HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY, As this county was named in honor of Gen. Mercer, a distinguished officer of the Revolution, it will not be considered either in apropos or digressive to recall the principal events in the life of the man who gave his name to the county. GEN. HUGH MERCER was horn in Aberdeen, Scotland, in the year 1723, and received his education in the university of that place. His profession was that of physician, and he acted in the capacity of surgeon's mate in the army of Prince Charles Edward, the hero of the civil war of 1745, at the memorable battle of Culloden. After that event, in the year 1746, he bade an eternal adieu to the land of his birth, emigrated to America, became the companion of Washington in the campaign of Gen. Braddock, and was with him until he died from his wound at the battle of Princeton, Jan. 2, 1777. After his arrival he settled on the western frontier of the colony of Pennsylvania, in Cumberland County, west of the Susquehanna River, and within a few miles of Mercersburg, now Franklin County. After the Peace of 1763 he settled in Fredericksburg, and married Isabella, the youngest daughter of John and Margaret Gorden. Gov. Dinwiddie, of Virginia, under date of Jan. 14, 1755, in writing to Gov. Denny, of Pennsylvania, states that Lieut.-Col. Hugh Mercer two regiments. Ellison have been commissioned by his majesty for the two regiments that are to be raised in the northern colonies, the object being to defeat the unjustifiable invasions of the French on his majesty's lands on the Ohio ; and that .these regiments should each consist of six hundred men, men, with the promise to be raised to eight hundred. He was with Gen. Braddock in the disastrous campaign of 1755, and was thus early the companion-in-arms of the illustrious Washington, who displayed prowess in conducting the retreat of Braddock's shattered forces. It was in this expedition that Col. Mercer became acquainted with Washington, an acquaintance which soon ripened into intimacy, and exercised so vast an influence over his future conduct. When Gen. Mercer resided in Cumberland County, we find that Gov. Morris issued a circular on March 26, 1756, on the subject of making an attack upon Kittanning to Capts. Mercer, Hamilton, Burd, and Porter.. On April 19th we learn that Capt. Mercer was at Carlisle recruiting for his Company for that purpose at Fort Shirley and Capt. James Burd, Esq., writes to Gov. Morris that, as the captain was a stranger in the town, he had procured for him thirty pounds from Francis West, Esq. At Fort Shirley he had thirty men, but he was increasing it to sixty. Here we may remark that Fort Shirley was one of the first forts erected in Gov. Morris's ,time, in 1755, on the west side of the Susquehanna, It twenty miles northward of Fort Lyttleton, at a place called Aughwick. was near the great path used by the Indians and Indian traders from the Ohio, and consequently the easiest way of access for the Indians into the settlement. It stands on an elevated plat of ground within the limits of Shirleysburg, Huntington County, Pa., where the Female Seminary now stands, and about one-fourth of a mile from Aughwick Creek (originally spelled Aukwick). Aug. 27, 1756, the Supreme Council appoved an expedition against Kittanning, about twenty miles from Fort Du Quesne, to be under the command of Col. John Armstrong, who was to have under him Capts. Mercer, Hamilton, Ward, and Porter, his company until Nov. 17, 1756, which took place at Shippensburg and to engage whatever other volunteers he could. The officers and men were to assemble at Fort Shirley, and thence set out on the expedition. Col. Armstrong marched his three hundred men on August 30th from McDowell's to Fort Shirley, thence to Sherman's Valley, thence to Fort Lyttleton, and thence to Kittanning, where a battle was fought on September 8th. Feb. 27, 1756, Gov. Denny informed the Council that he had concerted an expedition against Kittanning, a town twenty miles above Fort Du Quesne, to be conducted by Col. John Armstrong. For his good conduct at the battle of Kittanning he received a gold medal from the corporation of the city of Philadelphia, which is preserved by his descendants as a sacred memorial of his public worth and private virtues. In this battle, however, he was severely wounded in the right arm, which was broken. Upon that occasion he narrowly escaped being taken prisoner, and, being separated from his party, wandered a fortnight in the wilderness, slaking his thirst in the brook of the forest, until he reached the settled country. While wandering in the woods, he being a physician, applied temporary relief to his wound, but was quite exhausted from loss of blood and want of proper food and nourishment. Added to all this, lie was surrounded by hostile savages, and on one occasion he took refuge in a hollow tree while there a party of savages came up, seated themselves on the tree, remained some time, and departed without discovering that a brave and wounded soldier was near them. He endeavored to return by the route in which the army had advanced, and in clue time, through a trackless wild of more than one hundred miles, he reached Fort Cumberland. On account of his wound and suffering he did not take command of his company until Nov. 17, 1756, which took place at Shippensburg. May 18, 1757. A conference was held at Fort Frederick this day, which was sixteen miles from Fort Lyttleton. Pennsylvania was represented by Col. J. Armstrong, Capt. Hugh Mercer, Lieut. W. Armstrong, and Lieut. Thomas Smaliman, and. the Cherokee Indians by two of their Governors, with R. Paris as their interpreter, which resulted in gaining the confidence of the Cherokee Indians, and making them many presents. Dec. 3, 1758. Capt. Mercer congratulates Gov. Denny on the success attending his majesty's arms on the expedition against Fort Du Quesne, and the peace and safety derived to the inhabitants of Pennsylvania. This fort was reduced by Brig. Gen. John Forbes, wino set out from Philadelphia with 5850 men, composed of 350 Royal Americans, 1200 Montgomery Highlanders, 1600 Virginians, and 2760 Pennsylvania Provincials. When Gen. Forbes drew near with his overwhelming army, Monsieur De Ligney, wino was in command (and the successor of Monsieur De Dumas), after firing the buildings, destroying tine stores, and all that he could of the works, secretly retired with the garrison to Erie, and thence to Illinois, and without a blow abandoned so valuable a prize. On Nov. 25, 1758, the standard of Great Britain was displayed upon the dismantled fortress. Gen. Forbes marched back to Philadelphia after appointing Capt. Mercer with 280 men to take command of the fort. He reached Philadelphia, Jan. 17, 1759, and died March 11, 1759, and was buried in the chancel of Christ Church. It is proper to state in connection herewith that Captain Mercer made (291) 292 - HISTORY OF VAN WERT AND MERCER COUNTIES, OHIO. immediate provision for the securing of that post which had cost so much blood