their
irons to be struck off, and in his quiet way, full of scorn, said,
" Every body thinks you ought to die for your treachery upon my life, amidst the sacred
deliberations of a council. I had determined to inflict death upon you for your base at-
tempt, and you yourselves must be sensible that you have justly forfeited your lives; but
on considering the meanness of watching a bear and catching him asleep, I have found out
that you are not warriors, only old. women, and loo mean to be killed by the Big Knife. But,'*
continued he, " as you ought to be punished for putting on breech cloths like men, they
shall be taken away from you, plenty of provisions shall be given for your journey home,
as women don't know how to hunt, and during your stay you shall be treated in every respect
as squaws."
These few cutting words concluded, the colonel turned away to converse with others.
The children of the prairie, who had looked for anger, not contempt punishment, not
freedom were unaccountably stirred by this treatment. They took counsel together, and
presently a chief came forward with a belt and pipe of peace, which, with proper words,
he laid upon the table. The interpreter stood ready to translate the words of friendship,
but, with curling lip, the American said he did not wish to hear them, and lifting a sword
which lay before him, he shattered the offered pipe, with the cutting expression that "he
did not treat with women." The bewildered and overwhelmed -Meadow Indians next asked
the intercession of other red men, already admitted to friendship, but the only reply was,
"The Biy Knife has made no war upon these people; they are of a kind that we shoot like wolves
when we meet them in the woods, lest they eat the deer."
All this wrought more and more upon the offending tribe; again they took counsel, and
then two young men came forward, and, covering their heads with their blankets, sat
down before the impenetrable commander; then two chiefs arose, and stated that these
young warriors offered their lives as an atonement for the misdoings of their relatives,
again they presented the pipe of peace. Silence reigned in the assembly, while the fate
of the proffered victims hung in suspense: all watched the countenance of the American
leader, who could scarce master the emotion which the incident excited. Still all sat
noiseless, nothing heard but the deep breathing of those whose lives thus hung by a thread.
Presently, he upon whom all depended, arose, and, approaching the young men, he bade
them be uncovered and stand up. They sprang to their feet.
" I am glad to find," said Clark, warmly," that there are men among all nations. With
you, who alone are fit to be chiefs of your tribe, I am willing to treat; through you I am
ready to grant peace to your brothers; / take you by the hands as chiefs, worthy of being
such."
Here again the fearless generosity, and the generous fearlessness of Clark, proved per-
fectly successful, and while the tribe in question became the allies of America, the fame
of the occurrence, which spread far and wide through the north-west, made the name of
the white negotiator every where respected.
JACKSONVILLE, the capital of Morgan county, is on the line of the Great
Western Railroad, 34 miles W. from Springfield, and 222 from Chicago. It
is beautifully situated in the midst of an undulating and fertile prairie, in
the vicinity of Mauvaisterre creek, an affluent of Illinois River. Perhaps
no place of its size contains a greater number of churches, charitable insti-
tutions, seminaries of learning, and the town has been denominated " the
school-house of Illinois." It contains the Illinois College, which occupies
218 ILLINOIS.
a beautiful situation, and is one of the best and most flourishing in the state ;
the Illinois Conference Female College, under the patronage of the Methodists,
having had at one time 400 pupils ; the Berean College, under the patronage of
the Christian denomination; and the Jacksonville Female Seminary. The
North-eastern view of Illinois College, Jacksonville.
The Illinois College building is seen in the central part. The structure on the right was tir
merly used as a chapel, library, etc.; that on the left is a wing remaining of the former College buiU
ing.
state institutions are the Insane Asylum, the Deaf and Dumb Institution,
and the Institution for the Blind. These state asylums are situated rela-
tively on three sides of a quadrangle around the town, each about a mile
from the center. All of the buildings for these institutions, together with
those for literary purposes, are of the first order, and some of them make an
imposing appearance. The state asylums are supported by the state tax,
and all citizens of the state are entitled to their benefits without charge.
One of the first originators of the Illinois College was the late Rev. John M.
Ellis, who was sent by the American Home Missionary Society, to the infant set-
tlements of this state. He early conceived the idea of founding a seminary de-
voted to the purposes of education, on a somewhat peculiar plan. The first attempt
was at Shoal creek, in Bond county, where the people took quite an interest in
the undertaking. A committee was afterward appointed by the Presbytery of
Missouri (with which the Presbyterian churches of this state were then connected),
to consider the subject and make a report. A tour in connection with this subject
was taken by Messrs. Ellis and Lippincott, in Jan., 1828. Having visited several
places, Saturday night overtook them on the south side of Sandy creek, some four
or five miles south from Jacksonville.
Mr. Ellis, in order to fulfill his appointment to preach, continued his journey on
Sunday morning. "It was a bright splendid morning. The winter rain had
covered every twig and blade of prairie grass with ice, and as the rising sun threw
his clear rays athwart the plain, myriads of gems sparkled with living light, and
Diamond Grove might almost have been fancied a vast crystal chandelier." The
name of Diamond Grove was considerably more ancient than the name or exist-
ence of Jacksonville, and was used as a designation of the region around it.
The most convenient place for the people, at that time, to assemble on that Sab-
bath, was at the house of Judge Leeper, which was about a mile south-east from
,the public square, in the immediate vicinity of the woodland, which borders OB
ILLINOIS. 219
the Mauvaisterre creek, and nearly east of the spot where the Insane Hospital now
stands. He was one of the first members of the Presbyterian Church in Jackson-
ville. The principal sites which attracted the notice of the commissioners when
here, was the spot now known as the mound and the site on which the college
stands.
Mr. Ellis removed his residence from Kaskaskia to Jacksonville, in 1828, and
the same year made a report to the society respecting the seminary. About this
period seven members of the theological department of Yale College, Conn., see-
ing the report of Mr. Ellis, pledged themselves to devote their lives to the cause of
Christianity in the distant and then wild state of Illinois. The names of these
young men were, Theoron M. Grosvenor, Theoron Baldwin, J. M. Sturtevant (now
president of the college), J. T. Brooks, Elisha Jenney, William Kirby and Asa
Turner. The following is extracted from President Sturtevant's Historical Dis-
course, delivered in Jacksonville on the Quarter Century Celebration at Illinois
College, July 11, 1855, being relative to his first visit to Jacksonville:
"It was on a bright Sabbath morning, the 15th day of November, a little after
sunrise, that we came in sight of Jacksonville. 1't was already called, in the ordi-
nary speech of the people, a beautiful place. I had often heard it called so my-
self; and beautiful it was, when the bright face of spring was again spread over
it, though its beauty was God's work, and not man's. It was at that time little
better than a group of log cabins. The prairie was in the sombre brown of autumn,
with scarce a tree or shrub to relieve the monotony. To the north-west, however,
the view was shut in by an elevation, which a New Englander might almost recog-
nize as a hill. It was crowned with a natural grove. Against the front of the
grove was already projected an edifice of brick, which, at that distance, and on
such an elevation, made an appearance of considerable dignity and magnificence.
The site on which it stood charmed every beholder. It was the south half of what
is now our college buildings, then in process of erection. We were most cordially
welcomed at the humble, but none the less hospitable, dwelling of Mr. Ellis. * *
Our arrival was expected, and preaching was appointed. At the proper hour
we repaired to the place of worship. AVhat would our people say now, if we were
to invite them to assemble in such a place for public worship? It was a log school
house, some 20 feet square, with a floor of split logs, and seats, so far as there were
any of the same, with holes bored in them, and sticks driven in for legs. The
chimney was of the style and structure most approved for log-cabins, built out of
doors, of logs and sticks, and occupying near half of one side of the room. Such
was its condition the first time 1 met the congregation in that place. Before the
next Sabbath, the chimney had either fallen down or been removed, in prepara-
tion for an arrangement for warming the house by a stove. For two or three Sab-
baths we met there, before this vast opening in one side was again closed up. Desk
or pulpit there was none, an awkward circumstance to one just from the school of
theology, with no faith in the possibility of preaching without a manuscript before
him. Yet, on that day, this was the unlucky predicament of your speaker. On
the first Sabbath the audience was small, and a chair was set for the preacher in
one corner of the room. On the second Sabbath the house was crowded. The
chair was missing. The deficiency of seats had been supplied by bringing in rails
from a neighboring fence, and laying them across from one seat to another, and
thus covering over the whole area with 'sittings.' Those who could not thus be
accommodated, crowded around the ample opening where the chimney had been,
and heard standing in the open air. There was a state of democratic equality in
the congregation, which would have done good to the heart of a thorough-going
leveler. The preacher found a seat, where he could, among the congregation ;
laid his Bible and hymn book on the rail by his side, and rose in his place and ad-
dressed the congregation as best he might.
When the day appointed arrived, we repaired to the still unfinished edifice, then
a full mile distant from Jacksonville, where we found the room which has ever
since been used as a chapel, finished, lacking the desk, the lathing and plastering,
and for the most part the seating. The rest of the building was in a still more un-
finished condition. Of course its impression was far enough from inviting. Nine
pupils presented themselves on that day. They were Alvin M. Dixon, James P.
20 ILLINOIS.
Stewart, from Bond county, Merril Rattan and Hampton Rattan, from Greene
county, Samuel R. Simms, Chatham H. Simms, Rollin Mears, Charles B. Barton,
and a youth by the name of Miller, of Morgan county. They were all to begin
their studies in the first rudiments, for it is not known that there was, at that time,
in the state, a single youth fitted for the freshman class in an American college.
The pupils were called together, a portion of scripture was read, a few remarks
were made on the magnitude of the errand which had brought us there."
The* first printing office in Jacksonville, was set up by James G. Edwards, of
Boston, who afterward removed to Burlington, Iowa. He was the printer and edi-
tor of the " Western Observer." His printing office is the building in the rear
of that of Dr. Mavo McLean Reed, a native of South Windsor, Connecticut. Dr.
Reed emigrated to Jacksonville in 1830, from South Windsor, with Mr. Elihu
Wolcott and his family. Mr. W. traveled with his own team from Connecticut,
and arrived here on the 5th of November, having been six weeks on the
journey.
About 1,000 Portuguese emigrants reside in Jacksonville and its immediate vi-
cinity, being sent here by a society in New York. They are from the Island of
Maderia, and were brought to embrace the Protestant faith, through the instru-
mentality of Dr. Kally, a Scotchman who went to reside in Maderia for the health
of his wife. They have a minister named De Mattoes, who preaches in their na-
tive language. They are an industrious and frugal people: most of them have
houses of their own, with from two to ten acres of land: a few have 30 or 40 acres.
They have additions, occasionally, from their native country.
The following inscriptions are from monuments in Jacksonville; the first
from the graveyard in the vicinity of the colleges; the others, in the city
graveyard. Col. Hardin (the inscription on whose monument is given below)
was much esteemed, and represented this district in congress, from 1843 to
1845. Being at the head of the Illinois' militia, he was requested, by the
governor of the state, to take the command of a regiment of Illinois volun-
teers. He at first declined, not fully approving of the Mexican War. But
being over-persuaded, and desirous of obtaining the approbation of all classes
of his fellow-citizens, he finally consented. Tearing himself from his wife
and children, he embarked, with his regiment, for Mexico; but as in many
other like instances, it proved with him, that
" The paths of Glory lead but to the Grave."
In the battle of Buena Vista, Col.- Hardin having obtained permission to
march upon the enemy at a certain point, was suddenly attacked by an over-
whelming force of Mexicans concealed in a ravine, when he fell pierced with
many wounds. His remains were found among the slain, brought home and
interred with military honors.
ALEXANDKR DUNLOP, born May 6th, A.D. 1791, in Fayette Co., Kentucky. Died Nov. 10,
A.D. 1853. Alex. Dunlop volunteered as a private soldier in the war with England in 1812,
and was taken prisoner at Dudley's defeat, May 7, 1813. Commanded a company during
the Seminolo War, also the detachment that captured St. Marks, April 7, 1818, making
prisoners, Arbuthnot and Ambrister. Was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Illinois,
1S4:{. Was commissioned Major of the U. S. Army 1816, and was present at the fall of Vera
C:uz, March 28, 1847.
Pro patria, COL. JOHN J. HARDIN, of the 1st Reg. of 111. volunteers, gloriously fell in the
battle of Buena Vista, Feb. 23, 1847. Born in Frankfort, Ky., on the 6th day of January,
1810. Died on the field of battle in the 37th year of his age.
WILLIAM E. PIKRSOK died Sept. 30, 1854, on the eve of his departure to the Cherokee Na-
tion, being under appointment as missionary teacher by the A. B. C. F. M., aged 24. lie
rests in hope.
ILLINOIS.
221
BLOOMINGTON, beautifully situated on the line of the Illinois Central
Railroad, is 61 miles N. E. from Springfield, and 128 S. W. from Chicago.
It is regularly laid out on an undulating surface, giving a fine prospect of
the fertile prairie lands in the vicinity. The city is generally very neatly
North View in Bloomington.
Showing the appearance t>f the central part of the place, as it is entered from tho north; the now Bap-
tist Church, and the Shaffer and Landon Houses, with a portion of the old Court House, are seen on the
right of the engraving ; the 2d Presbyterian and tho Methodist Churches on the left.
built, having the appearance of thrift and prosperity, and some of the build-
ings near the public square, are magnificent in their appearance. This place
contains the State Normal University, the Illinois Wesleyan University, two
female seminaries, several banks, 11 churches, various, manufacturing estab-
lishments, and a population of about 8,000.
The first settler and father of the town, was John Allin, a native of North Caro-
lina;, who was raised in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, he having lived, in the early
period of his life in each of those states. He was at first attracted to this spot by
the extreme beauty of the groves. Being acquainted with the geography of the
country, he found it was on a direct line from the foot of the rapids of the
Illinois, near La Salle to Cairo, also from Chicago to Alton and St. Louis. These
considerations induced him to locate himself on this point, believing it was des-
tined to become one of importance. It was fora period called Blooming Grove,
and from this circumstance Mr. Allin gave it its present name. This section of
country appears to have been a favorite spot with the Indians. Mr. A. states that
he had seen the signs or remains of 30 Indian villages, within a compass of 30
miles around Bloomington. At the time of his arrival, two tribes, the Kiekapoos
and Delawares, lived within some 15 or 20 miles. The Kickapoos were 5 or 600;
the IJelawares were about half that number. The Kickapoos left in 1832.
Mr. Allin came in 1829, and erected his log cabin on the edge of the timber op-
posite where* the First Presbyterian Church now stands, and he set out most of the
trees growing in that vicinity. He brought a quantity of goods with him, which
he kept in a part of his cabin, and opened the first store in Bloomington. Samuel
Durley, a young man born in Kentucky, then nearly of age, acted as clerk. Rev.
James Latta, the second settler, built his habitation about 20 rods west from Mr.
Allin 's; he was a Methodist preacher, universally esteemed by all classes. Mr.
222
ILLINOIS.
Allin found him living in a cabin about four miles south-west of Bloomington, on
Sugar creek, and induced him to remove. M. L. Covel, and Col. A. Gridley,
merchants from the state of New York, were also prominent men among the first
settlers.
The first school house was built in 1830. It was constructed of logs, and stood
on the edge of the timber, about 20 rods west of Mr. Allin^s house. This was the
first public building opened for religious meetings. The first seminary was opened
by Rev. .Lemuel Foster, in 1836; he lived, preached, and kept school in the same
building. Mr. Foster was originally from New England, and was the first Presby-
terian minister, if we except a Mr. McGhor or Gear, who was of feeble constitution,
and died very soon after his arrival in the place. The first regular physician was
John Anderson, of Kentucky. Henry Miller, from Ohio, kept the first house of en-
tertainment: it was a log house a few rods from Mr. Allin 's.
South-eastern vieic (>f I'euria.
Showing the appearance of the central part of the city, as it is entered from the eastern sidy of the Illi-
nois River, by the Itailroad and the Peoria bridge. 1'art of the Railroad bridge is seen on the extreme
left; the steamboat landing on the right. Tho draw or swing of the bridge is represented open for the
passage of steamboats.
McLean county, named from Judge McLean, of Ohio, was formed in 1831. At
this period there were but 30 or 40 families living within the present limits of the
county. Mr. Allin donated the site of the town plot for the county seat. The
first court house was a small framed building, which stood on the present public
square. Mr. Allin was chosen the first senator from the county in 183f>, and con-
tinued in the office for four years. Jesse W. Fell, distinguished for his enterpri/e
and public spirit, edited and published the BLOOMINGTOX OBSERVER, the first
newspaper printed in the place. It was printed in a small building on West street,
Ion;: since removed. The construction of the Central Kailroud with the grants
of lands by congress on the route, gave an important impulse to the prosperity of
tin? town.
PEORIA is situated on the right or west bank of Illinois River* at the out-
let of Peoria Lake, 70 miles north from Springfield, 193 from the mouth of
the Illinois, and 151 south-west of Chicago. It is the most populous town
on the river, and one of the most important and commercial in the state. The
river is navigable for steamboats in all stages of water, and is the channel of
ILLINOIS. 223
an immense trade in grain, lumber, pork, etc. It has a regulai commu-
nication with St. Louis by steamboats, and with Chicago by means of the
Illinois and Michigan canal, and by railroads to places in every direction.
The city is handsomely situated on an elevation above the flood, and slopes
gradually to the river, rendering drainage laws unnecessary, and the grading
of the streets an easy task. The streets are all 100 feet wide. Back of the
town is a range of bluffs, from 60 to 100 feet high, commanding, from their
summits, a most extensive and beautiful prospect. It has numerous steam
mills, distilleries, manufactories, etc. It contains 28 churches, and about
16,000 inhabitants.
Peoria derived its name from the Peorias, one of the five tribes known as the
Ulini, or Minneway nation. In the autumn of 1679, La Salle and his co-voyagers,
from Canada, sailed for this region of country, by way of the lakes to Chicago,
where he established a fort. Leaving a few men for a garrison, he set out with
his canoes, nine in number, with three or four men in each, about the 1st of
December, for the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, by ascending St. Joseph River,
Michigan, and across the portage to Kan-ka-kee, a main branch of the Illinois
River, and then down the river to Peoria Among La Salle's companions, were
M. de Tonti, who acted as historian.
M. de Tonti, in his account of this voyage, says : " The same day (January 4,
1680), we went through a lake formed by the river, about seven leagues long and
one broad. The savages call that place Pimitceuii, that is, in their tongue, ' a place
where there is abundance of fat beasts.' After passing through this [Peoria] lake,
they came again to the channel of the river, and found themselves between two
Indian encampments. This was where the bridges are now built On perceiving
the strangers, the Indians fled; but some were bold enough to return, when one
of their chiefs came and inquired who they were, and what were their objects.
They were answered by the interpreter, that they were French, and that their ob-
ject was to make known to them the God "of Heaven; to offer them the protec-
tion of the King of France, and to trade with them. This was well received,
and the calumet, or pipe of peace, was smoked by each party as a token of
peace and friendship. A great feast was held, which lasted for several days,
attended with dancing, on the part of the natives, and firing of guns and other
demonstrations of joy on the part of the French.
M. La Salle erected a fort on the south-eastern bank of the Illinois, which he
named Creve-coeur [Bursted heart], on account of the grief he felt for the loss of
one of his chief trading barks richly laden, and for the mutiny and villainous con-
duct of some of his companions who first attempted to poison and then desert him.
This fort is supposed to have stood on land owned by Mr. Wren, some two or
three miles eastward of Peoria. The exact date of the first permanent settlement
in Illinois, can not now be ascertained, unless this fort or trading post of Creve-
coeur be regarded the first, and there is no evidence that this remained a perma-
nent station.
After the conquest of Canada, the Illinois country fell into the possession of Great
Britain. In 1766, the "Quebec Bill" passed the British parliament, which placed
Illinois and the North-western Territory under the local administration of Canada.
The conquest of the North-western Territory, by Col. George Rogers Clark, in 1778,
was the next event of importance. It was brought under the jurisdiction of
Virginia, and the country of Illinois was organized. In the year 1796, Peoria
was described as "an Indian village, composed of pseudo savages," made of the
native tribe of "Peoriaca Indians," and ''Canadian French," a few Indian traders
and hunters. In Dec., 1812, a Capt. Craig was sent here by Gov. Edwards, to
chastise the disorderly Indians and their allies, if any of them might be found at
this little French village. Capt. Craig found a pretext for burning this French
town, which had been laid out by them, embracing about one half of the 1st ward
of the present city, the center of this village being at or about the entrance
of the bridge across the Illinois River. Capt. Craig excused himself for this
act, by accusi.ij; the Froqch of being in league with the Indians, and by alleging
224 ILLINOIS.
that his boats were fired upon from the town, while lying at anchor before it.
This the French inhabitants denied, and charged Craig with unprovoked cruelty.
This place was then called "La ville Mailleit" from its founder, Hypolite
Mailleit, who moved here in 1778, and commenced the building of this ville.
In 1830, John Hamlin and John Sharp built the first flouring mill ever erected
in this part of the state, on the Kickapoo, or Red Bud creek, about three miles W.
of Peoria. The next was erected in Oct., 1837, by Judge Hale and John Easton,
about four miles from the city. In the spring of 1834, the only building W. of
the corner of Main and Washington-streets was a barn ; the entire town then con-
sisted of but seven framed houses, and about thrice that number of log tenements
-but during this season about forty houses and stores were erected. About this
time, the old jail, standing on the alley between Monroe and Perry-streets, was
built, a hewn log building, only 16 feet square and 14 high ; the lower story formed
for a cell, entered by a trap door from the second story, which was used for a com-
mon prison. The court house was a log building on the bank, in which the jurors
slept at night on their blankets on the floor. The courts being usually held in warm
weather, after the grand jurors received their charge, in court time, the grand
jury sat under the shade of a crab apple tree, and the petit jury in a potato hole
(that had been partially filled up) in the vicinity. The venerable Isaac Waters
was clerk of the court. His office and dwelling were in a small log cabin, where
now stands Toby & Anderson's plow factory. J. L. Bogardus, the postmaster, kept
his office in a log cabin near Sweney & Ham's steam mill.
Peoria was incorporated as a town in 1831, and as a city in 1844. The first city
officers were Hon. Wm. Hale, mayor ; Peter Sweat, Chester Hamlin, Clark Cleave-
land, Harvey Lightner, J. L. Knowlton, John Hamlin, Charles Kettelle, and A. P.
Bartlett, as aldermen. The Peoria bridge, across the Illinois River, with its abut-
ments, is 2,600 feet long, was finished in 1849, and cost of about $33,000. In 1818
the first canal boat arrived from Lake Michigan. The first steamboat that arrived
at Peoria was the "Liberty," in the month of December, 1829. The first news-
paper was the " Illinois Champion," published by A. S. Buxton and Henry Wol-
ford, March 10, 1834. The first daily paper was called the "Daily Register," pub-
lished by Picket & Wdodcock; the first number was issued June 28, 1848.
The Methodist Episcopal church, the first formed in the place, was organized in
Aug., 1834, by Rev. Zadock Hall, of the Chicago circuit, Dr. Heath, of St.' Louis,
and Rev. John St. Clair, of Ottawa. Their meetings, at first, were held in the old
court house. The first church edifice, the Main-street Presbyterian church, was
erected April, 1836. The church, consisting of eight members, was organized
in Dec., 1834, by Rev Romulus Barnes and Rev. Flavel Bascom. St. Jude's church
(Episcopal) was organized here in 1834; St. Paul's church building was erected in
Sept., 1850. The Baptist church was constituted in Aug., 1836. The Second
Presbyterian church was organized Oct., 1840.
The following sketch of a campaign against the Indians, at Peoria and
vicinity, in the war of 1812, is from Peck's edition of Perkins' Annals:
During the campaign in the summer and autumn of 1813, all the companies of
rangers, from Illinois and Missouri, were under the command of Gen. Howard.
Large parties of hostile Indians were known to have collected about Peoria, and
scouting parties traversed the district between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers,
then an entire wilderness.
It was from these marauding parties that the frontier settlements of Illinois and
Missouri, were harassed. It became an object of no small importance, to pene-
trate the country over which they ranged, and establish a fort at Peoria, and thus
drive them to the northern wilderness. Our authorities for the incidents of the
campaign, are a long letter from the honorable John Reynolds, who was a non-com-
missioned officer in a company of spies, and the ' Missouri Gazette,' of November
6th. The rendezvous for the Illinois regiment was 'Camp Russell,' two miles
north of Kdwardsville. The whole party, when collected, made up of the rangers,
volunteers and militia, amounted to about 1,400 men, under the command of Gen.
ILLINOIS 225
Howard. Robert Wash, Esq., and Dr. Walker, of St. Louis, were of his staff.
Colonels Benjamin Stephenson, then of Randolph county, Illinois, and Alexan-
der McNair, of St Louis, commanded the regiments. W. B. Whiteside and John
Moredock, of Illinois, were majors in the second regiment, and William Christy
and Nathan Boone, filled the same office in the first, or Missouri regiment. A Maj.
Desha, a United States officer from Tennessee, was in the army, but what post
he occupied we do not learn. Col. E. B. Clemson, of the United States Army,
was inspector. Gov. Reynolds states, there were some United States rangers from
Kentucky, and a company from Vincennes. We have no means of ascertaining
the names of all the subaltern officers. We know that Samuel Whiteside, Joseph
Phillips, Nathaniel Journey and Samuel Judy, were captains in the Illinois
companies.
The Illinois regiment lay encamped on the Piasau, opposite Portage de Sioux,
waiting for more troops, for three or four weeks. They then commenced the
march, and swam their horses over the Illinois River, about two miles above the
mouth. On the high ground in Calhoun county, they had a skirmish with a party
of Indians. The Missouri troops, with Gen. Howard, crossed the Mississippi from
Fort Mason, and formed a junction with the Illinois troop. The baggage and men
were transported in canoes, and the horses swam the river.
The army marched for a number of days along the Mississippi bottom. On
or near the site of Quincy, was a large Sac village, and an encampment, that must
have contained a thousand warriors. It appeared to have been deserted but a
short period.
The -army continued its march near the Mississippi, some distance above the
Lower Rapids, and then struck across the prairies for the Illinois River, which
they reached below the mouth of Spoon River, and marched to Peoria village.
Here was a small stockade, commanded by Col. Nicholas of the United Statee
Army. Two days previous the Indians had made an attack on the fort, and wers
repulsed. The army, on its march from the Mississippi to the Illinois River, found
numerous fresh trails, all passing northward, which indicated that the savages were
fleeing in that direction. ,
Next morning the general marched his troops to the Senatchwine, a short dis-
tance above the head of Peoria Lake, where was an old Indian village, called
Gomo's village. Here they found the enemy had taken water and ascended the Illi-
nois. This, and two other villages, were burnt. Finding no enemy to fight, the army
was marched back to Peoria, to assist the regular troops in building Fort Clark, so
denominated in memory of the old hero of 1778; and Maj. Christy, with a party,
was ordered to ascend the river with two keel boats, duly armed and protected, to
the foot of tlie rapids, and break up any Indian establishments that might be in
that quarter. Maj. Boone, with a detachment, was dispatched to scour the coun-
try on Spoon River, in the direction of Rock River.
The rangers and militia passed to the east side of the Illinois, cut timber, which
they hauled on truck wheels by drag ropes to the lake, and rafted it across. The
fort was erected by the regular troops under Capt Phillips. In preparing the
timber, the rangers and militia were engaged about two weeks.
Maj. Christy and the boats returned from the rapids without any discovery, ex-
cept additional proofs of the alarm and fright of the enemy, and Maj. Boone re-
turned with his force with the same observations.
It was the plan of Gen. Howard to return by a tour through the Rock River
valley, but the cold weather set in unusually early. By the middle of October it
was intensely cold, the troops had no clothing for a winter campaign, and their
horses would, in all probability, fail ; the Indians had evidently fled a long distance
in the interior, so that, all things considered, he resolved to return the direct route
to Camp Russell, where the militia and volunteers were disbanded on the 22d of
October Supplies of provisions, and munitions of war had been sent to Peoria, in
boats, which had reached there a few days previous to the army.
It may seem to those, who delight in tales of fighting and bloodshed, that this
expedition was a very insignificant affair. Very few Indians were killed, very
little fighting done, but one or two of the army were lost, and yet, as a means of
protecting the frontier settlements of these territories, it was most efficient, and
15
220
ILLINOIS.
gave at least six months quiet to the people. After this, Indians shook their heads
and said, ' White men like the leaves in the forest like the grass in the prairies
they grow everywhere.' :|
Distant view of Quincy, from the south.
The engraving shows the appearance of Quincy. when first seen on approaching it from the south by the
Mississippi. Thayer's Alcohol Factory and Comstook &, Oo 's Iron Foundry are seen on the right: the
Central Mill and Grain Depot on the left; between these two points is a range of limestone quarries. Just
above the Central Mill is the steam and ferry boat landing; also mills, stores, shops, etc. The city is par-
tially seen on the bluff.
QUINCY, the county seat of Adams county and a poj t of entry, is situated
on a beautiful elevation, about 125 feet above the Mississippi, and commands
a fine view for five or six miles in each direction. It is 109 miles from
Springfield, 268 miles from Chicago, by railroad, and 160 above St. Louis.
It contains' a large public square, a court house, many beautiful public and
private 'edifices, several banks, a number of extensive flouring and other
mills, and manufactories of various kinds, with iron founderies, machine
shops, etc. Flour is exported to a great extent, and large quantities of pro-
visions are packed. The bluffs in front of the city may be considered as one
vast limestone quarry, from which building stone of a hard and durable
quality can be taken and transported to any section of the country, by steam-
boat and railroad facilities immediately at hand. Five newspapers are printed
here, three daily and two in the German language, one of which is daily.
Population about 16,000.
The "Quincy English and German Male and Female Seminary," an in-
corporated and recently established institution, is designed for a male and
female college of the highest grade, for which a large und elegant building
is already constructed. The streets cross at right angles, those running N.
and S. bear the name of the states of the Union. The present bounds of
the city extend two and a half miles each way. The river at the landing is
one mile wide. Running along and under the N.W. front of the city, lies a
beautiful bay, formerly called " Boston Bay," from the circumstance of a
ILLINOIS. 227
Bostonian having once navigated his craft up this bay, mistaking it for the
main channel of the river.
