HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY. - 331
CHAPTER VII.
BOUNDARY LINES. ERECTION CIF TOWNSHIPS, AREA AND LOCATION- T0
POGRAHPH - NATURAL DRAINAGE - SURFACE FEATURES-GEOLOGICAL
STRUCTURE - THE NIAGARA, WATERLIME, LOWER CORNIF-
EROUS AND DRIFT-MATERIAL RESOURCES - RE -
CLAIMING THE MARSH LANDS-WILD AN-
IMALS AND REPTILE-TIM
BER AND SICKNESS.
HARDIN COUNTY is bounded on the north by Hancock and Wyandot Counties, on the east by Wyandot and Marion, on the south by Union and Logan, and on the west by Auglaize and Allen. It is divided into fifteen townships, and originally embraced thirty-seven sections, now included in Wyandot County which was erected February 3, 1845. Prior to the organization of Hardin County, the township of Round Head was erected, and comprised a large scope of territory north and east of its present boundaries. We have spoken elsewhere of the destruction of the Commissioners' journals by the burning of the court house on the 4th of March, 1853. Those journals contained the official acts of the Commissioners from the erection of the county up to that time, including the erection of every township excepting Lynn, so that with their destruction was forever buried the exact dates of the formation of the remaining fourteen townships. We have obtained, however, by considerable research through the election returns, and here give the date of the first election held in each township, which designates the time of their organization under the jurisdiction of Hardin County. Round Head Township, April 1, 1833; Taylor Creek, May 1, 1833: Blanchard, May 4, 1833; Dudley, October 8, 1833: Goshen, May 24, 1834; Cessna. May 31, 1834; Pleasant, October 14, 1834; Hale, June 25, 1835; Marion, April 1, 1836: Jackson, April 4, 1836; Washington. April 4, 1836; McDonald. June 18, 1836, Liberty, October 10, 1837; Buck, April 7 , 1845; Lynn, was erected September 8, 1857, and the first election held therein on the 19th of September, 1857. Hardin County is located on the water-shed between Lake Erie and the Ohio River, and contains an area of 440 square miles. It is situated in latitude 40' 35' north, and longitude 83' 40' west from Greenwich. Its highest elevation is 1,371 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. while Kenton is 1,017 above tide water. The French traders called this portion of the northwest "the land of Goshen," indicating richness and fertility. In 1874, the report of Prof. N. H. Winchell, on the geology of this county, was published, and as the survey was made under the auspices of the State, we cannot do better than to give a verbatim copy of said report.
NATURAL DRAINAGE.
"In this county are some of the sources both of the Sandusky and the Maumee which flow northward to Lake Erie, and of the Scioto and Great Miami, which empty into the Ohio. The Scioto, the chief river of the county, first flows north, entering the Scioto Marsh, where its channel is
332 - HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
said to become lost in lateral expansion, as in a lake. It leaves this marsh in an easterly direction, and, receiving tributaries only from the south, it may be said to drain only the southern half of the county. In a similar manner, streams flow northward into Hog Creek Marsh, in the northern part of the county, and are thence turned westwardly along the the channel of Hog Creek, which drains that marsh, and finally reach the Maumee River. The Blanchard, which rises within a mile of the Scioto at Kenton, also has a general northerly course. In the township of Goshen, there are several small streams. which find their way into the Tymochtee Creek, in a northeasterly direction. The north branch of the Great Miami drains southward a small, narrow valley in the southwestern corner of the county. With this exception. the general slope of the whole county is toward the north.
"Two natural divides or ridges cross the county. The most, southerly is that which prevents the northward drainage of the Scioto Marsh, deflecting the Scioto River easterly across the county, instead of permitting it to follow the natural slope. Were it not for this ridge, it would probably contribute its waters to the valley of the Blanchard, or through the Hog Creek Marsh into the Hog Creek Valley. The second divide in the same way presents the northward drainage of the Hog Creek Marsh. Streams rise immediately on the northern slope of this ridge in Hancock County. and pursue their course uninterruptedly to the Blanchard. in a due northern direction. The northern line of the, county runs about on the summit of this ridge. It is a low, gentle swell in the surface, hardly observable in passing over the country. The more southerly divide may be more properly termed a ridge. These divides have been traced westward through Allen and Mercer Counties, and are regarded as glacial moraines."
