HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY, BUT STILL HISTORY. INDIANS, AND THE WHITE MAN'S ADVENT-THE OWNERS OF THE TERRITORY-THE GOVERNMENT SECURED IT-ORDINANCE OF 1787—WHO WAS ITS AUTHOR—THE DUNMORE WAR-BATTLE OF POINT PLEASANT-LOCATING ON THE INDIAN LANDS-DUNMORE'S MARCH UP THE HOCKING VALLEY-THE INDIAN NAME AND WHY. When the early explorers and missionaries first visited the country afterward described as the " Northwest Territory," they found it under the rule of that famous and powerful tribe of Indians, the " Six Nations." Later, however, their prestige diminished, and during the eighteenth century this region was occupied and owned by several Indian tribes entirely independent of each other. Those in what is now Ohio were the Delawares, the Shawnees, the Wyandots (called the Hurons by the French), the Mingoes (an offshoot Iroquois), the Chipmorepes and the Tawas (more commonly called the Ottawas). The Delawares occupied the valleys of the Muskingum and the Tuscarawas; the Shawnees, the Scioto Valley; the Miamis, the valleys of the two rivers upon which they left their name; the Wyandots occupied the country about the Sandusky River; the Ottawas had their headquarters in the valleys of the Maumee and Sandusky; the Chippewas were confined principally to the south shore of Lake Erie; and the Mingoes were in greatest strength upon the Ohio, below the site of Steubenville. All of the tribes, however, frequented more or less lands outside of their prescribed territory, and at different periods, from the time when the first definite knowledge concerning them was obtained down to the era of white settlement they - 2 - (17) 18 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY. occupied different locations. Thus the Delawares, whom Boquet found in 1764 in greatest numbers in the valley of the Tuscarawas, had, thirty years later, the majority of their population in the region of the county which now bears their name; and the Shawcenees, who were originally strongest upon the Scioto, at the time of St. Clair's and Wayne's wars had concentrated upon the little Miami. The several tribes commingled to some extent as their animosities toward each other were supplanted by the common fear of the enemy of their race. They gradually grew stronger in sympathy and more compact in union as the settlements of the whites encroached upon their loved dotnain. Hence the divisions, which had in 1750 been quite plainly marked, became, by the time the Ohio was fringed with the cabins and villages of the pale face, in a large measure, obliterated. In Eastern Ohio, where the 'Delawares had held almost undisputed sway, there were now to be found also Wyandots, Shawnees, Mingoes, and even Miamis from the western border—from the Wabash, Miami and Mad rivers. The Delawares, as has been indicated, had their densest population upon the Upper Muskingum and Tuscarawas, and they really were in possession of what is now the eastern half of the State, from the Ohio to Lake Erie. This tribe, which claimed to be the elder branch of the Lenni-Lenape, has by tradition and in history and in fiction been accorded a high rank among the savages of North America. Schoolcraft, Loskiel, Albert Gallatin, Drake, Zeisberger, Heckewelder and many other writers have borne testimony to the superiority of the Delawares, and James Fennimore Cooper, in his attractive romances, has added luster to the fame of the tribe. According to the tradition preserved by them the Delawares, many centuries before they knew the white man, lived in the western part of the continent, and separating themselves from the rest of the Lenni-Lenape migrated slowly eastward. Reaching the Allegheny River they, with the Iroquois, waged war successfully with a race of giants, the Allegewi, and still continuing their migration, settled on the Delaware River, and spread their population eventually to the Hudson, the Susqehanna and the Potomac. Here they lived, menaced and often attacked by the Iroquois, and finally, as some writers claim, they were subjugated by the Iroquois through stratagem. The Atlantic coast became settled by Europeans, and the Delawares being also embittered against the Iroquois, whom they accused of treachery, they turned westward and concentrated upon the Allegheny. Disturbed here HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 19 again by the white settlers, a portion of the tribe obtained per mission from the Wyandots, whom they called their uncles, thus confessing their superiority and reputation of greater antiquity, to occupy the lands along the Muskingum. The forerunners of the nation entered this region in all probability as early as 1745, and in less than a score of years their entire population had become resident in this country. They became here a more flourishing and powerful tribe than they had ever been before. Their warriors numbered not less than 600 in 1764. OWNERSHIP OF THE NORTHWEST. Though the actual occupants, and as most will say the rightful owners of this region were these native tribes of Indians, there were other claimants to the soil, who, though for a long time they made little pretense of actual possession, were eventually to dispossess the Indians of their hunting grounds. France, resting her claim upon the discovery and explorations of Robert Cavelier de La Salle and Marquette, upon a sort of nominal occupation of the country by means of forts and missions, and later, upon the provisions of several European treaties (those of Utrecht, Ryswick and Aix-la-Chapelle), was the first nation to formally lay claim to the soil of the territory now included within the boundaries of the State of Ohio, as an integral portion of the valley of the Mississippi and of the Northwest. Ohio was thus a part of New France. After the treaty of Utrecht in 1713, it was a part of the French province of Louisiana, which extended from the gulf to the northern lakes. The English claims were based on the priority of their occupation of the Atlantic coast, in latitude corresponding to the territory claimed; upon an opposite construction of the same treaties above named; and last, but not least, upon the alleged cession of the rights of the Indians. England's charters to all of the original colonies expressly extended their grants from sea to sea. The principal ground of claim by the English was by the treaties of purchase from the Six Nations, who, claiming to be conquerors of the whole country and therefore its possessors, asserted their right to dispose of it. France