Quincy was originally selected as a town site by John Wood, of the state of New
York ; for several years he was mayor of this city and lieutenant governor of the
state. Mr. Wood built his cabin (18 by 20 feet) in Dec., 1822, without nails or
sawed lumber. This building, the first in the place, stood near the foot of Dela-
ware-street, about 15 rods E. of Thayer's alcohol factory. At this time there were
only three white inhabitants within the present county of Adams, and these were
obliged to go to Atlas, 40 miles distant, to a horse mill for corn meal, their princi-
pal breadstuff. In Nov., 1825, the county court ordered a survey and plat of the
town to be made, and the lots to be advertised for sale. Henry H. Snow, the clerk,
and afterward judge, laid off 230 lots, 99 by 108 feet, reserving a public square in
the center of the town. It received its name, Quincy, on the day that John Quincy
Adams was inaugurated president of the United States.
On the present site of Quincy once stood an old Sac village. At the time the
town was surveyed, it was covered with forest trees and hazel bushes, excepting
about two acres of prairie ground where the public square was laid out. In the
trees in the vicinity of the place, balls were found which had been shot into them
fifty or more years before. A few years since an iron ring and staple were found
sixty feet below the earth's surface. In the mounds in and about the city are
found Indian bones and armor of ancient date.
John Wood, from the state of New York; Henry H. Snow, from New Hamp-
shire; Willard Keyes, from Vermont; Jeremiah Rose and Rufus Brown, from.
New York; and Ashur Anderson, from Pennsylvania, may be considered as prom-
inent men among the first settlers. Drs. J. N. Ralston, from Kentucky, and b. W.
Rogers, from New York, were the first physicians in the order of time. The first
house of worship in the place, was erected by the First Congregationalist Society,
in 1833 and '34: Rev. Asa Turner, from Massachusetts, was the first minister. The
building is now used as a carriage shop, on Fourth-street, and ^stands on the spot
where it was first erected. The first school was taught, in 1827, by Mr. Mendall,
in a log school house, which stood on a lot fronting Hampshire-street, between
Second and Third-streets. The first court house and jail was built of logs, and
was nearly on the spot where the present court house is situated. C. M. Wood,
from New York, was the first printer; he printed the first paper, the "Illinois
Bounty Land Register," in 1835, since merged into the Quincy Herald. The first
ferry was established by Willard Keyes. The first store was opened, in 1826, by
Ashur Anderson, who opened his stock, valued at $1,000, in Brown's log tavern.
In 1828, Robert Tillson and Charles Holmes established themselves as merchants
in a log cabin on the north side of the square, in what was later known as the
old " Land Office Hotel." Afterward, they erected for their accommodation the
first framed building in the town. It still remains, and has long been known as
the old " Post Office Corner."
"Without access to market, or to mill, the first settlers of Quincy built their houses
without nails, brick, or mortar, the principal utensils used being the axe and the auger.
The necessaries of life were scarcely attainable, to say nothing of the luxuries. In the
cultivation of their land, viz.: 30 acres of corn (without fence) they were obliged to go 30
miles to have their plows sharpened. One man would swing a plowshare on eacli side of
an Indian pony, pile on such other articles of iron as needed repairs, lay in a stock of pro-
visions, mount and set out."
The number of inhabitants during the first year increased to sixteen; from 1825 to 1835,
they increased to five hundred; during all which time they continued to import their bacon
and flour. As late as 1832, when the Black Hawk war broke out, the Indians, principally
of the Sac and Fox tribes, were very numerous, the shores of the river being frequently
covered with their wigwams, both above and below the town. Coming in from their hunt-
ing excursions, they brought large quantities of feathers, deer-skins, moccasins, beeswax,
honey, maple sugar, grass floor mats, venison, muskrat and coon-skins.
ALTON is on the E. bank of the Mississippi, 25 miles N. from St. Louis,
3 miles above the mouth of the Missouri River, 20 below the mouth of the
Illinois, and 75 miles S.W. of Springfield. The site of the city is quite un-
228
ILLINOIS.
even and broken, with high and stony bluffs, and in front of it the Missis-
sippi runs almost a due course from east to west. The city contains a splen-
did city hall, 10 churches, and a cathedral in its interior superior to anything
of the kind in the western states. Five newspapers are published here. As*
North-western view of Alton.
The view is from Prospect-street, taken by Mr. Roeder, and designed by him for a large engraving. On
the left of the picture is the Railroad Depot, above which is the Methodist church. On the right is the Pen-
itpntiary and Steamboat landing. In the central part appear the Unitarian, Episcopal, Baptist, and Pres-
byterian churches, and the City Hall. On the right, in the distance, is seen the Missouri shore of the
Mississippi, also the mouth of the Missouri River, at its entrance into the " Father of Waters."
a manufacturing point, Alton has hardly an equal on the Mississippi River,
and the city is now in a flourishing condition, having at hand limestone for
building purposes, mines of bituminous coal, beds of the finest clay for brick
and earthen ware, with railroad and steamboat communication to every point.
The state penitentiary was located here in 1827. Population 1860, 6,333.
Upper Alton is located on the high rolling timber land, in the rear of Al-
ton city, two miles from the Mississippi, and'has a population of upward of
2,000. The manufacturing business is considerable, particularly cooper-
ing, potters' ware, etc. The town was laid out, in 1817, by J. Meacham,
from Vermont; several additions have been since made. Shurtleff College,
named from Dr. Shurtlaff, of Boston, is in the limits of the town, and is a
flourishing institution under the charge of the Baptist denomination.
The Mon'.icello Female Seminary, four miles from Alton, founded by Capt.
Benjamin Godfrey, was the first female seminary built in Illinois, and is of
high reputation. This institution was opened for pupils in 1838. Rev.
Theoron Baldwin had the charge of the first scholars. Capt. Godfrey, its
founder, was a sea captain, and has been long distinguished for his public
spirit, and the sacrifices which he has made for the public good.
The first resident in Alton appears to have been John Bates, a blacksmith, from
ILLINOIS. 2'2 9
Tennessee. He located himself at the head of the American bottom lands in Lower
Alton, where he cultivated a small farm, about half a mile below the steamboat
landing in Alton. A man in his emploj T was killed by the Indians while plowing
on this farm. The first settlers who located in Upper Alton, about two miles back
from the river, came in from 1808 to 1812, and were principally from Kentucky and
Tennessee. They lived in block-houses for protection. This place is called Hun-
ter's town on section 13, and is now within the city limits. Col. Rufus Easton,
delegate from Missouri, located Alton proper on section 14. He sold a large por-
tion of Lower Alton to Maj. C. W. Hunter, in 1818, together with several other
tracts adjoining, which Maj. H. afterward laid out as an addition, and are now with-
in the city limits.
Maj. Charles W. Hunter was a native of Waterford, N. Y., a son of Robert Hun-
ter, of Pennsylvania, a favorite officer under Gen. Wayne, who led the forlorn hope
at the storming of Stony Point, in the Revolution, and also accompanied him after-
ward in the Indian war at the west. Mr. Hunter, in the war of 1812, served as
mnjor in the 35th Reg. U. S. infantry. At the close of the war he resigned his
commission and went to St. Louis, where he engaged in merchandise and the In-
dian trade. After his purchase from Col. Easton, he removed his family here, in
1819, and built the first framed house in Alton (now standing), and opened in it
the first regular store in the place. He brought his goods here in a barge, which
he had used in the New Orleans trade.
The Methodist itinerating preachers appear to have been the first in the order of
time who visited Alton; they preached in the school house in Upper Alton, and in
private houses. The first Presbyterian church (of stone) was erected by Capt.
Godfrey, of the firm of Godfrey, Gilman & Co. Mr. Joseph Meacham, who laid
out Upper Alton, was a surveyor from New England. It was laid out on an ex-
tensive scale, and lots and blocks were reserved for the support of a free school.
The proceeds were accordingly reserved for this purpose, and Alton is entitled to
the honor of establishing the first public free school in Illinois. The first teacher
was Deacon Henry H. Snow, of New Hampshire. Mr. S. has since removed to
Quincy, in which place he has held many public offices.
Up to 1827, the " town of Alton " made but very little progress. Upper Alton
completely overshadowed it. The location of the penitentiary here gave quite an
impulse to the place. In 1831, the Alton Mtinufacturing Company built the large
steam flouring mill, on the river bank, in front of the penitentiary. In 1832, O.
M. Adams and Edward Breath started the "Weekly Spectator." In 1836, the Al-
ton and Springfield road was surveyed by Prof. Mitchell, of Cincinnati. In 1836,
Tread^way and Parks commenced the publication of the " Weekly Alton Tele-
graph." In the spring of this year, Rev. E. P. Lovejoy commenced the publica-
tion of a weekly religious newspaper, called the "Alton Observer." The ''Alton
Presbytery Reporter " was started in 1845, also the "Courier" newspaper, etc.,
office, several splendid founderies and machine shops, two German newspapers, and
the "Alton National Democrat." The city of Alton was incorporated in 1837.
Alton is the place where Elijah P. Lovejoy, in 1837, fell while defending
his press from an attack by a mob. His remains were interred in the Alton
cemetery, a beautiful spot donated by Maj. C. W. Hunter to the city. The
Anti-Slavery Society of Illinois are taking steps for the erection of a monu-
ment from 75 to 100 feet high, which, if constructed, will be a most conspicu-
ous object, for a great distance, for all who are passing up or down the Mis-
sissippi and Missouri Rivers.
Rev. E. P. Lovejoy was born Nov. 9, 1802, at Albion, Kennebec county, Maine,
then a part of Massachusetts. He was educated at Waterville College, Me., where
he graduated with the highest honors of his class. In the latter part of 1827, he
went to St. Louis, where he immediately engaged in teaching a school. He after-
ward entered the Theological Seminary at Princeton, to prepare himself for the
ministry. He returned to St. Louis, and, at the request of his friends, was induced
to become the editor of a religious weekly newspaper, and accordingly, on the 22d
of Nov., 1833, the first number of the " St. Louis Observer " was issued. In July,
230 ILLINOIS
1836, on account of the strong anti-slavery sentiments advocated in the paper, it
became quite unpopular in St. Louis, and, taking the advice of his friends, he re-
moved it to Alton.
After the removal of the Observer office to Alton, its course on the abolition of
slavery gave much offense to a portion of the inhabitants. A meeting was called,
Mr. Lovejoy's course was denounced, and on the night of the 21st of August, 1837,
". party of some 15 or 20 men broke into the Observer office, and destroyed the
press and printing materials. Another press was procured, and stored in the
warehouse of Messrs. Godfrey, Oilman & Co., standing on the wharf at Alton.
Threats having been given that this press would also be destroyed, Mr. Lovcjoy
and some of his friends assembled to defend their property. On the night of IS or.
7, 1837, a mob, at first consisting of about 30 individuals, armed, some with stones
and some with guns and pistols, formed themselves in a line by the warehouse.
Mr. Oilman, one of the 'owners of the building, then asked them "what they
wanted?" To which they replied, ".the press." Mr. G. replied, that, being au-
thorized by the mayor, they would defend their property at the hazard of life.
The mob commenced throwing stones, dashing in several windows, and then fired
two or three guns into the building. The fire was then returned from within, two
or three guns discharged upon the rioters, one, by the name of Bishop, was mor-
tally wounded, and several others injured. This, for a while, checked the mob,
but they soon returned with increased numbers and violence. They raised ladders
on the warehouse, and kindled a fire on the roof Mr. Lovejoy and some of the
inmates of the building stepped to the door, and while looking around just with-
out the threshold, some one, concealed behind a pile of lumber, fired a double bar-
reled gun, when Mr. Lovejoy was struck with five balls, and expired in a few mo-
ments.
The following is the principal part of a communication upon this riot, given by
the mayor of Alton to the public, dated Nov. 6, 1837 :
For several days past it had been announced and generally believed, that a printing press
was hourly expected to be landed at our wharf. It had also been a current rumor that this
press -ras intended for the re-estnblishment of the "Alton Observer." The circulation of
these rumors produced no small degree of excitement, among those who had taken a de-
cided stand against the abolition sentiments that were understood to have been disseminat-
ed through the columns of the "Observer." Various reports of a threatening character,
against the landing of the press, were in circulation, which led the friends of the Observer
and its editor to make preparations to defend the press, in case any violence should be of-
fered by those opposed to the publication of that paper. On Tuesday, about 5 o'clock in
the morning, I was called from my lodgings and informed that the press had arrived at the
wharf, and that my official interference was desired. I immediately repaired to the wharf,
and remained there until the press was landed and stored in the warehouse of Messrs. God-
frey, Oilman & Co. There were no indications of violence or resistance on the part of
any at that time. The arrival of the " abolition press " (as it was called) was generally
known in the early part of that day, wnich served to rekindle the excitement. Represen-
tation was made to the common council of the threatening reports which were in circula-
tion. The common council did not, however, deem it necessary to take any action on the
subject. Gentlemen directly interested in protecting the press from mob violence, deemed
it expedient to guard the warehouse with men and arms, in readiness to resist violence,
should any be offered. During the early part of the night of Tuesday, it was reported
through the city, that there were from 30 to 40 armed men on guard within the warehouse.
At 10 o'clock at night, 20 or 30 persons appeared at the south end of the warehouse, and
gave some indications of an attack. Mr. W. S. Gilnian, from the third story of the ware-
house, addressed those without, and urged them to desist, and at the same time informed
them that the persons in the warehouse were prepared, and should endeavor to protect their
property, and that serious consequences might ensue. Those without demanded the press,
anil said they would not be satisfied until it was destroyed; said they did not wish to in-
jure any person, or other property, but insisted on having the press. To which Mr. G. re-
ulied that the press could not be given up. The persons outside then repaired to the north
\-rid of the building, and attacked the building by throwing stones, etc., and continued their
violence for 15 or 2) minutes, when a gun was fired from one of the windows of the ware-
house, ari*d a man named Lyman Bishop was mortally wounded. He was carried to a sur-
geon's office, and then the mob withdrew and dispersed with the exception of a small num-
ber. Upon the first indication of disturbance, I called on the civil officers most conveni-
ent, and repaired with all dispatch to the scene of action. By this time the firing from
ILLINOIS 231
the warehouse, and the consequent death of one of their number (Bishop died soon after
he received the shot), had greatly increased the excitement, and added to the numbers of
the mob. Owing to the late hour of the night, but few citizens were present at the onset,
except those engaged in the contest. Consequently the civil authorities could do but little
toward dispersing tl.e mob except by persuasion. A -large number of people soon collected
around me. I was requested to go to the warehouse, and state to those within that those
outside had resolved to destroy the press, and that they would not desist until they h id
accomplished their object; that all would retire until I should return, which request was
made by acclamation, and all soon retired to wait my return.
I was replied to by those within the warehouse that they had assembled there to pro-
tect their property against lawless violence, and that they were determined to do so. The
mob began again to assemble with increased numbers, and with guns and weapons of dif-
ferent kinds. I addressed the multitude, and commanded them to desist and disperse, to
which they listened attentively and respectfully, to no purpose a rush was now made to
the warehouse, with the cry of " fire the house," " burn them out," etc. The firing soon
became fearful and dangerous between the contending parties so much so, that the farther
interposition on the part of the civil authorities and citizens was believed altogether inad-
equate, and hazardous in the extreme no means were at my control, or that of any other
officer present, by which the mob could be dispersed, and the loss of life and the shedding
of blood prevented. Scenes of the most daring recklessness and infuriated madness fol-
lowed in quick succession. The building was surrounded and the inmates threatened with
extermination and death in the most frightful form imaginable 'Every means of escape
by flight was cut off. The scene now became one of most appalling and heart-rending in-
terest! Fifteen or twenty citizens, among whom were some of our most worthy and en-
terprising, were apparently doomed to an unenviable and inevitable death, if the flames
continued.
About the time the fire was communicated to the building, Rev. E. P. Lovejoy (late
editor of the Observer), received four balls in his breast, near the door of the warehouse,
and fell a corpse in a few seconds; two others from the warehouse were wounded. Sev-
eral persons engaged in the attack were severely wounded; the wounds, however, are not
considered dangerous. The contest had been raging for an hour or more, when the per-
sons in the warehouse, by some means, the exact manner it was done I have not been able
to ascertain, intimated that they would abandon the house and the press, provided that
they were permitted to depart unmolested. The doors were then thrown open, and those
within retreated down Front street. Several guns were fired upon them while retreating,
and one individual had a narrow escape a ball passed through his coat near his shoulder.
A large number of persons now rushed into the warehouse, threw the press upon the
wharf, where it was broken in pieces and thrown into the river. The fire in the roof of
the warehouse was extinguished by a spectator, who deserves great praise for his cour-
ageous interference, and but little damage was done by it to the building. No disposition
seemed to be manifested to destroy any other property in the warehouse. Without farther
attempts at violence the mob now dispersed, and no farther open indications of disorder or
violence have been manifested.
The foregoing is stated on what I consider undoubted authority, and mostly from my
own personal knowledge. JOHN M. KRUM, Mayor.
CAIRO is a small town at the south-western extremity of Illinois, at the
junction of the Ohio with the Mississippi Rivers, 175 miles below St. Louis.
It is also at the southern termination of the famous Illinois Central Rail-
road, 454 miles distant by the main line of this road to Dunleith, its north-
western termination on the Mississippi, and 365 miles distant from Chicago
by the Chicago branch of the same.
Cairo, from a very early day, was supposed, from its natural site at the
junction of the two great rivers of the west, to be a point where an immense
city would eventually arise, hence it has attracted unusual attention from
enterprising capitalists as a point promising rich returns for investments in
its soil. As soon as Illinois was erected into a state, in 1818, the legislature
incorporated " the Bank of Cairo," which was connected with the project of
building a city at this point. Since then two or more successive companies
have been formed for this object; one of which has now the enterprise so
far advanced that they entertain sanguine calculations of accomplishing the
end so long sought amid great discouragements.
232
ILLINOIS.
A primary obstacle to the success of the scheme is in the natural situation
of the surface. For many miles in every direction the country is a low, rich
bottom, and as the river here, in seasons of high water, rises fifty feet, the
whole region becomes covered with water. To reme*dy this, an earthen
dyke, or levee, some four
miles in circuit, has been
built around the town, at,
it is said, a cost of nearly
a million of dollars. This
is shown by the map.
From this levee projects
an embankment like the
handle of a dipper the
levee itself around the
town answering for the
rim on which is laid
the line of the Illinois
Central Railroad.
The annexed view shows
at one glance, parts of
three states Illinois,
Missouri and Kentucky.
It was taken on top of the
levee, within a few hun-
dred feet of the extreme
south-western point of Il-
linois, which is seen in the
distance. The temporary
depot of the Central Railroad and the St. Charles' Hotel appear in front. On
the right is shown part of the town plat (some eight feet below the top of the
levee), the bank of the
levee between the specta-
tor and the Mississippi
River, before its junction
with the Ohio, and the
Missouri shore. On the
left appears the Kentucky
shore, and point where the
Ohio, '-the beautiful river,"
pours itself into the bosom
of the Mississippi, "the
great father of waters," as
he stretches himself south-
ward in his majestic course
to the ocean. The best
buildings in Cairo are of
brick, mainly stores, and
are on the levee. The levee
itself resembles an ordina-
ry railroad embankment,
and is about 50 feet broad on the surface. The town plat within the levee is
regularly laid out, and a system of underground drainage adopted. The appear-
MAP OF CAIRO AND ITS VICINITY.
\
LEVBS AT CAIRO.
Junction of the Ohio and Mississippi.
ILLINOIS.
233
ance of the spot is like that of any ordinary river bottom of the west the
surface level, with here and there left a forest tree, which, shooting upward
its tall, slender form, shows, by its luxuriant foliage, the rich nature of the
soil. The houses within the levee are mainly of wood, one and two stories
in hight, and painted white. They are somewhat scattered, and the general
aspect of the spot is like that of a newly settled western village, just after
the log cabin era has vanished.
Rochford. the capital of Winnebago county, is beautifully situated at the
rapids of Rock River, on the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad, 92 miles
westerly from Chicago. Steamers can come to this place. Great manufac-
turing facilities are afforded by the immense water power here. Population
I860; "5,281.
Galesburg is in Knox county, 168 miles south-westerly from Chicago, at
the junction of the Chicago and Burlington, Northern Cross, and Peoria
and Oquawka Railroads. It is a fine town, and noted as a place of educa-
tion; Knox College, Knox College for females, and Lombard University are
situated here. Population about 6,000.
Freeport is on a branch of Rock River, at the junction of the Illinois Cen-
tral with the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad, 120 miles from Chicago.
It is quite a manufacturing place, and is one of the largest grain depots in
northern Illinois. Population about 5,000.
South-eastern vieio of Galena, from near the Swing Bridge.
The Steamboat landing is seen in tho central part. The Railroad Depot and the Seminary on an eleva-
tion in the distance, appear on the right. The Draw or Swing Bridge is represented open, parts of which
are seen on the right and left.
GALENA, a flourishing city, and capital of Joe Daviess county, is situated
on Fevre River, 6 miles from its entrance into the Mississippi, 1651 above
New Orleans, 450 above St. Louis, 160 W.N.W. from Chicago, and 250 N.
by W. from Springfield. The city is built principally on the western side
of Fevre or Galena River, an arm of the Mississippi, and its site is a steep
acclivity, except for a few rods along the river. The streets rise one above
234 ILLINOIS.
another, the different tiers connecting by flights of steps. The town is well
paved and the houses are. built of brick. The numerous hills overlooking
the city are thickly studded with the mansions of the wealthy merchant or
thrifty miner. Population 1860, 8,196.
Galena is a French word, signifying " lead mine." Galena was formerly
called Fevre River, the French word for wild lean, which grew here in great
abundance. The city was first settled in 1826, and was then an outpost in
the wilderness, about 300 miles from the settlements. The first settlement
was begun at Old Town. Col. John Shaw, from the interior of New York,
traversed this region from 1809 to 1812, extending his journeys to a point
westward of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. He was engaged as a spy
in this section in the war of 1812, and on one occasion it is said that he outrun
three Indians in a chase of nine miles. When he first came to Galena, he
found the Indians smelting lead on the town plat. Col. S. was the first one
who carried lead to St. Louis for a regular price ; this was soon after the
close of the war of 1812. He also, it is said, built the first flouring mill in
.Wisconsin, four miles above Prairie du Chien. The first pine lumber sawed
in that state was in his mill on Black River.
Andrew C. and Moses Swan, of Pennsylvania, came to Galena in the fall
of 1827, by the way of Green Bay and Wisconsin River: one of them kept
the first regular tavern. It stood ou a site opposite the De Soto House.
One of the early visitors at Galena was Ebenezer Brigham, who journeyed
from Worcester, Mass., to St. Louis in 1818: the Upper Mississippi country
was, at that period almost unknown. Beyond the narrative of PIKE'S Ex-
pedition, and the vague report of hunters, boatmen, and a few lead diggers
about Dubuque, the public possessed but little reliable information. In
1820, Mr. Brigham followed up the river to Galena. This place then con-
sisted of one log cabin, and a second one commenced, which he assisted in
ompleting. The first church erected was by the Presbyterians. The
Miner's Journal" was started here in 1828, by Mr. Jones, who died of the
cholera in 1832. The " Galena North-Western Gazette," was first issued in
1833, by Mr. H. H. Houghton, from Vermont. It was printed in a log
house at the old town, about three fourths of a mile from the levee,. The
first brick building here is said to have been erected by Capt. D. S. Harris, a
native of New York. Capt. H. is also said to have constructed the first
steamboat on the Upper Mississippi. It was built in 1838, and called the
"Joe Daviess," in honor of Col. Joe Daviess, who fell at the battle of Tip-
pecanoe.
Galena is on the meridian of Boston, and is considered one of the most
healthy locations in the United States. It is the most commodious harbor
for steamboats on the Upper Mississippi, and a great amount of tunnage
is owned here. Galena owes its growth and importance mainly to the
rich mines of lead, with which it is surrounded in every direction. Con-
siderable quantities of copper are found in connection with the lead. About
40,000,000 Ibs. of lead, valued at $1,600,000 have been shipped from this
place during one season. It is estimated that the lead mines, in this vicinity,
are capable of producing 150,000,000 Ibs. annually, for ages to come. Mine-
ral from some 8 or 10 places, or localities, in Wisconsin, is brought to Ga-
lena, and shipped for New Orleans and other markets. Since the comple-
tion of the Illinois Central Railroad, a small portion of lead has been sent
eastward by that road. The average price is about thirty dollars per thous
and Ibs.
ILLINOIS.
235
THE LEAD REGION.
Outside of the town is the forbidding and desolate hill country of the lead
region. Storms have furrowed the hills in every direction, and the shovels
of the miners have dotted the whole
surface with unsightly pits, walled
around with heaps of limestone and
sand, through which the delver has
sought the lead. There is no culture
around, and the edifices consist of the
rude cabin of the miners, and primitive
looking smelting furnaces where the
lead is prepared for market. A late
visitor gives the following description :
Every hill is spotted with little mounds of
yellow earth, and is as full of holes as a worin-
eaten cheese. Some winding road at length brings
you to the top of one of these bare, bleak hills,
and to a larger mound of the same yellowish
earth, with which the whole country in sight is
mottled. On top of this mound of earth stands
a windlass, and a man is winding up tubs full
of dirt and rock, which continually increase the pile under his feet. Beneath him, forty,
fifty, a hundred feet under ground, is the miner. As we look around on every ridge, see
the windlass men, and know that beneath each one a smutty-faced miner .is burrowing by
the light of a dim candle, let us descend into the mines and see the miners at their work.
The windlass-man makes a loop in the end of the rope, into which you put one foot, and,
clasping, at the same time, the rope with one hand, slowly you begin to go down ; down,
it grows darker and darker ; a dan?p, grave-like smell comes up from below, and you grow
dizzy with the continual whirling around, until, when you reach the bottom and look up
at the one small spot of daylight through which you came down, you start with alarm as
the great mass of rocks and earth over your head seem to be swaying and tumbling in.
You draw your breath a little more freely, however, when you perceive that it was only
your own dizziness, or the scudding of clouds across the one spot of visible sky, and you
take courage to look about you. Two or three dark little passages, from four to six feet
high, and about three feet wide, lend oft' into the murky recesses of the mine ; these are
called, in mining parlance, drifts. You listen a little while, and there is a dull "thud!
thud! " comes from each one, and tells of something alive away off in the gloom, and,
ciiiidle in hind, you start in search of it. You eye the rocky walls and roof uneasily as,
half bent, you thread the narrow passage, until, on turning some angle in the drift, you
catch a glimpse of the miner, he looks small and dark, and mole-like, as on his knees, and
pick in hand, he is prying from a perpendicular crevice in the rock, a lump of mineral as
large as his head, and which, by the light of his dim candle, flashes and gleams like a
huge carbuncle ; or, perhaps, it, is a horizontal sheet or vein of mineral, that presents its
edge to the miner ; it is imbedded in the solid rock, which must be picked and blasted
down to get at the mineral. He strikes the rock with his pick, and it rings as though he
had struck an anvil. You can conceive how, with that strip of gleaming metal, seeming
like a magician's wand, to beckon him on and on, he could gnaw, as it were, his narrow
way for hundreds of feet through the rock. But large, indeed, you think, must be his or-
gan of hope, and resolute his perseverance, to do it with no such glittering prize in sight.
Yet such is often the case, and many a miner has toiled for years, and in the whole time
has discovered scarcely enough mineral to pay for the powder used. Hope, however, in
the breast of the miner, has as many lives as a cat, and on no day, in all his toilsome
years, could you go down into his dark and crooked hole, a hundred feet from grass and
sunshine, but he would tell you that he was "dose to it now," in a few days he hoped to
strike a lode (pronounced among miners as though it was spelled leed), and so a little
longer and a little longer, and his life of toil wears away while his work holds him with a
fascination equaled only by a gamblers' passion for his cards.
Lodes or veins of mineral in the same vicinity run in the general direction. Those in
the vicinity of Galena, run east and west. The crevice which contains the mineral, is
usually perpendicular, and from 1 to 20 feet in width, extending from the cap rock, or the
first solid rock above the mineral, to uncertain depths below, and is filled with large,
loose rocks, and a peculiar red dirt, in which are imbedded masses of mineral. These
masses are made up cubes like those formed of crystallization, and many of them as geo-
236 ILLINOIS.
metrically correct as could be made with a qompass and square. Before the mineral ig
broken, it is of the dull blue color of lead, but when broken, glistens like silver. Some-
times caves are broken into, whose roofs are frosted over with calcareous spar, as pure and
white as the frost upon the window pane in winter, and from dark crevices in the floor
comes up the gurgling of streams that never saw the sun. The life of a miner is a dark
and lonesome one. His drift is narrow, and will not admit of two abreast ; therefore,
there is but little conversation, and no jokes are bandied about from mouth to mouth, by
fellow-laborers. The alternations of hope and disappointment give, in the course of years,
a subdued expression to his countenance.
There are no certain indications by which the miner can determine the existence of a
vein of mineral without sinking a shaft. Several methods are resorted to, however. The
linear arrangement of any number of trees that are a little larger than the generality of
their neighbors, is considered an indication of an opening underground corresponding to
their arrangement. Depressions in the general surface are also favorable signs, and
among the older miners there are yet some believers in the mystic power of witch-hazel
and the divining rod. In the largest number of cases, however, but little attention is
paid to signs other than to have continuous ground that is, to dig on the skirts of a ridge
that is of good width on top, so that any vein that might be discovered would not run out
too quickly on the other side of the ridge. On such ground the usual method of search is
by suckering, as it is called. The miner digs a dozen or more holes, about six feet deep,
and within a stone's throw of each other, and in some one of these he is likely to find a
few pieces of mineral, the dip of certain strata of clay then indicates the direction in which
he is to continue the search, in which, if he is so successful as to strike a lode, his fortune
is made ; in the other event, he is only the more certain that the lucky day is not
fax off.