SURFACE FEATURES.
"The surface features of Hardin County are dependent on the condition in which the original Drift was left by the glacier. The southern part of the county, especially in the townships of Buck. Round Head and Taylor Creek, is occupied with a rolling surface. The northern portions of McDonald and Lynn Townships are flat, with a clay soil. The southeastern part of the county may be denominated flat, or gently undulating. Along the north side of the Scioto and the Scioto Marsh, crossing the entire county, there is a tract of more elevated land, sometimes broken by long undulations, and not, infrequently rolling or hilly. This strip has a width of from one to three miles. North of it. the surface becomes nearly or quite flat. with only isolated and unimportant exceptions. Two extensive marshes and a portion of another are embraced within Hardin County. Their aggregate area (in this county) is about 25.000 acres. Some efforts have been made to render them cultivatable by artificial drainage, and with a good degree of success. Formerly, water covered them the greater part of the year, but now in summer time a team can be driven across them in various directions with entire safety. It is evident that the valley of the Scioto is the proper, if not the only, channel through which to drain the Scioto Marsh By lowering its outlet, and constructing a system of tributary ditches, the whole area could be given a dry and arable soil. Another low valley spreads northward in Cessna Township, which might be utilized for the same purpose: yet its outlet is so near the outlet by way of the Scioto that not much would be gained. There are some indications that formerly a portion of the surplus water of the marsh found escape through this valley into Hog Creek Marsh. The Cranberry Marsh is drained westward into the Blanchard.
HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY. - 333
The Hog Creek Marsh is drained northward into Eagle Creek, and westward by deepening Hog Creek Channel, its natural outlet.
" The frequent occurrence of such marshes on the broad watershed between the Ohio River and Lake Erie, or near the sources of the streams which flow in opposite directions from its summit, is a feature in the general physiography of Northwestern Ohio which deserves special mention. There seems no doubt that they were once shallow lakes. The occurrence of shell-marl below the peaty surface, and of sandy deposits about their margins, indicates not only that there was a time when they were receiving the annual freshet washings of calcareous matter from the adjacent Drift surface, but were also agitated by the wind into little waves which broke upon a sandy beach. Other similar undrained places in the old Drift surface, situated further down the slopes of the great watershed, were sooner filled by the greater accumulation of alluvium, or were drained by the more rapid excavation of their outlets by the increased volumes of the streams. There is reason to believe that the extensive prairie,: of Marion and Wyandotte Counties are analogous to the marshes of Hardin County, but were sooner brought into an arable state through the action of the Sandusky and Tymochtee Creek."
GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE.
The old Drift surface has been so little disturbed that the underlying rock is very rarely exposed. Hence the details of the geological structure are unknown. The boundaries of the formations are drawn in accordance with such outcrops as actually occur, but governed, in the absence of positive knowledge, by the indications of the surface features.
"The Niagara limestone is known to underlie portions of Blanchard. .Jackson, Pleasant and Goshen Townships, and is also believed to occur in Round Head Township, west of the Scioto River. Thus Hardin County not only occupies the water-shed between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. but also holds the separating ground between that belt of Niagara area which stretches northward to Lake Erie, and that larger area of the same great formation which extends south to the Ohio River and west into Indiana. What influence this formation may have exerted in locating the divide between the two great valleys can only be conjectured. Considering, however, its thickness-stated by Prof. Orton to be 275 feet-and its great persistency in withstanding the forces of degradation, it certainly could nut have been small.
"In Goshen Township, it is exposed in the bed of Paw Paw Creek, southeast quarter of Section 36, where it has been a little worked for quicklime, on the land of Stephen Otis; also on Section 5 north, land of Hezekiah Hemp, worked for quicklime.