successfully resisted the claims of England, and maintained control of the territory between the Ohio and the lakes by force of arms until the treaty of Paris was consummated in 1763. By the provisions of this treaty, Great Britain came into the possession of the disputed lands, and retained it until 20 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY. ownership was vested in the United States by the treaty of peace made just twenty years later. Virginia had asserted her claims to the whole of the territory northwest of the Ohio, and New York had claimed titles to portions of the same. These claims had been for the most part held in abeyance during the period when the general ownership was vested in Great Britain, but were afterward the cause of much embarrassment to the United States. Virginia, however, had not only claimed ownership of the soil, but attempted the exercise of civil authority in the disputed territory as early as 1769. In that year the colonial House of Burgesses passed an act establishing the county of Botetourt, including a large part of what is now West Virginia, and the whole territory northwest of the Ohio, and having, of course, as its western boundary the Mississippi River. It was more in name than in fact, however, that Virginia had jurisdiction over this great county of Botetourt through the act of 1769. In 1778, after the splendid achievements of General George Rogers Clarke,—his subjugation of the British posts in the far West, and conquest of the whole country from the Ohio to the Mississippi,— this territory was organized by the Virginia Legislature as the County of Illinois. John Todd was appointed as County Lieutenant and Civil Commandant of Illinois County, and served until his death (he was killed in the battle of Blue Licks, Aug. 18, 1782). He was succeeded by Timothy de Montburn. New York was the first of the several States claiming right and title in Western lands to withdraw the same in favor of the United States. Tier charter, obtained March 2, 1664, from Charles II., embraced territory which had formerly been granted to Massachusetts and Connecticut. The cession of claim was made by James Duane, Wm. Floyd and Alexander McDougall, on behalf of the State, March 1, 1781. Virginia, with a far more valid claim than New York, was the next State to follow New York's example. Her claim was founded upon certain charters granted to the colony by James I., and bearing date respectively, April 10, 1806, May 23, 1609, and March 12, 1611; upon the conquest of the country by General George Rogers Clarke; and upon the fact that she had also exercised civil authority over the territory. The act was consummated March 17, 1784. Massachusetts ceded her claims, without reservation, the same year that Virginia did hers (1784), though the action was not formally consummated until the 18th of April, 1785. The right of her title had been rested upon her charter, HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 21 granted less than a quarter of a century from the arrival of the Mayflower, and embracing territory extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Connecticut made what has been called " the last tardy and reluctant sacrifice of State pretension to the common good, "Sept. 14, 1786. THE GOVERNMENT OWNED IT. The United States Government was the only one now claiming authority over the Northwest, and there remained only the task of extinguishing the Indian title before the question of ownership could be finally settled. This was no easy matter, however, as the Six Nations and other tribes were allies of the English, and hostile to the Americans, and they did not relish the idea of giving up their homes without a struggle. The result was a series of hostile movements, and numerous acts of revenge. The Government prosecuted almost a continuous war against them, without bringing about a satisfactory peace, until in 1786, a conciliatory policy-was adopted, which proved far more effectual. By a series of purchases and treaties made at various dates, the title of the Indians was peaceably extinguished. It is a fact worthy of note, and one of which we may well be proud, that the title to every foot of Ohio soil was honorably acquired from the Indians. ORDINANCE OF 1787. In 1784 a committee, of which Thomas Jefferson was chairman, reported to Congress an ordinance providing for the establishment and maintenance of government in the Northwest Territory. This measure of 1784, although it remained nominally in force until repealed by the ordinance of 1787, was really inoperative—a dead letter. May 20, 1785, an ordinance was passed for the survey of Western lands. A surveyor was chosen from each State, to act under the direction of the Geographer of the United States, in laying off the land into townships of six miles square. The Geographer was instructed to designate the townships by numbers, beginning at the south; and the ranges by numbers, beginning at the east and going westward. It is this simple system of describing land that has been adopted by the Government in the survey of all its lands since that time. The famous ordinance of 1787, passed July 13, and from its most important provision often termed the " Ordinance of Freedom," was the last gift of the Congress of the old confederation to the 22 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY. country, and it was a fit consummation of their glorious labors. It was the product of what we may call inspired statesmanship, the foundation upon which five great commonwealths were to be built up, the fundamental law, the constitution of the Northwest Territory, and a sacred compact between the old colonies and the yet untreated States to come into being under its benign influence. "It forever proscribed slavery upon the soil of the great territory that it organized." The Congress of 1787 " builded wiser than it knew," and more grandly. Let us pass the broader significance and vaster value of the ordinance, and look upon it simply as the act of legislation providing for the opening, development and government of the territory; we find it alike admirable and effective. It provided for successive forms of territorial government, and upon it were based all of the territorial enactments and much of the subsequent State legislation. It was so constructed as to give the utmost encouragement to immigration, and it offered the utmost protection to those who became settlers, for " when they came into the wilderness," says Chief Justice Chase, " they found the