North-western view of Rock Island City.
The viow shows the appearance of the city as seen from Davenport, on the opposite bank of the Missis-
sippi. The ferry landing appears on the left, the Court House and Presbyterian Churches ou the right.
ROCK ISLAND CITY, and county scat of Rock Island Co., is situated on
the Mississippi River, opposite the city of Davenport, 2 miles above the
mouth of Rock River, 178 W. by S., from Chicago, and 131 N. N. W. of
Springfield. It is at the foot of the Upper Rapids of the Mississippi, which
extend nearly 15 miles, and in low stages of water obstruct the passage of
loaded vessels. It is a flourishing manufacturing place, at the western ter-
minus of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad. Pop. 1860, 5,130.
It derives its name from an island three miles in length, the southern ex-
tremity of which is nearly opposite the town. The principal channel of the
river is on the west side of the island, while that on its eastern side has been
so dammed as to produce a vast water power above and a good harbor below.
The island forms one of the capacious buttresses of the immense railroad
ILLINOIS.
237
bridge across the Mississippi, connecting the place with Davenport, and creates
a junction between the railroad from Chicago and the Mississippi, and the Mis-
souri Railroad through Iowa.
Fort Armstrong, on Rock Island, was erected in 1816, by Lieut. Col.
Lawrence, of the United States Army. It was then in the heart of the- In-
dian country, and was the scene
of many wild exploits, both be-
fore and during the continuance
of the " Black Hawk War," The
old chief, Black Hawk, was born
in 1768, on Rock River, about
three miles from where the fort
now stands. From the time this
fortification was first constructed,
until the close of the war above
mentioned, this fort was used as
a depot of supplies, etc., and for
a long time was commanded by
Col. Z. Taylor, afterward presi-
dent of the United States.
Col. William L-iwrence, the founder of the fort, arrived here May 10, 1816,
with the 8th regiment and a company of riflemen. As soon as they had
completed their encampment, he employed the soldiers to cut logs and build
storehouses for the provisions, and had a bake house and oven put up. This
was the first regular building erected at this point.
" The soldiers now set to work to build the fort, which was named Fort Arm-
strong. At this time there lived a large body of Indians in the vicinity, number-
ing some 10,000, divided in three villages, one on the east side of the river, near
the foot of the island called 'Waupello Village;' about three miles south on the
bank of Rock River, stood the famous village of ' Black Hawk,' and on the west
side of the river was a small village named after an old brave, 'Oshkosh.' Upon
the first arrival of the troops on the Island, the Indians were very much dissatis-
fied, but the officers took great pains to gain their friendship, by making them
many presents, and they soon became reconciled and were most excellent neigh-
bors. During the first summer they would frequently bring over supplies of sweet
corn, beans, pumpkins, and such other vegetables as they raised, and present
them to Mr. Davenport and the officers, with the remarks that they had raised none,
and that they themselves had plenty, invariably refusing to take any pay."
Four AKM.sritoMi, Kocit ISLAND.
The following account of the defeat of Maj. Zachary Taylor, at Rock Is-
land, in August 1814, is from the personal narrative of Mr. J. Shaw, of Wis-
consin :
About two months after the capture of Prairie du Chien, Maj. Zachary Taylor
came up the Mississippi, with 22 fortified boats, each containing an average of
about 80 men, under his command. When the expedition arrived near Rock Is-
land, it was discovered that about 4,000 Indians bad there collected. The British
had erected a false, painted battery, on the left bank of the river, apparently
mounted with six twelve-pounders ; but in reality they had but two guns with
them, one of which was entrusted to the care of the Indians. Mr. Shaw was on
board the boat with Mr. Taylor. The battle commenced, and the first ball from
the British guns passed completely through the advance boat, on which was Tay-
lor, and ha instantly ordered it to be put about; the second ball cut off the
steering oar of the next boat that was advancing, and a strong -wind springing
up at that moment, this boat drifted over the river to the western bank, a short
distance below the present town of Davenport; the men having no oar to steer
2:jg ILLINOIS.
with, could not prevent this occurrence. About 1,000 Indians immediately took
to their canoes, and paddled over the river, expecting, no doubt, to get the boat as
a prize, as she must inevitably drift into shallow water. The Indians kept up a
constant fire on the unfortunate boat, and a number of Indians, mounted on horse-
back, came galloping down the western shore, with their guns elevated in their
right hands, gleaming in the sun, and shouting their war-cries in the most hideous
manner. On the first fire from the British guns, and immediately after the pas-
sage of the ball through the foremost boat, Maj. Taylor had ordered a retreat.
Gen. Samuel Whiteside, who had command of one of the boats, impelled with the
natural desire of assisting the disabled boat, that was drifting across the river, in-
to the power of merciless enemies, disobeyed the order, and steered toward the
disabled craft. When he approached it, he called for "some brave man to cast a
cable from his own boat on board of her." An individual, named Paul Harpole,
jumped from the disabled boat, in a most exposed situation, caught the caWe, and
made it fast to the boat. In less than a minute's time, a thousand Indians would
have been aboard of her; she was then in two and a half feet water, among small
willows, which in some measure protected the Indians. In the mean while, Har-
pole called for guns to be handed him from below; stood on the deck of the boat
completely exposed; fired no less than 14 guns, when he was eventually struck in
the forehead by a ball; he pitched forward toward the Indians, and the instant he
struck the water, the savages had hold of him, hauled him on shore, and cut him
with their knives into a hundred pieces. All this was witnessed by the other
boats, and the crippled boat having been towed off into deep water, the whole body
retreated, and descended the Mississippi.
Fort Armstrong was finally evacuated by the United States troops, May
4, 1836. Col. Davenport had a fine situation near the fort, about half a
mile distant. At first he supplied the fort with provisions, and was after-
ward extensively engaged in the Indian trade. He was murdered, at the
age of 62, while alone in his house, on the island, on July 4, 1845, by a
band of robbers. The following account is from "Wilkies" Hist, of Daven-
port, Past and Present : "
On last Friday afternoon we were witness to a strange and interesting ceremony
performed by the Indians, over the remains of Mr. Davenport, who was murdered
at his residence on Rock Island, on the 4th inst. Upon preceding to the beautiful
spot selected as his last resting place, in the rear of his mansion on Rock Island,
we found the war chief and braves of the band of Fox Indians, then encamped in
the vicinity of this place, reclining on the grass around his grave, at the head of
which was planted a white cedar post, some seven or eight feet in hight.
The ceremony began by two of the braves rising and walking to the post, upon
which, with paint, they began to inscribe certain characters, while a third brave,
armed with an emblematic war club, after drinking to the health of the deceased,
from a cup placed at the base of the post, walked three times around the grave, in
an opposite direction to the course of the sun, at each revolution delivering a
speech with sundry gestures and emphatic motions in the direction of the north-
east. When he had ceased, he passed the club to another brave, who went through
the same ceremony, passing but once around the grave, and so in succession with
each one of the braves. This ceremony, doubtless, would appear pantomimic to
one unacquainted with the habits or language of the Indians, but after a full in-
terpretation of their proceedings, they would be found in character with this tra-
ditionary people.
In walking around the grave in a contrary direction to the course of the sun,
they wished to convey the idea that the ceremony was an original one. In their
speeches they informed the Great Spirit that Mr. Davenport was their friend, and
t! ey wished the Great Spirit to open the door to him, and to take charge of him.
The enemies whom they had slain, they called upon to act in capacity of waiters
to Mr. Davenport, in the spirit land they believing that they have unlimited power
over the spirits of those whom they have slain in battle. Their gestures toward
the north-east, were made in allusion to their great enemies, the Sioux, who live
ILLINOIS. 239
in that direction. They recounted their deeds of battle, with the number that
they had slain and taken prisoners. Upon the post were painted, in hieroglyphics,
the number of the enemy that they had slain, those taken prisoners, together with
the tribe and station of the brave. For instance, the feats of Wau-co-shaw-she, the
chief, were thus portrayed: Ten headless figures were painted, which signified
that he had killed ten men. Four others were then addeed, one of them smaller
than the others, signifying that he had taken four prisoners, one of whom was a
child. A line was then run from one figure to another, terminating in a plume,
signifying that all had been accomplished by a chief. A fox was then painted
over the plume, which plainly told that the chief was of the Fox tribe of Indians.
These characters are so expressive, that if an Indian of any tribe whatsover were
to see them, he would at once understand them.
Following the sign of Pau-tau-co-to, who thus proved himself a warrior of high
degree, were placed 20 headless figures, being the number of Sioux that he. had
slain.
The ceremony of painting the post was followed by a feast, prepared for the oc-
casion, which by them was certainly deemed the most agreeable part of the pro-
ceedings. Meats, vegetables, and pies, were served up in such profusion that
many armsful of the fragments were carried off" it being a part of the ceremony,
which is religiously observed, that all the victuals left upon such an occasion are
to be taken to their homes. At a dog feast, which is frequently given by them-
selves, and to which white men are occasionally invited, the guest is either obliged
to eat all that is placed before him, or hire some other person to do so, else it ia
considered a great breach of hospitality.
Distant view of Nauvoo.
The view shows the appearance of Nauvoo, as it is approached when sailing up the Mississippi.
NAUVOO, Hancock county, is 103 miles N. W. by W. from Springfield;
52 above Quincy, and 220 above St. Louis. It is laid out on an extensive
plan, on one of the most beautiful sites on the river for a city. In conse-
quence of a graceful curve of the Mississippi, it bounds the town on the
north-west, west, and south-west. The ground rises gradually from the
water to a considerable hight, presenting a smooth and regular surface, with
a broad plain at the summit. The place has now about 1,500 inhabitants,
the majority of whom are Germans; there are, also, French and American
settlers. The inhabitants have fine gardens, wine is manufactured, and many
cattle are raised.
Nauvoo, originally the village of Commerce, is noted as the site of the Mor-
mon city, founded by Joseph Smith, in 1840. The population, at one time,
when under the Mormon rule, was estimated at about 18,000. The dwell-
ings were mostly log cabins, or small frame houses. The great Mormon
Temple the remains of which are still, by far, the most conspicuous object
in the place was 128 feet long. 88 feet M'ide, and 65 feet high to the cor-
2 tO ILLINOIS.
nice, and 163 feet to the top of the cupola. It would accommodate an as-
semblage of 3,000 persons. It was built of polished limestone resembling
marble, and obtained on the spot. The architecture, in its main features,
resembled the Doric. In the basement of the temple was a large stone basin
or baptistry, supported by 12 oxen of a colossal size ; it was about 15 feet
high, altogether of white stone and well carved. This building, at that time,
without an equal at the west, was fired October 9, 1848, and for the most
part reduced to a heap of ruins.
It is believed that Capt. White erected the first building in the place, a
log cabin near the river, about a mile westward of where the temple after-
ward stood. Mr. Gallard brought out Capt. White ; he lived in a two story
house near the log cabin. Smith, the Mormon, when he first came to Nauvoo,
put up with Mr. G. : he purchased about a mile square of territory. He
built the Mansion House near the river. Smith's widow, who is described
as amiable and intelligent, married Maj. Bideman. The Mormon Church
property was sold to a company of French socialists, about 600 in number,
under M. Cabot, for about $20,000. It appears that many of the French
are leaving the place, finding that they can do better elsewhere, individually,
than by living in common with others.
After the Mormons had been driven from Missouri, the people of Illinois
received them with great kindness. When they had established themselves
at Nauvoo, the legislature granted them extraordinary powers, and the city
laws, in some respects, became superior to those of the state. Under these
laws, difficulties ensued. Smith acted as mayor, general of the Nauvoo Le-
gion, keeper of the Nauvoo Hotel, and as their religious prophet, whose will
was law. Smith, and some others, forcibly opposed the process issued against
them for a riot. The people were aroused at their resistance, and deter-
mined that the warrants should be executed. In June 1844, some 3,000
militia 'from the adjacent country, and bands from Missouri and Iowa, as-
sembled in the vicinity of Nauvoo. Gov. Ford hastened to the spot to pre-
vent blood-shed. On the 24th, Gen. Joseph Smith, the prophet, and his
brother, Gen. Hyrum Smith, having received assurances of protection from
the governor, surrendered, and went peaceably to prison, at Carthage, to
await their trial for treason. On the evening of the 27th, the guard of the
jail were surprised by a mob of some 200 men disguised, who overpowered
them, broke down the door, rushed into the room of the prisoners, fired at
random, severely wounding Taylor, editor of the Nauvoo Neighbor. They
finished by killing the two Smiths, after which they returned to their
homes.
In Sept. 1845, the old settlers of Hancock county, exasperated by the
lawless conduct of the Mormons, determined to drive them from the state,
and commenced by burning their farm houses, scattered through the county.
The result was, that they were compelled to agree to emigrate beyond the
settled parts of the United States. On the 16th of September, 1846, the
Anti-Mormons took possession of Nauvoo. Whatever doubts might have
then existed abroad, as to the justice of the course pursued by them, it is now
evident by the subsequent history of the Mormons, that they are, as a people,
governed by doctrines which render them too infamous to dwell in the heart
of civilized communities.
Rev. Peter Cartwright, the celebrated pioneer Methodist itinerant of UK-
ILLINOIS. 241
nois, gives this amusing account of an interview he had with Joe Smith, the
father of Mormonism :
At an early day after they were driven from Missouri and took up their residence
in Illinois, it fell to my lot to become acquainted with Joe Smith, personally, and
with many of their leading men and professed followers. On a certain occasion L
fell in witli Joe Smith, and was formally and officially introduced to him in Spring-
field, then our county town. We soon fell into a free conversation on the, subject
of religion, and Mormonism in particular. I found him to be a very illiterate and
impudent desperado in morals, but, at the same time, he had a vast fund of low
cunning.
In the first place, he made his onset on me by flattery, and he laid on the soft
eodder thick and fast He expressed great and almost unbounded pleasure in the
high privilege of becoming acquainted with me, one of whom he had heard so
many great and good things, and he had no doubt I was one among God's noblest
creatures, an honest man. He believed that among all the churches in the world,
the Methodist was nearest right, and that, as far as they went, they were right
Hut they had stopped short by not claiming the gift of tongues, of prophecy, and
of miracles, and then quoted a batch of scripture to prove his positions correct
Upon the whole, he did pretty well for clumsy Joe. I gave him rope, as the sail-
ors say, and, indeed, I seemed to lay this flattering unction pleasurably to my
Boul.
" Indeed," said Joe, " if the Methodists would only advance a step or two further,
they would take the world. We Latter-day Saints are Methodists, as far as they
have gone, only we have advanced further, and if you would come in and go with
us, we could sweep not only the Methodist Church, but all others, and you would
be looked up to as one of the Lord's greatest prophets. You would ' be honored
by countless thousands, and have, of the good things of this world, all that heart
could wish."
I then began to inquire into some of the tenets of the Latter-day Saints. He
explained. 1 criticized his explanations, till, unfortunately, we got into high de-
bate, and he cunningly concluded that his first bait would not take, for he plainly
saw I was not to be flattered out of common sense and honesty. The next pass he
made at me was to move upon my fears. He said that in all ages of the world,
the good and right way was evil spoken of, and that it was an awful thing to fight
against God.
"Now," said he, "if you will go with me to Nauvoo, I will show you many living
witnesses that will testify that they were, by the Saints, cured of blindness, lame-
ness, deafness, dumbness, and all the diseases that human flesh is heir to; and I
will show you," said he, " that we have the gift of tongues, and can speak in un-
known languages, and that the Saints can drink any deadly poison, and it will not
hurt them ; " and closed by saying, " the idle stories you hear about us are noth
ing but sheer persecution.'
J then gave him the following history of an encounter I had at a camp-meeting
in Morgan county, some time before, with some of his Mormons, and assured him
1 could prove all I said by thousands that were present
The camp meeting was numerously attended, and we had a good and gracious
work of religion going on among the people. On Saturday there came some
20 or 30 Mormons to the meeting. During the intermission after the eleven
o'clock sermon, they cellected in one corner of the encampment, and began to
sing, they sang well. As fast as the people rose from their dinners they drew up
to hear the singing, and the scattering crowd drew until a large company sur-
rounded them. 1 was busy regulating matters connected with the meeting. At
length, according, I have no doubt, to a preconcerted plan, an old lady Mormon
began to shout, and after shouting a while she swooned away and fell into the
arms of her husband. The old man proclaimed that his wife had gone into a
trance, and that when she came to she would speak in an unknown tongue, and
that he would interpret This proclamation produced considerable excitement,
and the multitude crowded thick around. Presently the old lady arose and be-
gan to speak in an unknown tongue, sure enough,
16
242 ILLINOIS.
Just then my attention was called to the matter. I saw in one moment that
the whole maneuver was intended to bring the Mormons into notice, and break up
the good of our meeting. I advanced, instantly, toward the crowd, and asked the
people to give way and let me in to this old lady, who was then being held in the
arms of her husband. I came right up to them, and took hold of her arm, and or-
dered her peremptorily to hush that gibberish ; that I would have no more of it ; that
it was presumptuous, and blasphemous nonsense. I stopped very suddenly her
unknown tongue. She opened her eyes, took me by the hand, and said:
" My dear friend, T have a message directly from God to you." I stopped her
abort, and said, " 1 will have none of your messages. If God can speak through
no better medium than an old, hypocritical, lying woman, I will hear nothing of
it." Her husband, who was to be the interpreter of her message, flew into a mighty
rage, and said, ''Sir, this is my wife, and J will defend her at the risk of my life. '
I replied, "Sir, this is my camp-meeting, and L will maintain the good order of it
at the risk of my life. If this is your wife, take her off from here, and clear your-
selves in five minutes, or 1 will have you under guard."
The old lady slipped out and was off quickly. The old man stayed a little, and
began to pour a tirade of abuse on me. 1 stopped him short, and said, "Not an-
other word of abuse from you, sir. I have no doubt you are an old thief, and if
your back was examined, no doubt you carry the marks of the cowhide for your
villainy." And sure enough, as if I had spoken by inspiration, he, in some of the
old states, had been lashed to the whipping-post for stealing, and I tell you, the old
man began to think other persons had visions besides his wife, but he was very
clear from wishing to interpret my unknown tongue. To cap the climax, a young
gentleman stepped up and said he had no doubt all I said of this old man was true,
and much more, for he had caught him stealing corn out of his father's crib. By
this time, such was the old man's excitement, that the great drops of sweat ran
down his face, and he called out,
"Don't crowd me, gentlemen, it is mighty warm."
Said I, " Open the way, gentlemen, and let him out." When the way was
opened, I cried, " Now start, and don't show your face here again, nor one of the
Mormons. If you do, you will get Lynch! s law." They all disappeared, and our
meeting went on prosperously, a great many were converted to God, and the church
was much revived and built up in her holy faith.
My friend, Joe Smith, became very restive before T got through with my narra-
tive ; and when I closed, his wrath boiled over, and he cursed me in the name of
his God, and said, " I will show you, sir, that I will raise up a government in these
United States which will overturn the present government, and I will raise up a
new religion that will overturn every other form of religion in this country ! "
"Yes, 1 said I, "Uncle Joe, but my Bible tells me 'the bloody and deceitful matt
shall not live out half his days,' and 1 expect the Lord will send the devil after you
some of these days, and take you out of the way."
"No, sir," said he, "I shall live and prosper, while you will die in your sins."
" Well, sir," said I, " if you live and prosper, you must quit your stealing and
abominable whoredoms ! "
Thus we parted, to meet no more on earth; for, in a few years after this, an
outraged and deeply injured people took the law into their own hands, and killed
him, and drove the Mormons from the state. They should be considered and
treated as outlaws in every country and clime. The two great political parties
in the state were nearly equal, and these wretched Mormons, for several years,
held the balance of power, and they were always in market to the highest bidder.
and I have often been put to the blush to see our demagogues and stump orators,
from both political parties, courting favors from the Mormons, to gain a triumph in
an election.
Great blame has been attached to the state, the citizens of Hancock conn in
which Nauvoo is situated, as well as other adjoining counties, for the part tliey
acted in driving the Mormons from among them. But it should be remembered
they had no redress at law, for it is beyond all doubt that the Mormons would
swear anything, true or false. They stole the stock, plundered and burned the
houses and barns of the citizens, and there is no doubt they privately murdered
ILLINOIS.
243
some of the best people in the county; and owing to the perjured evidence al-
ways at their command, it was impossible to have any legal redress. If it had
not been for this state of things, Joe Smith would not have been killed, and
they would not have been driven with /violence from the state. Repeated efforts
were made to get redress for these wrongs and outrages, but all to no purpose;
and the wonder is, how the people bore as long as they did with the outrageous
villainies practiced on them, without a resort to violent measures.
View of Mt. Joliet.
JOLIET is a thriving town, the county seat of Will co., situated on both
sides of the Des Plaines River, and on the Illinois and Michigan canal, 148
miles N. E. by N. from Springfield, 280 from Detroit, and 40 S. W. from
Chicago. It was formerly known on the maps as " McGree's mill dam."
On the eastern side of the river the city extends over a plain of considerable
extent, rising as it recedes from the river. Upon the western side the land
is formed into bluffs, beneath which is one of the principal streets. It
is an important station on the Chicago and Rock Island, and the Chicago,
Alton, and St. Louis Railroads, and is connected directly with the east by
Joliet and Northern (cut-off) Railroads. The river affords valuable water
power for mills. It is the center of considerable commerce, several manu-
factories ; and in its vicinity is a rich farming country, and valuable quar-
ries of building stone. The new state penitentiary is in the vicinity. Popu-
ation about 7,000.
Joliet received its name from Mt. Joliet, a mound supposed to be an arti-
ficial elevation, situated about two and a half miles S. W. of the court house
in this place, and so called from Louis Joliet, who was born of French pa-
rents, at Quebec, in 1673. He was commissioned by M. de Frontenac to
discover the Great River, some affluents of which had been visited by mis-
sionaries and traders. Joliet chose, for his companion, Father M<trqiiette,
whose name was thus connected with the discovery of the Mississippi.
The first dwellings erected in this place was a log house built by Charles Reed,
about half a mile north-west of the court house, back of the blufF, and the house
erected by James McGee, from Kentucky, near the National Hotel. The original
plat of the town was laid out by James K Campbell, in 1834. West Joliet, by
Martin H. Deinmond, in Jan. 183"); East Joliet by Albert W. Bowen.in Feb. 1S35,
since which time in;my additions have been made. The city of Joliet was incor-
244 ILLINOIS.
/
porated in 1852. The first house of worship was erected by the Methodists, in
1838, about 15 rods south-west of the court house: it is now used for an engine
house. The Catholic Church, still standing, was commenced the next year. The
first Episcopal Church was organized in 1838, their house was erected in 1857.
The Congregational Church was organized in 1844; the present Congregational
and Methodist Church buildings were erected in 1857. The Universalists
erected their first house in 1845; the Baptists about 1855.
The Joliet Courier, now called Joliet Signal, was first printed by Gregg and
Hudson, about 1836 or '37; the True Democrat, the second paper, was established
in 1847, by A. Mackintosh, from New York. The first regular school house, a
stone building now standing in Clinton-street, was built in 1843, at a cost of
$700, considered at that time an extravagant expenditure. Among the first
settlers on the east side of the river, were Dr. Albert W. Bowen, from N. Y., the
first physician; Edward Perkins, Oneida Co., N. Y. ; Kobert Shoemaker, Thomas
Blackburn, Richard Hobbs, from Ohio; Joel A. Matteson, since governor of the
state ; Daniel Wade, of Penn., and Lyman White, of N. Y. On the west side, Mar-
tin H. Demmond, from N. Y. ; James McKee, or Gee, from Kentucky; ,lohn Cur-
ry, G. H. Woodruff, Deac. Josiah Beaumont, John J. Garland, Deac. Chauncy,
from N. Y. ; Charles Clement, from New Hampshire, and K. J. Cunningham, from
Maryland.
La Salle, is a flourishing city, on the right bank of Illinois River, at the
head of steamboat navigation, one mile above Peru, and at the terminus of
the Illinois Canal, 100 miles long, connecting it with Chicago. It has a
ready communication, both with the northern and southern markets, by rail-
road, canal and river, the latter of which is navigable at all stages of water.
At this point the Illinois Central Railroad crosses the Chicago and Rock
Island Railroad. This place has great facilities for trade and manufactures.
A substantial railroad bridge, 900 feet in length, crosses the Illinois at La
Salle. An extensive establishment for the manufacture of flint glass is in
operation here, under the charge of a French gentleman. Large warehouses
line the river bank, and the dwellings occupy the high bluffs a little back.
The surrounding country is highly productive, and contains extensive beds
of bituminous coal, which is extensively mined. The city of Peru received
its charter in 1851: it is separated from La Salle by only an imaginary line.
Its manufacturing interests are well developed. The two cities are in effect
one, so far as regards advantages of business, and are nearly equal in popu-
lation. Peru and La Salle have several fine educational institutions, 11
churches, 5 weekly newspapers, and about 7,000 inhabitants.
Dixon, the capital of Lee county, is beautifully situated on the banks of
Rock River, at the junction of a branch of the Galena Railroad, with the
Illinois Central, 98 miles west of Chicago. It has about 5,000 inhabitants.
Dunleith, a smaller town, is the north-western terminus of the Illinois
Central Railroad, on the Mississippi opposite Dubuque.
Kankakee City is a fine town of 3,500 inhabitants, 56 miles south of Chi-
cago, on Kankakee River and Illinois Central Railroad, and at a spot that a
few years since had not a single dwelling.
St. Anne, on the Central Railroad, in Kankakee county, is a colony of
800 French Canadian emigrants, under the pastoral care of Father Chiniquy,
originally a Catholic priest, who, with his people, have embraced Protest-
antism. Each settler has about 40 acres, and their farms are laid along par-
allel roads, at right angles to the railroad. They exhibit signs of careful
cultivation, and the village and church of the colony are prettily situated
near the woods on the riverside. In the three years prior to 1860, the crops
of these people were cut off, and but for benevolent aid they would have per-
ished from famine.
ILLINOIS. 245
Decatur, in Macon county, at the junction of the Illinois Central with the
Toledo, Wabash and Great Western railroad, is a substantial, thriving little
city, within a few miles of the geographical center of the state. It is the
seat of a large internal trade and extensive domestic manufactures, and has
about 6000 inhabitants. An effort has been made to create it the state
capital.
Vandalia, capital of Fayette county, is on Kankakee River and Illinois
Central Railroad, 80 miles south-easterly from Springfield. It was laid out
in 1818, and until 1836 was the capital of Illinois. It is a small village.
Sandoval is a new town, on the prairies, 230 miles from Chicago, and 60
from St. Louis. It is a great railroad center, at the point where intersect the
Illinois Central and Ohio and Mississippi Railroads. "Here east meets west,
and north meets south in the thundering conflict of propulsive motion, energy
and speed."
Elgin, Waukegan, St. Charles, Sterling, Moline, Naperville, Urbana, Bel-
videre, Batavia, Aurora, Abingdon, Macomb, Belleville^ Sycamore, and Otta-
wa are all thriving towns, mostly in the northern part of the state, the largest
of which may have 5,000 inhabitants.
A few miles below Ottawa, on the Illinois River, are the picturesque hights
of the Illinois, called the Starved Rock and the Lover's Leap. Starved Rock
is a grand perpendicular limestone cliff, 150 feet in hight. It was named in
memory of the fate of a party of Illinois Indians, who died on the rock
from thirst, when besieged by the Pottawatomies. Lover's Leap is a pre-
cipitous ledge just above Starved Rock, and directly across the river is
Buffalo Rock, a hight of 100 feet. This eminence, though very steep on the
water side, slopes easily inland. The Indians were wont to drive the buffa-
loes in frightened herds to and over its awful brink. '
246 ILLINOIS.
MISCELLANIES.
THE BLACK HAWK WAR.
The following account of the " Black Hawk war" is taken from Mr. Peck's
edition of Perkins' Annals:
In the year 1804, Gen. Harrison made a treaty with the Sacs and Foxes two
tribes united as one by which they ceded the lands east of the Mississippi, to the
United States; but to these lands they had no original right, even in the Indian
sense, as they were intruders on the country of the Santeaurs and lowas. By this
treaty, they were permitted to reside and hunt upon these lands, until sold for set-
tlement by the government
This treaty was reconfirmed by the Indians, in the years 1815 and 1816. Black
Hawk, who was never a chief, but merely an Indian brave, collected a few disaf-
fected spirits, and refusing to attend the negotiations of 1816, went to Canada,
proclaimed himself and party British, and received presents from them.
The treaty of 1804, was again ratified in 1822, by the Sacs and Foxes, in "full
council," at Fort Armstrong, Rock Island, on the Mississippi. In 1825, another
treaty was held at Prairie du Chien, with the Indians, by William Clark and Lewis
Cass, for the purpose of bringing about a peace, between the Sacs and Foxes, the
Chippewas and the lowas on the one hand, and the Sioux and Dacotahs on the
other. Hostilities continuing, the United States, in 1827, interfered between the
contending tribes. This offended the Indians, who thereupon murdered two whites
in the vicinity of Prairie du Chien, and attacked two boats on the Mississippi, con-
veying supplies to Fort Snelling, and killed and wounded several of the crews.
Upon this, Gen. Atkinson marched into the Winnebago country, and made prison-
ers of .Red Bird and six others, who were imprisoned at Prairie du Chien. , A part
of those arrested, were convicted on trial, and in December of the following year
(1828) executed. Among those discharged for want of proof, was Black Hawk,
then about sixty years of age.
About this time, the president issued a proclamation, according to. law, and the
country, about the mouth of Rock River, which had been previously surveyed,
was sold, and the year following, was taken possession of by American families.
Some time previous to this, after the death of old Quashquame, Keokuk was ap-
pointed chief of the Sac nation. The United States gave due notice to the Indians
to leave the country east of the Mississippi, and Keokuk made the same proclama-
tion to the Sacs, and a portion of the nation, with their regular chiefs, with Keo-
kuk at their head, peaceably retired across the Mississippi. Up to this period.