"In Jackson Township, it has been slightly opened near the Cranberry Marsh, on the land of J. P. Pence, northeast quarter of Section 30. Near Patterson, it is Eeen in the following section, on the land of Dr. A. F. Stanley:
No. 1. Dark drab, slightly porous, with spots of blue and purple; no fossils visible; beds three to four inches; exposed-eight inches.
No. 2. Surface exposure of somewhat vesicular, even-bedded, and crystalline Niagara, of a buff color.
" The stone is used here for rough walls and for lime.
"In the Blanchard, on Section 11, and in a little ravine running east through the section; land of Thomas Hueston (since deceased), and of Jeremiah Higgins; rapid dip northeast.
334 - HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
"About half a mile west of Forest, almost within the limits of the corporation, the Niagara is exposed along a little ravine on the land of John Campbell. The Niagara is also said to appear on the land of B. Jackson, southwest quarter of Section 24, and of S. A. Bower, southwest quarter of Section 14, in the same township.
"The water-lime underlies the greater portion of Hardin County. Wherever it appears it is in thin beds, which are some times blue, and at others drab, always separated by conspicuous bituminous films. It furnishes a building stone of ordinary quality by making selection of the thickest beds, and is considerably burned into quicklime.
"Two and a half miles southeast of Kenton, Erhardt Blumen met the water-lime, in sinking a well, at the depth of twelve feet. In the same vicinity, a number of other wells terminated in the same way, without a supply of water. About two miles southwest of Kenton, the water-lime is in outcrop near the railroad, on the land of Alonzo Teeter. It is a fine-grained, bluedrab stone, in beds of three to four inches, lying nearly horizontal. Two milesand a half east of Kenton, on the land of Nicholson Rarey, the waterlime appears in the Sciota in beds of two to four inches. and has been somewhat used for lime. There are surface indications of the near approach of the water-lime to the surface on the land of Dr. William Chesney, two miles east of Kenton, along a stream known as Allen's Run.
"On the land of T. W. Bridge, in Buck Township, five miles south of Kenton, the water-lime appears in thin. slaty beds, and has been burned into lime.
"At Dunkirk, there are several quarries in the water-lime. Hugh Miller's is situated a quarter of a mile east of the village; Charles N. Hill's is a mile south. At the former, it lies in blue-drab. slaty beds, which are torn up by picks and crowbars, and used for road-making ; exposed eight feet: dip east and west. In the latter, the stone is of the same quality, but is less exposed. The quarry of the Pittsburgh. Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad Company, near the village, shows about six feet of the same or similar beds.
"North of Ada, the Water-lime, in thin beds. is exposed along Hog Creek. It was also encountered in ditching for the outlet of the marsh. It is here made into quicklime by Samuel Coon. Near the county line, quarries in Hog Creek are owned by Isham Kendall and John Trussell. The former burns quicklime.
" In Pleasant Township, the water-lime may be seen in the Blanchard, at the camp ground, and in its tributaries in Sections 6 and 7: also on the land of John Osborn and of Jacob Kirtz, southwest quarter of Section 6.
"In Blanchard Township, Section 31. Michael Zegler, John Sargon and Mrs. Hedrick have small quarries in the same stone.
"Roland Park has a quarry in the thin, blue beds of the Water-lime on the southeast quarter of Section 12, in Jackson Townsbip. Mr. Park's quarry is believed to be in some of the lowest layers of the formation. The Niagara probably occupies the base of this section as exposed, but could not be certainly ascertained.
"The Lower Corniferous. -In the southern portion of the county, including portions of Taylor Creek and Hale Townships, the area colored on the county map (Geological Reports) to represent the Corniferous limestone, is so marked on the evidence of surface characters. These characters consist in a more rolling and gravelly surface, with occasional northern bowlders, and seem to extend northward from Logan County, where this formation
HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY. - 337
has introduced, as in Sandusky and Seneca Counties, already noted, a marked change in the general topography.