law already there. It was impressed upon the soil, while as yet it bore up nothing but the forest." The authorship of the ordinance of 1787 has been variously ascribed to Nathan Dane, a Congressman from Massachusetts, to Rufus King of the same State, and to Thomas Jefferson; and arguments more or less weighty have from time to time been advanced to support their claims or those of their friends. Thomas Jefferson went to France as Minister three years before the passage of the ordinance of 1787, and did not return until eighteen months after. He was, however, identified with the inoperative ordinance of 1784, which introduced the clause prohibiting slavery after the year 1800, which did not pass. Mr. King was undoubtedly the author of the anti-slavery clause in an ordinance which secured some attention in 1785, but he was not even a member of the Congress of 1787. . Mr. Dane's claim is combated chiefly on the ground that it was never made while any of the other men who, from their position, were supposed to know about the formation of the ordinance were alive, and on the. ground that he had none of those graces of composition which are exhibited in the ordinance. Of later years investigation has convinced almost all prominent writers on the subject that Dr. Manasseh Cutler was the real author. The evidence is too lengthy to introduce here, but it has not been refuted, and the supposition accords very well with the HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 23 well-known facts of history. Dr. Cutler had come before Congress to purchase for a company composed chiefly of Massachusetts men, a large body of public lands. The purchase would have been almost entirely valueless in the opinion of most of the Ohio Company associates ;f they could not have the land to which they proposed to emigrate covered with the law to which they had been accustomed. The ordinance of freedom was as an act of legislation, the natural predecessor of the sale to the Ohio Company. It was considered by Congress, after the plan had been fully examined, very desirable that the public domain should be advantageously disposed of, and that a colony should be established in the Federal Territory. Such a colony would form a barrier against the British and Indians, it was argued, and this initiative step would be followed speedily by other purchases in which additional settlements would be founded. The South had a greater interest in the West than had New England; and Virginia, especially, from her past protection, future prospect and geographical location, was interested in and eager for the development of the country beyond the Ohio. Virginia, and the South in general, may have justly regarded the planting in the West of a colony, of men whose patriotism was well known, a measure calculated to bind together the old and new parts of the nation, and promote union. It is presumable that much was said by Dr. Cutler upon these advantages and that it was their importance. in the eyes of Southern members which led them to permit the creation and enactment of such An ordinance.. DUNMORE'S WAR. Probably but few of the present inhabitants of the Hocking Valley are aware that a fort was established within its limits and an army marched across its borders, led by an English earl, before the Revolutionary War. The building of Fort Gower at the mouth of the Hocking River, in what is now Troy Township, Athens. County, and the march of Lord Dunmore's army across the country many years before its first settlement, forms an interesting passage in our remote history. "Dunmore's War" was the designation applied to a series of bloody hostilities between the whites and Indians during the year 1774. It was the culmination of the bitter warfare that had been waged with varying success between the frontier population of Pennsylvania and Virginia, and the Delawares, Iroquois, Wyan- 24 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY. dots and other tribes of Indians. One of the most noted of the many massacres of that period was that of Logan's family by the whites, and in retaliation the swift vengeance of the Mingo chief upon the white settlements on the Monongahela, where, in the language of his celebrated speech, he " fully glutted his vengeance." In August, 1774, Lord Dunmore, then Governor of Virginia, determined to raise a large force and carry the war into the enemy's country. The plan of the campaign was simple. Three regiments were to be raised west of the Blue Ridge, to be commanded by General Andrew Lewis, while two other regiments from the interior were to be commanded by Dunmore himself. The forces were to form a junction at the mouth of the Great Kanawha and proceed, under the command of Lord Dunmore, to attack the Indian towns n Ohio. The force under Lewis, amounting to 1,100 men, rendezvoused at Camp Union, now Lewisburg, Greenbrier Co., W. Va., whence they marched early in September, and reached Point Pleasant on the 6th of October. Three days later Lewis received dispatches from Dunmore informing him that he had changed his plan of operations ; that he (Dunmore) would march across the country against the Shawanese towns on the Scioto, situated within the present limits of Pickaway County, and Lewis was ordered to cross the Ohio River at once and join Dan-more before these towns. This movement was to have been made on the 10th of October. On that day, however, before the march had begun, two men of Lewis's command were fired upon while hunting a mile or so from camp. One was killed and the other came rushing into camp with the alarm that Indians were at hand. General Lewis had barely time to make some hasty dispositions when there began one of the most desperate Indian battles recorded in border warfare—the battle of Point Pleasant. The Indians were in great force, infuriated by past wrong and by the hope of wiping-out their enemy by this day's fight, and were led on by their ablest and most daring chiefs. Pre-eminent among the savage leaders were Logan and " Corn-planter" (or " Cornstalk "), whose voices rang above the din, and whose tremendous feats performed in this day's action have passed into history. The contest lasted all day, and was not yet decided. Toward evening General Lewis ordered a body of men to gain the enemy's flank, on seeing which movement about to be successfully executed the Indians drew off and effected a safe retreat. The HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 25 force on both sides in this battle was nearly equal—about 