Black Hawk continued his annual visits to Maiden, and received his annuity for
allegiance to the British government. He would not recognize Keokuk as chief,
but gathered about him all the restless spirits of his tribe, many of whom were
young, and fired with the ambition of becoming "braves," and set up himself for a
chief. .
Black Hawk was not a Pontiac, or a Tecumseh. He had neither the talent nor
the influence to form any comprehensive scheme of action, yet he made an abor-
tive attempt to unite all the Indians of the west, from Rock River to Mexico, in a
war against the United States.
Still another treaty, and the seventh in succession, was made with the Sacs and
Foxes, on the 15th of July, 1830, in which they again confirmed the preceding
treaties, and promised to remove from Illinois to the territory west of the Mis-
sissippi. This was no new cession, but a recognition of the former treaties by
the proper authorities of the nation, and a renewed pledge of fidelity to the United
Statea
During all this time, Black Hawk was gaining accessions to his party. Like
Tecumseh, he, too, had his Prophet whose influence over the superstitious savages
was not without effect
In 1830, an arrangement was made by the Americans who had purchased the
land above the mouth of Rock River, and the Indians that remained, to live as
neighbors, the latter cultivating their old fields. Their inclosures consisted of
stakes stuck in the ground, and small poles tied with strips of bark transversely.
ILLINOIS. 247
The Indians left for their summer's hunt, and returned when their corn was in
the milk gathered it, and turned their horses into the fields cultivated by the
Americans, to gather their crop. Some depredations were committed on their hogs
and other property. The Indians departed on their winter's hunt, but returned
early in the spring of 1831, under the guidance of Black Hawk, and committed
depredations on the frontier settlements. Their leader was a cunning, shrewd In-
dian, and trained his party to commit various depredations on the property of the
frontier inhabitants, but not to attack, or kill any person. His policy was to pro-
voke the Americans to make war on him, and thus seem to fight in defense of In-
dian rights, and the " graves of their fathers." Numerous affidavits, from persons
of unquestionable integrity, sworn to before the proper officers, were made out and
sent to Gov. Reynolds, attesting to these and many other facts.
Black Hawk had about five hundred Indians in training, with horses, well pro-
vided with arms, and invaded the state of Illinois with hostile designs. These facts
were known to the governor and other officers of the state. Consequently, Gov.
Reynolds, on the 28th of May, 1831, made a call for volunteers, and communicated
the facts to Gen. Gaines, of this military district, and made a call for regular troops.
The state was invaded by a hostile band of savages, under an avowed enemy of
the United States. The military turned out to the number of twelve hundred or
more, on horseback, and under command of the late Gen. Joseph Duncan, marched
to Rock River.
The regular troops went up the Mississippi in June. Black Hawk and his men,
alarmed at this formidable appearance, recrossed the Mississippi, sent a white flag,
and made a treaty, in which the United States agreed to furnish them a large
amount of corn and other necessaries, if they would observe the treaty.
In the spring of 1832, Black Hawk, with his party, again crossed the Mississippi
to the valley of Rock River, notwithstanding he was warned against doing so by
Gen. Atkinson, who commanded at Fort Armstrong, in Rock Island. Troops, both
regular and militia, were at once mustered and marched in pursuit of the native
band. Among the troops was a party of volunteers under Major Stillman, who, on
the 14th of May, was out on a tour of observation, and close in the neighborhood
of the savages. On that evening, having discovered a party of ^Indians, the whites
galloped forward to attack the savage band, but were met with so much energy and
determination, that they took to their heels in utter consternation. The whites
were 175 in number; the Indians from five to six hundred. Of this party, twenty-
five followed the retreating battalion, after night for several miles. Eleven whites
were killed and shockingly mangled, and several wounded. Some four or five In-
dians were known to be killed. This action was at Stillman's run, in the eastern
part of Ogle county, about twenty-five miles above Dixon.
Peace was now hopeless, and although Keokuk, the 1'egitimate chief of the na-
tion, controlled a majority, the temptation of war and plunder was too strong for
those who followed Black Hawk.
On the 21st of May, a party of warriors, about seventy in number, attacked the
Indian Creek settlement in La Salle county, Illinois, killed fifteen persons, and took
two young women prisoners ; these were afterward returned to their friends, late
in July, through the efforts of the Winnebagoes. On the following day, a party
of spies was attacked and four of them slain, and other massacres followed.
Meanwhile 3,000 Illinois militia had been ordered out, who rendezvoused upon the
20th of June, near Peru; these marched forward to the Rock River, where they
were joined by the United States troops, the whole being under command of Gen.
Atkinson. Six hundred mounted men were also ordered out, while Gen. Scott,
with nine companies of artillery, hastened from the seaboard by the way of the
lakes to Chicago, moving with such celerity that some of his troops, we are told,
actually went 1,800 miles in eighteen days; passing in that time from Fort Mon-
roe, on the Chesapeake, to Chicago. Long before the artillerists could reach the
scene of action, however, the western troops had commenced the conflict in earn-
est, and before they did reach the field, had closed it. On the 24th of June, Black
Hawk and his two hundred warriors were repulsed by Major Demint, with but one
hundred and fifty militia: this skirmish took place between Rock River and Ga-
lena. The army then continued to move up Rock River, near the heads of which,
248 ILLINOIS.
it was understood -that the main party of the hostile Indians was collected; and
as provisions were scarce, and hard to convey in such a country, a detachment was
sent forward to Fort Winnebago, at the portage between the Wisconsin and Fox
Rivers, to procure supplies. This detachment, hearing of Black Hawk's army,
pursued and overtook them on the 21st of July, near the Wisconsin River, and in
the neighborhood of the Blue Mounds. Gen. Henry, who commanded the party,
formed with his troops three sides of a hollow square, and in that order received
the attack of the Indians ; two attempts to break the ranks were made by the na-
tives in vain ; and then a general charge was made by the whole body of Ameri-
cans, and with such success that, it is said, fifty-two of the red men were left dead
upon the field, while but one American was killed and eight wounded.
Before this action, Henry had sent word of his motions to the main army,- by
whom he was immediately rejoined, and on the 28th of July, the whole crossed the
Wisconsin in pursuit of Black Hawk, who was retiring toward the Mississippi.
Upon the bank of that river, nearly opposite the Upper Iowa, the Indians were
overtaken and again defeated, on the 2d of August, with a loss of one hundred and
fifty men, while of the whites but eighteen fell. This battle entirely broke the
power of Black Hawk ; he fled, but was seized by the Winnebagoes, and upon the
27th, was delivered to the officers of the United States, at Prairie du Chien.
Gen. Scott, during the months of July and August, was contending with a worse
than Indian foe. The Asiatic cholera had just reached Canada; passing up the
St. Lawrence to Detroit, it overtook the western-bound armament, and thenceforth
the camp became a hospital. On the 8th of July, his thinned ranks landed at Fort
Dearborn or Chicago, but it was late in August before they reached the Mississippi.
The number of that band who died from the cholera, must have been at least seven
times as great as that of all who fell in battle. There were several other skir-
mishes of the troops with the Indians, and a number of individuals murdered;
making in all about seventy-five persons killed in these actions, or murdered on the
frontiers.
In September, the Indian troubles were closed by a treaty, which relinquished
to the white men thirty millions of acres of land, for which stipulated annuities
were to be paid ; constituting now the eastern portion of the state of Iowa, to
which the only real claim of the Sacs and Foxes, was their depredations on the
unoffending lowas, about 140 years since. To Keokuk and his party, a reserva-
tion of forty miles square was given, in consideration of his fidelity ; while Black
Hawk and his family were sent as hostages to Fort Monroe, in the Chesapeake,
where they remained until June, 1833. The chief afterward returned to his na-
tive wilds, where he died. ^
CAVE IN-ROCK. * P J I
On the Ohio River, in Hardin county, a few miles above Elizabethtown, near the
south- eastern corner of the state, is a famous cavern, known as Cave-in-Rock. Its
entrance is a semi-circular arch of about 80 feet span and 25 feet in hight, and
ascending gradually from the bed of the river, it penetrates to the distance of
nearly 200 feet. This cave, in early times, was the terror of the boatmen on the
Ohio, for it was one of the haunts of Mason and his band of outlaws, whose acts
of murder upon travelers through the wilderness are elsewhere detailed in this
work. The pioneers of the west suffered greatly from the desperadoes, who in-
fested the country in the early stages of its history. And there have not been
wanting, even in more recent times, instances in which bands of villains have been
formed to set all law at defiance by preying upon society.
About the year 1820, the southern counties of Illinois contained a gang of horse
thieves, so numerous and well organized as to defy punishment by legal means, un-
til a company of citizens was formed, called "regulators," who, taking the law into
their own hands, at last drove the felons from the neighborhood. In 1841, a gang
oi' these scoundrels existed in Ogle county and its vicinity, in the Rock River coun-
trv. Win. Cullen Bryant was traveling there at the time, and in his published
volume of letters, gives, substantially, this narrative of their operations :
The thieves were accustomed to select the best animals from the drove, and these
vere passed from one station to another, until they arrived at some distant market,
ILLINOIS.
249
where they were sold. They had their regular lines of communication from Wis-
consin to St. Louis, and from the Wabash to the Mississippi. In Ogle county, it is
said they had a justice of the peace and a constable among their associates, and
they contrived always to secure a friend on the jury whenever one of their num-
oer was tried. Trial after trial had taken place at Dixon, the county seat, and it
had been found impossible to obtain a conviction on the clearest evidence, until in
Cave-in- Rock, on the Ohio.
April of this year, when two horse thieves being on trial, eleven of the jury threat-
ened the twelfth juror with a taste of the cowskin, unless he would bring in a-
verdict of guilty. He did so, and the men were condemned. Before they were
removed to the state prison, the court house, a fine building, just erected at an ex-
pense of $20,000, was burnt ^down, and the jail was in flames, but luckily they
were extinguished without tlie liberation of the pnsoners. Such, at length, be-
came the feeling of insecurity, that 300 citizens of Ogle, De Kalb and Winnebago
counties formed themselves into a company of volunteers, for the purpose of clear-
ing the country of these scoundrels. The patrons of the thieves lived at some
of the finest groves, where they owned large farms. Ten or twenty stolen horses
would be brought to one of these places of a night, and before sunrise, the despera-
does employed to steal them were again mounted and on their way to some other
station. In breaking up these haunts, the regulators generally proceeded with
some of the formalities commonly used in administering justice, the accused being
allowed to make a defense, and witnesses examined both for and against him.
At this time, there lived at Washington Grove, in (Ogle county, one Bridge, a no-
torious confederate and harborer of horse thieves and counterfeiters. In July two
horse thieves had been flogged, and Bridge received a notice from the regulators
that he must leave the county by the 17th, or become a proper subject for the
lynch law. Thereupon he came into Dixon, and asked for assistance to defend
his person and dwelling from the lawless violence of these men. The people of
Dixon then came together, and passed a resolution to the effect that they fully ap-
proved of what the association had done, and that they allowed Air. Bridges the
term of four hours to depart from the town. He went away immediately, and in
great trepidation, but made preparations to defend himself. He kept 20 armed
men about his place for two days, but thinking, at last, that the regulators did not
mean to carry their thrents into execution, he dismissed them. The regulators
subsequently removed his family, and demolished his dwelling.
Not long after, two men, mounted and carrying rifles, called at the residence of
250 ILLINOIS.
a Mr. Campbell, living at Whiterock Grove, in Ogle county, who belonged to too
company of regulators, and who acted as the messenger to convey to Bridges the
order to leave the county. Meeting Mrs. Campbell without the house, they toid
her that they wished to speak to her husband. Campbell made his appearance *t
the door, and immediately both the men fired. He fell, mortally wounded, and dihd
in a few minutes. "You have killed my husband," said Mrs. Campbell to one of
the murderers, whose name was Driscoll. Upon this they rode off at full speed.
As soon as the event was known, the whole country was roused, and every man
who was not an associate of the horse thieves, shouldered his rifle to go in pursuit
of the murderers. ' They apprehended the father of Driscoll, a man nearly 70
years of age, and one of his sons, William Driscoll, the former a reputed horse
thief, and the latter a man who had hitherto born a tolerably fair character, and
subjected them to a separate examination. The father was wary in his answers,
and put on the appearance of perfect innocence, but William Driscoll was greatly
agitated, and confessed that he, with his father and others, had planned the mur-
der of Campbell, and that David Driscoll, his brother, together with another asso-
ciate, was employed to execute it The father and son were then sentenced to
death; they were bound and made to kneel. About 50 men took aim at each, and
in three hours from the time they were taken, they were both dead men. A pit
was dug on the spot where they fell, in the midst of the prairie near their dwelling.
Their corpses, pierced with bullet holes in every part, were thrown in, and the
earth was heaped over them.
The pursuit of David Driscoll, and the fellow who was with him when Campbell
was killed, went on wifh great activity, more than a hundred men traversed the
country in every direction, determined that no lurking place should hide them.
The upshot was, that the Driscoll family lost another member, and the horse thieves
and their confederates were driven from the country.
Within a very few years, the thinly settled parts of Iowa have suffered from like
organized gangs of horse thieves, until the people were obliged to resort to a like
summary process of dispelling the nuisance. To the isolated settler in a wilder-
ness country, living many a long mile from neighbors, the horse is of a peculiar
value, elsewhere unknown. So keenly is the robbery of these animals felt, that,
in the failure of ordinary penalties to stop the perpetration of this crime, public
opinion justifies the generally recognized "Frontier Law" that DEATH is to be
meted out to horse thieves.
MICHIGAN.
THE discovery and early settlement of Michigan is due to the French
whose motives were the prosecution of the fur trade, and, incidentally, the
conversion of the Indians. To pro-
mote the latter object, Father Sagard
reached Lake Huron in 1632, seven
years after the founding of Quebec,
but the present site of the city of
Detroit appears to have been visited
somewhat earlier. The tract of ter-
ritory now embraced in the state of
Michigan, derives its name, it is said,
from the Indian word, Michi-sawg-ye-
gan, the meaning of which, in the
Algonquin tongue, is, the Lake
Country.
The Huron tribe of Indians were
the aboriginal inhabitants of Michi-
gan. They were anciently very nu-
merous, brave and powerful, and their
settlements extended as far north as
Lake Superior. As early as 1634,
the French Catholic missionaries
founded a mission near Lake Huron,
and in 1660, a station was established on the rocky and pine clad borders of
Lake Superior. In 1668, the Mission at St. Marys Falls was founded, and
in 1671, Father Marquette gathered a little flock of Indian converts at Point
St. Ignatius, on the main land, north of the island of Mackinaw. The great
body of the Hurons were converted to the profession of Christianity by the
efforts of the missionaries. The Iroquois, or Five Nations, made war upon
them, and massacred or dispersed most of their number.
In 1667, Louis XIV sent a party of soldiers to this territory, to protect
the French fur traders. In 1701, a French colony left Montreal, and begun
the settlement of Detroit, which was a place of resort of the French mis-
sionaries at a much earlier period. Having established military posts at this
and other places in Michigan, they soon extended their commerce westward
of Lake Michigan, to the Indians on the Mississippi. They were steadily
opposed by the Iroqueis, and the settlements being somewhat neglected by
251
AKMS OF MICHIGAN.
MOTTO Tuebor ti miCKris peninmlam amcenam cir-
cumtpice If you seek a beautiful peuinsula, look
around you.
252 MICHIGAN.
the French government, they never flourished as colonies. At the peace of
1763, all the French possessions in North America came under the dominion
of Great Britain. On the expulsion of the French, the celebrated Indian
chief, Pontiac, seized the occasion to rid the country of the hated whites, by
a general uprising, and simultaneous attacks on all the forts of the English
on the lakes. Mackinaw was taken by stratagem, and the garrison butch-
ered. Detroit was besieged some months, by Pontiac, with 600 Indians, but
it held out until the Indian allies, becoming weary of the siege, retired, and
left Pontiac no choice but to make peace. At the termination of the revo-
lutionary war, by the peace of 1783, Michigan, being included in the North-
west Territory, was ceded to the United States ; the British, however, did
not surrender the post of Detroit until 1796.
Soon after the treaty of Greenville, by Wayne, with the Indians, which
was made in 1795, the settlements upon the Maumee (now wholly included
in Ohio), upon the Raisin and Detroit Rivers, were organized under the
name of Wayne county, and Detroit was the seat of justice. In 1796, the
whole of the North-west Territory was,organized into five extensive counties,
of which Wayne, as described above, was one. The others, with their loca-
tion, were as follows: "Washington county comprised all that portion of the
present state of Ohio within forty miles of the Ohio River, and between the
Muskingum and the Little Miami; Marietta was the seat of justice. Ham-
ilton county comprised all that region of country between the Little and
the Great Miami, within the same distance of the Ohio River; and Cincin-
nati was the county seat. Knox county embraced the country near the Ohio
River, between the Great Miami and the Wabash Rivers; and Vincenneswas
the county seat. St. Clair county embraced the settlements upon the Illinois
and upon the Kaskaskia Rivers, as well as those upon the Upper Mississippi;
and Kaskaskia was the seat of justice."
In 1805, the territory of Michigan was organized, and Gen. Wm. Hull
appointed governor; Detroit was the sefct of government. The census
of 1820 gave it an aggregate population of only 8,900. This included the
Huron District, on the west side of Lake Michigan, now known as the state
of Wisconsin. " About the year 1832, the tide of emigration began to set
strong toward Michigan Territory. Steamboat navigation had opened a new
commerce upon the lakes, and had connected the eastern lakes and their pop-
ulation with the Illinois and Upper Mississippi. This immense lake navi-
gation encircled the peninsula of Michigan. It became an object of explo-
ration. Its unrivaled advantages for navigation, its immense tracts of the
most fertile arable lands, adapted to the cultivation of all the northern grains
and grasses, attracted the attention of western emigrants. The tide soon
began to set strong into Michigan. Its fine level and rolling plains, its deep
and enduring soil, and its immense advantages for trade and commerce had
become known and duly appreciated. The hundreds of canoes, pirogues,
and barges, with their half-civilized couriers du bois, which had annually
visited Detroit for more than a century, had given way to large and splendid
steamboats, which daily traversed the lakes from Buffalo to Chicago, from
the east end of Lake Erie to the south-western extremity of Lake Michigan.
Nearly a hundred sail of sloops and schooners were now traversing every
part of these inland seas. Under these circumstances, how should Michigan
remain a savage wilderness? New York state and the New England states
began to send forth their numerous colonies, and the wilderness to smile.
At the end of two years more, or in 1834, the population of Michigan had
MICHIGAN. 253
increased to 87,273 souls, exclusive of Indians. The following year the
number amounted to more than ninety thousand persons, distributed over
thirty-eight counties, comprised in the southern half of the peninsula, and
the 'attached Huron, or Wisconsin District,' lying west of Lake Michigan.
The town of Detroit, which in 1812 was a stockade village, had now become
'a city,' with nearly 2,500 inhabitants.
The humble villages and wigwams of the Indians, sparsely distributed over
a wide extent of wilderness, had now given way to thousands of farms and
civilized habitations. Towns and smiling villages usurped the encampment
and the battle-field. The fertile banks of_the 'River Raisin' were crowned
with hamlets and towns instead of the melancholy stockade. A constitu-
tion had been adopted on the 15th of June, 1836, and the 'state of Michi-
gan ' was admitted into the "Union on the 26th day of January, 1837, and
Stephens T. Mason was made the first governor."
In the war of 1812, the important fortress of Mackinaw, being garrisoned
by only 57 men, under Lieut. Hanks, was surrendered to a party of British
and Indians on July 17, 1812. On the 15th of August, Gen. Brock,
with a force of 1,300 men, of whom 700 were Indians, summoned Gen. Hull
to surrender Detroit, stating that he would be unable to control the Indians
if any resistance should be offered. Although Hull had a force of 800 men,
he supposed it would be useless to resist, and, to the astonishment of all, he
surrendered the fort, and, in the capitulation, included the whole territory
of Michigan. The indignation was great against him, and after he was ex-
changed, he was tried by a court martial, sentenced to death, but on account
of his age and services in the Revolution, the president remitted the punish-
ment, but deprived him of all military command. In Jan., 1813, Gen. Win-
chester, who was encamped at Frenchtown, on the River Raisin, was sur-
prised by a force of British and Indians, under Gen. Proctor. After a severe
contest, Gen. Winchester surrendered, under the promise of being protected
from the Indians. The promise was broken : a large number of prisoners,
mostly those who were wounded, were murdered by the Indians. The cele-
brated naval victory of Perry occurred on the waters of Lake Erie, only a
few miles from her shores, and the victory of the Thames, in which the Brit-
ish and Indians were defeated by Harrison, and in which Tecumseh was
elain, took place only a short distance from Detroit, within the adjacent
Canadian territory. A brief outline of these events we present below:
"Perry s Victory. The grand object of the Americans in the campaign of 1813,
in the west, was to attack Maiden and reconquer Michigan from the enemy; but
this could not be effectually done, so long as the fleet of the enemy held possession
of Lake Erie. To further the desired object, a number of vessels had been build-
ing at Erie, on the south-east shore of the lake, and were finished early in August.
They consisted of two twenty gun vessels, and seven smaller vessels, carrying from
one to three each the whole fleet numbering fifty-four guns On the 10th of Sep
tember, Perry fell in with, and gave battle to, the British fleet near the western
end of the lake, under Commodore Barclay, consisting of six vessels, carrying in
all sixty-four guns. The number of guns in both fleets, in some cases, is surpassed
by those of a single battle-ship of the line. The engagement between these little
fleets was desperate, and lasted three hours. Never was victory more complete;
every British ship struck her colors, and the Americans took more prisoners than
they themselves numbered men.
Gen. Harrison, at this time, lay with the main body of the. Americans in tho
vicinity of Sandusky Bay and Fort Meigs; the British and their Indian allies, un-
der Proctor and Tecumseh, were at Maiden, ready, in case of a successful issue,
to renew their ravages upon the American borders.
254 MICHIGAN.
Battle of the Thames. Harrison's army had received a reinforcement of 3,000
Kentucky volunteers, under Gov. Shelby. On the 27th of September, the main
body of the army sailed for Detroit River, intending to enter Canada by the valley
of the Thames. Two days after, Harrison was at Sandwich, and M'Arthur took
possession of Detroit. Proctor retreated up the Thames, was pursued, and come
up with on the 5th of October, by Harrison's army; the Americans numbering
something over 3,000, and their enemy about 2,000. The latter were badly posted
in order of battle. Their infantry was formed in two lines, extending from the
river to a small dividing swamp ; the Indians extended from the latter to a larger
Swamp. The Kentucky mounted men, under Col. Richard M. Johnson, divided
into two parts. The one under the colonel in person, charged the Indians ; the
other under his brother. James, charged the infantry. The latter received the
enemy's fire, broke through their ranks, and created such a panic, that they at
once surrendered. Upon the left, the contest with the Indians was more severe;
but there the impetuosity of the Kentuckians overcame the enemy, Tecumseh,
their leader, being among the slain. The battle was over in half an hour, with a
loss to both armies of less than fifty killed. Proctor fled at the beginning of the
action. In January, 1814, the enemy again took a position near the battle-field of
the Thames. Capt. Holmes, while advancing to meet them, learned that a superior
force was approaching. Having posted himself on a hill, and thrown up intrench-
ments, he was vigorously attacked, but repulsed the enemy with considerable loss.
Attack on Mackinaw. In the June following. Col. Croghan attempted to take
the island of Mackinaw, but his force being insufficient, he was repelled with the
loss of twelve men, among whom was Major Holmes.
M'Arthur s Expedition. The last movement of consequence in the north-west,
during the Avar, was the expedition of Gen. M'Arthur. He left Detroit on the 26th
of October, with seven hundred cavalry, intending to move to the relief of Gen.
Brown, who was besieged by the enemy at Fort Erie, on the Niagara River, oppo-
site Buffalo. When he had proceeded about two hundred and fifty miles, he ascer-
tained that the enemy were too strong in front, and he changed his course, de-
feated a body of opposing militia, destroyed several mills, and returned to Detroit,
without the loss of a man, although pursued by about 1,200 regular troops."
"The history of Michigan," says Lannian, "exhibits three distinct and
strongly marked epochs. The first may properly be denominated the roman-
tic, which extends to the year 1760, when its dominion was transferred from
France to Great Britain. This was the period when the first beams of civili-
zation had scarcely penetrated its forests, and the paddles of the French fur
traders swept the lakes, and the boat songs of the traders awakened tribes afc
wild as the wolves which howl around the wigwams. The second epoch ifi
the military, commencing with the Pontiac war; and, running down through
the successive struggles of the British, the Indians and the Americans, to
obtain the dominion of the country, it ends with the victory of Commodore
Perry, defeat of Proctor, and the death of Tecumseh, the leader of the Anglo-
savage confederacy upon the banks of the Thames. The third epoch is the
enterprising, the hardy, the practical, the working age of Michigan, and it
commences with the introduction of the public lands into market. It is
the age of agriculture, commerce, and manufactures; of harbors, cities, ca-
nals, and railroads."
Michigan consists of two peninsulas, lying between latitudes 41 45' and
48 N., and between longitudes 82 25' and 90 34" W. from Greenwich.
It is bounded N., N. E. and E., by Canada, from which it is separated by
Lake Superior, the Sault St. Marie. Lake Huron, the Strait and Lake St.
Clair, Detroit Strait and Lake Erie; on the S. by the states of Ohio and
Indiana; and on the W. by Lake Michigan and the state of Wisconsin.
The total land surface comprises an area of move than 5(5,000 square miles,
and the area of waters within the constitutional limits of the state, is computed
MICHIGAN. 255
at 36,324 square miles. The lake coast of Michigan is more than 1,400
miles long. The Southern Peninsula, or Michigan proper, comprises nearly
two thirds of the land surface of the state. The Northern Peninsula has
Lake Superior on the north, and Lake Huron and Lake Michigan on the
south. It is about 220 miles from S. E. to N. W., and about 120 miles in
its greatest width. The Southern Peninsula, about 283 miles from N. to S.,
and 200 from E. to W. in its broadest part.
The Southern Peninsula of Michigan may be considered, generally, as one
vast undulating plain, seldom becoming rough or broken. There are occa-
sional conical elevations from 150 to 200 feet in hight, but generally much
less. The shores of Lake Huron are often steep, forming bluffs; while those
of Lake Michigan are coasted by shifting sand hills of from 100 to 200 feet
in hight. The central part of the peninsula may be regarded as a fertile
table land, elevated about 300 feet above the level the great lakes. To the
traveler, the country presents an appearance picturesque and delightful.
Through a considerable part, it is so even and free from brush as to permit
carriages to be driven through with considerable facility. The lowering
forest and grove, the luxuriant prairie, the numerous crystal lakes and lim-
pid rivulets, are so frequently and happily blended together, especially in the
southern section, as to render this country one of the most beautiful in the
Union.
The part of the Southern Peninsula generally known to travelers, and
containing seven eighths of the population and productive industry of the
state, stretches north 100 miles or so, from the north line of Indiana, reach-
ing from Toledo on the east to within some 50 miles of Chicago on the west,
embracing some 20,000 square miles of mainly arable land, having the aver-
age climate of New York, or Connecticut and Rhode Island, with about the
area of Vermont and New Hampshire combined.
The Northern Peninsula exhibits a striking contrast to the Southern.
While the latter is level or moderately undulating and quite fertile, the for-
mer (sometimes called the Siberia of Michigan) is rugged, mountainous, and
to a considerable extent, sterile in soil. The shores of Lake Superior are
composed of a sandstone rock, which, in many places, is worn by the action
of the winds and waves into fancied resemblances of castles, etc., forming
the celebrated "Pictured Rocks; 1 ' while the shores of Lake Michigan are
composed of a limestone rock.
The Northern Peninsula is primitive in formation, but rich in mineral
wealth. Here are the richest copper mines in the world. A block of almost
pure copper, weighing over a tun, and bearing the arms' of the state rests
imbedded in the walls of the national monument at Washington.
Michigan has not advanced with equal rapidity to the prairie states ; but
she has enduring elements of solid wealth, which, in time, will render her
among the most prosperous. Among these are her vast forests of valuable
timber, her inexhaustible quarries of the finest of gypsum, her extensive
fisheries; her recently discovered salt springs, and deposits of coal, and of
copper and iron ore, a climate rendered equable and healthy by the vast
bodies of water which nearly surround her, together with a soil that pays
fairly the labors of the husbandman. A popular journalist gives us some
substantial thoughts upon this subject. He says:
At first view, Michigan would seem far less inviting to farmers in quest of a lo-
cation, than her more western sisters, and accordingly her growth has, for the last
20 years, been far slower than theirs. Her soil is, in the average, not nearly so
vich aa that of the prairies, and is generally covered with heavy timber, while
256 MICHIGAN.
her untimbered lands are apt to be swampy. There are some exceptions near
her southern border; but in general, her low levels are covered with bog-grass,
or with a growth of black ash or low spruce, and can not be made productive
of grain nearly so soon, so cheaply, nor so abundantly, as can the prairies of
Illinois or Iowa. Hence it is but natural that the great majority of eastern far-
mers, in quest of new lands, should push on to the prairie states, there to secure
lands that are readily made, broadly and generously productive.