" The Drift. -The mass of the drift in Hardin County is an unstratified glacial deposit. It is divided into the two usual colors: the brown, which forms the soil where it has not been covered with alluvial or paludine accumulations, and has a thickness of ten or twelve feet; and the blue, which has an unknown thickness, but in some cases is known to exceed fifty feet. South of the `dividing ridge,' which divides the county into nearly equal parts, the drift contains much more assorted gravel and sand than it does north of the same ridge. Knolls and ridges, known as `hog's-backs' and ` devil's-backs,' are met with in Taylor Creek and Buck Townships. The township of Round Head and the southern part of McDonald, afford abundance of gravel, which may be taken from many of the numerous knolls with which the country is diversified. The immediate surface of these knolls, as well as of the whole county, consists of the brown hard-pan, the stratified parts rarely rising to the top of the deposit. Yet the stratified parts of the drift are nearer the surface south of the Scioto than they are on the north of that river. Wells, at Kenton, on the south side of the river, pass through sixteen to twenty-four feet of hard-pan clay, finding water in gravel and sand. At the same place on the north side of the Scioto, they are dug from thirty-five to sixty feet. entirely in hard-pan, sometimes without finding a supply of water.
"Near Fort McArthur, the remains of a mastodon have been obtained from the surface of the Drift. They were considerably scattered from the place of original deposit, and but part of the skeleton could be obtained."
MATERIAL RESOURCES.
``Hardin County is poorly supplied with building stone, even for the rougher kinds of walls and foundations. Considerable stone, of the best quality. is brought from the Lower Corniferous quarries at Marblehead. near Sandusky, and from those at, Bellefontaine. Considerable is also brought into the northern Dortion of the county from the blue Water-lime quarries at Lima. The Water-lime quarries at Belle Centre, in Logan County, supply the Kenton market with quicklime, as well as furnishing stone for a great many foundations. In the northern part of Marion Township, bowlders have been gathered from the surface, and from channels worn in the drift by streams, and used for foundations and walls. There are favorable opportunities for the development of the Niagara in the vicinity of Forest, and in the valley of the Blanchard, in Jackson Township, which certainly cannot remainlong unimproved. The Niagara limestone, owing to the thinness of the beds of the Waterlime, will prove the more valuable formation, both for building-stone and for quicklime. It can also be more cheaply burned than the Water-lime. The latter, however, excels for flagging.
"Clay, sand and gravel from the Drift deposits, in the absence of convenient stone, have been more frequently resorted to for building material than in the neighboring counties. Establishments for the manufacture of brick are common throughout the county. A number of farmers sometimes combine for the purchase of the machinery necessary to manufacture enough for themselves, and for sale, to make up for all outlays. In the vicinity of Kenton are several brick and tile factories, while other portions of the coun. ty are also well supplied with such establishments.
" Near the village of Round Head, on the land of Thompson Irving, is a deposit of bog ore, which is disturbed by the plow in the cultivation of the field."
338 - HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
RECLAIMING THE MARSH LANDS.
There is, perhaps, at this time no subject in Hardin County in which so much interest is centered, as the successful drainage and reducing to cultivation of her marsh lands. In fact, for the past twenty-five year , the same subject has, at different periods, engrossed the attention of the people. The almost level surf surface of the Drift clay which forms the bottom of the Scioto Marsh, is covered from two to ten feet with the accumulations of centuries. The deepening of the outlet to the Scioto River caused the marsh in times of dronth to dry up. when the coarse, rank grass soon spread over its whole surface, while the. timber began to encroach upon its borders. The falling down and rotting of these annual crops of grass accelerated the filling of the basin. but this process of nature to prepare the marshes for cultivation was seriously retarded by the Indians annually burning the grass. These low prairies attracted large numbers of deer and other wild animals that found a safe retreat in the high grass which grew thereon, but every fall the Indians would set fire to the grass for the purpose of driving the game from their hiding places. Since the departure of the savages, an annual crop of grass. often ten feet. in height. has been added to the other accumulations which sire gradually filling these hasins. Prof. Winchell says that the marsh land, of Hardin Countv cover an area of about 25,000 acres, and it is estimated that the Scioto Marsh now embraces an area inside of the timber line of about 16,000 acres. More than one-half of this marsh is within the boundaries of Marion Township. while the balance is located in Round Head, McDonald, Lynn and Cessna Townships.