1,100. The whites lost half their officers and fifty-two men killed. The loss of the Indians, killed and wounded, was estimated at 233. Soon after the battle Lewis crossed the river and pursued the Indians with great vigor, but did not again come in conflict with them. Meanwhile Lord Dunmore, in whose movements we are more interested, had, with about 1,200 men, crossed the mountains at Potomac Gap, reviewed his force at Fort Pitt, now Pittsburg, and descended the Ohio River as far as the mouth of the Hocking. Here he landed, formed a camp, and built a fortification which he called Fort Gower. It was from here that he sent word to General Lewis of the change in his plan of campaign, and he remained here until after the battle of Point Pleasant. Leaving a sufficient force at Fort Gower to protect the stores and secure it as a base, Lord Dunmore marched up the Hocking toward the Indian country. There is a tradition that his little army encamped at night successively at Federal Creek, and at Sunday Creek in Athens County. He marched up the Hocking as far as where Logan now stands, and from. there westward to a point seven miles from Circleville, where a grand parley was held with the Indians. It was at this council that the famous speech of the Mingo chief was made, beginning, "I appeal to any white man to say if he ever entered Logan's cabin hungry and he gave him not meat," etc. After the execution of a treaty with the Indians, Lord Dunmore returned to Fort Gower by nearly the same route he had pursued in his advance, across the country and down the valley of the Hocking to its mouth. It is probable that his army was disbanded at this point, and returned in small parties to their homes. ORIGIN OF THE NAME “HOCKING." "Hockhocking " is a Delaware (Indian) name, and meant in their language, " Bottle River." In the spring of 1765 George Croghan, a sub-commissioner of the British Government, embarked at Pittsburg with some friendly Indians, intending to visit the Wabash and Illinois country, and conclude a treaty with the Indians. Five days from Pittsburg, he notes in his journal that " we passed the mouth of Hochocen, or Bottle River." This translation of the word Hochocen or Hockhocking, is also given by Heckewelder and Johnson, and is undoubtedly correct. The Shawanese called the river Weathak-agh-qua, which meant, in their dialect, the same as Hockhocking; and one of the other tribes called it by 26 - HISTORY OF HOOKING VALLEY. a name signifying Bow River. All of these names had reference to the winding, crooked course of the stream. The origin of the name Hockhocking—Bottle River—is thus explained by a writer in an old number of the American Pioneer, who says: " About six or seven miles northwest of Lancaster there is a fall in the Hock-hocking of about twenty feet above the falls, for a short distance, the stream is very nar .ow and straight, forming a neck, while at the falls it suddenly widens on each side, and swells into the appearance of the body of a bottle. The whole, when seen from above, appears exactly in the shape of a bottle, and from this fact arose the Indian name of Hockhocking." The original name has been corrupted or shortened to " Hocking," and this shortened form has become so universal in its use, that it may now be considered the correct form of the word. . CHAPTER II. EARLY SETTLEMENT AND MATERIAL PROGRESS. THE OHIO COMPANY-THE VALLEY OF HOCKING-WASHINGTON COUNTY- GENERALS WASHINGTON AND PUTNAM-ORGANIZATION--PURCHASE OF LAND, 964,285 ACRES- ATHENS AND HOCKING COUNTIES-THE ARRIVALS-NAMES OF THE FIRST SETTLERS-THE CITY OF ADELPHIA-MARIETTA- INDIAN WAR-GENERALS HARMER AND ST. CLAIR DEFEATED-MAD ANTHONY'S VICTORY-FIRST SETTLE RS OF THE COLLEGE LANDS, OR IN ATHENS COUNTY -MAKING SALT-PIONEER MODES AND PIONEER PROGRESS. THE FIRST SETTLEMENT. The first settlement of the Hocking Valley, or northwest of the Ohio River, was in 1774. Then quite a number settled within the limits of what is now Ohio. There were small villages at Hocking Falls, at the Muskingum, the Scioto, Miami, and along the north banks of the Ohio. The largest appeared to have been Hocking, and there was quite a town on the Mingo bottoms, opposite what is now Wheeling. In January,1785, the commissioners to treat with the Indians in possession of the territory, Messrs. George Rogers, Richard Butler and Arthur Lee, were compelled to cease negotiations until the lands west of the Ohio River were dispossessed of the white settlers or pioneers. Ensign John Armstrong was sent by Colonel Harmer to drive these white invaders from Indian soil. Some failed to leave. The Delaware and Wyandot Indians were in possession. This was in March, 1785. It is very probable that these primitive settlements were formed by soldiers from Lord Dunmore's army which, after a short campaign against the Indians in Ohio, was disbanded at the mouth of the Hocking River in the fall of 1774 The fact of the disbandonment of the army, abont 1,200 men, at the time and place above named, has been accepted as conclusive, and as no facts to the contrary have ever been presented, nothing seems more plausible than that parties of these soldiers, on discovering the fertility of these valleys, tarried long enough to test their fruitfulness, and afterward sent for their families or friends. - (27) - 28 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY. It is fully evident from the foregoing that the whites had fastened themselves upon the country as early as 1774, but there is no evidence at hand to prove that any fixed settlement was founded for the active development of the country until the advent of the Ohio Company. The close of the Revolutionary war, which proclaimed to the world a nation born and liberty triumphant, found the country in an exhausted condition, and the people had little means, either for home comforts or to travel to unknown and far-off lands. However, the recuperation of the population from the devastations of a seven-years' war was remarkable for its rapidity, and the desire to explore the then great unknown West became a consuming one. A government of peace, however, had to be founded, laws made, and all the machinery of law, order and the inalienable right of a few people was to be inaugurated that would secure a continuation of that peace which had cost so much, and for a prosperity which was absolutely necessary to the welfare of an impoverished people. This was the labor of years, yet the year 1787 saw the fruition of the work, and a glorious structure was reared which