and treasure. A small fortification was thrown up on the bank of the Monongahela, and named in, honor of the English minister Fort Pitt. Col. Hugh Mercer was the first officer in command of the first Fort Pitt. During 1759 many conferences were held with the Indian nations, over which Col. Mercer presided, while the Indian nations were represented by their chiefs, with the aid of an interpreter. June, 1775, Col. Hugh Mercer received from Congress his commission as Brigadier-General, and on July 31, 1776, it appears that Congress required the Committee of Safety of Pennsylvania to send to Gen. Mercer for the service of the flying camp (which was to consist of 6000 men), ten six-pounders, and an equal number of four-pounders. Gen. Mercer was a prominent officer throughout the entire Continental service; the battle on Long Island, the retreat to New York, the evacuation of that city, the battle of White Plains, the fall of Fort Washington, the projected attack on Long Island, and the retreat through New Jersey, were the prominent incidents of this eventful period. Throughout all these he was in active service under Gen. Washington to whose affections he was closely endeared. Gen. Mercer's brigade formed a part of the left wing of Washington's army in the capture of the Hessians at Trenton, December 26, 1776. On January 2, 1777, Washington proceeded to Princeton and defeated the British, who lost about 500 men. Gen. Mercer's horse was killed by the enemy's fire; lie was surrounded by the enemy. Disdaining to surrender, and indignant at the apparent confusion of his men, he encountered, wounded as he was, single-handed a detachment of the enemy, in which action he was bayoneted and left on the field. For a full understanding of the affair, we may state that the battle of Princeton was commenced on January 3, by Gen. Mercer, with his column consisting of 350 men, composed of the Delaware and Maryland regiments, near Stony Brook. Upon hearing the fire Gen. Washington in person led on his forces to the support of Gen. Mercer with two pieces of artillery. The force engaged against him was the 17th, 40th, and 55th regiments, commanded by Col. Mawhood. Washington coining up after the battle had commenced, waved his hat and called on the soldiers to maintain their ground. The conflict was short and severe, and the British broke and retreated, and the fate of the day was thus ended. Major Armstrong, the general's aid, found Gen. Mercer lying bleeding and insensible on the field, and removed him to a neighboring farm, where he lingered until January 12, 1T77. While breathing his last prayer for his young and helpless family, and his bleeding and adopted country, he expired in the arms of Major George Lewis, a nephew of General Washington. He was buried at Princeton, but his body was afterwards brought to Philadelphia and buried in Christ Church yard. However, on November 26, 1840, his remains were disinterred and removed with appropriate honor to the Laurel Hill Cemetery. A monument is there erected by the St. Andrew Society. ESTABLISHMENT. The county was erected by virtue of an act for the erection of counties in Northwestern Ohio, and passed February 12, 18'20. This act provides that " all that part of lands lately ceded by the Indians to the United States, which lies within the State of Ohio, shall be and the same is ,hereby erected into fourteen separate and distinct counties, to be bounded and named as follows: Van Wert, Mercer, Putnam, Allen, Hancock, Hardin, Crawford, Richland, Seneca, Sandusky, Wood, Henry, Paulding, and Williams." Mercer County, according to the provisions of the same act, was to include all of ranges 1, 2, 3, and 4, south of Van Wert County to the northern boundaries of counties heretofore organized. The same act also provided that Van Wert and Mercer counties be attached to Darke County until otherwise ordered. Mercer County was subsequently detached in 1824, and Van Wert in October, 1837. EARLY OBSERVATIONS. Letters of Capt. Riley touching the Future of the Wilderness of the Northwest. FOREST, HEAD OF WABASH RIVER, NEAR FORT RECOVERY, OHIO, Nov. 20, 1819. B. SANDFORD, Esq. DEAR SIR: Embracing a leisure moment while my companions are asleep, I will attempt to give you some description of the country which we are employed to survey ; and although you may be acquainted with an outline of the geographical situation, it may not be uninteresting to gain a more particular view than it has been in the power of any one to take before a part of the surveys were completed. This tract of country, commonly called the new purchase in Ohio, lies in the northwest part of the State, and comprises one-fifth part of the whole area, or about 5,000,000 of acres, and was ceded by several tribes of Indians to the United States by the treaty of Fort Meigs in 1817 and St. Marys in 1818. It is bound north by Lake Erie and Michigan territory, west by the line that separates Ohio from Indiana, south and east by the line of former purchases from the Indians, and lies' between latitude 40 20' and 41̊ 50', and west longitude 82̊ 55' and 840 50'. South of latitude 41̊ in this pUrchase lies an extensive level country, the most elevated part of Ohio. The 'Wabash, Maumee, and Scioto rivers, which discharge their waters into the Ohio, Mississippi, and Gulf of Mexico, and the St. Marys, Auglaize, and Sandusky rivers, that empty their waters into Lake Erie, take their rise and have their sources in this elevated plain. The branches of these rivers, running different courses and emptying into different oceans, interlock in such a. manner as almost to form a junction with each other in the spring of the year, and boats have actually sailed from the Wabash into the St. Marys, and thence through time Maumee. The waters of the Scioto and Maumee also approach each other in a singular manner, and are nearly connected with the Sandusky and the Auglaize rivers, so a trifling expense they might be made to commingle, and thus afford good agricultural and commercial facilities. The climate is mild for the 40̊ of latitude. We have as yet had no snow this season and but little frost, and the inhabitants who have squatted in considerable numbers on the public lands in this quarter are now plowing their fields as if in summer and the corn-blades were not nipped by the frost so as to injure before the 20th of October. The soil is in general excellent, and appears to have been formed by alluvian deposits. In digging a well near tile St. Marys River, and on time summit level, they passed through different strata of blue and yellow clay, very fibrous, to the depth of 33 feet without encountering rock or gravel, finding good water, when a heavy shower of rain caused the sides to cave in, and it was abandoned. Along the banks of all the streams and rivers the land is good and dry every one-quarter section may afford a good farm. All the country except part of the Sandusky plains is well timbered with oak, hickory, sugar maple, white and blue ash, beech, elm, poplar, and black walnut. The underbrush