The question of draining these marshes has been agitated by the people of Hardin County, for manv years. They have been a constant source of malarial diseases to the inhabitants of the surrounding country. and the knowledge that these marsh lands contained this dreaded poison, doubtless, greatly retarded a more rapid settlement and development of those portions of the county. On the 9th of March 1859, the Commissioners of Hardin County let the contract for reclaiming the waste lands of the Scioto marsh. to John McGuffey, of Franklin County. Ohio, who agreed to drain said marsh by cutting a ditch of sufficient dimensions to accomplish the work. Commencing at the outlet of the marsh, this ditch ran thence to the southeast corner of Fractional Section 24, in Marion Township, following the general course of the Scioto River and straightening the same where necessary; thence west on the section line to the southwest corner of Section 22; thence south to the southwest corner of Section 34, in said township. -Mr. McGuffey also removed two bars which were close to the outlet, and cut away the drift some three miles below the same. He was paid at the rate of $2.50 per rod of ditching, in said reclaimed lands belonging to the State, at their appraised value of $1.25 per acre, and agreed to reimburse Hardin County for all expenses incurred in said work. He also cleaned out the bed of the Scioto for five miles down the river from the outlet. After the completion of the work, the Commissioners made an examination, decided that the contract had been executed in every particular, and accepted it from the hands of Mr. McGuffey, on the 21st of November, 1862. The drainage, etc., amounted to $5,685, while the swamp and overflowed lands at their appraised value of $1.25 per acre, came to but $4,547.43. The contractor paid into the county treasury $140.50, expenses incurred by the county in and about said lands, which was in harmony with the contract. The work failed in the main to accomplish the object for which it was intended, on account, it is said, of
HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY. - 339
the lack of sufficient fall in the river below the marsh, which was not deepened or straightened.
On the 6th of March, 1882, a petition was filed in the Auditor's office, asking the Commissioners of Hardin County "for the location, construe tion, deepening, widening and straightening of a ditch to drain and reclaim the lands along the line thereof, and adjacent thereto, and also to promotes the public health, convenience and welfare." The petition was signed by Curtis Wilkin, Nathan Ahlefeld, Thomas Espy, William T. Cessna, Sandusky Wallace and H. C. Norman, but Ahlefeld and Wilkin were the originators of said petition, and mainly instrumental in pushing forward the proposed improvement under the existing county ditch law. Thomas l: Strong was employed by the Commissioners as a competent engineer to draft the plans and superintend the construction of the work, and has laid down the following route for said ditch: `' Commencing at a point in the channel of the Scioto River. where the section line between Sections 10 and 11, Township 5 south, Range 9 east. intersects said river; thence in a northeasterly direction with the channel and improvements of said river, as near as is practicable. to a point at or near where a ditch known as "Sassafras Island ditch" enters said river channel; thence in a southeasterly course through the lands of Mrs. M. W. McGinnis thence through the lands of Hunt &, Robinson to the channel of said Scioto River; thence down said river, with its general course widening, deepening and straightening the same to a point in the channel of said Scioto River where the Leedom mill dam once stood and there terminating." The petitioners, in accordance with law, gave bond in the sum of $1,000 to insure the county against loss in the preliminary work on said improvement.