has stood the test of time, the assaults of a foreign foe and a civil strife unparalleled in the history of nations. Under the aegis of this law the pioneer left his New England home and planted the banner of civilization upon the boundary line of the great Northwest, and from there took up his line of march into the interior, blazing a pathway for others to follow, and, at times, leaving his body as a bloody offering upon the shrine of freedom, and the burning of his cabin a torch to light the footsteps of those who came after. All was not peace in the West when freedom sat enthroned on the Atlantic Coast. The Indians were not willing to give up their hunting grounds without a struggle, and bravely they repelled the pale faces. But destiny had decreed their doom, and the white man was master of the co un try. THE CONTROLLING SPIRITS. A few leading spirits, highly endowed with wisdom, endurance, and a spirit in which, through all the trials and troubles of a pioneer life, remained undaunted, organized for the purpose of settling this country, and took the form of an incorporated body by the name of the " Ohio Company." How they secured this land is a matter of record a few pages further along in this work. The purchase of the land, the contract, the confirmation of the HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 29 same by Congress, with a copy of the first patent issued by George Washington, completes the entry of that company for the land, and it only became necessary to secure settlers to put themselves into possession of their landed estate. This estate was in part composed of Athens County and a part of Hocking and Vinton counties. The first settlement was at Marietta, on the river, while but a few weeks later Athens seems to have secured both a habitation and a name. Thus it was that Marietta and Washington County became the site of the first white settlement made in the territory of the Northwest, while Athens secured the right to be called the first inland town. GENERAL PUTNAM'S LETTER. In the summer of 1783 some 250 officers petitioned Congress for a grant of land in the Western country. General Putnam, who was himself personally interested in the measure, addressed a letter to Washington on the subject, setting forth the plan in detail, and requesting the latter to use his influence with Congress in favor of the grant. One of the most important suggestions in this letter of General Putnam's was the formation of townships six miles square, and the donation of 3,010 acres of land for the support of churches, schools, and the improvement of the highway. His suggestions were approved, and he thus has the honor of being the father of these beneficent measures. The townships of six miles square were decided upon, and in many of the States, the school sections of 640 acres, set apart in each township for school purposes, is this suggestion of General Putnam practically carried out. Not long after this a warm friend of General Putnam, General Benjamin Tupper, was appointed by Congress to survey the public lands in the West. This was the first step in the object of securing the grant in which General Putnam and others were successful. THE INITIATORY STEPS. In the autumn of 1785 General Tupper started for the Northwest, intending to prosecute the land surveys of that region, but owing to Indian troubles, did not proceed further than the present site of Pittsburg. After the Indians had been temporarily quieted by treaty, January, 1786, General Tupper made a second journey to the West in 30 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY . the summer of that year and completed, during the season, a survey of most of the territory in this section. After his first visit to the Northwest, during the winter of 1785'6, General Tupper's mind was filled with the idea of removing to the Ohio country. He soon became thoroughly in earnest, and believing that his friend General Putnam would approve his plans, visited him at his residence in Rutland; and thus were brought together again the two men who originated the idea of the famous Ohio Company. They discussed the subject of Western land and emigration thoroughly, and the result was a call which was published in the newspapers of the State, on the 25th of January, 1786. It read: " The subscribers take this method to inform all officers and soldiers who have served in the late war, and who are, by a late ordinance of the honorable Congress, to receive certain tracts of land in the Ohio country,--and also all other good citizens who wish to become adventurers in that delightful region,--that from personal inspection, together with other incontestible evidences, they are fully satisfied that the lands in that quarter are of a much better quality than any other known to New England people; that the climate, seasons, products, etc., are, in fact, equal to the most flattering accounts that have ever been published of them; that being determined to become purchasers and to prosecute a sett ement in this country, and desirous of forming a general association with those who entertain the same ideas, they beg leave to propose the following plan, viz.: That an association by the name of The Ohio Company be formed of all such as wish to become purchasers, etc., in that country who reside in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts only, or to extend to the inhabitants of other States as shall be agreed on. In order to bring such a company into existence, the subscribers propose that all persons who wish to promote the scheme should meet in their respective counties at 10 o'clock A. M. on Wednesday, the 15th day of February next, and that each county meeting then assembled choose a delegate or delegates, to meet at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern in Boston on Wednesday, the first day of March next, at 10 o'clock A. M., then and there to consider and determine on a general plan of association for said company; which plan, covenant, or agreement being published, any person (under condition therein to be provided) may, by subscribing his name, become a member of the company. "RUFUS PUTNAM," "BENJAMIN TUPPER." HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 31 The result of this call was a meeting of delegates, appointed by several counties of Massachusetts, in Boston on March 1, 1786. These delegates were Winthrop Sargent and John Miles, from Suffolk County; Manasseh Cutler, from Essex; John Brooks and Thomas Cushing, from Middlesex; Benjamin Tupper, from