is paw-paw, hazle, spice-wood, and swamp ash. On receding from the banks of the streams and rivers some wet land is met with, such as swamps and wet prairies. Most of these, however, will drain themselves when the land around becomes cultivated, and the others afford excellent meadow land. All the before-mentioned rivers take their rise in swamps or wet prairies, and are not produced by springs, so that in dry seasons they afford but little water and as few springs are met with on the summit level, that extends in breadth from north to south twenty miles, the inhabitants must depend on wells for the supply of water at all seasons of the year. But as we proceed north towards the lake shore the country assumes a gently rolling aspect, springs and branches are more frequent, and the whole surface inclines gradually northward to the margin of Lake Erie. The runs and streams flowing to the north soon become rapid and abound with excellent fish, and mill-sites are veil: numerous, where machinery to any amount may be kept in constant operation. In travelling inch by inch this interesting section of Ohio, the mind is almost bewildered by the contemplation of its importance. Its climate, soil, and local situation, and permanent advantages, here may be discovered future sites of cities, towns, and hamlets, where where agriculture, arts and sciences, and commerce will flourish in a few years: and also years ; and also HISTORY OF VAN WERT AND MERCER COUNTIES, OHIO - 293 sites of canals, that will unite at no very remote period the waters of Ohio and Lake Erie. This section of country is so easy of access from New England by the New York Grand Canal and Lake Erie, that no doubt can be entertained of its speedy settlement, while hundreds of citizens already settled in the State are selling or have already sold off their farms with the intention of purchasing and moving into the newly-ceded territory as soon as the lands there shall be offered for sale, and to increase the chances of a good market. Besides this new purchase there are several millions of acres of excellent land yet unsettled in the most fertile parts of the State, the reason of which I will attempt to develop. Emigrants removing from the Atlantic States, find in crossing the Allegheny ridges much difficulty, and hope on entering Ohio to find a level, smooth country, instead of which, on the Wheeling and Steubenville roads, they encounter hills more steep and difficult than the mountains they have passed for near two hundred miles, to the vicinity of Chillicothe. Many curse the road and country, break their wagons, wear down their horses to the bones, and either go on to Indiana or Illinois at great expense and in disgust, or return again eastward, never imagining that all or nearly all of the land in Ohio, north of the road along which they pass, is smooth and fertile, or that one clay's travel northward will bring them into a region according with their views and wishes. Those farmers who wish to emigrate into the Western country from New England or New York may shun entirely the Allegheny Mountains and formidable Ohio hills by proceeding to Buffalo, and thence either by land or water to Erie or Cleveland, and then go southward or westward, where they will not fail of suiting themselves either in Ohio or Indiana. Having nearly concluded the survey for which I have contracted, I intend to set off in a few clays for Fort Wayne, in Indiana, on a tour of observation, and thence down the Maumee to Lake Erie, candle, write you from the principal places I visit as I go along. My candle, the wax taken to-day from a bee tree that afforded us ten gallons of good honey, is nearly burnt out. The wolves howl most tremendously around our tent, seeking for food, the great owl and screech owl, mingling their ominous notes, joined in the outcry, and I must join my companions in sleep. Please excuse and correct all important errors and my haste, and I am, with much respect, your most humble servant, JAMES RILEY. FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, Nov. 24, 1819. DEAR SIR : Having concluded my survey for the season, and wishing to flew the country between the St. Marys and Maumee rivers, to examine for myself the practicability of so uniting the Wabash with the Maumee, so as to render intercourse by water safe and easy between the Ohio Erie through that channel, etc., I set out yesterday from Shane's land on or near the right bank of that river forty miles, reached this Place early in the evening. Early this morning I set off to look at the junction of the St. Joseph River, rising in Michigan Territory, runs southwesterly about two hundred miles, receiving in its course several tributary streams and the St. Marys, rising in Shelby County, Ohio, runs northwesterly more than two hundred miles, including its meanderings, when, forming a junction nearly from opposite points, they now turn suddenly south and assume the name of Miami of the lake, or, as Pronounced by the French, Maumee then, turning gradually round again, these congregated waters flow off in a northeast direction about two hundred miles, following the course of the river to the southwest end of Lake Erie. Fort Wayne stands on a bluff just between the junction and on the right bank of the Maumee. Its situation is admirably chosen by a general in whom were united the greatest personal .courage and intrepidity, and a most consummate prudence and skill in conducting and supporting an army amid morasses, separated from the inhabited by a dreary and exclusively wilderness country, surrounded on all sides' by innumerable hosts of savage enemies, flushed, too, by a recent and great victory over the unfortunate Gen. St. Clair. The, gigantic mind of Gen. Wayne created resources with astonishing industry and activity. He cut roads and marched his troops to all the important points, which he seized with an unerring military eye and pro- found judgment. He selected and fortified such part, and such only, as would inevitably secure his conquest, and afford the most sure protection - 31 - to his army and an extensive frontier settlement. At every step in this country every unprejudiced mind will more and more admire the movements and achievements of the army conducted by this veteran and truly wise and good general. By occupying Fort Wayne the communication between Lake Erie and the Ohio through the channels of the Maumee and Wabash (which is the shortest and most direct route from Buffalo to the Mississippi River) was cut off or completely commanded. The Wabash River, which rises in Ohio, runs north past Fort Recovery, enters Indiana about ten miles from that post, and continuing its course northwardly approaches Fort Wayne within eighteen miles, when it turns to the southwest, running diagonally across the State of Indiana, and receiving in its course numerous important tributary streams until it reaches the line that separates Indiana from Illinois in latitude 40̊, thence meandering Illinois, discharging its waters into the Ohio River. The Little