It is claimed by Mr. Strong that after striking a point about one mile northwest of the northwest corner of Buck Township, a sufficient fall will be attained to carry off the water from above. If such proves to be the case and the marsh is freed from water, its lands will be very valuable, as its soil is an accumulation of silt and vegetable matter of inexhaustable thickness and fertility. The construction of the Chicago & Atlantic Railroad. which traverses the northern border of the marsh for a considerable distance. will do much to facilitate its drainage. The plans prepared by Mr. Strong are now ready, and the contract for said improvement will be let during the summer of 1883.
Hog Creek Marsh is located principally in the township of Washington, though extending across the line into Liberty. The soil composing the different marsh lands of Hardin County is generally the same, therefore what we have previously said of the Sciota marsh leads applies equally as well to those of Hog Creek. The first ditch opened through Hog Creek Marsh was cut by the Ohio & Indiana Railroad Company, during the construction of their road bed in 1853-54, for the purpose of enabling them to build a better foundation. It, however, accomplished very little toward the drainage of the marsh. About 1868, the Commissioners of Hardin County and the owners of the Wadsworth estate agreed upon plans whereby the marsh might be drained. In the fall of that year. Benjamin R. Brun son was elected as a member of the Board of Commissioners, and was the prime mover in carrying said plans into operation. Four main ditches were cut, viz.: No. 1, which begins on the west line of Section 12, Liberty Township, near the center of the southwest quarter of said section; thence takes a general southeast course till it strikes the mouth of the Fitzhugh and Newcomb ditches, in the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of Sec
340 - HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
tion 12, Liberty Township, on said section line. The Fitzhugh ditch runs direct east to the southeast corner of Section 10, Washington Township; while the Newcomb ditch runs in a southeast direction to the center of the south line of Section 20, in the same subdivision. Beginning at the eastern terminus of the Fitzhugh ditch, the Hydraulic ditch runs north into Eagle Creek and drains the northeast portion of the marsh. This system of drainage proved a gratifying success, and, excepting in very wet seasons, Hog Creek Marsh is usually free from water. There is, however, a small portion included in Sections 20 and 21, south of the railroad in Washington Township, that on account of the road-bed preventing an outlet, is covered with water most of the year.
From the west end of Ditch No. 1, the commissioners subsequently opened Hog Creek for a distance of four miles toward the west, deepening, widening and straightening the channel of that stream. It was begun under the administration of Mr. Brunson. and completed under James R. Dunlap, that is, these men were the leading spirits of the Board of Commissioners during the prosecution of the work. It is estimated that Hon Creek Marsh contained about 8,000 acres, two-thirds of which are now under cultivation, and like all other public enterprises of Mr. Brunson's, thedrailling of this marsh was carried to a successful completion despite cost or opposition. and to-day these improvements are a source of pride and revenue to Hardin Count-. The expense of draining Hog Creek Marsh was borne by the land owners benefited thereby, the cost averaging abort $13 per acre. Land that was almost worthless thirty ;ears ago, and that sold for $10 per acre during the construction of these drains, will now average, for land under cultivation, $60 per acre. Andrew Wadsworth, of Henrietta County, N. Y., was, originally, engineer in charge of this improvement, but R. D. Millar, of Hardin County, subsequently completed the undertaking. The several ditches were about six years in process of construction, and these marsh lands, that a quarter of a century ago were only regarded as a hotbed of malarial poison, and a resort for all kinds of venomous reptile, are now looked upon as among the most valuable in the Scioto Valley. Truly, the transformation reflects unbounded credit upon the projectors and promoters of this great work.
The Cranberry Marsh is principally located in Wyandotte County. but a portion of this marsh, consisting of about 1,000 acres, lies in the eastern part of Jackson Township. It was drained b *- J. S. Robinson, H. G, Harris, L. T. Hunt, W. P. Leighton and Nicholas Miller, who then owned the land. The work was begun about 1865, and completed during the succeeding three years. A ditch twenty feet wide and four feet deep was cat from the western outlet, running in a southeast direction through the marsh. Two lateral ditches branched off from the main one, northeast and southeast toward the Wyandotte County line. The water was carried by those ditches into the Blanchard River, and thus this fine body of land was brought under cultivation. It now ranks among the finest lands in Hardin Counts, its soil being deep, rich and inexhaustible.