Hampshire; Crocker Sampson, from Plymouth; Rufus Putnam, from Worcester; John Patterson and Jelaliel Woodbridge, from Berkshire; and Abraham Williams, from Barnstable. General Rufus Putnam was chosen Chairman of the meeting, and Major Winthrop Sargent, Secretary. Before the adjournment of this meeting, which was closely followed by a series of others, a committee, consisting of Putnam, Cutler, Brooks, Sargent and Cushing, was appointed to draft a plan of association. At the next meeting, March 3, their draft was presented, a portion of which read as follows : " The design of this association is to raise a fund of continental certificates for the sole purpose and to be appropriated to the entire use of purchasing lands in the Western Territory (belonging to the United States) for the benefit of the company and to promote a settlement in that country." The amount to be raised was not to exceed $1,000,000, exclusive of one year's interest due thereon. Another part of the plan read : " The one year's interest shall be applied to the purpose of making a settlement in the country, and assisting those who may be otherwise unable to remove themselves thither." HOW TO BE APPLIED. The above fund was to " be applied to the purchase of lands in some one of the proposed States northwesterly of the river Ohio as soon as those lands are surveyed and exposed for sale by the Commissioners of Congress, etc." But as this method of obtaining possession of the land was liable to consume too much time, at a subsequent meeting it was unanimously resolved that three directors should be appointed for the company who should make immediate application to Congress for a private purchase of lands. General Samuel H. Parsons, General Rufus Putnam and Rev. Manasseh Cutler were chosen for that purpose. The consummation of the scheme, however, consumed more time than was anticipated, owing to the slow progress made in raising funds. Steps toward a purchase were not taken until April of the following year, when General Parsons made application to Congress for the purchase of lands on the Muskingum River, A 32 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY. committee from Congress, then sitting at New York, was appointed to confer with him, and he, transcending his instructions, proposed a purchase of the Scioto Valley. The proprietors being dissatisfied with this procedure, appointed in his stead Major Sargent and Dr. Cutler to complete the purchase on the Muskingum. This was done, though the contract was not concluded until the following autumn. The contract is as follows: " Contract of the Ohio Company with the Board of Treasury. " The contract of the Ohio Company with the Honorable Board of Treasury of the United States of America made by the Rev. Mr. Manasseh Cutler and Mayor Winthrop Sargent, as agents for the directors of said company, at New York, Oct. 27, 1787: " This Indenture, made the 27th day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, between Samuel Osgood, Walter Livingston and Arthur Lee, Esquires, (the Board of Treasury for the United States of America), acting by and under the authority of the Honorable, the Congress of the said States of the one part, and Manasseh Cutler and Winthrop Sargent, both of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as agents for the directors of the Ohio Company of Associates, so called, of the other part: Whereas, the Congress of the United States aforesaid, in and by their several resolutions and votes of the twenty-third and twenty-seventh days of July last past, did authorize and empower the Board of Treasury aforesaid to contract with any person or persons for a grant of the tract of land in the said resolutions mentioned, upon such terms and conditions, for such considerations and under such reservations, as in the said resolutions is expressed. And, whereas, by virtue and in consequence of the said resolutions and votes, the said parties of the first part have contracted and agreed with the parties of the second part, agents as aforesaid, for a grant of the tract of land hereinafter mentioned. "Now, therefore this indenture witnesseth, That the said parties of the first part, in order to carry their said agreement, as far as possible, into effect, and for and in consideration of the sum of five hundred thousand dollars well and truly paid into the Treasury of the said United States by the said parties of the second part, before the ensealing and delivery of these presents, the receipt whereof the said Board of Treasury do hereby acknowledge, and do hereby, on the behalf of the said United States, acquit, release, exonerate and forever discharge the said parties of the sec- HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 77 and part, and the said Ohio Company of Associates and every of them, their and every of their heirs, executors, administrators and assigns forever, by these presents; and also in consideration of the further sum of five hundred thousand dollars, secured to be paid as hereinafter is mentioned, have, in behalf of the said United States and the Congress thereof, covenanted and agreed, and do hereby covenant and agree, to and with the said parties of the second part, their heirs and assigns. that within one month of the payment of the said last mentioned sum of five hundred thousand dollars, in the manner hereinafter prescribed, a full and ample grant and conveyance shall be executed, in due form of law, under the seal of the said United States, whereby the people of the said United States or the Congress thereof; or such officer or officers as shall be duly authorized for that purpose, shall grant, convey and assure to the said parties of the second part, their heirs and assigns forever (as agents to the directors of, and in trust for thepersons composing the said Ohio C Company of Associates, according to their several rights and interests under the said association), and to their heirs and assigns forever, as tenants in corn I non, in fee simple, all that certain tract or parcel of land, Beginning at the place where the western boundary line of the seventh range of townships, laid out by the authority of Congress, intersects the Ohio, and extending thence along that river southwestwardly, to the place where the western line of the seventeenth range of townships. to be laid out according to the land ordinance of the 20th May, 1785, would intersect the said river, and extending thence northerly on the western boundary line of the said seventeenth range of townships, so far that a line drawn due east to the western boundary line of the said seventh range of townships will, with the other lines of this tract, include one million and a half acres of land, besides the several townships, lots and parcels of land hereinafter mentioned, to be reserved or appropriated to specific purposes ; thence running east to the western bounds of the said seventh range of townships, and thence southerly along those bounds to the place of beginning ; with the rights, members and appurtenances thereof ; which said tract of land shall be surveyed by the Geographer or some other officer of the said United States, to be authorized for that purpose, who shall plainly mark the said east and west line, and shall render one complete map or plat of the said tract to the Board of Treasury of the United States. for the time wing, or such other person as Congress may appoint. 