Wabash rises in an elevated swamp prairie, six miles south of Fort Wayne, and joins the Wabash eighteen miles from thence; thus in high stages of the water a portage of only six miles carries merchandise from the head of the Maumee into the navigable waters of the Wabash, and vice versa ; from whence, floating with the current, it may either supply the interior wants of the country or proceed to New Orleans or Lake Erie. Through a part of the above-mentioned swamp (which is very extensive) a canal might very easily be cut six miles long, uniting the Wabash to the St. Marys a little above its junction and from what I saw and learned from others, it is my opinion that the swamp might afford water sufficient for purposes of canal navigation. By the treaties of 1817 and 1818 (mentioned in a former letter) lands in the State of Indiana to the amount of from four to five millions of acres (lying principally on the left bank of the Wabash, and south and west to former purchases) were ceded to the United States. These lands are charmingly situated in point of climate. The soil is mostly of the first quality. The country is well watered and well timbered, and lying on or near the Wabash enjoys immense advantages. Emigrants from the Northern and Eastern States to this section of country, as well as the new purchase in Ohio, will find it to be their interest, and their comfort, too, to go by Buffalo and up the lake, thence up the lake to Fort Meigs, twenty-eight miles within the Maumee Bay, and from thence up that river to the mouth of the Auglaize or Fort Wayne, and so on to their place of destination. Early in the spring of the year is the best time for emigration that way, as the streams are full, and they prove an easy and sure navigation even in the present unimproved state. The country about 'Fort Wayne is very fertile, the situation is commanding and healthy, and here will arise a town of great importance, wliicll must become an immense depot. The fort is now only a small stockade, no troops are stationed here, and less than thirty dwelling-houses, occupied by French and American families, form the whole settlement. But as soon as the land shall be surveyed and offered for sale, inhabitants will come in from all quarters into this future thoroughfare between New York and the Mississippi, etc. The unlooked-for progress of that stupendous work, the New York Grand Canal—a work of the most momentous consequences to the people of the Western country and the union of the United States, whereby the counties bordering on the lakes are to be bound by the strongest of all ties, interest, to the great emporium of the Western Hemisphere, the city of New York and the Atlantic States—electrifies the citizens of this country, who now behold themselves transported, as it were, with their rich possessions near the ocean, and already bless its projectors and supporters. To-morrow morning it is my intention to start for Fort Defiance in company with B. F. Stickney, Esq., late an Indian agent at this place—a man of worth, sense, and science, and well acquainted in these parts, now a resident at Fort Lawrence, near the Maumee Bay. Intending to write you from Defiance, I am, with regards, yours, etc. JAMES RILEY. B. SANDFORD, ESQ. FORT DEFIANCE, AT THE JUNCTION OF THE MAUMEE AND AUGLAIZE RIVERS, OHIO, Nov. 26, 1819. DEAR SIR: Agreeable to my intentions, we set out from Fort Wayne at daylight on the 25th, and travelled along the old Indian trace, near the left bank of the Maumee, until dark last evening, when we encamped 294 - HISTORY OF VAN WERT AND MERCER COUNTIES, OHIO. on a fine and extensive bottom, where wood was plenty and where we formed a shelter from the rain (which began to pour in torrents) by raising two crotches six feet from the ground, and fifteen feet apart, laying (pole in the crotches, and placing several smaller ones on end on the ground, and the other supported by the pole in the crotches, and, spreading our blankets on this frame, made a very comfortable roof that completely shielded us from the storm, so that by keeping up a good fire at our feet we passed the night very agreeably, though surrounded by wild beasts, etc. This is a very simple and effectual mode of securing the wanderer among forests from the inclemency of the weather; he only needs to carry fireworks, and provisions. The country through which we passed appears very level, gradually inclining towards the north, a lake shore, as we perceived by the swiftness of the current of the river and uniform height of its bank. The Maumee is a beautiful stream of water, clear as crystal in its lowest stages (as is now the case), so that standing on its banks we could plainly discover fishes in great numbers gliding through the fluid even at the depth of ten to fifteen or twenty feet. These fish are caught in great abundance at Fort Wayne and in all the settlements on the river in what the settlers call fish-traps or baskets, and with hook-and-lines. The day I stopped at Fort Wayne more than two hundred of these fish, weighing from three to fifteen pounds each, were taken from the fish-trap belonging to the Indian agent (Dr. Turner) and Capt. Hackley, formerly of Albany, N. Y., who caught that morning besides with hookand-line two hundred pounds of black bass. The fish that abound in this river are pike, lake salmon, pickerel, white fish, very much resembling the sheep's-head of the sea-coast, yellow perch, black bass, and all others usually found in-the lakes and their waters. 'Travelling down the river, we arrived about ten o'clock at the side of the old Delaware town,. where a few huts are now standing on both sides of the river ; at, above and below the town, are extensive bottom lands exceeding in richness of soil anything I ever saw. The grass, with which the ground is covered on the extensive prairie, is still green, and so thick as to retard the progress of our horses. It is what is called red-top in the Eastern States, or grass very much resembling it. Here we stopped two hours, and let our horses fill themselves while we examined the adjoining lands, rivers, and banks, and springs of excellent water flow from the bank. The timber in the vicinity is black walnut (the future mahogany of America, although much more beautiful, and destined to become fashionable wood for costly buildings and furniture as the country grows wealthy); sugar-trees are very large and straight and tall. Crossing at this place, which is at the head of the nine-mile rapid and fordable (except at high stages of the water), we reached the post at three P. M., and had time to examine its site and surrounding country. Fort Defiance is now no more than a small stockade picketed in; a few log buildings stand within it. The site is high and commanding, on the right bank of the Maumee, at the point formed by it and the left bank of the Auglaize, and above the junction of the two rivers, which is beautiful beyond description. This site was selected by the unerring judgment of Gen. Wayne, whose name alone still makes the surrounding