To buy a heavily timbered quarter section, let daylight in upon it, put up a log
cabin, and move a family into it, with a determination to make there a farm, and
get a living while making it, is an act of genuine courage. Many a man has
been crowned a hero on considerably cheaper terms. He who does it, better de-
serves a pension than the ex-soldiers, whom congress has seemed disposed to
quarter for life on the treasury. For the first half dozen years or so, the growth
of that farm will be scarcely perceptible, sintfe five days' work must be done else-
where to every one devoted to the enlargement of the clearing. Making roads,
going to mill, hunting cattle astray in the dense forest, making fences, etc., with
the necessity of working for others to procure those necessaries of life that the
narrow patch of stumpy clearing refuses to supply, consume at least five sixths of
the time; so that the poor man who, from the first, adds five acres per annum to
the area of arable soil which surrounds his cabin, does very well. But when 15
or 20 acres thus cleared, begin to furnish adequate bread for his family, and grass
for his cattle, the case is bravely altered. Mills are by this time nearer and more
easily reached; roads are better, and require less labor at his hands; each addi-
tion to his clearing requires fencing on but two sides, instead of three or four as
at first ; the older stumps begin to yield to the plow ; wild animals and birds are
less destructive of his growing crops than when the clearing was but a hand's
breadth ; so that two or three days per week may now be given to clearing instead
of one. After 40 acres have been cleared, the timber ceases to be an obstacle;
the neighboring saw mill or embryo village will take some of it at a price that will
at least pay for cutting and drawing; the black ash swamp supplies in abundance
the best of rail timber; a barn this year, a corn-crib next, and a wagon shed the
year after, absorb a good many trees; the household fires lick up the residue; so
that acres are insensible swept off without an effort; the remaining woods break
the force of the sharp winds, and furnish nuts and other food for swine ; and when
the eightieth acre has been cleared, the quarter section is worth more than if it
were all treeless, and clearing for clearing's sake may be suspended. Local or
personal circumstances must necessarily modify this picture, but its essential and
general truth will be conceded. And thus a state or section, like a single farm,
when denuded of a portion of its timber, is far more inviting to the settler than if
it had no timber at all.
" Michigan is encompassed by five lakes, four of which are the largest col-
lections of fresh water on the globe. These are, Lake Superior, Lake Michi-
gan, Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, and Luke Erie, which are connected by
the Straits of Detroit, St. Clair, Michilimackinac, and St. Mary. Nor is this
state merely surrounded by lakes, but the interior is interspersed with them
from one border to the other. The country, indeed, is literally maculated
with small lakes of every form and size, from an area of 1 to 1,000 acres,
though, as a general rule, they do not, perhaps, average 500 acres in extent,
they are sometimes so frequent that several of them may be seen from the
same position. They are usually very deep, with gravelly bottoms, waters
transparent, and of a cool temperature at all seasons. This latter fact is
supposed to be in consequence of springs which furnish them constant sup-
plies. Water fowl of various sorts inhabit their shores, and their depths are
the domain of abundance of fish, trout, bass, pike, pickerel, dace, perch, cat-
fish, sucker, bull-head, etc., which often grow to an extraordinary size. It
is usual to find some creek or rivulet originating in these, but what is a sin-
gular fact, and not easily accounted for, many of these bodies of living water
MICHIGAN. 257
have no perceptible outlet, and yet are stored with fish. A lake of this de-
scription, with its rich stores of fish and game, forms no unenviable append-
age to a farm, and is properly appreciated. But with all its length of lake
coast, Michigan can boast of but few good harbors, yet there are several that
afford excellent shelter from the storms that frequently sweep over these
great island seas, and lash them into turmoil."
The fisheries of Michigan are an important element of her industry. The
proceeds of these amount, annually, to more than half a million of dol-
lars, exceeding, in value, the combined product of the rest of the fresh-
water fisheries in the Union.
Among them the white fish, Mackinaw trout, and the muscolonge, are un-
surpassed for their delicacy of flavor. Mackinaw has been famous as the
greatest fishing point on the lakes. The work in that vicinity is mostly
done by half-breeds of French and Indian blood in the employ of mer-
chants. Of late years colonies of Norwegians have embarked in the busi-
ness. Trained in the severe school of their rugged northern homes, they
exhibit the greatest daring, going out in their tiny craft during the heaviest
gales.
The settled parts of Michigan are well supplied with railroads, and others
ire in progress which will bring her valuable lands on the north into mar-
ket. Within the state are an unusually large number of plank roads. In
A country so full of lumber, these are easily constructed, and add much, to
the increase of business communication.
The great bulk of the present population of Michigan, is of New England
descent. About one third of its settlers came directly from the state of New
York. The number of inhabitants in 1810, was 4,762; in 1830,31,639,
in 1850, 397,G54 : in I860, 754,291.
South-eastern view of Detroit.
Showing the appearance of the city as seen from the Great Western Depot, at Windsor, on ttie Canada
side of the river. The buildings of the Michigan Central Railroad appear on the left.
DETROIT, the principal city, and formerly the capital of Michfgan, is sit-
uated on the N.W. or right bank of Detroit River, or strait, 82 miles E.SVE.
from Lansing, the present capital. The name d'etroit, the French word for
"strait," indicates its location. T1ie city extends more than a mile and a half,
the center of it being about 7 miles from Lake St. Clair, and 18 above the
west end of Lake Erie, 526 from Washington, and, by steamboat, 327 from
17
258 MICHIGAN.
Buffalo. The width between the docks at Windsor, Canada West, and those
of Detroit, opposite, is about half a mile, and the depth of water from 12 to
48 feet. The current in the deepest part of the stream, opposite the city,
flows at the rate of two and a half miles per hour. Such is its depth and
uniformity, that it makes Detroit a secure and accessible harbor in all
seasons.
Bordering the river, and for 1,200 feet back from it, the plan of the city
is rectangular in rear of this triangular. The streets are spacious, and
among the more noted are eight avenues; three of these are 200 feet, and
five others 120 feet wide. Five of these center at a public ground called the
Grand Circus. In the city are several public squares or spaces, the princi-
pal of which are the Campus Martius and the Circus. A large portion of
the buildings are of wood, but there are many handsome and substantial
brick buildings. Among these may be mentioned, the old state house, now
used for literary purposes; the two Catholic cathedrals; the first Presbyte-
rian church, and several others. There are in all about 30 churches. The
Central Railroad freight depot, is one of the largest in the United States.
The city is supplied with the purest of water from the Detroit River; the
reservoir, which is of cast iron, is kept supplied by means of a steam engine.
The business of Detroit is immense. It has several extensive manufactories,
large steam saw mills, founderies, machine shops, etc. It is most admirably
situated for trade, and is becoming a great commercial emporium. The nav-
5$ation of the river and lake is open about eight months in the year; the
'arrivals and departures of steam and sailing vessels is very great, and con-
stantly increasing. By this, and the numerous railroad communications,
thousands of emigrants travel annually, and millions of dollars ,worth of
produce are transported. A direct trade has, of late years, sprung up with
Europe, by means of sailing vessels, from this and other lake ports, via the
Welland Canal, of Canada, the St. Lawrence River, and Atlantic Ocean. In
1859, 22 vessels in all sailed for Europe, laden with staves and lumber. The
population of Detroit, in 1830, was 2,222; in 1840, 9,102; in 1850, 21,057;
in 1853, 34,436; and in 1860, 46,834.
Detroit was founded in 1701, by Cadillac, a French nobleman, acting under
a commission from Louis XIV. In June of this year, he left Montreal with
one hundred men, a Jesuit missionary, and all the necessary means for the
erection of a colony; reached Detroit in July, and commenced the founda-
tion of the settlement. Before this period, and as far back as 1620, it was
the resort of the French missionaries: when first visited by them, its site
was occupied by an Indian village, named Teuchsa Grondie. A rude fort
was erected by Cadillac, and surrounded with pickets, which inclosed a few
houses, occupied by the French traders and the soldiers attached to the post
This establishment was, however, rude, frail, and mounted with small cannon,
which were more adapted to overawe the Indians than for solid and effective
defense.*
In May, 1712, the Iroquois, or Five Nations, who were hostile to the
French and friendly Indians, instigated the Ottagamies or Foxes, their allies,
to capture Detroit. They were probably backed by the English, who wished
to destroy this post and erect a fort of their own upon its ruins. At this
period, the French had established three villages of friendly Indians in the
immediate vicinity of the post, occupied by the Pottawatomies, the Ottawas,
*Lanman's History of Michigan.
MICHIGAN.
259
and the Hurons. The Foxes, having laid a secret plan for the destruction
of the French fort, the plot was revealed by one of the friendly Indians, a
convert to the Catholic faith. On the 13th of May, Detroit was attacked by
the Foxes. At this critical juncture, the friendly Indians, to whom the
View in Woodward Avenue, Detroit.
The City Hall and Market appear on the left ; the Russell House in the corttral part. In the extreme
distance on the right, at the font of Woodward Avenue, on the opposite or Cauada side of the river, is seen
the depot of the Great Western Railroad.
French commander, M. D'Buisson, had sent for aid, appeared through the
wilderness, naked, painted and armed for battle ; they were received into the
fort, and the Foxes were obliged to retreat. They afterward endeavored to
burn out the French, and for this purpose discharged blazing arrows upon
the fort. Many of the roofs of the houses, being thatched with straw, were
set on fire, but by covering the remainder with wet skins they were pre-
served.
The French power in Michigan ceased with the conquest of Canada. In
the fall of 1760, Major Rogers, with an P'nglish detachment, proceeded to-
ward Detroit, to take possession. De Bellestre, when he heard of the ad-
vance of Rogers, erected a high flag-staff, with an effigy of a man's head on
top, and upon this head he had placed the image of a crow. He told the
Indians, who are strongly impressed with symbols, that the head represented
Maj. Rogers, and the crow was himself. The interpretation of this group
was, that the French commandant would scratch out the brains of the En-
glish. The Indians, however, were skeptical as to the truth of this emblem,
and told him that the reverse would be the fact. Maj. Rogers, having
pushed his boats up the Detroit River, drew up his detachment in a field
within half a mile of the fort. Lieuts. Lefflie and M'Cormick, accompanied
260 MICHIGAN.
by thirty-sis Royal Americans, were sent forward to take possession of De-
troit. The French garrison surrendered their arms, and the first British
flag was raised upon the fort, amid the shouts of 700 ^ Indians, collected
around that station, who exulted that their prediction respecting the crow
had been verified.
The next event of importance in the history of Detroit, and, indeed, of
the whole north-west, was the Indian outbreak called the "Pontiac War."
The fort at Detroit was, at this time, garrisoned by 122 men and 8 officers,
under the command of Maj. Gladwyn. Two armed vessels were anchored
in front of the town for defense. The Indians who besieged it were 600 in
number.
" The plan which was devised by Pontiac to destroy the fort at Detroit; exhibited
remarkable cunning as well as strategy. He had ordered the Indians to saw off
their rifles so as to conceal them under their blankets, gain admission to the fort,
and, at a preconcerted signal, which was the delivery of a belt of wampum in a
certain way, to rush upon the troops, massacre the officers, and open the gates to the
warriors on the outside, who should stand ready to co-operate with those within.
In order to carry this plan into execution, he encamped at a little distance from
Detroit, and sent word to Major Gladwyn that he and his warriors wished to hold
a council with the English commandant on the following day, that 'they might
brighten the chain of peace.' This was the 8th of May, 1763. The council was
granted. On the evening of that day, an Indian woman, who had been employed
by Major Gladwyn to make him a pair of elk-skin moccasins, which he intended
to present to a friend, brought them to the fort. These were finished in so hand-
some a manner, that he requested the woman to take back the remainder of tho
skin, and make them into others for himself. He then paid her for those which
she had made, and ordered his servant to see her from the fort. Having arrived
at the gate which looks out upon the Detroit River, she lingered as if her business
had been unfinished ; and this conduct excited some remark. The servant of the
commandant was ordered to inquire the reason of her delay, but he could procure
no satisfactory answer. At length the commandant called her within the fort, and
inquired why she loitered about the gate, and did not hasten home before they
were shut, so that she might complete the moccasins at the proper time. She re-
plied that the commandant had treated her with great kindness, and that she did
not wish to take the skin away, as he prized it so much, because she could ' never
bring it back.' Something seemed to be struggling in her bosom for utterance, and
at length, after a promise that the disclosure should not turn to her disadvantage,
and that, if profitable, she might be rewarded, this Indian woman, named Catha-
rine, developed the plot. Major Gladwyn mentioned his apprehensions to the officer
next in command, but he deemed it a mere trick to frighten him, and not worthy
of consideration. The night was occupied in making the proper preparations; the
ammunition was examined and arranged, and every man within the fort, both tra-
der and soldier, was directed to be prepared for sudden and active service. The
defenses of the fort were strengthened, the arms made ready, and during the night
guards were kept upon the ramparts. The war songs and dances of the Indians,
which generally precede any important enterprise, breaking upon the silence of
midnight, only strengthened his suspicions that the Indian woman had told the
truth. In the morning of the 9th, about ten o'clock, Pontiac and his warriors re-
paired to the fort of Detroit, and they were immediately admitted to the council-
house, where they were received by Major Gladwyn and his officers. During their
progress toward the fort, the savages had noticed a remarkable parade of soldiers
upon the ramparts and within the town, and that the officers in the council cham-
ber, and also the governor, had each pistols in their belts. When the Indians were
seated on their skins in the council chamber, Pontiac inquired what was the cause
of this extraordinary military preparation ; and he was told that it was necessary
to keep the soldiers to rigid discipline. The council commenced by a speech from
Pontiac, in which he professed the utmost friendship for the English ; and as he
approached the period of the concerted signal, the delivery of the belt of warn
MICHIGAN. 261
pum, his gesticulations became more violent Near the period which had been
described by the Indian woman as the time when the belt was to be delivered, and
the fire upon the garrison commenced, the governor and his officers drew their
swords from their scabbards; and the soldiers of the fort, who had been drawn
around the doors of the council-house, which had been intentionally left open,
made a clattering upon the ground with their arms. Pontiac, whose eagle eye had
never quailed in battle, turned pale and trembled, and delivered the belt in the
usual manner; while his warriors looked at each other with astonishment, but con-
tinued calm.
Pontiac's speech having been concluded, Major Gladwyn commenced his answer;
but instead of thanking Pontiac for his professions of friendship, he accused him
of being a traitor; and in order to convince him of his knowledge of the plot, he
advanced toward the chief who sat nearest, and drawing aside his blanket, dis-
closed the shortened rifle. He advis%d him at the same time, to leave the fort be-
fore his young men should discover the design and massacre the Indians; and as-
sured him that his person should be held safe until he had advanced beyond the
pickets, as he had promised him safety. As soon as the warriors had retired from
the gates of the fort, they gave the veil, and fired upon the English garrison.
After this the fort was closely besieged, and the garrison reduced to great
distress. On the 29th of July, the garrison was relieved by a detachment
of 300 regular troops, under Capt. Dalyell. This officer, supposing that
Pontiac might be surprised in his camp, marched out with 247 men, during
the night of the 30th of July. The Indians, having information of the
proposed attack, laid in wait for the party, concealed in the high grass, near
a place since called the Bloody Bridge, upward of a mile from Detroit on
the main road. Upon their arrival, a sudden and destructive fire was poured
upon them, Capt. Dalyell and 19 others were killed and 42 wounded ; the
rest made good their retreat to the fort. Pontiac, having invested Detroit
for about twelve months, hearing that Gen. Bradstreet was advancing with
3,000 men, gave up the siege and sued for peace, which was granted.
In 1796, the post of Detroit was delivered up by the British to the United
States, according to treaty.
On tho llth day of June, 1805, the sun rose in cloudless splendor, over the little town
of Detroit. A few minutes after a poor washer-woman kindled a fire in a back yard, to
begin her daily toil, a spark set fire to some hay. At noon of the same day, but one soli-
tary dwelling remained, to mark the site of the town. All the others were in ashes, and
the whole population, men, women and children the aged and the young, the sick, the
halt, and the blind, were driven into the streets, houseless and homeless. All the boats,
pirogues and skiffs lying along the beach (as it then was), were loaded with goods, and
pushed off into the stream; but burning shingles, driven by the wind, followed and de-
stroyed them even there. The town being built of dry pine, and very compact, the streets
being but about Iwenty feet wide (the width of a sidewalk on Jefferson Avenue), the pro-
press of the fire was extremely rapid, and the heat tremendous. The whole population,
like Bedouins of the desert, pitched their tents, by the cooling embers of their late happy
dwellings. Fortunately, Providence permitted the calamity to fall on them in summer.
The Lea-light hearts of the French habilans rose above the pressure of misfortune, and to
work they went, to repair damages. No grumbling at Providence. Their religion told
them that repining was useless. So they worked, and fiddled, and danced, and sung, and
soon a new town began to appear, in its present extended form; and with the regret of the
moment, passed away all sorrow for the losses endured. Witlterell's Reminiscences.
The following account of the invasion of Detroit, by Gen. Brock, and of
its surrender by Gen. Hull, on the 15th of August, 1812, is from Perkins'
History of the Late War:
Gen. Brock had been educated in arms, and had sustained a distinguished rank
202 MICHIGAN.
and character in the army of Egypt. He arrived at Maiden with reinforcements
in high spirits on the 13th, just as the American troops retired from the Canadian
shore, dispirited, disappointed and disgusted with their commander. On the 15th,
he planted batteries on the bank of the river opposite the fortress of Detroit, and
sent a summons to the American general to surrender, stating that he should other-
wise be unable to restrain the fury of the savages. This was answered by a spir-
ited refusal, and a declaration that the fort and town would be defended to the
last extremity. The firing from the batteries and the fort immediately commenced,
and continued with little interruption, and without much effect, until the next day.
The alarm and consternation of Gen. Hull had now become extreme, and appeared
in a series of irregular and incoherent measures. On the 12th, the field officers
suspecting the general intended a surrender of the fort, had determined on his
arrest. This was prevented in consequence of Cols. Duncan M' Arthur and Lewis
Cass, two very active, intelligent, and spirited*officers, being detached on the 13th
with four hundred men, on a third expedition to the River Raisin. They advanced
about fourteen miles, when on the 15th they received orders to return. At day-
light on the 16th, the British commenced crossing the river at Spring Wells, three
miles below the town, under cover of two ships of war. They accomplished their
landing by seven o'clock without opposition, and took up their line of march in
close column of platoons, twelve in front, toward the fort along the bank of the
river. The fourth regiment of United States troops was stationed in the fort ; the
Ohio volunteers and a part of the Michigan militia behind the pickets, in a situa-
tion where the whole flank of the enemy would have been exposed. The residue
of the militia were in the upper part of the town to resist the incursions of the
savages. Two twenty-four pounders loaded with grape were posted on a command-
ing eminence, ready to sweep the advancing columns. Cols. M' Arthur and Casa
had arrived within view of Detroit, ready to act on the rear of the enemy. In this
situation the troops waited in eager expectation the advance of the British, antici-
pating a brilliant victory.
When the head of the British columns had advanced within five hundred yards
of the line, and the artillery ready to sweep their ranks, orders were given for the
troops to retire into the fort, and for the artillery not to fire. A white flag was
hoisted. A British officer rode up to inquire the cause. A communication passed
between the commanding generals, which soon ended in a capitulation. The for-
tress of Detroit, with all the public stores, property, and documents of every kind,
were surrendered. The troops were made prisoners of war. The detachment un-
der M'Arthur and Cass, and the troops at the River Raisin, were included in the
capitulation. On the 17th, Gen. Brock dispatched a flag to Capt. Brush with the
terms. He immediately called a council of his officers, who determined that they
were not bound by the capitulation, and advised to break up the camp and return.
In pursuance of their advice, Capt. Brush immediately broke up his camp, took
with him what public stores and property he could, and commenced his retreat to
Ohio. The Michigan militia who had not joined the army were paroled, on con-
dition of not serving during the present war. No provision was made for the un-
fortunate Canadians who had joined Gen. Hull, or accepted his protection. They
were left exposed to suffer as traitors ; nine were executed at one time, and several
more afterward. Gen. Hull in this measure took counsel only from his own fears.
He held no council of war, knowing that all his officers would be opposed to the
surrender. In his official report he expressly exempts them from any share in the
disgraceful transaction.
The British force at Maiden at the time Gen. Hull entered Canada, and until
the 12th of August, consisted of one hundred regular troops, four hundred Cana-
dian militia, and several hundred Indians. After the arrival of Gen. Brock with
his reinforcements, the whole amounted to three hundred and thirty regulars, four
hundred militia, and six hundred Indians. The troops surrendered by Gen. Hull
amounted to twenty-five hundred, consisting of two troops of cavalry, one compa
ny of artillery, the fourth United States regiment, and detachments from the first
and third ; three regiments of Ohio volunteers, and one regiment of Michigan
militia, amounting to about twelve hundred. By this capitulation the British ob-
tained 2,500 muskets stacked on the esplanade "at the time of the surrender, 450
MICHIGAN. 263
brought in by the detachment under M' Arthur and Cass, 700 received from the
Michigan militia, thirty-three pieces of ordnance, one thousand rounds of fixed
ammunition, 200 tuns of ball, 200 cartridges of grape shot, 75,000 musket car-
tridges made up, 24 rounds in the possession of each man, 60 barrels of gunpow-
der, 150 tuns of lead, provisions for the army for 25 days in the fort, and a large
escort at the River Raisin. An event RO disgraceful to the American arms did not
fai] to excite universal indignation. When M' Arthur's sword was demanded, he
indignantly broke it, tore the epaulets from his shoulders, and threw himself on
tho ground.
John Kinzie, Indian trader, so long identified with the annals of Chicago,
was, at the time of the surrender, residing in Detroit. In " Wau-hun, the
'Early Day' in the North-west," is given this narrative, which shows the
conduct of the British to their prisoners in no pleasing light:
It had been a stipulation of Gen. Hull, at the surrender of Detroit, that the inhabitants
of that place should be permitted to remain undisturbed in their homes. Accordingly the
family of Mr. Kirzie took up their quarters with their friend? in the old mansion, which
many will still recollect as standing ou the north-east corner of Jefferson-avenue and
Wayne-street.
The feelings of indignation and sympathy were constantly aroused in the hearts of the
citizens during the winter that ensued. They were almost daily called upou to witness the
cruelties practiced upon the American prisoners brought in by their Indian captors. Those
who could scarcely drag their wounded, bleeding feet over the frozen ground, were com-
pelled to dance for the amusement of the savages, and these exhibitions sometimes took
place before the Government House, the residence of Col. McKee. Some of the British
officers looked ou from their windows at these heartrending performances; for the honor
of humanity we will hope such instances were rare.
Everything that could be made available among the effects of the citizens were offered,
to ransom their countrymen from the hands of these inhuman beings. The prisoners
brought in from the River Raisin those unfortunate men who were permitted after their
surrender to Gen. Proctor, to be tortured and murdered by inches by his savage allies, ex-
cited the sympathies and called for the action of the whole community. Private houses
were turned into hospitals, and every one was forward to get possession of as many as pos-
sible of the survivors. To effect this, even the articles of their apparel were bartered by
the ladies of Detroit, as they watched from their doors- or windows the miserable victims
carried about for sale.
In the dwelling of Mr. Kinzie one large room was devoted to the reception of the suf-
ferers. Few of them survived. Among those spoken of as objects of the deepest inter-
est were two young gentlemen of Kentucky, brothers, both severely wounded, and their
wounds aggravated to a mortal degree by subsequent ill-usage and hardships. Their so-
licitude for each other, and their exhibition in various ways of the most teuder fraternal
'\ffection, created an impression never to be forgotten.
Mr. Kinzie joined his family at Detroit in the month of January. A short time after
mspicions arose in the mind of Gen. Proctor that he was iu correspondence with Gen. Har-
rison, who was now at Fort Meigs, und who was believed to be meditating an advance up-
>n Detroit. Lieut. Watson of the British army waited upon Mr. Kin/.ie one day, with an
invitation to the quarters of Gen. Proctor, on the opposite side of the river, saying he
wished to speak with him on business. Quite unsuspicious, he complied with the invita-
tion, when to hw surprise he was ordered into confinement, and strictly guarded in the
house of his former partner, Mr. Patterson, of Sandwich. Finding that he did not return
io his homo, Mrs. Kinzie informed some of the Indian chiefs, his particular friends, who
^immediately repaired to the head-quarters of the commanding officer, demanded their
"friend's" release, and brought him back to his home. After waiting a time until a fa-
vorable opportunity presented itself, the general sent a detachment of dragoons to arrest
him. They had succeeded in carrying liim away, and crossing the river with him. Just
at this moment a party of friendly Indians made their appearance.
" Where is the Shaw-nee-aw-kee? " was the first question. " There," replied his wife,
pointing across the river, " in the hands of the red-coats, who are taking him away
again."
The Indians ran to the river, seized some canoes that they found there, and crossing
over to Sandwich, compelled Gen. Pioctor a second time to forego his intentions.
A third time this officer was more successful, and succeeded in arresting Mr. Kinzie and
conveying him heavily ironed to Fort Maiden, in Canada, at the mouth of the Detroit
River. Here he was at first treated with great severity, but after a time the rigor of his
264 MICHIGAN.
confinement was somewhat relaxed, and he was permitted to walk on the bank of the
river for air and exercise.
On the 10th of September, as he was taking his promenade under the close suporvision
of a guard of soldiers, the whole party were startled by the sound of guns upon Lake Erie,
at no great distance below. What could it mean? It must be Commodore Barclay firing
into some of the Yankees. The firing continued. The time allotted the prisoner for his
daily walk expired, but neither he nor his guard observed the lapse of time, so anxiojsly
were they listening to what they now felt sure was an engagement between ships of war.
At length Mr. Kinzie was reminded that the hour for his return to confinement had arrived.
He petitioned for another half-hour.
" Let me stay," said he, " till we can learn how the battle has gone."
Very soon a sloop appeared under press of sail, rounding the point, and presently two
gun-boats in chase of her.
" She is running she bears the British colors," cried he, " yes, yes, they are lowering
she is striking her flag! Now," turning to the soldiers, " I will go back to prison con-
tented I know how the battle has gone."
The sloop was the Little Belt, the last of the squadron captured by the gallant Perry on
that memorable occasion which he announced in the immortal words: " We have met the
enemy, and they are ours! "
Matters were growing critical, and it was necessary to transfer all prisoners to a place
of greater security than the frontier was now likely to be. It was resolved, therefore, to
send Mr. Kinzie to the mother country. Nothing has evec appeared, which would explain
the course of Gen. Proctor, in regard to this gentleman. He had been taken from the
bosom of his family, where he was living quietly under the parole which he had received,
and protected by the stipulations of the surrender. He was kept for months in confine-
ment. Now he was placed on horseback under a strong guard, who announced that they
had orders to shoot him through the head if he offered to speak to a person upon the road.
He was tied upon the saddle in a way to prevent his escape, and thus they sat out for
Quebec. A little incident occurred, which will help to illustrate the course invariably pur-
sued toward our citizens at this period, by the British army on the north-western frontier.
The saddle on which Mr. Kinzie rode had not been properly fastened, and owing to -the
rough motion of the animal on which it was, it turned, so as to bring the rider into a most
awkward and painful position. His limbs being fastened, he could not disengage himself,
and in this manner he was compelled by those who had charge of him to ride until he was
nearly exhausted, before they had the humanity to release him-
Arrived at Q,uebec, he was put on board a small vessel to be sent to England. The ves-
sel when a few days out at sea was chased by an American frigate and driven into Hali-
fax. A second time she set sail, when she sprung a leak and was compelled to put back.
The attempt to send him across the ocean was now abandoned, and he was returned to
Quebec. Another step, equally inexplicable with his arrest, was now taken. This was
his release and that of Mr. Macomb, of Detroit, who was also in confinement in Quebec,
and the permission given them to return to their friends and families, although the war
was not yet ended. It may possibly be imagined that in the treatment these gentlemen
received, the British commander-in-chief sheltered himself under the plea of their being
" native born British subjects," and perhaps when it was ascertained that Mr. Kinzie was
indeed a citizen of the United States, it was thought safest to release him.
In the meantime, Gen. Harrison at the head of his troops had readied Detroit. He
landed on the 29th September. All the citizens went forth to meet him Mrs. Kinzie,
leading her children by the hand, was of the number. The general accompanied her to
her home, and took up his abode there.
Watson visited Detroit in the summer of 1818, and has given in his Remi-
niscences a sketch of his visit, descriptive of what then fell under his notice
here:
Here I am at the age of sixty in Detroit, seven hundred miles west of Albany. I little
d: earned thirty years ago, that I should ever tread upon this territory
The location of Detroit is eminently pleasant, being somewhat elevated, and boldly front-
ing it- beautiful river. The old town has been burnt, which was a cluster of miserable
B'ructures picketed in and occupied by the descendants of Frenchmen, who pitched their
tent-! here early in the seventeenth century in prosecution of the fur trade. The city is
now laid out upon a large scale, the streets spacious, and crossing at right angles. The
main street is called Jetterson-a venue, and stretches the whole length of the city. De-
troit must always be the emporium of a vast and fertile interior. By the existing estima-
tion of tho value of real estate here, it has, I think, been greatly overrated. Commerce
MICHIGAN.
265
is languishing, and agriculture at its lowest degradation. In proof of this, I saw at the
Grand Marie, four miles north of the city, a large, clumsy, wooden plow, such as doubt
less were in use in France, at the period of the emigration from that country of the ances-
tors of this people. It was drawn by two yoke of oxen and two horses, and was con-
ducted by three men, who were making as much noise as if they were moving a barn.
The most attractive object I have seen on this beautiful river are its innumerable and
lovely islands, most of which are cultivated. The dense forest approaches in close prox-
imity to the city, and spreads over a level surface quite into the interior. From the high-
est point of elevation I could attain, I discerned no uplands, all was a dead plain. The land
belongs to the government, and is of the richest quality, but has hitherto been represented
as unhealthy. The territory of Michigan has not been adequately explored; but while I
was at Detroit, several parties of enterprising and energetic young men penetrated into
the woods with packs on their shoulders to investigate, and returned with the most glow-
ing and flattering accounts of a country of the choicest land, generally undulating, aittt
requiring nothing but the vigorous arm of industry to convert it into the granary of
America.
The near approach of the wilderness to Detroit, brings the howling wolves within a
short distance of the city, and I was frequently called on to listen to their shrill cries in
the calm, hot nights. The numerous and large old orchards of the finest apples, origin-
ally imported from France, and the extensive fisheries of white fish in the vicinity, gre;itly
augment the wealth and comfort of the people. Although possessing the most lei-tile soil
such is the wretched character of their agriculture, tht the inhabitants are mainly de-
pendent upon the young and thriving state of Ohio, for their supplies of pork, beef, bread-
stuffs, and even of potatoes. *
.