WILD ANIMALS AND REPTILES.
Throughout the pioneer days of Hardin County, the whole region of country embraced in this portion of the Sciota y alley was one vast hunting ground. Here nature's herds lived and flourished; but soon after the coming of the white man, they began to avoid his deadly aim and seek a retreat in the deeper fastnesses of the forest ; year after year passed away, until
HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY. - 341
finally the larger animals became extinct in this portion of Ohio, and nothing was left for the huntsman but the smaller and more insignificant game, and even that is now a scarce article. We here give a brief description of the larger wild animals and reptiles that inhabited Hardin County O'er the progress of civilization destroyed or drove them from its soil.
The Elk had become extinct prior to the occupancy of the country by the whites : but that this valley had once been their grazing ground, is evident from the large number of horns that were found almost everywhere on top of the ground, partly and wholly buried beneath the soil, and turned up in broken fragments by the plow. The elk horn in a perfect state of preservation. especially the larger sizes, is a curiosity to persons who have never seen it. The diameter of the horn to the first prong was usually two or more inches, but where it was attached to the head it often measured from three to four inches, if the pair was perfect with the head of the animal attached and set upon their points, they would measure from three to four feet in height. Each horn had from five to seven prongs, and so arranged that when the head and neck were in line wtih the body as in the act of running, the largest elk could readily pass through the thickest underbrush with the greatest ease, and without any impediment therefrom.
Bears were not very numerous, but enough were left to remind the settlers that when bruin male a raid upon the pigsty, his assured rights were to be respected. Their favorite abode was in the timber along the streams. They « ere not considered a dangerous animal, except when suffering from hunger, their anger aroused, or their cubs in danger; but then it required great courage and good generalship to effect a safe retreat and thereby avoid a deadly battle. In the fall and winter, they were hunted for their meat and skins. Their flesh was rich and savory, while their skins were tanned and used for robes and bed covering in the winter seasons.
The wolf was the pioneer's dreaded enemy, and were of two kinds: black and gray. The former was seldom seen, but the latter infected the country in immense packs. The wolf is long-legged, with heavy foreshoulders, light hind-quarters, very lean and gaunt through the loins, keen. eyed, with pointed nose, ears erect and a long bushy tail, usually curled between his bind legs, giving him the appearance of a thievish, sneaking cur. The first settlers suffered more from the depredations of these animals than all others combined. They made onslaughts upon the sheep, pigs, calves and colts; and often great numbers would congregate under cover of night and attack individuals who happened to be belated, or even whole families whose cabins were isolated from the more thickly settled country. The wolf had a peculiar and instinctive howl, which was quickly taken up by others, and in an incredible short space of time the bark could be heard in every direction, rapidly concerting toward one point. Its manner of fighting was very different front the common dog. Instead of grapling with its antagonist, its fighting was done by springing forward, snapping or cutting with the front teeth, which were very sharp, and then retreating for another opportunity. This method of advance and retreat was rapidly repeated so long as its adversary was within reach; but when their numbers were overpowering, they exhibited a greater boldness and dash, thereby demonstrating their cowardly nature. As the settlements increased. these pests grew beautifully less in number, their destruction having been encouraged through a premium for wolf-scalps, offered by the County Comrnissioners during the first years of the county's history. As late as 1853, the premium on wolf-scalps was $3.50 on an animal over six months old,
342 - HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
and $1. 75 on those under that age. The wolf finally disappeared from this region, although an odd one has been seen and dispatched within a few years past.