nations of Indians tremble, and who yet believe most religiously that the spirit of their formidable enemy guards the white man, and will not fail to punish excesses on their part, well remembering all he told them in council, etc. The country near Defiance is level, the land good, and timber large. The rock forming the bed of the Maumee and Auglaize within ten miles of the post is a sort of junk slate or bituminous shale, that will burn like Mineral coal, though not so free. The distance from Fort Wayne to Defiance by land is computed (following the Indian trace, which is very crooked) at seventy-five miles, and by water one hundred and twenty miles. Many streams enter the Maumee between these two stations on both sides sufficiently large for milling purposes, and the gullies or ravines they have formed are steep and difficult to cross on horseback. Along the banks of the river mill-sites may be had at a trifling comparative expense, by cutting races at small rapids without damming or obstructing the channel. There are three or four families settled on the public lands near this station that furnish travellers with shelter and provisions for their money. Tomorrow morning we intend to set out for Fort Meigs and Port Lawrence, from whence I shall probably write you again, and am in haste yours, etc., JAMES RILEY. B. SANDFORD, ESQ. PORT LAWRENCE, NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE MAUMEE, November 28, 1819. DEAR SIR : We left Fort Defiance on the 29th, at an early hour, forded. the Maumee at the foot of the nine-mile rapids, just above the forts, and proceeded along the left bank of the river to Camp No. 3, six miles, where three or four families have squatted on the public lands. They have fenced in and cultivated, according to my estimation, one hun. died acres or more, which have been crowned with a heavy crop of corn, four yielding sixty bushels at least to the acre. Here is a rapid of or five miles. Pursuing our journey with diligence, we reached the head of the lower rapids (forty miles by computation) at dusk, where we found shelter with a Mr. Menard. All this day the gentlemen in company, Mr. Stickney, Mr. Caloin Dennison, and a Frenchman of Detroit and myself were delighted with the country we travelled over; the soil of the uplands (which is level or gently rolling, and inclines gradually towards Lake Erie) is rich and sufficiently dry. Many streams of considerable magnitude enter the river along both its banks, in which the water runs swiftly. The river itself expands to the breadth of a mile above the rapids, and its surface is for many miles up unruffled by fall. On this part of the river lie very extensive bottom lands, whose soil is the richest alluvian, the principal timber, black walnut, measuring in many instances more than six feet in diameter, and of an astonishing height ; it has besides abundance of sugar-trees, with some other timber. Grape-vines, of ten inches diameter or more near the root, are frequently seen. Their vines almost cover the trees, and form a thicket difficult to pass on horseback. They are said to produce grapes of an excellent flavor, and in great abundance. From the head to the foot of the rapids is eighteen miles by computation, the first twelve of which have no more than six rapids of less than a fourth of a mile each, as I supposed from their appearance. At the rapids called Roche Debout, five miles above Fort Meigs, a wing dam has been constructed and a race dug, on which stand a grist-mill and saw-mill, nearly ready for operation. From there down nearly all the way to the fort, is a continual rapid; the whole sheet of water (which is thus very much contracted) falls over a bed of limestone rock lying in the strata and graduated in a manner resembling stepping-stones, the surfaces of which are worn smooth by the continual friction of this mass of waters, and which at Fort Meigs become smooth, being on a level, with Lake Erie, and affected by its tide waters. In the whole course o! this river the rapids (which are numerous) are occasioned by masses of pebbles, rolled together by the current or by smooth rocks over which it glides without occasioning much noise or ascension of vapors. Very few single rocks protrude above the surface even in the lowest stages of the river, which renders navigation with the current very safe at all times. Large pirogues or canoes of three or four tons burthen are now calculation going to Fort Wayne, having passed the lower rapids. By made for the fall by mill-dam and other data the best I could obtain, almost amounting to demonstration, it is my opinion that from Fort Wayne to the lake level there is a fall of about one thousand feet. and that the distance is about two hundred miles. In order to render this river navigable at all seasons of the year it will, in my opinion, be necessary to cut a canal along the river bank round the eighteen-mile rapids, and to improve the navigation of the five-mile and also at the nine-mile rapids, by cutting or removing part of the rock in the bed of the river, so as to form a channel sufficiently broad for small keel boats. That this can be effected easily and at little expense, as the rock is shelly, and that without any improvement this river is navigable for about half of the year. The land from Roche Debout to Fort Wayne is excellent on both sides of the river, and I was assured by some of the most respectable inhabitants that the crops of corn this year, and which they were now gathering, will average eighty bushels to the acre, and several fields, more than one hundred. Proceeding from opposite Fort Meigs towards this place, the river assumes more the appearance of a bay. Its surface is unbroken, except by islands, and by marshes covered with wild rice, which grows in these waters very luxuriantly, and affords food for merable wild ducks and aquatic fowl, which at this season darken the whole river. Twelve miles below Fort Meigs, at the bank of the river at the mouth of Swan Creek, a town is laid out bearing the name of Port Lawrence (Toledo), situated on the margin of the river, on the left bank of the creek. Its site appears to be well chosen, standing partly HISTORY OF VAN WERT AND MERCER COUNTIES, OHIO - 295 on the bottom land and partly on an elevated plain, and has an excellent view of the river, for many miles of the Maumee bay, and part of Lake Erie. Two large and commodious hewed log stores stand at the mouth of the creek, and several dwelling-houses (log) in its vicinity. This creek forms an elegant and safe harbor for vessels in stormy seasons. The depth of water is sufficient for any craft that can enter and cross the bar, and here are usually laid up during winter many of the vessels belonging to other and less accessible ports on the lake. At this place I was informed of respectability that (contrary to the general impression) the tides flow and ebb in twenty-four hours, as on the coast of the ocean, that in still weather and in spring-tides the difference between high and. low water is from three