East view of the State House at Lansing.
The engraving shows the front or the eastern side of the Michigan State Capitol. One of the Union
Public Schools is seen in the distance on the left, and the State building containing the office of the Secre-
tary of State, Auditor, etc., on the right.
I daily notice squaws fighting in the streets like wild-cats, and in conditions too revolt-
ing to describe. They lay about the city like swine, begging for cats and dogs, which
they devour at the river side half-cooked. The most disgusting and loathsome sight I
ever witnessed, was that of a coarse, fat, half-naked Indian, as filthy as a beast, under n
tree immediately in front of my son's residence, filling his mouth with whisky until hi.s
cheeks were completely distended, and then two or three squaws in succession sucking it
out of the corners. 1 called my daughter-in-law to see the revolting sight, but she as
sured me it was nothing unusual, and that the practice was common with this tribe of In-
dians. I often visited the fort that my old friend Hull so fatally and ignominiously sur-
rendered. Col. Myers, who was in command of Fort George at its capture, informed me
while a prisoner in Pittsfield, that one half of Brock's army, at the surrender of Detroit,
wore Canadian militia dressed in British red coats.
LANSING, the capital of Michigan, is situated on both sides of Grand
River, here a large mill stream, 85 miles N. W. of Detroit, 20 from St. Johns
on the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, and 40 from Jackson on the Central
266 MICHIGAN.
Railroad. The town, which is laid out on an extended plan, has at present
a scattered appearance. The state capitol (of wood) was erected in the sum-
mer of 1847. at an expense of about $15,000. The state agricultural college
is situated three and a half miles east from the capital, and has a model farm of
about 700 acres: it is crowded with pupils, and the noble example set by
Michigan, in founding this institution, has been followed by several other
states. The house of Correction, for juvenile offenders, opened in 1856, is
about three fourths of a mile east from the capital. In 1852, a plank road
to Detroit was constructed, at an expense of $130,000. Plank roads also
connect it with Jackson and Marshall. Population about 3,000.
*The lands comprising the northern part of Lansing were first entered from the
United States, in 1836, by James Seymour, Frederic Bushnell, and Charles M. Lee,
of Rochester, New York. The first settler was John W. Burchard, a young lawyer,
who bought, on the east side of Grand River, 109 acres of James Seymour, situated
at the lower town bridge extending up the river to the school section. He built a
log cabin still standing in the rear of the Seymour House. This was in 1843 ; and
in June of the same year, he removed his family to this place, and immediately
commenced building a saw-mill and dam. In the spring of 1844, he was drowned
while amusing himself, in a boat, at the sheet of water which fell over the dam,
which he had constructed. Approaching too near, his boat was overturned, and
he perished amid the eddying waters. He was buried at Mason, 12 miles distant,
universally lamented. He was a man of much promise, and was the first prose-
cuting attorney in the county. On the death of Mr. Burchard, his family left the
place, and the settlement was, for a short time, abandoned, and the lands and im-
provements reverted back to Mr. Seymour.
In Aug. 1844, Mr. Seymour employed Joab Page, and his two sons-in-law, Whit-
ney Smith and Geo. D. Pease, all of Mason, to finish the mill, etc. All these
lived in Burchard's log house for several years.
In Jan. 1847, Mr. Seymour made a proposition to the legislature of Michigan,
that if they would remove the seat of government on to his lands, he would give
20 acres, erect the capitol and buildings for the use of the state. This offer, how-
ever, was not accepted ; but they passed an act to locate the capital in the town-
ship. A commission was appointed, consisting of the commissioner of the land
office, James Seymour, and Messrs. Townsend and Brother, of New York, to make
a definite location. The commission selected a spot on which to erect a capitol
building, one mile from the Burchard Mill, on section 16, called the " School Sec-
tion." The commission, in May of the same year, united in laying out a town
plat, two and one fourth miles long, and one wide, comprising both sides of the
river. At this period there were no settlers on the tract but the Page family, whose
nearest neighbors, on the south and east, were four and a half miles distant, and
one settler, Justus Gilkley, a mile and a half to the north-west. Within a few
weeks after the town was laid out, one thousand persons moved into the
place.
The following are the names of some of the first settlers besides those already
mentioned:
E. B. Danforth, D. L. Case, James Turner, Charles P. Bush, George W. Peck,
John Thomas, Whitney Jones, A. T. Grossman, Henry C. Walker, C. C. Darling,
Dr. B. S. Taylor, J. C. Bailey, M. W. Quackenbush.
Lansing received its name from Lansing in New York, from which some of the
settlers had emigrated. The first public worship in the place was held in the Bur-
chard log house, by the Methodist traveling preachers. In 1849, the Methodists
and Presbyterians united in building the first church in the place, now solely oc-
cupied by the Methodists. The first Presbyterian clergyman here, was the Rev.
S. Millard, from Dexter. The first school was kept in a little shanty built in 1847
and stood near the Seymour House. The first physician was a Dr. Smith, who,
soon after his arrival in 1847, died of a fever in Page's log house. The first post-
master was George W. Peck, who, for a time, kept the office in Bush and Town-
send's store, near the upper town bridge. The first framed house in the township
MICHIGAN. 267
wag erected in 1847, by James Turner, a native of New York, whose ancestors
were from New London, Connecticut This building is now standing, about 40
rods below the lower town bridge.
Southern view of the Penitentiary at Jackson.
Showing its appearance as seen from the railroad.
JACKSON is a large, thriving, and well-built town, on the line of the
Michigan Central Railroad, on and near the head of Grand River, 76 miles
W. from Detroit, and 32 S. from Lansing, the capital. The streams here
afford excellent water power, and the soil is well adapted to grass or grain.
Coal and an abundance of white sand-stone and lime-stone are found in the
vicinity. The inhabitants are extensively engaged in the manufactures of
flour, leather, iron ware, machinery, etc. It contains the county buildings,
a branch of the state university, the state penitentiary, 7 churches, and several
banks. Its situation and facilities for travel give it a large trade. Popula-
tion about 9,500.
"In this, Jackson county, the matter of mining coal has recently become
an enterprise of considerable magnitude. There are several 'workings' of
coal in the vicinity of Jackson, and companies have been formed for the pur-
pose of mining coal. Considerable coal has been mined and sold from these
different workings and mines. The principal mine, and one which in all its
arrangements and provisions, is equal to any mine in the country, is that of
.the Detroit and Jackson Coal and Mining Company. The works of this
company are at Woodville station, on the line of the Michigan Central Rail-
road, about three and a half miles west of Jackson city. The mine is situated
on the north side of the railroad, and about half a mile from the main track.
The Coal Company have built a side track from the Central Road to the
mouth of their shaft. The shaft from which the coal is taken, is 90 feet
deep, and at the bottom passes through a vein of coal about four feet in
thickness. This vein has been opened in different directions, for several
hundred feet from the shaft, and with a tram road through the different
entries the coal is reached and brought from the rooms to the shaft, and
then lifted by steam to the surface. This coal has been transported to
different points in the state, and is rapidly coming into use for all ordinary
purposes, taking the place of many of the Ohio coals, and at a reduced
cost. The existence of valuable beds of coal, in Central Michigan, has
only been determined within the past few years. Beside the openings in
this county, there have been others made at Owesso and Corunna, in Shia-
wassee county ; at Flint in Genesee county, and at Lansing. Most of these
have been upon veins outcropping at the surface of the ground."
268
MICHIGAN.
Adrian, a flourishing town, is situated on a branch of the Raisin River,
and on the Michigan Southern Railroad, 80 miles S. E. from Lansing; 37
W. from Monroe, and 70 W. S. W. fi^m Detroit. The Erie and Kalamazoo
Railroad, which was opened in 1836, connects the town with Toledo, 32
miles distant; and the Southern Railroad was extended westward to Chicago,
in 1852. Adrian was incorporated as a city in 1853. Being in the midst
of a fine, fertile, farming region, it has, since the construction of its railroads,
increased with rapidity. It has several flouring mills, foundries, machine
shops, etc. ; 10 houses of worship, and about 6,000 inhabitants.
The village was surveyed and platted in 1828, by Addison J. Comstock, who
made a location in 1826, and having erected a shanty, he brought his family here
in the spring of 1827, and was soon joined by Noah Norton and others. The first
sermon preached in the place, was in 1827, by Rev. John Janes, of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, at the house occupied by Mr. Norton. In 1830 a Methodist
Church was organized. Other churches were soon after established by the Bap
tists and Presbyterians. The first house of worship was erected in 1832, on Church
stree, by the Presbyterians: it was afterward sold to the Episcopalians, and ii-
now owned hy the Methodists. The first framed school house was erected in th
winter of 1831-2. It stood at the corner of Main and Winter-streets, and was used
for some time, for the double purpose of school and church. Mr. Comstock built
, a saw mill in 1827, and soon after a flouring mill, the only one for many miles
around. The seat of justice for Lenawee county was removed from Tecuuiseh to
Adrian, in 1836. The city received its name from Mrs. Comstock. James Sword
was the first mayor. Mr. S. is a native of the county of Kent, in England; he was
a soldier in the Peninsular war, in Spain, and was in several important battles at
that period. The Lenawee Republican and Adrian Gazette, R. W. Ingalls, editor
and proprietor; the first paper in the county, was issued Oct. 22. 1834. ]ts name
has been changed to "The Watch Tower." In 1843, the Messrs. Jermain com-
menced the publication of the "Expositor." The first physician was Dr. Onnsby,
the second Dr. Behee, who died of the small pox, and the third, Dr. P. J. Spahling,
who came to Adrian in 1832.
Ann Arbor, the county seat of Washtenaw county, is on Huron River, and
on the Michigan Central Railroad. It is 37 miles W. from Detroit, and 51
southerly from Lansing. It is
considered one of the most beau-
tifully situated places in the
state. The site of the city ia
elevated, dry, and healthy, and
it is regularly laid out. The
state university, in this place,
was established in 1837, and is
now a flourishing and well en-
dowed institution. The literary
department was opened in 1841 :
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. ,1 J* i j i. -totn
the medical department in 1849,
and in 1853 a scientific course was added. The buildings are large, in an
elevated, commanding, and pleasant situation. Ann Arbor is surrounded by
an excellent farming district, has considerable trade and manufactures of va-
rious kinds. Population about 6,000.
MONROE is near the head of Lake Erie, on one of the branches of the
Michigan Southern Railroad, 41 miles from Detroit and 24 from Toledo, by
the railroad connecting those cities. It is on both sides of the River Raisin,
2 miles from its entrance into the lake. It has a fine harbor, and the soil
MICHIGAN.
269
WINCHESTER'S HEAD Qc'tnTEEs,
On the River Raisin.
This house, modernized, is now the Episcopal par-
sonage in Monroe. It is of hewn logs: the liiumeys
were built of stone from the river bed a few yards
distant, and th<! original form of the house in tha
usual K^yle of the French settlers, with a very steep
roof. The grove of pear trees in the rear is sup-
posed to be over 70 years old.
u a limestone formation which furnishes inexhaustible quarries for the manu-
facture of lime. Population about 4,000.
This point formerly called FRENCHTOWN, and sometimes the settlement of
the River Raisin, is one of the most noted in the history of Michigan. The
following details are communicated
for this work, by Edwin Willits,
Esq., of Monroe, who has given
much attention to the investigation
of the history of this section :
Monroe was one of the earliest set-
tlements in the state of Michigan, a
small body of Canadians and French
having settled there in 1784. In 1794,
Detroit and Frenchtown (Monroe) were
the principal towns on the eastern side
of the peninsula. The latter consisted,
however, of only a few log cabins bor-
dering both banks of the River Kaisin,
the claims on which they were situated
being narrow and running back from
the river a long distance. The culti-
vated portions of the claims lay next to
the river, and were inclosed by pickets
which were very substantial, being split
out roughly from logs,and driven or set in
the ground closely together. The
first American settlement was established there in 1793, and soon after a Catholic
chapel was erected for the French.
The region around about Frenchtown was originally inhabited and claimed by
the Pottawatomie Indians. At a treaty concluded at Fort Mclntosh in 1785, these
Indians and other tribes ceded to the United States a strip of territory six inilea
wide, extending from the southern bank of the lliver Raisin to Lake St. Clair.
As late as the year 1800, the Pottawatoinies had a village of a thousand warriors,
beside their wives and children, at what is now called Chase's Mill, on the River
Raisin, eight miles west of the city of Monroe. Their huts were made of bark, and
were thatched with wild grass. This was their permanent dwelling place, save
when they were absent on hunting expeditions. They cultivated the flat between
the high grounds and the river for their cornfields : they were peaceable when
sober.
At Hull's treaty at Detroit, in 1807, the Indians ceded to the United States about
14 of the present counties in the eastern part of Michigan, and two and one half
counties in northern Ohio. After this, therefore, the Pottawatomies abandoned
their village near Monroe, and moved west. They reserved, however, a tract of
land in Monroe county, three miles square, called the Macon Reservation, 14 miles
from the mouth of the River Raisin.
In 1805, there were, according to the report of Judge "Woodward, 121 settle-
ments, or farms, on the River Raisin. These, however, must have included the
neighboring settlement on Sandy and other creeks, as there could scarcely have
been that number on the River Raisin, according to the memory of the oldest set-
tlers. At this time there was no village, nor any collection of houses nearer than
they would naturally be on the narrow French claims. In 1807 a block house and
stockade were built on the spot now occupied by the residence of Hon. Charles
Noble; they were erected for the protection of the people from the Indians. The
stockade was an acre in size, surrounded with pickets 12 feet high, and 12 to 15
inches through, set closely together, forming a very substantial defense. For some
time the upper part of the block house was used to hold courts in, and the lower
part was the prison.
270 MICHIGAN.
In consequence of the fact, that the settlement of the River Raisin was on the
direct road from Detroit to Ohio, it was deemed a post of considerable importance
during the difficulties that preceded, as well as during the actual hostilities of the
war of 1812. Detroit depended, in a great measure, on Ohio and Kentucky for
men and provisions, and as these, since Gen. Hull had cut a narrow wagon road
through, would pass through Frenchtown, it was of importance that the place
should be kept out of the hands of the enemy, who could easily cross over from
Canada and cut off the supplies before they reached Detroit. For this reason,
Monroe became the scene of actual warfare, not on a very extended scale, it is true,
but worthy of record among the incidents of the war of 1812.
Just previous to, or about the first of August, 1812, Col. Brush was sent from
Ohio at the head of two companies of Ohio militia, with 3 or 400 cattle, and a large
stock of provisions, and some arms and ammunition, for Gen. Hull, then in com-
mand of the American troops at Detroit. He got as far as Frenchtown, but learn-
ing that a large party of British and Indians had been sent out from Maiden,
Canada, to intercept him at Brownstown, a place some 20 miles from Frenchtown,
on the road to Detroit, and fearing to advance farther without assistance from Gen.
Hull, he occupied the block house and stockade. Two expeditions were sent out
by Gen. Hull to relieve Col. Brush. The first consisting of 200 men under Maj. V;m
Horn, fell into an ambuscade of Indians at Brownstown, on the 8th of August, and,
after fighting gallantly against a hidden and superior force, he thought it best, aa
his force was evidently too small, to return to Detroit, leaving 18 dead on the field.
The second expedition was made by Col. Miller, on the 9th of August, with 600
men, who met, fought and dispersed, after a desperate battle, a large body of
British and Indians at Monguagon, a place 15 miles below Detroit. The British
were commanded by Maj. Muir, the Indians by the celebrated Indian warrior and
statesman, Tecuraseh. who, on that day, fought with desperate valor, and although
wounded, maintained his ground while the British regulars gave way. Col. Miller
was obliged to await provisions before he could advance further toward the Raisin,
and was finally ordered back by Gen. Hull, who feared or expected an attack on
Detroit. Arrangements were now made to convey Col. Brush and the supplies in
his charge by a more circuitous and less exposed route, which had been traveled by
James Knaggs, who had carried a letter from Col. Brush to Gen. Hull. In order
to effect this, Colonels McArthur and Cass were sent to his relief with 350 of the
best troops, on the 13th of August, but they had not arrived at the Raisin before
the surrender of Detroit to the British, which occurred the 16th of August, their
command, as well as that of Col. Brush and his supplies, being included in the
capitulation.
In order to secure the force under Col. Brush and the supplies in his charge,
Capt. Elliott, a British officer, accompanied by a Frenchman and a Wyandot In-
dian, was sent to Frenchtown with a copy of the capitulation. Col. Brush, learn-
ing from his scouts that Capt. Elliott was coming with a flag of truce, sent a guard
out to meet him. He and his companions were blindfolded and brought into the
stockade. Brush would not believe Elliott's story, and thought it was a hoax, and
the copy of the capitulation a forgery, so utterly improbable did it seem that De-
troit had been taken. For this reason he threw Elliott and his two companions
into the block-house. The next day, however, the story was confirmed by an
American soldier, who had escaped from Detroit. Upon this, Brush packed up
what provisions he could, and, driving his cattle before him, escaped to Ohio, leav-
ing orders to release Elliott on the next day, which was done. Elliott, of course,
was indignant at his treatment, and at the escape of Brush with so much of the
supplies. To add to his rage, a great portion of the provisions and ammunition
left by Brush, had been carried off and secreted by the inhabitants of the place,
before he had been released, they thinking it no great harm to take, for their own
use, what would otherwise fall into the hands of the rascally British, as they called
them. These acts were certainly very injudicious, and all concur in attributing a
treat portion of the calamities that befell the settlement to the manner in which they
ad treated Elliott, and to their evasion of the terms of the capitulation. Elliott
sent for Tecumseh to pursue Brush, and permitted the Indians to ravage and plun-
MICHIGAN. 271
der the settlement in spite of the remonstrances of Tecumseh.* The settlement
was plundered not only of provision and cattle, but horses, saddles, bridles, house-
hold furniture, and every valuable which had not been secreted. The place was
so stripped of horses, that James Knaggs, who, for In days, lay hid in the set-
tlement (a reward of $500 having been offered for his scalp), could find only one on
which to escape to Ohio, and that one had been hidden by a tailor in a cellar:
Knaggs gave his coat and a silver watch for it. After much peril he succeeded
in escaping, and afterward was present at the battle of the Thames, under Col. II.
M. Johnson, and was not far from Tecumseh at the time of his death. Mr. Knaggs
is still living, and resides at Monroe.
About this time, at the command of Elliott, the block-house was burned, and also
a portion of the pickets were destroyed, as it was impossible for the British to oc-
cupy the place then, and it would not answer to leave them standing. Elliott
then left, and bands of Indians repeatedly came and plundered the settlement, until
about October, when some British officers came with some militia and took per-
manent possession of the place. They occupied the houses of Jerome and Con-
ture, below the brick house now owned by Gibson, not far from the present rail-
road bridge. This location was made from the fact that it was adjacent to, and
commanded the road to Detroit, and because, from its elevation, it overlooked the
opposite (south) side of the River Raisin, whence would come the attacks of the
Americans, who were shortly expected to advance under Gen. Harrison to Detroit
Here they remained with a considerable force of British and Indians, until the ap-
pearance of the advance troops under Gen. Winchester, on the 18th of January,
1813. These advance troops were led by Colonels Lewis and Allen, and came
from Maumee on the ice, and attacked, on the afternoon of that day. the ne-
my, from a point below where the storehouses on the canal are now situated.
The British had posted a six-pounder on the high ground in front of the camp, and
with it attempted to prevent the Americans from crossing, by firing diagonally
down the river, but the attack was made with such vigor, that the British were dis-
lodged after a short contest, and compelled to retreat toward Maiden. The In-
dians held out until dark, being protected, in a measure, by the rushes which con-
*0ne incident we have never seen published, shows the character of the great Indian
chieftain, Tecumseh, in a noble light. When he came to the Raisin, after the retreat
of Col. Brush, he found that most of the cattle of the settlement had been driven off, either
by the settlers in order to save them, or by the Indians as plunder. Therefore he expe-
rienced much difficulty in getting meat for hi* warriors. He, however, discovered a yoke
of fine black oxen, belonging to a man by the name of Rivard, who resided up the river
some distance above Monroe. Tecumseh took the cattle, but Rivard begged so hard, stat-
ing that they were the only property he had left, and taking him into the house, showed
the chieftain his father, sick and in need of medicine, and appealed so hard to Tecumseh's
generosity, that Tecumseh said he must have the cattle, as his men were hungry, but that
he would pay him $100 for them. The cattle were speedily killed, and during the evening
a man who could write made out an order on Elliott for $100, and it was signed by Tecum-
seh. The next morning Rivard went to the block-house to get the money, but Elliott
would not pay the order, and treated Rivard harshly, telling him the oxen did not belong to
him, but to the British who had conquered the country. Rivard returned and reported what
had occurred. Tecumseh was indignant, declaring that if that was the way his orders
were treated, he would pay the debt himself, and leave with his men. The truly insulted
chieftain then strode into Elliott's presence, accompanied by Rivard, and demanded why
his order had not been paid ? Elliott told him that he had no authority to pay such debts,
that it was no more than right that the citizens- should support the army for their willful-
ness. Tecumseh replied that he had promised the man the money, and the money he should
have, if he had to sell all his own horses to raise it: that the man was poor and had a sick
father as he knew, having seen him, and that it was not right that this man should suffer
for the evil deeds of his government, and that if this was the way the British intended to
carry on the war, he would pay the debt and then leave with his men for his home, and let
the British do their own fighting. Elliott, subdued by the will of the Indian leader,
brought out $100 in government scrip, but Tecumseh bade him take it back, as be bad
promised the man the money, and the money he should have, or he would leave. Elliott
was therefore compelled to pay the specie, and then, in addition, Tecumseh made him givo
the man a dollar extra for the trouble he had been at.
272
MICHIGAN.
cealed them, on the low grounds below the British camp. Finally they retreated
to the woods, and the Americans so heedlessly pursued them, that in the darkness
they fell into an ambuscade, and had about 13 men killed and several wounded. The
loss in the afternoon is not known, but is supposed to have amounted to as many more.
Colonels Lewis and Allen took possession of the quarters vacated by the British,
and established guards at the picket fences, some distance from the houses, and
patrols in the woods.
On the 19th, two hundred Americans, under Col. Wells, arrived and encamped
on the Reaume farm, about 80 rods below the other troops. On the 20th of Janu-
ary, Gen. Winchester arrived and took up his quarters in the house of Col. Francis
Navarre, on the opposite (south) side of the river, about three quarters of a mile
above the position of Cols. Lewis and Allen. The troops that came with him, un-
der Major Madison, occupied the same camp that the others did. All the forces
amounted to not far from 1,000 men.
Immediately after the battle of the 18th, some of the French inhabitants who
had sold provisions to the British, followed them to Maiden to get their pay. On
their return, they brought word that the British and Indians were collecting in
large force, to the amount of 3,000 to attack Frenchtown. Gen. Winchester paid
but little attention to these reports, feeling considerable confidence in his own
strength, and expecting reinforcements that would render him safe beyond a doubt,
before the enemy could possibly attack him. The British seemed to be aware that
they must make the attack before these reinforcements came up, if they wished to
effect anything ; hence they hastened their preparations. On the 21st, several of
the more prominent French citizens went to Winchester and told him that they
had reliable information that the American camp would be attacked that night or
the next day. He was so infatuated that he paid no further deference to their
statement than to order those soldiers who were scattered around the settlement,
drinking cider with the inhabitants, to assemble and remain in camp all night
About daylight on the morning of the 22d of January, 1813, a large force of
British and Indians, under Proctor and the celebrated Indian chiefs, Round Head
and Split Log, attacked the camp of the Americans. The attack was made all
along the lines, but the British forces were more particularly led against the upper
camp, occupied by Major Madison and Cols. Lewis and Allen, and the Indians
against the lower camp, occupied by Col. Wells. The British were unsuccessful
at their part of the lines, where the Americans fought with great bravery, and were
protected very much
by the pickets, which
being placed at some
distance from the
woods, afforded the
Kentucky riflemen a
fine opportunity t o
shoot the enemy down
as they were advanc-
ing. An attempt, was
then made by the Brit-
ish to use a field piece
just at the edge of the
woods, by which they
hoped to prostrate the
pickets and batter
down the houses, but
SITE or THE STOCKADE ox THE KIVEB RAISIN.
The upper camp and where the wounded prisoners were massacred after
their surrender, was ou the site of the large house on the extreme left.
The site of the lower camp appears iu tho distance below. The view was
taken from the railroad bridge on the Toledo, Monroe and Detroit E.B.
the Kentuckians with their sharpshooters picked the men off as fast as they at-
tempted to load it, so that they were forced to abandon the attack and suffer a re-
pulse.
While these things were happening at the upper camp, a far different state of
things existed at the lower one. The attack of the Indians was so impetuous, the
position so indefensible, and the American force so inadequate, consisting of only
200 men, that, notwithstanding the bravery of Col. Wells and his men, it was im-
possible to retain the position. Cols. Lewis and Allen attempted to take a rein-
MICHIGAN. 273
foreemcnt to the right wing, to enable Col. Wells to retreat up the river on the ice,
under cover of the high bank, to the upper camp. But before they arrived at tho
lower camp, the fire of the savages had become so galling that Wells was
forced to abandon his position. This he attempted to do in good order, but as soon
as his men began to give way, the Indians redoubled their cries and the impetuos-
ity of their attack, so that the retreat speedily became a rout. In this condition
they were met by Col. Allen, who made every effort to call them to order and lead
them in safety to the upper camp. But, notwithstanding the heroic exertions of
Col. Allen, and his earnest protestations and commands, they continued their dis-
ordered flight, and from some unaccountable reason, probably through an irre-
sistible panic, caused by the terrible cries and onslaught of the savages, instead
of continuing up the river to the upper camp, they fled diagonally across
to the Hull road, so called, which led to Maumee, and attempted to escape
to Ohio. And now the flight became a carnage. The Indians seeing the
disorder of the Americans, who thought of nothing save running for their
lives, and escaping the tomahawks of the savages, having warriors posted all
along the woods which lined or were within a short distance of the river, now
raised the cry that the Americans were flying, which cry was echoed by thousands
nf warriors, who all rushed to the spot and outstripped the fleeing soldiers. Some
followed them closely in their tracks and brained them with their tomahawks from
Behind; some posted themselves both sides of the narrow road and shot them
down as they passed ; and finally some got in advance, and headed them off at
Plumb creek, a small stream about a mile from the Kiver Kaisin. Here the panic
stricken soldiers, who had thrown away most of their arms to facilitate their flight,
huddled together like sheep, with the brutal foe on all sides, were slaughtered, and
so closely were they hemmed in, that tradition says, that after the battle, forty
dead bodies were found lying scalped and plundered on two rods square.
Gen. Winchester, impressed with the foolish idea that an attack would not be
made, had retired the night before without having made any arrangements for
safety or dispatch in case of an attack. Therefore when awakened by the tiring,
he and his aids made great confusion, all crying for their horses, which were in
Col. Navarre's stable, the servants scarcely awake enough to equip them with haste.
The luckless commander became very impatient to join his forces, nearly a mile
distant, and, to gratify his desire, Col. Navarre offered him his best and fleetest
horse, which had been kept saddled all night, as Navarre, in common with all the
French inhabitants, expected an attack before morning. On this horse he started
for the camp, but, on the way, finding that a larg number of the troops were then
fleeing on the Hull road, he followed after them to rally them, and, .if possible, re-
gain the day, but on his way he was taken prisoner by an Indian (said to have
been Jack Brandy), who knew by his dothes that he was an officer, and therefore
spared his life. Proctor persuaded the Indian to deliver him over into his hands.
Col. Allen was also taken prisoner about the same time; he had behaved with ex-
traordinary courage during the whole action, although wounded in the thigh.
He was finally killed by an Indian while held a prisoner.
With Winchester as his prisoner, Proctor felt that he could dictate terms to that
portion of the American troops under the command of Major Madison in the upper
camp, who had thus far made a successful resistance. Proctor sent with a flag
one of Gen. Winchester's aids, with the peremptory orders of the latter, directing
Major Madison to surrender. Col. Proctor had demanded an immediate surrender,
or he would burn the settlement, and allow the Indians to massacre the prisoners
and the inhabitants of the place. Major Madison replied, that it was customary
for the Indians to massacre the wounded and prisoners after a surrender, and he
would not agree to any capitulation Gen. Winchester might make, unless the safe-
ty and protection of his men were guaranteed. After trying in vain to get an un-
conditional surrender, Major Madison and his men being disposed to sell their lives
as dearly as possible, rather than run the risk of being massacred in cold blood,
Proctor agreed to the terms demanded, which were, that private property should
be respected, that sleds should be sent next morning to take the sick and wounded
to Maiden,, and that their side arms should be restored to the officers on thoir ar-
rival there.
18
274 MICHIGAN.
These terms completed, the surrender was made, and the prisoners and British
and Indians started for Maiden: not, however, until the Indians had violated the
first article of the agreement, by plundering the settlement. But finally all de-
parted, except the sick and wounded American soldiers, who were left in the two
houses of the upper camp, to await the coming of the sleds on the morrow. Only
two or three persons were left in charge of them, a neglect which was nearly or
quite criminal on the part of Proctor. The last and most disgraceful scene in this
bloody tragedy was yet to be enacted. The sleds that were to take the ill-fated
sufferers to Maiden never came. In their stead came, the next morning, 300 In-
dians, painted black and red, determined on massacreing the wounded Americans,
in revenge for their loss the day before. The slaughter soon commenced in earn-
est. Breaking into the houses where the Americans were, they first plundered
and then tomahawked them. The houses were set on fire, and those within were
coHsumed ; if any attempted to crawl out of the doors or windows they were
wounded with the hatchet and pushed back into the flames : those that happened
to be. outside were stricken down, and their dying bodies thrown into the burning
dwellings. Major Wolfolk, the secretary of Gen. Winchester, was killed in the
massacre. Thus ended the "Massacre of the River Raisin." Thus perished in
cold blood some of Kentucky's noblest heroes : their death filled with sorrow many
homes south of the Ohio. No monument marks the place of their death : but lit-
tle is known of the private history of those brave spirits who traversed a wilder-
ness of several hundred miles, and gave up their lives for their country : who died
alone, unprotected, wounded, in a settlement far from the abode of civilization.