3 34 - HISTORY OF HOOKING VALLEY. and another plat or map thereof to the said parties of the second part, their heirs and assigns: Provided always, and it is hereby expressly stipulated, That in the said grant, so to be executed as aforesaid, a proper clause or clauses shall or may be inserted for the purpose of reserving in each township, or fractional part of a township, which, upon such surveys as hereinafter are mentioned, shall fall within the bounds of the tract, so to be granted as aforesaid, lot number sixteen, for the purposes mentioned in the said ordinance of the 20th of May, 1785 ; lot number twenty-nine to be appropriated to the purposes of religion ; and lots numbers eight, eleven and twenty-six for the use, and subject to the disposition of the Congress of the United States ; and also reserving out of the said tract so to he granted, two complete townships to be given perpet- for the purposes of an university, to be laid off by the parties of the second part, their heirs or assigns, as near the center as may be, so that the same shall be of good land, to be applied to the intended object in such manner as the Legislature of the State wherein the said township shall fall, or may he situated, shall or may think proper to direct. And the said parties of the second part do hereby for themselves, and the directors, and Ohio Company of Associates aforesaid, and every of them, and their and every of their heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, covenant and grant to and with the said parties of the first part, their heirs, executors and administrators (acting, as aforesaid, for and on behalf of the United States, by virtue of the authority so as aforesaid to them delegated and assigned), that within the space of seven years, from and after the outlines of the said tract shall have been so, as aforesaid, run out by the Geographer, or other officer of the United States to be for that purpose appointed, and the plat thereof given as aforesaid (if they are not prevented by incursions or opposition from the savages, or if they are so prevented then as soon as the same can be conveniently thereafter accomplished), the said directors and Ohio Company of Associates, or some of them, their or some of their heirs or assigns shall and will cause the said tract of land to be surveyed, laid out and divided into townships, and fractional parts of townships, and also subdivided into lots, according to the directions and provisions of the land ordinance of the 20th of May, 1785, issued by Congress, and shall and will make, or cause to be made, complete returns of divisions and subdivisions to the Treasury Board of the United States, for the time being, or such other person or persons as Congress shall or may appoint. And, also, shall and HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 35 will, within one month after the outlines of the said tract shall have been so, as aforesaid, surveyed, well and truly pay, or cause to be paid, into the Treasury of the said United States, the sum of $500,000 in gold or silver, or in securities of the said United States without fraud or further delay. And, inasmuch as it was the true intent and meaning of the said parties to these presents, and of the Congress of the United States, that the said Ohio Company of Associates should immediately cultivate, if they thought proper, a part of the said tract of land, proportionable to the payment which they have so, as aforesaid, already made; and should have full security for the undisturbed enjoyment of the same. Now, this indenture ,further witnesseth,, That the said parties of the first part, by virtue of the power and authority to them given by Congress, as aforesaid, have covenanted, promised and agreed, and do hereby covenant, promise and agree, to and with the said parties of the second part, their heirs and assigns, that it shall and may be lawful for the said Ohio Company of Associates, so called, their heirs and assigns, to enter upon; take possession of, cultivate and improve, at their pleasure, all that certain tract or parcel of land, part of the tract hereinbefore described: Beginning at the place where the western boundary line of the seventh range of townships intersects the Ohio; thence extending along that river southwesterly to the place where the western boundary line of the fifteenth range of townships, when laid out agreeable to the ordinance aforesaid, would touch the said river; thence running northerly on the western bounds of the said fifteenth range of townships, till a line drawn due east, the western boundary line of the said seventh range of townships, will comprehend, with the other boundary lines of this tract, 750,000 acres of land, besides the several lots and parcels of lands hereinafter mentioned to be reserved or appropriated to particular purposes; thence running east to the western boundary line of the said seventh range of townships, and thence along the said line to the place of beginning; with the rights, members and appurtenances thereof, according to the terms of the said association. Reserving, always, and excepting out of the said tract last mentioned, and the permission to cultivate the same in each township and fractional part of a township which shall fall within the same, according to the land ordinance hereinbefore mentioned, lot number sixteen, for the purposes specified in the said ordinance; lot number twenty-nine for the purposes of religion; lots numbers eight, eleven and twenty-six subject to the dis- 36 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY. position of the Congress of the United States, and