to five feet by a series of observations, and its usual rise and fall of neap tides is about two feet, varying by the action of the winds. Upon the whole, philosophers' may, if they can, explain this phenomenon. What was within my own knowledge strengthens the opinion I had before formed, viz., that through the channels of the Maumee and Wabash rivers will soon be opened the shortest and best natural route between Buffalo and the Mississippi River. That canals uniting the rivers will shortly be projected and finished, and that this will prove an immense thoroughfare for supplying much of the vast fertile interior of the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois with goods and commodities from the Atlantic States, and that returns will be made through the same channels in the productions of these luxuriant regions, through the great western channel to the city of New York, and thence to any part of the globe. To-morrow morning I propose visiting Fort Meigs, on my return towards the Auglaize, etc. Yours, etc., JAMES RILEY. B. SANDFORD, ESQ. The following letter, addressed to Edward Tiffin, Surveyor-General, will show Captain Riley's suggestions touching the development of this section, and, it may be observed, they were adopted and carried out to the letter. FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, Nov. 14, 1820. SIR: A snow-storm raged the 11th, 12th, and 13th instant, and fell to the depth of about a foot on a level, making it impossible for me to con-tin tie my surveys ; and as my men were not provided with winter clothing, and being on Town No. 1 N., and learning from travellers that stopped at our camp over night that the Indians were congregated at this place in order to receive their annuities from government, curiosity, and a desire to view the country, determined me to come to this place and remain in this vicinity, until it shall be in my power to continue my labors in the forest, and which I hope to finish in three weeks. The Maumee River is a clear and delightful stream, its banks rich and fertile, in many places already cleared of the forest by the Indians, and in some places large bodies of the best soil are ready for plowing. The meandering course of the river, and its various ripples and rapids, will afford mill-seats in abundance for all kinds of manufactories, and highway and thoroughfare for products of the soil of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, to the shores of Lake Erie, and for the commodities used for supporting the external comforts and necessaries of their inhabitants. The site of Fort Wayne is high and commanding, its situation directly at the confluence of the Saint Joseph and Saint Marys rivers, of considerable magnitude, and navigable for several months of the year for the largest flat bottoms and keel boats, for a distance of two hundred Wiles, and run through a rich and fertile country.. The said Marys has been almost covered with boats every freshet for several years back, and now, although the land on its banks in Ohio has only been for sale WO months, more than one hundred families have already established themselves along its borders. This central point combines more natural advantages to build up and support a town of importance, as a place of deposit and exchange and thoroughfare, than any point I have yet seen in the western country. Here the Indians used to hold their great councils, and from here launched forth by water, east by the Maumee, south by the St. Marys, west by the Wabash, and northwest by the St. Josephs and the St. Josephs of Lake Michigan. Having my chain, compass, and level along with me, I yesterday went towards the southwest one and a half miles, to the St. Marys, crossed that stream, and measured the distance from that river to Little River, (a branch of the Wabash, and navigable in times of high water without improvement). The distance is not quite seven miles, and nearly the whole of it through a soft, wet prairie, affording abundance of water, in all seasons, for canal navigation. The summit, for three miles, is a per feet level, and thence its descent to the portage, a navigable point of Little River, is about three feet, and the course south, 50' west. From the summit level to the St. Marys is a fall of about twenty feet. Two locks would therefore be sufficient, and the whole expense of a canal uniting the northern Lakes with the Mississippi and Missouri, at this point, would not be beyond the means of a few individuals of enterprise, and ordinary capital. I have not been so careful in levelling as I should have been, owing to the severity of the cold, but the results will be found nearly correct. In touching on the natural advantages of the site of Fort Wayne, I must remark that they have been already observed by every traveller in this quarter, and by every individual that visits this place, and I am certain they are fully known to you already, but as the public interest is deeply concerned, and as it appears to me a due proportion of attention would speedily promote the settlement and safety of this frontier, it ought to be surveyed and sold. If proof of this fact is wanting, there are now settled at this place and its vicinity more than forty families of squatters and traders, besides a great number of young men, each with his bundle or shop of goods. For their numerous buildings, for fire-wood, etc., they are depredating on the public lands, and as they have no interest in the soil, and little hope of being able to purchase the land when sold, a system of waste and destruction is apparently entered into by all, so that the whole, or nearly so, of the timber has been cut off for about three miles around this place, making the land of little comparative value when it shall be brought into market. Another fact. Here are now assembled, I judge from their appearance, at least one thousand white persons, from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and New York. Their object is stated to be that of trade with the Indians, in order to carry off some part of the specie paid them by the government. They have brought whiskey in abundance, which they pretend to deposit with the agent until he shall have finished his business with the Indians, but yet contrived to deal out large quantities from their depositories in the woods, so that the savages are kept constantly drunk and unfit to attend to anything else. Horse-racing, drinking, gambling, and every kind of debauchery, extravagance and waste, are the order of the day, and night too, and, in my opinion, the savages themselves are in comparison the less savage. Here the whites set the example to the Indians, too indelicate to name, and that cannot fail to produce in their minds disgust for the American character. The only means of stopping this career of vice and immorality that occur to my mind, are the speedy survey and sale of the lands from the mouth of the Maumee to this place, and from hence down to and along the banks of the Wabash to the surveys already made in that quarter. Thus