But few of the killed were ever buried. Their bones lay bleaching in the sun
for years. On the 4th of July, 1818, a company of men under the charge of Col.
Anderson, an old settler of Frenohtown, went to the spot of the battle and col-
lected a large quantity of the bones, and buried them, with appropriate ceremo-
nies, in the old graveyard in Monroe. For years after, however, it was not un-
common to find a skull, fractured by the fatal tomahawk, hidden away in some
clump of bushes, where the dogs and wild beasts had dragged the body to devour
its flesh.
In addition to the preceding communication, we annex extracts from Dar-
nall's Journal of Winchester's Campaign, which gives additional light upon
the disaster of the River Raisin :
Jan. 19<&. Frenchtown is situated on the north side of this river, not more than three
miles from the place it empties into Lake Erie. There is a row of dwelling houses, about
twenty in number, principally frarojs, near the bank, surrounded with a fence made in the
form of picketing, with split timber, from four to five feet high. This was not designed
as a fortification, but to secure their yards and gardens.
21<. A reinforcement of two hundred and thirty men arrived in the afternoon; also
Gen. Winchester, Col. Wells, Major M'Clanahan, Capt Hart, Surgeons Irvin and Mont-
gomery, and some other gentlemen, who came to eat apples and drink cider, having been
deprived of every kind of spirits nearly two months. The officers having viewed and laid
off a piece of ground for a camp and breastworks, resolved that it was too late to remove
and erect fortifications that evening. Further, as they resolved to remove early next day,
it was not thought worth while, though materials were at hand, to fortify the right wing,
which therefore encamped in the open field; this want of precaution was a great cause of
our mournful defeat. Col. Wells, their commander, set out for the Rapids late in the
evening. A Frenchman arrived here late in the evening from Maiden, and stated that a
large number of Indians and British were coining on the ice, with artillery, to attack us;
he judged their number to be three thousand; this was not believed by some of our lead-
ing men, who were regaling themselves with whisky and loaf sugar; but the generality of
the troops put great confidence in the Frenchman's report, and expected some fatal disas-
ter to befall us; principally because Gen. Winchester had taken up his head-quarters near-
ly half a mile from any part of the encampment, and because the right wing was exposed.
Ensign Harrow, who was sent with a party of men, some time after night, by the orders
of Col. Lewis, to bring in all the men, either officers or privates, that he might find out
of their quarters; after finding some and giving them their orders, went to a brick house
about a mile up the river, and entered a room; finding it not occupied, he immediately
went above stairs, and saw two men whom he took to be British officers, talking with the
landlord; the landlord asked him to walk down into a store room, and handing his bottle,
asked him to drink, and informed him " there was no danger, for the British had not a
MICHIGAN.
275
force sufficient to whip us." So Harrow returned about 1 o'clock, and reported to Col.
Lewis what he had seen. * Col. Lewis treated the report with coolness, thinking the per-
sons seen were only spme gentlemen from town. Just at daybreak the reveille began to
beat as usual; this gave joy to the troops, who had passed the night under the apprehen-
sions of being attacked before day. The reveille had not been beating more than two
minutes, before the sentinels fired three guns in quick succession. This alarmed our
troops, who quickly formed, and were ready for the enemy before they were near enough
to do execution. The British immediately discharged their artillery, loaded with balls,
bombs, and grape-shot, which did little injury. They then attempted to make a charge o&
those in the pickets, but were repulsed with great loss. Those on the right being less
secure for the want of fortification, were overpowered by a superior force, and were ordered
to retreat to a more advantageous piece of ground. They got in disorder, and could not
be formed.* The Indians pursued them from all quarters, and surrounded, killed, and
took the most of them. The enemy again charged on the left with redoubled vigor, but
were again forced to retire. Our men lay close behind the picketing, through which they
had port holes, and every one having a rest, took sight, that his ammunition might not be
spent in vain. After a long and bloody contest, the enemy finding they could not either
by stratagem or force drive us from our fortification, retired to the woods, leaving their
dead on the ground (except a party that kept two pieces of cannon in play on'our right.)
A sleigh was seen three or lour hundred yards from our lines going toward the right, sup-
posed to be laden with ammunition to supply the cannon; four or five men rose up and
fired at once, and killed the man and wounded the horse. Some Indians who were hid
behind houses, continued to annoy us with scattering balls. At this time bread from the
commissary's house was handed round among our troops, who sat composedly eating and
watching the enemy at the same time. Being thus refreshed, we discovered a white flag
udvanciug toward us; it was generally supposed to be for a cessation of arms, that our ene-
mies might carry off their dead, which were numerous, although they had been beaiing
nway both dead and wounded during the action. But how were we surprised and mortified
when we heard that Gen. Winchester, with Col. Lewis, had been taken prisoners by the
Indians in attempting to rally the right, wing, and that Gen. Winchester had surrendered
us prisoners of war to Col. Proctor! M.'jor Madison, then the highest in command, did not
agree to this until Col. Proctor had promised that the prisoners should be protected from
the Indians, the wounded taken care of, the dead collected and buried, and private proper-
ty respected. It was then, with extreme reluctance, our troops accepted this proposition.
There was scarcely a person that could retrain from shedding tears! some plead with the
officers not to surrender, saying they wo^ld rather die on the field! We had only five
killed, and twenty-five or thirty wounded, inside of the pickets.
The British collected their troops, and marched in front of the village. We marched
out and grounded our arms, in heat and bitterness of spirit. The British and Indians took
possession of them. All the prisoners, except those that were badly wounded, Dr. Todd,
Dr. Bowers, and a few attendants, were marched toward Maiden. The British said, as
they had a great many of their wounded to take to Maiden that evening, it would be out
of their power to take ours before morning, but they would leave a sufficient guard so that
they should not be interrupted by the Indians.
As they did not leave the PROMISED GUARD, I lost all confidence in them, and expected
we would all be massacred before morning. I being the only person in this house not
wounded, with the assistance of some of the wounded, I prepared something for about
thirty to eat.
We passed this night under the most serious apprehensions of being massacred by the
tomahawk, or consumed in the flames: I frequently went out to see if the house was set
on fire. At length the long wished for mom arrived, and filled each heart with a cheerful
hope of being delivered from the cruelty of these merciless savages. We were making
every preparation to be ready for the promised sleighs. But, alas! instead of the s eighs,
about an hour by sun, a great number of savages, painted with various colors, came yell-
ing in the most hideous manner! These blood-thirsty, terrific savages (sent here by their
more cruel and perfidious allies, the British), rushed into the houses where the desponding
wounded lay, and insolently stripped them of their blankets, and all their best clothes, and
ordered them out of the houses! I ran out of the house to inform the interpreters t what
the Indians were doing; at the door, an Indian took my hat and put it on his own head; I
* When the right wing began to retreat, it is said orders were given by some of the officers
to the men in the eastern end of the picketing, to march out to their assistance. Captain
Price, and a number of men sallied out. Captain Price was killed, and most of the men.
fl was 'since informed that Col. Elliott instructed the interpreters to leave the wounded,
after dark, to the mercy of the savages. They all went off except one half-Indian.
276 MICHIGAN.
then discovered that the Indians had been at the other house first, and had used the
wounded in like manner. As I turned to go back into the house, an Indian taking hold
of me, made signs for me to stand by the corner of the house. I made signs to him 1
wanted to go in and get my hat; for I desired to see what they had done with the wounded.
The Indians sent in a boy who brought out a hat and threw it down to me, and I could not
get in the house. Three Indians came up to me and pulled off my coat. My feeble pow-
ers can not describe the dismal scenes here exhibited. I saw my fellow soldiers naked and
wounded, crawling out of the houses, to avoid being consumed in the flames. Some that
had not been able to turn themselves on their beds for four days, through fear of being
burned to death, arose and walked out and about the yard. Some cried for help, but there
was none to help them. "Ah! " exclaimed numbers, in the anguish of their spirit, " what
shall we do? " A number, unable to get out, miserably perished in the unrelenting flames
of the houses, kindled by the more unrelenting savages. Now the scenes of cruelty and
murder we had been anticipating with dread, during last night, fully commenced. The
savages rushed on the wounded, and, in their barbarous manner, shot and tomahawked, and
scalped them; and cruelly mangled their naked bodies while they lay agonizing and wel-
tering in their blood. A number were taken toward Maiden, but being unable to march
with speed,, were inhumanly massacred. The road was, for miles, strewed with the mangled
bodies, and all of them were left like those slain in battle, on the 22d, for birds and beasts
to tear in pieces and devour. The Indians plundered the town of every thing valuable,
and set the best houses on fire. The Indian who clnimed me, gave me a coat, and when
he had got as much plunder as he could carry, he ordered me, by signs, to march, which I
did with extreme reluctance, in company with three of the wounded, and six or seven In-
dians. In traveling about a quarter of a mile, two of the wounded lagged behind about
'twenty yards. The Indians, turning round, shot one and scalped him. They shot at the
other and missed him; he, running up to them, begged that they would not shoot him. He
said he would keep up, and give them money. But these murderers were not moved with
his doleful cries. They shot him down, and rushing on him in a crowd, scalped him. In
like manner, my brother Allen perished. He marched with difficulty after the wounded,
about two or three hundred yards, and was there barbarously murdered.
In traveling two miles, we came to a house where there were two British officers; the
Indian made a halt, and I asked one of the officers what the Indian was going to do with
me; he said he was going to take me to Amherstburgh (or Maiden.) I judged these vil-
lains had instructed the Indians to do what they had done.
During my captivity with the Indians, the other prisoners were treated very inhumanly.
The first night they were put in a woodyard; the rain commenced early in the night and
put out all their fires; in this manner they passed a tedious night, wet and benumbed with
cold. From this place they were taken to a cold warehouse, still deprived of fire, with
their clothes and blankets frozen, and nothing to eat but a little bread. In this wretched
condition they continued two days and three nights.
Captain Hart, who was among those massacred, was the brother-in-law of
Henry Clay. Timothy Mallary, in his narrative of his captivity, says on
this point :
The Indians ordered several other prisoners and myself to march for Maiden. We had
not proceeded far before they tomahawked four of this number, amongst whom was Capt.
Hart, of Lexington. He had hired an Indian to take him to Maiden. I saw part of this
hire paid to the Indian. After having taken hinksome distance, another Indian demanded
him, saying that he was his prisoner; the hireling would not give him up; the claimant,
finding that he could not get him alive, shot him in the left side with a pistol. Captain
Hart still remained on his horse; the claimant then ran up, struck him with a tomahawk,
pulled him off his horse, scalped him, and left him lying there.
Hon. B. F. H. Witherell, of Detroit, in his Reminiscences, gives some
facts upon the inhuman treatment of the prisoners taken at the River Raisin.
He says :
Our fellow-citizen, Oliver Bellair, Esq., at that time a boy, resided with his parents at
Maiden. He states that, when the prisoners, some three or four hundred in number, ar-
rived at Maiden, they were pictures of misery. A \ong, cold march from the states in
mid winter, camping out in the deep snow, the hard-fought battle and subsequent robbery
of their effects, left them perfectly destitute of any comforts. Many of the prisoners wero
also slightly wounded; the blood, dust, and smoke of battle were yet upon them. At
Maiden, they were driven into an open woodyard, and, without tents or covering of any
kind, thinly clad, they endured the bitter cold of a long January night; but they were
soldiers of the republic, and suffered without murmuring at their hard lot. They were
MICHIGAN.
277
surrounded by a strong chain of sentinels, to prevent their escape, and to keep the savagea
oft', who pressed hard to enter the iuclosure. The inhabitants of the village, at night, in
large numbers, sympathizingly crowded around, and thus favored the escape of a few of
the prisoners.
The people of Maiden were generally kind to prisoners.. It is not in the nature of a
Frenchman to be otherwise than kind to the suffering.
Mr. Bellair tells me, that, at the time these prisoners were brought into Maiden, the vil-
lage presented a horrid spectacle. The Indians had cut off the heads of ttiose who had
fallen in the battle and massacre, to the number of a hundred or more, brought them to
Maiden, and stuck them up in rows on the top of a high, sharp-pointed picket fence; and
there they stood, their matted locks deeply stained with their own gore their eyes wide
open, staring out upon the multitude, exhibiting all variety of feature; some with a pleas-
ant smile; others, who had probably lingered long in mortal agony, had a scowl of de-
fiance, despair, or revenge; and others wore the appearance of deep distress and sorrow
they may have died thinking of their far-off wives and children, and friends, and pleasant
homes which they should visit no more; the winter's frost had fixed their leaiures as they
died, and they changed not.
The savages had congregated in large numbers, and had brought back with them from
the bloody banks of the Raisin, and other parts of our frontiers, immense numbers of
scalps, strung upon poles, among wh ; ''h might be seen the soft, silky locks of young chil-
dren, the ringlets and tresses of fair maidens, the burnished locks of middle life, and the
silver gray of age. The scalps were hung some twenty together on a pole; each was ex-
tended by a small hoop around the edge, and they were all painted red on the flesh side,
and were carried about the town to the music of the war-whoop and the scalp-yell.
That the British government and its officers did not attempt to restrain the savages is
well known; on the contrary, they were instigated to the commission of these barbarous
deeds. Among the papers of Gen. Proctor, captured at the battle of the Thames, was
found a letter from Gen. Brock to Proctor, apparently in answer to one asking whether he
should restrain the ferocity of the savages. The reply was: " The Indians are necessary
to his Majesty's service, and must be indulged." If the gallant Brock would tolerate the
atrocious conduct of his savage allies, what couWbe expected from others?
The State Asylum for Deaf Mutes and the Blind, Flint.
The cut shows the west front of the Asylum. (Inscription on the comer stone.) 1857. Erected by the
State of Michigan. J. B. Walker, Building Commissioner; J. T. Johnson, foreman of the mason work ;
R. Vaiitifflin, foreman of the joiner work.
FLINT, the county seat for Genesee county, on both sides of the river of
its own name, is situated in the midst of a beautiful and fertile country, 46
miles E.N.E. from Lansing, and 58 N.W. from Detroit. It has considerable
water power. The Michigan Asylum for Deaf Mutes and the Blind,
one of the most elegant and beautiful buildings in the state, is at this
place. The city was incorporated in 1855, comprising three localities or
villages, viz: Flint, Flint River, and Grand Traverse. Population about
4,000.
278 MICHIGAN.
In 1S32, Olmsted Chainberlin and Gideon O. Whittemore, of Oakland, Mich.,
made a location in Flint of 40 acres, and Levi Gilkey, of 50 acres. John Todd,
with his wife, originally Miss P. M. Smith, of Cayuga county, New York, with
their children, Edwin A. and Mary L. Todd, were the first white settlers of Flint
Thev arrived here April 18, 1833, with two wagons, on the second day after leav-
ing Pontiac. They moved into a log hut on the bank of the river, then a trading
house, a few rods from the bridge, and used afterward as a stopping place. The
next regular settler was Nathaniel Ladd, who located himself on Smith's reserva-
tion, on the north side of the river, in a hut which had been occupied by two In-
dian traders. Lyinan Stow, from Vermont, who bought out Mr. Ladd, came next
At the time of the arrival of Mr. Todd, the whole country here was an entire for-
est, excepting a small tract cleared by the Indian traders. The silence of the wil-
derness was nightly broken by the howling of wolves. The " wild forest serenade,"
as not inaptly termed by Mrs. Todd, began with a slight howl, striking, as it were,
the key note of the concert ; this was soon succeeded by others of a louder tone,
which, still rising higher and louder, the whole forest finally resounded with one
almost continuous yelL
In 1834, there were only four buildings at this place, then without a name: at
this period there was a fort at Saginaw, and the U. S. government was opening a
military road from Detroit to Saginaw. They had just built the first bridge across
Flint Kiver, where previously all travelers had been ferried over in an Indian
canoe. Among the first settlers was Col. Cronk, from New York, who bought land
for his children, among whom were James Cronk, who died in the Mexican war,
and his son-in-law, Elijah Davenport, now Judge Davenport, of Saginaw. Col.
Cronk died at the house of John Todd, after an illness of eight days. He was dis-
tinguished for his alfability and benevolence r and was much respected. The first
religious meeting was held by Rev. 0. F. North, a Methodist traveling preacher, at
the dwelling of Mr. Todd, who built a frame house the fall after his arrival ; the
lumber used was sawed at Thread mill, about one and a half miles from Flint
Kev. W. II. Brockway, an Indian missionary, was for a time the only regular
preacher in the wide range of the counties of Lapeer, Genesee, Shiawasse, and
Saginaw. He traveled on foot, and usually alone. Once in four weeks he visited
Flint, and preached in Todd's log cabin, afterward in a room over the store of
& Wright. Daniel Sullivan commenced the first school near the close of
1834, and had some 10 or 12 scholars, comprising all the white children in the
neighborhood. His compensation was ten cents weekly for each scholar. Miss
Lucy Riggs, the daughter of Judge Riggs, it is believed, was the first female teacher;
she kept her school in a kind of shanty in Main-street, some 60 or 70 rods from
the river.
The township of Flint was organized under the territorial government, in 1 836.
The first election for township officers was held in the blacksmith shop of Kline &
Freeman, Rufus W. Stephens, acting as moderator, and David Mather as clerk
The first church erected was the Presbyterian : it stood on Poney Sow, a street
said to have been named from the circumstance that, at an early period, a number
of men who lived there were short of stature. The Episcopalians erected the
second church ; Rev. Mr. Brown was their first minister. The Methodist church
was the third erected, the Catholic the fourth, and the Baptist the fifth, the first
minister of which was the Rev. Mr. Gamble. The Episcopal church of St. Paul
was raised in 1844. The present Methodist church was built in 1845. The Pres-
byterian church was erected about the year 1847. The first regular physician was
John Hayes, from Massachusetts ; the second was Dr. Lamond. The first printing
press was introduced about 1836; the "Genesee Whig" was established in 1850;
the first newspaper printed by steam power was the "Wolverine Citizen," by F. H.
1'ankin, a native of Ireland.
GRAND RAPIDS, first settled in 1833, laid out as a village in 1836, and in-
corporated in 1850, is the second city in importance in Michigan. It is the
county seat of Kent county, on the line of the Detroit and Milwaukie Rail-
road, at the Rapids of Grand River; 60 miles W. N.W. of Lansing, and 150
from Detroit.
MICHIGAN.
279
Grand River is here about 900 feet wide, and has a fall of 18 feet, which
gives an immense water power. The city contains a large number of mills
of various kinds, as flouring, saw, plaster; also founderics, lime-kilns, lum-
ber dealers, marble gypsum, gravel sand, and manufactories of staves, hubs,
etc. Building material of every description is found in the neighborhood,
and also salt springs of extraordinary strength, far greater than those at
Syracuse, requiring but 29 gallons to produce * bushel of salt.
The manufacture of salt, now in its infancy here, is destined to work mar-
velous changes in this
region of country.
"Grand Rapids also has
in its vicinity inexhausti-
ble quarries of the finest
gypsum, of which 20,000
tuns per annum are al-
ready used in agriculture
by the farmers of Michi-
gan, which amount will
be doubled, and soon
trebled, on the construc-
tion of the north and
south land-grant road
.- , i j ^
from Indiana through
Kalamazoo and Grand
Rapids, to some point
near Mackinaw, of which
road a part has already
been graded."
Grand Rapids now has
a population of about
8,000, and it is the re-
mark of the editor of the
New York Tribune, after visiting this place, that in view of its natural ad-
vantages, he shall be disappointed if the census of 1870 does not swell its
population to 50,000.
Grand Rapids is a handsome city, and is remarkable for the erilrgy and
enterprise of its population. It is the great seat of the lumber trade in west-
;rn Michigan. This being a branch of industry of primary importance, not
'inly .to this point, but to the whole state, we introduce here an extract from
iv recent article in the Detroit Tribune, from the pen of Kay Haddock, Esq.,
Its commercial editor, which will give an idea of the amount of wealth Michi-
gan possesses in her noble forests. These although repelling the early emi-
grants to the west, in view of the easy tillable lands of the prairie states, will
in the end add to her substantial progress, and educate for her a population
rendered more hardy by the manly toil required to clear up and subdue vast
forests of the heaviest of timber. Careful estimates show that, in prosper-
ous times, the annual products of the pineries of the state even now amount
to about TEN MILLIONS of dollars.
It is now almost universally admitted that the state of Michigan possesses in
her soil and timber the material source of immense wealth. While in years past
it has been difficult to obtain satisfactory information concerning the real condi-
tion and natural resources of a large portion of the surface of the Lower Penin-
sula, the re-survey of portions of the government land, the exploration of the COUD-
VIEW IN MONROE-STREET, GRAND KAPIDS.
230 MICHIGAN.
try by parties in search of pine, the developments made by the exploring and sur-
veying parties along the lines of the Land Grant Railroads, and the more recent
examinations by the different commissions for laying out the several state roads
under the acts passed by the last legislature, have removed every doubt in refer-
ence to the subject. The universal testimony from all the sources above mentioned,
beem to be that in all the natural elements of wealth the whole of the northern
part of the peninsula abounds.
The pine lands of the state, which are a reliable source of present and future
wealth, are so located and distributed as to bring almost every portion of the state,
sooner or later in connection with the commerce of the lakes. The pine timber
of Michigan is generally interspersed
with other varieties of timber, such
as beech, maple, whiteash, oak, cher-
ry, etc., and in most cases the soil is
suited to agricultural purposes. This
is particularly the case on the west-
ern, slope of the peninsula, on the
waters of Lake Michigan, and along
the central portion of the state. On
the east and near Lake Huron, the
pine districts are more extensively
covered with pine timber, and gener-
ally not so desirable for farming pur-
poses. There are good farming lands,
however, all along the coast of Lake
LUMBERMAN'S CAMP, Huron and extending back into the
In the Pine Forests of Michigan. interior.
A large proportion ot the pine lands
of the state are in the hands of the Canal Company, and individuals who are hold-
ing them as an investment, and it is no detriment to this great interest, that the
whole state has been thus explored, and the choicest lands secured. The develop-
ments which have thus been made of the quality and extent of the pine districts,
have given stability and confidence to the lumbering interest. And these lands
are not held at exorbitant prices, but are sold upon fair and reasonable terms, such
as practical business men and lumbermen will not usually object to.
It is a remarkable fact that almost every stream of water in the state, north of
Grand River, penetrates a district of pine lands, and the mouths of nearly all these
streams are already occupied with lumbering establishments of greater or less
magnitude. These lumber colonies are the pioneers, and generally attract around
them others who engage in agriculture, and thus almost imperceptibly {be agricul-
tural invests of the state are spreading and developing in every direction. Tho
want of rai table means of access alone prevents the rapid settlement of large and
fertile districts of our state, which are not unknown to the more enterprising and
persevering pioneers, who have led the way through the wilderness, and are now
engaged almost single-handed in their labors, not shrinking from the privations and
sufferings which are sure to surround these first settlements in our new districts.
The Grand Traverse region, with its excellent soil, comparatively mild climate,
and abundance of timber of every description is attracting much attention, and
extensive settlements have already commenced in many localities in that region.
The coast of Lake Michigan, from Grand River north, for upward of one hundred
miles to Manistee River, presents generally a barren, sandy appearance, the sand
hills of that coast almost invariably shutting out from the view the surrounding
conn try.
North of the Manistee, however, this characteristic of the coast changes, and
the hard timber comes out to the lake, and presents a fine region of country ex-
tending from Lake Michigan to Grand Traverse Bay and beyond, embracing the
ho;id waters of the Manistee River. This large tract of agricultural land is ono
oi' the richest portions of tho state, and having throughout its whole extent ex-
tenMve groves of excellent pine timber interspersed, it is one of the most desirable
portions of the peninsula. Grand Traverse Bay, the Manistee River, and the
MICHIGAN. 281
River Atix Bees Scies are the outlets for the pine timber, and afford ample moans
of communication between the interior and the lake for such purposes. The
proposed state roads will, if built, do much toward the settlement of this region.
A natural harbor, which is being improved by private enterprise, is found at the
mouth of the River Aux Bees Scies, and a new settlement and town has been
started at this point. This is' a natural outlet for a considerable portion of the re-
gion just described. The lands here, as in other localities in the new portions of
the c'ate, are such as must induce a rapid settlement ^whenever the means of com-
munication shall be opened.
The valley of the Muskegon embraces every variety of soil and timber, and is
one of the most attractive portions of the peninsula. The pine lands upon this
river are scattered all along the valley in groups or tracts containing several thous-
and acres each, interspersed with hard timber and surrounded by fine agricultural
lands. The Pere Marquctte River and White River, large streams emptying into
Lake Michigan, pass through a region possessing much the same characteristics.
This whole region is -underlaid with lime rock, a rich soil, well watered with living
springs, resembling in many features the Grand River valley. Beds of gypsum
have been discovered on the head waters of the Pere Marquette. The unsettled
counties in the northern portion of the state, the northern portion of Montcalm,
and Gratiot, Isabella, Gladwin, Clare, and a portion of Midland, arc not inferior to
any other portion. There is a magnificent body of pine stretching from the head
of Flat Kiver, in Montcalm county, to the upper waters of the Tettibewassee, and
growing upon a fine soil, well adapted to agriculture. This embraces a portion of
the Saginaw valley, and covers the high ground dividing the waters of Lakes Huron
and Michigan.
The eastern slope of the peninsula embraces a varietj 7 of soil and timber some-
what different in its general features from other portions of the state. The pine
lands of this region are near the coast of the lake, and lie in large tracts, but with
good agricultural land adjoining.
There are in the lower peninsula, in round numbers, about 24,000,000 acres of
land. Taking Houghton Lake, near the center of the state, as a point of view, the
general surface maybe comprehended as follows: The Muskegorr*valley to the
south-west, following the Muskegon River in its course to Lake Michigan. The
western slope of the peninsula directly west, embracing the pine and agricultural
districts along the valleys of several largo streams emptying into Lake Michigan.
The largo and beautiful region to the north-west, embracing the valley of the Ma-
nistee and the undulating lands around Grand Traverse I5ay. Northward, the re-
gion embraces the head waters of the Manistee and Au Sauble, with the large
tracts of excellent pine in that locality, and beyond, the agricultural region extend-
ing to Little Traverse Bay and. the Straits of Mackinaw. To the north-cast, the
valley of the Au Sauble, and the pine region of Thunder Bay. To the cast, tho
pine and hard timber extending to Saginaw Bay. To the south-east, the Saginaw
valliy; and to tho south, the high lands before described in the central counties.
That portion of the state south of Saginaw and the Grand River valley, is so well
known that a description here would be unnecessary. Thus we have yot undevel-
oped over half of the surface of this peninsula, embracing, certainly, 12,000,000 to
15,000,000 of acres, possessing stores of wealth in the timber upon its surface, re-
serving soil for the benefit of those, who, as the means of communication are
opened, will come in and possess it, and thus introduce industry and prosperity into
our waste places.
We have not the figures at hand, but it is probable that'at least one tenth of the
area north of the Grand River is embraced in the pine region. The swamp lands
granted to the state will probably cover nearly double the area of the pine lands
proper. The remainder, for the most part, is covered with a magnificent growth
of hard timber suited to the. necessities of our growing population and commerce.
The trade in pine timber, lumber, shingles, and other varieties of lumber, with
the traffic in staves form one of the most important branches of manufacture
and commerce in our own state, and this trade alone is now accomplishing more
for the development and settlement of the country than all other causes in opera-
tion.
282 MICHIGAN.
, tlie county seat of Saginaw county, is 57 miles N. E. of Lansing,
and 95 N. N. W. of Detroit, and is built on the site of a trading post which,
during the war of 1812, was occupied as a military post. It is on the W.
bank of Saginaw River, elevated about 30 feet above the water, 22 miles
from the mouth of the river at Saginaw Bay, an inlet of Lake Huron. It
possesses advantages for commerce, as the river is large, and navigable
for vessels drawing 10 feet of water. The four branches of this river
coining from various directions, unite a few miles above the town, and afford
intercourse by boats with a large portion of the state. Population about
3,000.
A very extensive lumber business is carried on at ^Saginaw. Within a
short time the manufacture of salt has begun here, from brine obtained at
the depth of 620 feet. The salt is of extraordinary purity, and the brine of
unusual strength. This industry, when developed, will greatly increase tho
prosperity of the Saginaw valley.
Pontiac, named after the celebrated Indian chieftain, is situated on Clin-
ton River, on the line of the railroad, 25 miles N. W. from Detroit. It is a
flourishing village, and the county seat of Oakland county. Is an active
place of business, and is one of the principal wool markets in the state. It
has quite a number of stores, mills, and factories, and six churches. Popu-
lation about 3,000.
Mr. Asahel Fuller, a native of Connecticut, emigrated to Michigan in 1827, and
located himself at Waterford, seven miles north-west from Pontiac, on the Old In-
dian trail from Detroit to Saginaw, and was a long period known as an inn keeper
in this section of the state. The Chippewa Indians who received their annuities
from the British government at Maiden, Canada West, in their journeyings, ^ften
camped or stopped near his house, sometimes to the number of 2 or 300. On
one occasion htj saw them go through their incantations to heal a sick man, one
of their number. They formed a circle around him, singing a kind of hum drum
tune, beating a drum made of a hollow log with a deer skin stretched over it. The
Indian priest or powaw would occasionally throw into the lire a little tobacco,
which had been rubbed in the hand, likewise pour whistfey into the fire after
drinking a little himself, evidently as a kind of sacrifice. On another occasion a
man breathed into a sick child's mouth, and prayed most fervently to the Great
Spirit to interpose. In 1830, Mr. Fuller purchased the first lot of government
lands in Springfield, 12 miles from Pontiac. He removed there in 1831, and
erected the first house in the place, his nearest neighbor being 5 miles to the south--
east, and 15 to the north-west. Here he kept a public house on the Indian trail
on a most beautiful spot, called Little Spring, near two beautiful lakes; a favorite
place of resort for the Indians, and where they sometimes held the " White Dog
Feast," one of their sacred observances. Mrs. Julia A. O'Donoughue, the daughter
of Mr. F., and wife of Mr. Washington O'Donoughue, was the first white child
born in Springfield.