The beautiful animal known as the red deer was a God-send to the pioneers. From these harmless inhabitant:: of the forest, that were accessible at all times, they procured most of their meat. Deer were very numerous, and more than fifty in one heal have been seen grazing upon the prairie or "stamping flies" beneath the shady groves; but they were usually found in pairs, or half a dozen at most, except when chased by the wolf or dog. At such times, large numbers were aroused from their slumbers and joined in the stampede. Not only was the deer valuable as an article of food. but its skin, when tanned, served many useful purposes. The stalwart backwoodsman generally wore a vest and a pair of "buckskin breeches" made from the prepared hides or these animals. In an untanned condition, or rawhide state, it was cut into strips, twisted, then dried in the sun, after which it served the purpose of tugs or chains for the settlers' harness; also lines, bridles, mittens, moccasins mid other article, used i« pioneer life.
Wild bogs were frequently wet with, and were morc dreaded, perhaps than any other of the wild beasts. The genuine wild boar, exasperated icy the hunters, was the most terrible game of tile forest, and the hunt was exciting and dangerous. His attack was too sudden and headlong to he easily turned aside or avoided, and the snap of hi, tusks, as he sharpened them in his fury, was not pleasant music to the timid or amateur bunter. His tusks ark known to have measured over a foot in length, and many desperate fights and hairbreadth escape; are recounted in connection with this animal. The wild boar was not valued for its flesh, but was regarded simply as a dangerous pest, and hunted mainly to rid the country of his presence.
There were other animals that once inhabited these parts, viz., panther, lynx, the native wild cat, porcupine, etc.; but these, like the elk, the bear, the wolf and the more valuable deer, have long since become extinct. . Even the fog, raccoon, woodchuck, opossum and squirrel, together with many other small animals, are growing scarcer year by year under the ruthless hunter's vengeance; and the day is not far distant when Hardin County will be entirely devoid of the animal as well as the feathery tribes that once infested its forests and prairies. This is not as it should be. The few specimens that are left ought to be spared, and stringent laws should be passed to protect those innocent dwellers of the forest, and prevent their utter extinction.
Among the venomous reptiles that once endangered life and limb, were the racers, copper-heads and prairie rattlesnake. The latter were very numerous, as well as formidable and dangerous. The antidote for their bite, however, grew upon the prairie lands, and was a kind of herb called by the Indians "rattlesnake weed." The person bitten, by immediately chewing a considerable quantity of the stalk, swallowing the juice and binding the pulpy chewings upon the bitten part, prevented all ill effects that would otherwise result from the bite. It is well that the reptiles no longer exist in this land, and that all such venomous things disappear before the onward march of civilization.
TIMBER AND SICKNESS.
The original forest of Hardin County was very beautiful. The trees
HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY. - 343
were tall and straight, with little or no underbrush in the greater portion of the county. The Indians set fire to the leaves every year, for the purpose of destroying the small growth, which, if allowed to spring up, would soon interfere and impede their hunters in the pursuit of game. Thus the white man found the territory covered with the grand giants of nature. which in the spring time put forth an appearance with which nothing in art could compete for beauty and natural grandeur. The principal timber of this county is as follows: White, red and black oak, walnut, hickory, beech, ash, maple, elm, basswood or lyme, sycamore and cherry. The manufacture of lumber has been, for several years, one of the most important industries of Hardin County, while its growth and development has been marked by rapidity and stability. There is very little diversity in the topographical appearance of the county, the marshes and timbered lands being about the same in every portion thereof. For a more minute description of the several localities, including stream, soil and timber, the reader is referred to the township histories, in each of which will be found an outline of the same.
One of the principal drawbacks in the early settlement of Hardin County was the prevalence of malaria and "milk-sickness." These diseases were the dreaded enemies of the pioneers, and many found premature graves, stricken down in the prime of life when the future looked bright and promising. During the first years of pioneer life, there was a vast amount of malarial sickness, which retarded the general progress of the settlement, but the prospective advantages of the country, with its rich soil. fine stock ranges and abundance of all classes of game, sustained the spirit of the wavering settlers, and re-animated them with a firm resolution to make this their future home. So they remained and erected their cabins beside the beautiful streams that traversed the surface of the county; here their children were born, lived and died, blessing the foresight and enterprise of these sturdy pioneers who did so much for the coming generation.