a cordon of hardy and respectable settlers, owners of the soil on which they tread, would soon be formed along the Maumee and Wabash, and taking advantage of their natural position, would not fail to render essential services to the frontier in case of war, and in time of peace give a spur and a new energy to agriculture, commerce, and manufactures in these regions. At present there is no security to him that seats himself on the public lands, nor do I think there should be, because every citizen ought to enjoy equal advantages. This place, if laid out as a town, and sold by government, would bring a large sum of money, and, give to the President of the United States the power of selection for a name, and a character of bestowing liberally land on which to place the public buildings which soon will be needed at this emporium of Indiana. Hundreds of families of squatters have settled themselves on the public lands along down the Maumee River, no less than twenty at and about the junction of the Auglaize, where Fort Defiance formerly stood. That situation is very high and beautiful; the lands in its vicinity are 296 - HISTORY OF VAN WERT AND MERCER COUNTIES, OHIO. of the very finest quality several thousand of prairie, very rich, lie immediately east of that point, so desirable on many accounts, and hundreds of people have called on me this season, in the woods, begging to be informed when the lands at and about Defiance, as well as Fort Wayne, were to be surveyed and offered for sale, as they were waiting with the greatest impatience to make purchases, either in those towns or their vicinity. If it should meet your views, sir, you would render very essential benefits to Ohio and Indiana, and to thousands of their inhabitants, by recommending to the honorable the Secretary of the Treasury, the propriety of having the whole of the lands on the Maumee and down the Wabash surveyed and sold, and that towns, on such scale as might be thought advisable, be laid off and offered for sale, as early as practicable, and on account of government at Fore Wayne and Defiance. Most of the lands on the Auglaize, Blanchards Fork, Hog Creek, Ottowa Creek, and Flat Rock Creek, and on both banks of the Little Auglaize, are fertile and very desirable. It is my intention to return to the forest to-morrow, as the snow is fast going off. With great consideration, I have the honor to be your most faithful and devoted servant. Most respectfully, JAMES RILEY. GEOLOGY OF VAN WERT AND MERCER COUNTIES. BY N. H. WINCHELL. VAN WERT COUNTY. Van Wert County is bounded on the north by Paulding, east by Putnam and Allen, south by Mercer, and west by Indiana, and embraces the following-named twelve townships: Tully, Union, Hoaglin, Jackson, Washington, Ridge, Pleasant, Harrison, Wiltshire, Liberty, York, and Jennings. NATURAL DRAINAGE. The surface drainage consists of a number of gentle, small streams that flow northeasterly, joining the Auglaize River in Putnam and Paulding counties. There are several large, uncultivated prairies, or marshes, which are subject to inundation in spring-time. These give rise to some of these small drainage streams. SURFACE FEATURES. By saying the county is flat the general character of the surface is expressed, as it lies in the Black Swamp. In the southwest corner this county is crossed by the St. Marys River, which brings into that part of the county a few miles of the more undulating surface characterizing the St. Mary's ridge. Through the centre of the county, in a northwest and southeast course, runs the gravelly Van Wert ridge. North of this ridge there is no variety of surface whatever. There is a gentle, very regular descent, sometimes hardly enough to sufficiently drain the land for easy agriculture, from this ridge to the north line of the county, and beyond to the Auglaize River. The following points of elevation above Lake Erie are obtained from the surveys and profile of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne, and Chicago Railroad. It will be remembered that Lake Erie is 565 feet above the ocean: Feet. Delphos - 211 Middlepoint    - 211 Van Wert - 213 Convoy - 218 Dixon - 225. The following elevations were derived by aneroid barometer, making connection with the above railroad elevations:— Feet. Jennings's Prairie - 256 S. W. -14, sec. 31, Union Township, on the ridge - 183 Section 24, Tully, on the Van Wert ridge - 178    " " bench - 188 Soil and Timber.—The soil is clayey, and is in need of artificial drain- age. The farms that are located on the Van Wert ridge have a greater market valuation than any others in the county. The whole county was originally densely forest-covered, with the exception of the marshes, called prairies, in Jennings, Wiltshire, Liberty, Harrison, and Tully townships. In the survey of the county the following species of trees were seen growing native :—  Fagus ferruginea—Beech - Ait. Quercus alba—White Oak -     L. Acer saccharinum— Sugar Maple - Wang. Platanus occidentalis—Sycamore - L. Carya alba—Shag-bark Hickory - Nutt. Fraxinus Americana—White Ash - L. Cornus florida—Flowering Dogwood - L. Ulmus Americana—American Elm (pl. Clayt., Willd.) - L. Xanthoxylum Americanum—Prickly Ash - Mill. Quercus rubra—Red Oak - L. Fraxinus quadrangulata—Blue Ash - Michx. Amelanchier Canadensis—June Berry - Torr. and Gray. Crataegus coccinea—Thorn - L. Quercus Prinus—Swamp White Oak - L. Gleditschia triacanthos—Honey Locust - L. Carpinus Americana—Water Beech - Mich. Juglans nigra—Black Walnut - L. Ostrya Virginica—Ironwood - Willd. Salix nigra—Black Willow - Marsh. Moms rubra—Mulberry - L. Tilia Americana—Basswood - L. Populus monilifera—Cottonwood = Ait. Æsculus glabra—Buckeye - Willd. Quercus macrocarpa—Burr Oak - Michx. Populus grandidentata—Large-toothed Aspen - Michx. Prunus Americana—Plum - Marsh. Acer rubrum—Swamp Maple - L. Fraxinus sambucifolia—Black Ash - Lam. Gymnocladus Canadensis—Kentucky Coffee Bean - Lam. Prunus serotina—Black Cherry - Ehr. Populus tremuloides—Trembling Aspen - Michx. Rhus glabra—Sumach - L. Cratægus tomentosa—Black Thorn - L. Populus balsamifera—Balm of Gilead - L. Quercus palustris—Pin Oak - DuRoi. Juglans cinerea—Butternut. [Seen only on the Van Wert ridge] - L. Asimina triloba—Pawpaw        - Dunal. GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE. The rocks of the county belong to the Upper Silurian. The upper member of the Niagara, the equivalent of the Guelph of Canada, or of the Racine limestone of the West, is the lowest in outcrop in the county. It underlies a tract of uncertain limit in the southwestern part of the county, and is exposed in the St. Marys River at Willshire. Over this lies the Waterline, belonging to the Lower Helderberg. The former is a porous magnesian limestone of rather repulsive aspect its naturally light color being generally stained with iron-rust. In quarrying it shows a blue color. It lies in thin beds of three to five inches, occupying usually the protected and most retired points of outcrop, owing to the rapidity with which it disintegrates under the forces of nature. The latter is, in Van Wert County, very similar in general appearance, but it has different fossils, and is harder. It is less porous. It has a drab color, but the color is lighter in Van Wert County, and in counties further north, than it is in Allen and Hardin counties, where it is often blue, or even becomes so bituminous as to be black and slaty. Its most slaty character is seen in Wyandot County. In Van Wert County, and also in Putnam, it is not slaty, or very rarely' so, and shows very little bituminous matter. It burns to a very white lime in the township of Union, where there is a surface-exposure, but in Washington Township. near Delphos, it is thinner bedded and more bituminous, the lime also becoming darker. Niagara Limestone.