Port Huron is in St. Clair county, 77 miles from Detroit, at the junction
of Black and St. Clair Rivers, two miles south from Lake Huron, and one
mile from Fort Gratiot^a somewhat noted post. It has a good harbor and su-
perior facilities for ship building, and is largely engaged in the lumber busi-
ness. Great amounts of excellent pine timber are sent down Black River,
and manufactured or shipped here. It is the eastern terminus of the Port
Huron and Lake Michigan Railroad, the western terminus of the Grand
Trunk Railroad, which extends from the eastern to the western limits of the
Canadas. It is one of the greatest lumber markets in the west. Its annual
exports amount to $2,000,000. Population about 3,500.
On the line of the Michigan Central Railroad, beside those already de-
scribed. are the following large and flourishing towns, all having abundance
MICHIGAN.
283
of water power mills, factories, etc., and each containing from 3,000 to 7,000
inhabitants. Ypsilanti, 30 miles from Detroit on Huron River, is the seat
of the state normal school, a branch of the state university. Marshall is
107 miles from Detroit. Battle Creek 120 miles from Detroit Kalamazoo,
23 miles farther west, contains a United States land office, the state asylum
for the insane, and a branch of the state university. This is one of the most
beautiful of villages : it is planted all over with trees, every street being
lined with them. JVt'fcs, 191 miles from Detroit, has a branch of the state
university, and is the principal market for 'south-western Michigan. The St.
Joseph River is navigable beyond this point for small steamers.
Farther south, in the state, are other important towns, containing each
about 3,000 inhabitants. They are: Tecumseh, 10 miles N. E. of Adrian,
and connected by a branch railroad, eight miles in length, with the Michigan
Southern Railroad. Hlllsdale, on the last named railroad, 110 miles from
Detroit, and noted as the seat of Hillsdale College, a thriving and highly
popular institution, chartered in 1855. Coldwater is also on the same
railroad, 22 miles westerly from Hillsdale. St. Joseph, at the entrance of
St. Joseph River into Lake Michigan, 194 miles west of -Detroit, has a fine
harbor and an extensive trade in lumber and fruit, with Chicago.
In 1679, the noted explorer, La Salle, built a fort at the mouth of St.
Joseph's River. Afterward there was a Jesuit mission here, which Charle-
voix visited in 1721. When the west came into possession of Great Britain,
they had a fort also at this point. This was twice captured in the war of
the revolution, by expeditions of the brave frontiersmen of Cahokia, Illi-
nois. The annexed sketch of these exploits is thus given in Perkins' Annals,
Peck's edition:
" There was at Cahokia, a restless, adventurous, daring man, by the name
of Thomas Brady, or as he was familiarly called, 'Tom Brady;' a native
of Pennsylvania, who, by hunting, or in some other pursuit, found him-
self a resident of Cahokia. He raised a company of 16 resolute persons,
all of Cahokia and the adjacent village of Prairie du Pont, of which the
father of Mr. Boismenue, the informant, was one. After becoming organ-
ized for an expedition, the party moved through a place called the 'Cow
Pens,' on the River St. Joseph, in the south-western part of Michigan.
Here was a trading-post and fort originally established by the French,
but since the transfer of the country, had been occupied by the British
by a small fqrce, as a protection of their traders from the Indians. In 1777,
it consisted of 21 men.
Brady, with his little band of volunteers, left Cahokia about the 1st of
October, 1777, and made their way to the fort, which they captured in the
night, without loss on either side, except, a negro. This person was a slave
from some of the colonies on the Mississippi, who, in attempting to escape,
was shot. One object of this expedition, probably, was the British goods
in the fort.
The company started back as far as the Calumet, a stream on the border
of Indiana, south-east of Chicago, when they were overtaken by a party of
British, Canadians and Indians, about 300 in number, who attacked the Ca-
hokiaus and 'forced them to surrender. Two of Brady's party were killed,
two wounded, one escaped, and 12 were made prisoners. These remained
prisoners in Canada two years, except Brady, who made his escape, and re-
turned to Illinois by way of Pennsylvania. M. Boismenue, Sr., was one of
the wounded men.
284
MICHIGAN".
The next spring, a Frenchman, by the name of Paulette Maize, a darinp
fellow, raised about 300 volunteers from Cahokia, St. Louis, and other French
villages, to re-capture the fort on the River St. Joseph. This campaign wad
jy land, across the prairies in the spring of 1778. It was successful ; the
fort was re-taken, and the peltries and goods became the spoil of the victors.
The wounded men returned home with Maize. One gave out; they had no
horses; and he was dispatched by the leader, to prevent the company being
detained on their retreat, lest the same disaster should, befall them as hap-
pened to Brady, and his company. Some of the members of the most an-
cient and respectable families in Cahokia, were in this expedition. Thomas
Brady became the sheriff of the county of St. Clair, after its organization by
the governor of the North-western Territory in 1790. He was regarded as
a trust-worthy citizen, and died at Cahokia many years since."
Almont, Mt. Clemens, Romeo, Allegan, and Grand Haven, are flourishing
towns in the Southern Peninsula of Michigan. Almont is in Lapeer county,
49 miles north of Detroit. Mt. Clemens is the county seat of Macomb, and
is 20 miles from Detroit, on Clinton River, 4 miles from its entrance into
The Isle, Mackinaw.
Engraved from a drawing by the late Francis Howe, of Chicago, taken about the year 1846.
Lake St. Clair. It. is well situated for ship building, and has daily steam
boat communication with Detroit. Romeo is also on Clinton River, 40 miles
from Detroit. Allegan, distant from Kalamazoo 28 miles, at the head of
navigation on Kalamazoo River, is a young and thrifty lumbering village.
Grand Haven is at the mouth of Grand River, at the termination of
the Detroit and Milwaukie Railroad. It has a noble harbor, and does an
enormous lumber trade. Lumber is shipped from here to Chicago, and other
ports on the west side of the lake; and steamers ply regularly between this
point and Chicago, and also on the river to the flourishing city of Grand
Rapids, above.
MACKINAW, called "the Gem of the Lakes," is an exquisitely beautiful
island in the straits of Mackinaw. It is, by water, 320 miles north of De-
MICHIGAN.
285
troit, in Lat. 45 54' N. Long. 84 30' W. Its name is an abbreviation of
Michilimackinac, which is a compound of the word Jiu'ssi or missil, signifying
"great," and Mackinac, the Indian word for " turtle," from a fancied resem-
blance to a great turtle lying upon the water.
Among the curiosities of the island, are the Arched Rock, the Natural
Pyramid, and the Skull Rock. The Arched Rock is a natural arch project-
ing from the precipice on the north-eastern
/ a^& side of the island, about a mile from the
town, and elevated 140 feet above the water.
Its abutments are the calcareous rock com-
mon to the island, and have been created by
the falling down of enormous masses of rock,
leaving the chasm. It is about 90 feet in
hight, and is crowned by an arch of near 60
feet sweep. From its great elevation, the
view through the arch upon the wide expanse
of water, is of singular beauty and grandeur.
The Natural Pyramid is a lone standing
rock, upon the top of the bluff, of probably
30 feet in width at the base, by 80 or 90 in
hight, of a rugged appearance, and support-
ing in its crevices a few stunted cedars. It
pleases chiefly by its novelty, so unlike any-
' thing to be found in other parts of the world ;
and on the first view, it gives the idea of
a work of art. The Skull Rock is chiefly
noted for a cavern, which appears to have
been an ancient receptacle of human bones.
The entrance is low and narrow. It is here
that Alexander Henry was secreted by a friendly Indian, after the horrid
massacre of the British garrison at old Machilimackinac, in 1763.
"The world," says the poet Bryant, "has not many islands so beautiful as
Mackinaw the surface is singularly irregular with summits of rocks and
pleasant hollows, open glades of pasturage, and shady nooks."
It is, in truth, one of the most interesting spots on the continent, and is
becoming a great summer resort, from its natural attractions ; its bracing,
invigorating atmosphere, and the beauty of its scenery. Its sky has a won-
derful clearness and serenity, and its cold deep waters a marvelous purity,
that enables one to discover the pebbles way down, fathoms below. To
mount the summits of Mackinaw, and gaze out northward upon the expanse
of water, with its clustering islets, and the distant wilderness of the Northern
Peninsula; to take in with the vision the glories of*that sky, so clear, so
pure, that it seems as though the eye penetrated infinity; to inhale that
life-giving air, every draught of which seems a luxury, were well worth
a toilsome journey, and when once experienced, will remain among the
most pleasant of memories.
The island is about nine miles in circumference, and its extreme elevation
above the lake, over 300 feet. The town is pleasantly situated around a
small bay at the southern extremity of the island, and contains 1.000 inhabi-
tants, which are sometimes nearly doubled by the influx of voyagers,
traders, and Indians. On these occasions, its beautiful harbor is seen
checkered with American vessels at anchor, and Indian canoes rapidly shoot'
THE AECHED ROCK,
On the Isle of Mackinaw.
286
MICHIGAN.
ing across the water in every direction. It was formerly the seat of an ex-
tensive fur trade : at present it is noted for the great amount of trout and
white fish annually exported. Fort Mackinaw stands on a rocky bluff over-
looking the town. The ruins of Fort Holmes are on the apex of the island.
It was built by the British in the war of 1812, under the name of Fort
George, and changed to its present appellation by the Americans, in com-
pliment to the memory of Maj. Holmes, who fell in an unsuccessful attack
upon the island. This occurred in 1814. The expedition consisted of a
strong detachment of land and naval forces under Col. Croghan, and was
shamefully defeated, the death of the gallant Holmes having stricken
them with a panic.
The first white settlement in this vicinity was at Point Ignace, the south-
ern cape of the upper peninsula of Michigan, and shown on the map where
Father Marquette established a mission in 1671.*
The second site was on the opposite point of the straits, now called Old
Mackinaw, nine miles south, being the northern extremity of the lower pe-
ninsula, or Michigan Proper.
"In the summer of 1679, the Griffin, built by La Salle and his company on the
shore of Lake Erie, at the present site of the town of Erie, passed up the St. Clair,
sailed over the Huron, and entering the straits, found a safe harbor at Old Mack-
inaw. La Salle's expedition passed eight or nine years at this place, and from
hence they penetrated the country in all directions. At the same time it continued
to be the summer resort of numerous Indian tribes, who came here to trade and
engage in. the wild sports and recreations peculiar to the savage race. As a city
of peace, it was regarded in the same light that the ancient Hebrews regarded their
cities of refuge, and among those who congregated here all animosities were for-
gotten. The smoke of the calumet of peace always ascended, and the war cry
never as yet has been heard in its streets.
In Heriot's Travels, published in 1807, we find the following interesting item:
"In 1671 Father Marquette came hither with a party of Hurons, whom he pre-
vailed on to form a settlement A fort was constructed, and it afterward became
an important spot It was the
place of general assemblage for all
the French who went to traffic with
the distant nations. It was the
asylum of all savages who came to
exchange their furs for merchan-
dise. When individuals belonging
to tribes at war with each other
came thither, and met on commer-
cial adventure, their animosities
were suspended."
" Notwithstanding San-ge-man
and his warriors had braved the
dangers of the straits and had slain
a hundred of their enemies whose
residence was here, yet it was not
in the town that they were slain.
No blood was ever shed by Indian hands within its precincts up to this period, and
had it remained in possession of the French, the terrible scenes sulisequontly
enacted within its streets would in all probability never have occurred, and Old
Mackinaw would have been a city of refuge to this day.
The English, excited by the emoluments derived from the fur trade, desired to
secure a share in this lucrative traffic of the north-western lakes. They accord-
ingly, in the year 1686, fitted out an expedition, and through the interposition of
the Fox Indians, whose friendship they secured by valuable presents, the expedi-
RUINS or OLD FORT MACKINAW.
Drawn by Capt. S. Eastman, U.S.A. Mackinaw Island
la seen on the right : Point St. Ignace, on the north side
of the straits, on the left.
MICHIGAN. 287
tion reached Old Mackinaw, the "Queen of the Lakes," and found the El Dorado
they had so long desired."
The following interesting description, from Parkman's " History of the Conspir-
acy of Pontiac," of a voyage by an English merchant to Old Mackinaw about this
time, will be in place here : " Passing the fort and settlement of Detroit, he soon
enters Lake St. Clair, which seems like a broad basin filled to overflowing, while
along its far distant verge a faint line of forests separates the water from the sky.
He crosses the lake, and his voyagers next urge his canoe against the current of
the great river above. At length Lake Huron opens before him, stretching its
liquid expanse like an ocean to the furthest horizon. His canoe skirts the eastern
shore of Michigan, where the forest rises like a wall from the water's edge, and as
he advances onward, an endless line of stiff and shaggy fir trees, hung with long
mosses, fringe the shore with an aspect of desolation. Passing on his right the ex-
tensive Island of Bois Blanc, he sees nearly in front the beautiful Island of Mack-
inaw rising with its white cliffs and green foliage from the broad breast of waters. He
does not steer toward it, for at that day the Indians were its only tenants, but keeps
along the main shore to the left, while his voyagers raise their song and chorus.
Doubling a point he sees before him the red flag of England swelling lazily in the
wind, and the palisades and wooden bastions of Fort Mackinaw standing close up-
on the margin of the lake. On the beach canoes are drawn up, and Canadians and
Indians are idly lounging. A little beyond the fort is a cluster of white Canadian
houses roofed with bark and protected by fences of strong round pickets. The
trader enters the gate and sees before him an extensive square area, surrounded by
high palisades. Numerous houses, barracks, and other buildings form a smaller
.square within, and in the vacant place which they inclose appear the red uniforms
of British soldiers, the gray coats of the Canadians and the gaudy Indian blankets
mingled in picturesque confusion, while a multitude of squaws, with children of
every hue, stroll restlessly about the place. Such was old Fort Mackinaw in
1763."
In 1763, during the Pontiac war, Old Mackinaw, or Michilimackinac, was
the scene of a horrid massacre, the fort being at the time garrisoned by the
British. It had come into their possession after the fall of Quebec, in 1759.
It inclosed an area of two acres, surrounded by pickets of cedar. It stood
near the water, and with western winds, the waves dashed against the foot
of the stockade. Within the pickets were about thirty houses with families,
and also a chapel, in which religious services were regularly performed by a
Jesuit missionary. Furs from the upper lakes were collected here for trans-
portation, and outfits prepared for the remote north-west. The garrison con-
sisted of 93 men ; there were only four English merchants at the fort.
Alexander Henry was invested with the right of trafficking with the Indians,
and after his arrival was visited by a body of 60 Chippewas, whose chieftain,
Minavavana, addressed him and his companions in the following manner:
Englishmen, it is to you that I speak, and I demand your attention. You
know that the French King is our father. He promised to be such, and we in turn
promised to be his children. This promise we have kept It is you that have made
war with this our father. You are his enemy, and how then could you have the
boldness to venture among us, his children. You know that his enemies are ours.
We are informed that our father, the King of France, is old and infirm, and that
being fatigued with making war upon your nation, he has fallen asleep. During
this sleep you have taken advantage of him, and possessed yourselves of Canada.
But his nap is almost at an end. I think I hear him already stirring and inquiring
for hi? children, and when he does awake what must become of you? He will
utterly destroy you. Although you have conquered the French, you have not con-
quered us. We are not your slaves. These lakes, these woods and mountains are
left to us by our ancestors, they are our inheritance and we will part with them to
none. Your nation supposes that we, like the white people, can not live without
bread, and pork, and beef, but you ought to know that He, the Great Spirit and
288 MICHIGAN.
Master of Life, has provided food for us in these spacious lakes and on these
woody mountains.
Our father, the King of France, employed our young men to make war upon
your nation. In this warfare many of them have been killed, and it is our custom
to retaliate until such time as the spirits of the slain are satisfied. But tho spirits
of the slain are to be satisfied in one of two ways; the first is by the spilling the
blood of the nation by which they fell, the other by covering the bodies of the
dead, and thus allaying the resentment of their relations. This is done by making
presents. Your king has never sent us any presents, nor entered into any treaty
with us, wherefore he and we are still at war, and until he does these things we
must consider that we have no other father or friend among the white men than
the King of France. But for you, we have taken into consideration that you have
ventured among us in the expectation that we would not molest you. You do not
come around with the intention to make war. You come in peace to trade with
us, and supply us with necessaries, of which we are much in need. We shall re-
gard you, therefore, as a brother, and you may sleep tranquilly without fear of the
Chippewas. As a token of friendship we present you with this pipe to smoke.
Previous to the attack the Indians were noticed assembling in great num-
bers, with every appearance of friendship, ostensibly for the purpose of trade,
and during one night 400 lay about the fort. In order to celebrate the king's
birth day, on the third of June, a game of ball was proposed to be played
between the Chjppewas and Sacs for a high wager. Having induced Major
Etherington, the commandant, and many of the garrison to come outside the
pickets to view the game, it was the design of the Indians to throw the ball
within the pickets, and, as was natural in the heat of the game, that all the
Indians should rush after it. The stratagem was successful the war cry
was raised, seventy of the garrison were murdered and scalped, and the re-
mainder were taken prisoners.
" Henry witnessed the dreadful slaughter from his window, and being unarmed he
hastened out, and springing over a low fence which divided his house from that of
M. Langlade, the French Interpreter, entered the latter, and requested some one
to direct him to a place of safety. Langlade hearing the request, replied that he
could do nothing for him. At this moment a slave belonging to Langlade, of the
Pawnee tribe of Indians, took him to a door which she opened, and informed him
that it led to the garret where he might conceal himself. She then locked the door
and took away the key. Through a hole in the wall Henry could have a complete
view of the fort. He beheld the heaps of the slain, and heard the savage yells,
until the last victim was dispatched. Having finished the work of death in the
fort, the Indians went out to search the houses. Some Indiana entered Langlade'a
house and asked if there were any Englishmen concealed in it. He replied that
he did not know, they might search for themselves. At length they opened the
garret door and ascended the stairs, but Henry had concealed himself amid a
heap of birch-bark vessels, which had been used in making maple sugar, and thus
escaped. Fatigued and exhausted, he lay down on a mat and went to sleep, and
while in this condition he was surprised by the wife of Langlade, who remarked
that the Indians had killed all the English, but she hoped he might escape. Fear-
ing, however, that she would fall a prey to their vengeance if it was found that an
Englishman was concealed in her house, she at length revealed the place of Henry's
concealment, giving as a reason therefor, that if he should be found her children
would be destroyed. Unlocking the door, she was followed by several Indians,
who were led by Wenniway, a noted chief. At sight of him the chief seized him
with one hand, and brandishing a large carving knife was about to plunge it into
his heart, when he dropped his arm, saying, "1 won't kill you. My brother, Mu-
sinigon, was slain by the English, and you shall take his place and be called after
him." He was carried to L'Arbre Croche as a prisoner, where he was rescued by
a band of three hundred Ottawas, by whom he was returned to Mackinaw, and
finally ransomed by his friend "\Vawatam. At the capture of the place only one
trader, M. Tracy, lost his life. Capt Etherington was carried away by some In-
MICHIGAN.
289
dians from the scene of slaughter. Seventy of the English troops were slain. An
Englishman, by the name of Solomon, saved himself by hiding under a heap of
corn, and his boy was saved by creeping up a chimney, where he remained two
days. A number of canoes, filled with English traders, arriving soon after the
massacre, they were seized, and the traders, dragged through the water, were
beaten and marched by the Indians to the prison lodge. After they had completed
m, ^
>ld Fort. Michilimack
inack, now Mackinaw
City, and site of the
massacre of a British
Garrison in 1763.
MICHIGAN; SOUTHERN
PENINSULA
Map of Mackinaw and vicinity.
the work of destruction, the Indians, about four hundred in number, entertaining
apprehensions that they would be attacked by the English, and the Indians who
had joined them, took refuge on the Island of Mackinaw, Wawatam fearing that
Henry would be butchered by the savages in their drunken revels, took him out to
a cave, where he lay concealed for one night on a heap of human bones. As the
fort was not destroyed, it was subsequently reoccupied by British soldiers, and the
removal to the island did not take place until about the year 1780."
The station on the island was called New Mackinaw, while the other, on
the main land, has since been termed Old Mackinaw. The chapel, fort, and
college, at the latter place, have long since passed away, but relics of the
stone walls and pickets remain to this day. To the Catholic, as the site of
their first college in the north-west, and one of their earliest mission stations,
this must be ever a spot of great interest.
19
290 MICHIGAN.
New Mackinaw formerly received its greatest support from the fur trade,
when in the hands of the late John Jacob Astor, being at that time the out-
fitting and furnishing place for the Indian trade. This trade became extinct
in 1834, and the place since has derived its support mainly from the fisheries.
The Isle of Mackinaw, in modern times, has been a prominent point for
Protestant missions among the Indians. The first American missionary was
the Rev. David Bacon, who settled here in 1802, under the auspices of the
Connecticut Missionary Society, the oldest, it is believed, in America. This
gentleman was the father of Dr. Leonard Bacon, the eminent New England
divine, who was born in Michigan. Prior to settling at Mackinaw, Mr. Bacon
attempted to establish a mission upon the Maumee. The Indians in council
listened to his arguments for this object, with due courtesy: and then, through
one of their chiefs, Little Otter, respectfully declined. The gist of the reply
is contained in the following sentence :
BROTHER Your religion is very good, but it is only good for white people.
It will not do for Indians: they are quite a different sort of follcs.
Old Mackinaw, or Mackinack, is the site of a recently laid out town, Mack-
inaw City, which, its projectors reason, bids fair to become eventually an im-
portant point. Ferris says, in his work on the west: "If one were to point
out, on the map of North America, a site fur a great central city in the lake
region, it would be in the immediate vicinity of the Straits of Mackinaw. A
city so located would have the command of the mineral trade, the fisheries,
the furs, and the lumber of the entire north. It might become the metropo-
lis of a great commercial empire. It would be the Venice of the Lakes."
The climate would seem to forbid such a consummation ; but the tempera-
ture of this point, softened by the vast adjacent bodies of water, is much
milder than one would suppose from its latitude : north of this latitude is a part
of Canada which now contains a million of inhabitants. Two important rail-
roads, running through the whole of the lower peninsula of Michigan, are to
terminate at this point one passing through Grand Rapids, and the other
through Saginaw City. These are building by the aid of extensive land
grants from the general government to the state, and are to give southern Mich-
igan a constant communication with the mineral region in the upper peninsula,
from which she is now ice locked five or six months in the year, and which,
in time is destined to support a large and prosperous population. The min-
eral region is also to have railroad communications through Wisconsin south,
and through Canada east to the Atlantic, extensive land grants having been
made by the American and Canadian governments for these objects, com-
prising in all many millions of acres.
The Beaver Islands are a beautiful cluster of Islands in Lake Michigan.
in the vicinity of Mackinaw. Big Beaver, the largest of them, contains
about 25,000 acres, and until" within a few years was in the possession of a
band of Mormons.
When the Mormons were driven from Nauvoo, in 1845, they were divided into
three factions the Twelveites, the Rigdonites, and the Strangites. The Twelveites
were those who emigrated to Utah, the Rigdonites were the followers of Sidney Ki.o;-
don, and were but few in number, and the Strangites made Beaver Island their head-
quarters. Their leader, Strung, ayoung lawyer originally of western N. York, claimed
to have a revelation from God, appointing him the successor of Joe Smith. "These
Mormons held the entire control of the main island, and probably would have con-
tinued to do so for some time, but from the many depredations committed by them,
the neighboring fishermen and others living and trading on the coasts, became de-
termined to root out this band of robbers and pirates, as they believed them to be.
MICHIGAN. 291
After organizing a strong force, they made an attack upon these Mormons, and
succeeded, though meeting with obstinate resistance, in driving them from the
island. The attacking party found concealed a large number of hides and other
goods, which were buried to avoid detection. The poor, deluded followers of this
monstrous doctrine are now dispersed. Some three or four hundred were sent to
Chicago, and from thence spread over the country. Others were sent to ports on
Lake Erie. Strang was .wounded by one of the men he had some time previous to
this attack robbed and beaten. He managed to escape the island, but died in Wis-
consin shortly after, in consequence of his wounds."
SAULT DE STE. MARIE, the county seat of Chippewa county, is situated
on St. Marys River, or Strait, 400 miles
N.W. of Detroit, and about 18 from the
entrance of Lake Superior. The vil-
lage has an elevated situation, at the
Falls of St. Mary, and contains about
1,000 inhabitants. It is a famous fish-
ing place, immense quantities of white
fish being caught and salted here for the
markets of the west. The falls are
merely rapids, having a descent of 22
THE SAULT OR FALLS or ST. MART. feet in a mile. The Sault Ste. Marie is
The Tiew is looking down the lUpids. one of the prominent historic localities
of the north-west.
"On the 17th of September, 1641, the Fathers Joguesand Raymbault embarked
in their frail birch bark canoes for the Sault Ste. Marie. They floated over the clear
waters between the picturesque islands of Lake Huron, and after a voyage of sev-
enteen days arrived at the Sault. Here they found a large assembly of Chippewas.
After numerous inquiries, they heard of the Nadowessies, the famed Sioux, who
dwelt eighteen days' journey further to the west, beyond the Great Lake. Thus
did the religious zeal of the BVench bear the cross to the banks of the St. Mary
and the confines of Lake Superior, and look wistfully toward the homes of the
Sioux in the valley of the Mississippi, five years before the New England Elliott
had addressed the tribe of Indians that dwelt within six miles of Boston harbor."
In 1668, James Marquette and Claude Dablon founded a mission here. During
the whole of the French occupancy of the west, this was a great point for their
missions and fur traders. In the late war with Great Britain, the trading station
of the British North-west Fur Company, on the Canadian side, was burnt by Maj.
Holmes: this was just before the unsuccessful attack on Mackinaw. Fort Brady,
at this place, was built in 1823, and was at the time the most northerly fortress m
the United States.
Before the construction of the great canal, the copper from the Lake Su-
perior mines was taken around the falls by railway, the cars being drawn by
horses. It has added 1,700 miles of coast to the trade of the lakes, and is
of incalculable advantage to the whole of the business of the Lake Superior
country.
St. Marys Strait, which separates Canada West from the upper peninsula of
Michigan, is about 64 miles long, and is navigable for vessels drawing eight feet
of water to within about a mile of Lake Superior. At this point the navigation is
impeded by the Falls the u sault" (pronounced soo) of the river. Congress
offered Michigan 750,000 acres of land to construct a ship canal around these
rapids; and the state contracted to give these lands, free of taxation for five years,
to Erastus Corning and others, on condition of building the canal by the 19th of
May, 1855. The work was completed in style superior to anything on this conti-
nent, and the locks are supposed to be the largest in the world. The canal is 12
feet deep, being mostly excavated through solid sandstone rock. It is 100 feet wide
at the top of the water, and 115 at the top of its banks ; and the largest steamboats
292 MICHIGAN.
and vessels which navigate the Great Lakes can pass through it with the greatest
ease.
The Upper Peninsula, or Lake Superior country, of Michigan, has, of late
years, attracted great attention from its extraordinary mineral wealth,
especially in copper and iron. The territory comprised in it. together with
that portion of the Lake Superior region belonging to the state of Wiscon-
sin, has interests so peculiar to itself, that the project of ceding this
whole tract, by the legislatures of Wisconsin and Michigan, to the general
government, for the purpose of erecting a new state to be called SUPERIOR,
has been seriously agitated and may, in some not distant future, be consum-
mated.
Lake Superior, the largest body of fresh water on the globe, is an object of in-
terest to the traveler. It is 1,500 miles in circumference, and in some parts more
than a thousand feet in depth. Among its many islands Isle Royal is the largest,
being nearly of the size of the state of Connecticut. The country along the lake
is one of the most dreary imaginable. Everywhere its surface is. rocky and broken ;
but the high hills, the rugged precipices, and the, rocky shores, with their spare
vegetation, are relieved by the transparency and purity of the waters that wash
their base ; these are so clear that the pebbles can often be distinctly seen at the
depth of thirty feet A boat frequently appears as if suspended in the air, so trans-
parent is the liquid upon which it floats. Among the natural curiosities, the Pic-
tured Rocks and the Doric Arch, on the south shore near the east end, are promi-
nent. The first are a series of lofty bluffs, of a light gray sandstone, 30U feet
high, which continue for twelve miles along the shore. They consist of a group
of overhanging precipices, towering walls, caverns, waterfalls, and prostrate ruins.
The Doric Arch is an isolated mass of sandstone, consisting of four natural pillars,
supporting an entablature of the same material, and presenting the appearance of
a work of art. The waters of Lake Superior, being remarkably pure, abound with
fish, particularly trout, sturgeon and white fish, which are an extensive article of
commerce. The siskowit of Lake Superior, supposed to be a cross of the trout
and white fish, is considered by epicures to possess the finest flavor of any fish in
the world, fresh or salt, and to which the brook trout can bear no comparison. It
loses its delicacy of flavor when salted ; its common weight is four pounds, and
length 16 inches. So exhilarating is the winter atmosphere here, that it is said
that to those who exercise much in the open air, it produces, not unfreqently, an
inexpressible elasticity and buoyancy of spirits, that can be compared to nothing
else but to the effects of intoxicating drinks.
The climate of the Lake Superior region is not, by any means, so severe
as its northern latitude would indicate. A writer, familiar with it saya:
" No consideration is, perhaps, more important to those seeking a country suita-
ble for residence and enterprise, than the character of its climate. Health is the
first, and comfort the 