—The only exposure of this stone known within the county is at Willshire, in the bed of the St. Marys River, and in a small ravine tributary to it at the same place. It is here porous and somewhat fossiliferous, in beds of about three inches. It has been wrought to a limited extent for quicklime and common foundations. The Waterlime.—This limestone underlies the remainder of the county, but affords but few known exposures. It has been burned for quicklime at Straughn. The stone here is the same as that seen in Union Toil?' ship, where it is also quarried and calcined on an extensive scale. It of a light color, with a little tendency to a drab, porous and fossiliferous. HISTORY OF VAN WERT AND MERCER COUNTIES, OHIO. - 297 It makes a beautiful white lime, the average weight of which is said by the owners to be sixty pounds per bushel. At Straughn it rises to within four feet of the surface, and is overlain by hard-pan Drift. Glacier marks immediately below the Drift run north 15̊ E., by pocket compass. The section at Straughn is as follows:— Section in the Waterlime at Straughn. No. 1. Hard-pan - 4 ft." 2. " Gray stone," i. e., spotted, drab, porous and compact; the porous parts of a lighter color and show no bituminous matter, glistening and crystalline ; not difficult to quarry; beds two to four inches - 5 ft 3. "Black stone," i. e., bituminous; but the bituminous matter is evenly disseminated through the whole, so as to color it uniformly, slightly porous; without visible fossils ; harsh to the touch; heavier. and in heavier beds than No. 2; seen 2 ft Total - 7 feet Both these members make an excellent white lime. The stone • has much the aspect of the Fremont stone, in Sandusky County, but it is not so hard nor so close-grained. The fossils seen are principally a small shell resembling Leperditia alta. But there are also one or two species of brachiopods, commonly seen in this formation ; yet the lithological characters of No. 2 are not those common to the Waterlime. It is with some difficulty distinguished from the Niagara. This outcrop occurs in a very flat and monotonous tract of country, but the upward swell in the rock surface produces a slight elevation in the surface of the Drift. The exposure is not due to erosion, as that of a stream, but is in the open plains, and is owing to the unusual thinness of the Drift. At Delphos, S. W. -1 section 24, Washington, the Waterlime has formerly been taken from the bed of Jennings's Creek, and burned for quicklime. The stone is rather rough, and in thick, somewhat cavernous beds, with considerable calcite. Thinner beds also occur. In Union Township (N. W. 4 section 8), is a gentle anticlinal in the Waterlime, or in that member of the Lower Silurian which is quarried at Straughn. It may be some other member of the Lower Helderberg. The exposure is not sufficient in the county to identify, without doubt, its horizon. It is hard, light-drab, yet often porous, in beds of two to six inches, which run irregularly and break into angular pieces of all sizes. Although its color is a light drab, yet it has some spots almost a cream color. It is occasionally variegated somewhat with blue, and looks then very much like Niagara. No fossils are visible except a fine Favosites coral, a small Orthoceras, Atrypa sulcata, and Leperditia alta.(?) It shows about eight feet. At the quarry the surface of the rock is not glaciated. The soil is not more than eighteen inches, and of a black color, and the Drift is almost wanting. The rock is rounded and smoothed rather by the slow action of water air than by ice. A gray, close-grained limestone, that in hand-samples takes a good polish, is met also in S. W. 4 section 17, Union, in surface exposure. It is in the Waterlime. On the N. W. 4 section 4, Ridge, stone was struck in digging a ditch. It is a drab-gray, crystalline Waterlime, in beds of four to six inches, or perhaps thicker. The Drift.— The only exception to the generally unstratified and unassorted composition of the Drift in Van Wert County is seen in the Van Wert ridge, which crosses the county through Tully, Pleasant, Ridge, and Washington townships. The cities of Van Wert and Delphos are situated on it. It consists generally of gravel and sand, in varied and oblique stratification. In a few places it has been penetrated to the depth of over thirty feet without meeting much gravel. In those cases it contains the common hard-pan Drift only, the same as that which prevails on either side of the ridge. This occurs in some wells at Van Wert. Water of excellent quality for domestic use is almost invariably found ill Penetrating the gravel of the ridge, and occasionally an artesian well is obtained, having a depth of but few feet. Such are usually on the northward slope.. The underlying hard-pan clay being impervious to pate', and the ridge lying in a slight depression of its surface, the water 01 surface drainage naturally gathers in the trough, and is held as in reservoir by the gravel, by which it is also filtered and cleansed from impurities injurious to health, while it is apt to take up the salts of the proxide of iron. Capillary attraction also serves to hold the water within the gravel, thus.preventing it from completely draining off at the low places, or into the streams that intersect it. If wells find no water in this gravel, they are necessarily sunk below the hard-pan; and at Van Wert a second water-bearing stratum of sand and gravel is found lying on the bed-rock. From this a number of artesian wells are derived. Their head and source must be several miles further south, the descent being to the north, and the county being very flat. The confining stratum is the hard-pan Drift. In west Delphos wells are shallow. Some are in gravel, probably penetrating the Van Wert ridge. Such are eleven or twelve feet deep. Others are fifteen to eighteen feet, striking the rock. At Middlepoint, and southward, in Washington and Jennings townships, wells are twenty to twenty-five feet deep, frequently going to the rock. At Van Wert, in the central part of the city, some of the cellars which are dug in the gravel of the ridge have springs of good water. The following is a record of a well drilled by the city corporation, at Van Wert, reported by Mayor Geo. C. Wells :—