also reserving and excepting two complete townships for the purposes of an university, to be laid off in the manner hereinbefore mentioned, and to be applied in such manner to that object as the Legislature of the State wherein the said townships shall fall, or be situated, shall or may think proper or direct. And the said parties of the first part do hereby, for and on behalf of the said United States, promise and agree to and with the said parties of the second part, their heirs and assigns, that the said Ohio Company of Associates, their heirs and assigns, shall and may, from time to time, and at all times hereafter, freely and peaceably hold and enjoy the said last-mentioned tract of land, except the said lots and parcels of land and townships so, as aforesaid, excepted: Provided, That the covenants and agreements hereinbefore contained on the part of the said parties of the second part are observed, performed and fulfilled. And the said parties of the first part do hereby pledge the faith of the United States to the said parties of the second part, their heirs and assigns, and to the said Ohio Company of Associates, so-called, for the performance of all the grants, promises and agreements hereinbefore contained, which, on the part of the said parties of the first part, or of the said States, are or ought to be kept and performed. In witness whereof, the parties to these presents have interchangeably set their hands and seals, and the said parties of the first part have caused their seal of office to be hereunto affixed, the day and year first hereinbefore mentioned. SAMUEL OSGOOD, [L. S.] MANASSEH CUTLER, [L. S.] ARTHUR LEE,[L S.] WINTHROP SARGENT. [L. S.] There is also given here the act of Congress authorizing the disposition of the land to the Ohio Company, and confirms its sale, and also the first patent to the company signed by Geo. Washington and Thos. Jefferson. There were other patents granted, but not necessary to place here in full. AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE GRANT AND CONVEYANCE OF CERTAIN LANDS TO THE OHIO COMPANY OF ASSOCIATES. Be it enacted by the Senate and louse of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That a certain contract expressed in an indenture executed on the 27th day HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 37 of October, in the year one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, between the then Board of Treasury for the United States of America, of the one part, and Manasseh Cutler and Winthrop Sargent, as agents for the directors of the Ohio Company of Associates, of the other part, so far as the same respects the following described tract of land, that is to say: " Beginning at a station where the western boundary line of the seventh range of townships, laid out by the authority of the United States in Congress assembled, intersects the river Ohio; thence, extending along that river, southwesterly, to a place where the western boundary line of the fifteenth range of townships, when laid out agreeably to the land ordinance passed the twentieth of May, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-five, would touch the said river; thence funning northerly on the said western bound of the said fifteenth range of townships, till a line drawn due east to the western boundary line of the said seventh range of townships will comprehend with the other lines of this tract 750,000 acres of land, besides the several lots and parcels of land in the said contract reserved or appropriated to particular purposes; thence, running east. to the western boundary line of the said seventh range of townships, and thence along the said line to the place of beginning," be, and the same is hereby, confirmed: And that the President of the United States be, and he hereby is, authorized and empowered to issue letters patent, in the name and under the seal of the United States, hereby granting and conveying to Rufus Putnam, Manasseh Cutler, Robert Oliver, and Griffin Green, and to their heirs and assigns, in fee simple, the said described tract of land, with the reservation in the said indenture expressed, in trust for the persons composing the said Ohio Company of Associates, according to their several rights and interests, and for their heirs and assigns, as tenants in common. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the President be, and he hereby is, further authorized and empowered, by letters patent as aforesaid, to grant and convey to the said Rufus Putnam, Manasseh Cutler, Robert Oliver and Griffin Green, and to their heirs and assigns, in trust, for the uses above expressed, one other tract of 214,285 acres of land: Provided, That Rufus Putnam, Manasseh Cutler, Robert Oliver and Griffin Green, or either of them, shall deliver to the Secretary of the Treasury, within six months, warrants which issued for army bounty rights sufficient for that purpose, according to the provision of a resolve of Con- 38 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY. gress of the twenty-third day of July, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven. SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the President be, and he hereby is, further authorized and empowered, by letters patent as aforesaid, to grant and convey to the said Rufus Putnam, Mar asseh Cutler, Robert Oliver and Griffin Green, and to their heirs and assigns, in fee simple, in trust for the uses above expressed, a further quantity of one hundred thousand acres of land: Provided always nevertheless, That the said grant of one hundred thousand acres shall be made on the express condition of becoming void, for such part thereof as the said company shall not have, within five years from time passing of this act, conveyed in fee simple, as a bounty, and free of expense, in tracts of one hundred acres to each male person, not less than eighteen years of age, being an actual settler at the time of such conveyance. SEC. 4. And be it ,further enacted, That the said quantities of two hundred and fourteen thousand two hundred and eighty-five acres, and of one hundred thousand acres, shall be located within the limits of the tract of one million five hundred thousand acres of land, described in the indenture aforesaid, and adjoining to the tract of land described in the first section of this act, and in such form as the President, in the letters patent, shall prescribe for that purpose. Approved, April 21, 1792. Patent for 750,000 acres. IN THE NAME OF THE UNITED STATES. To all whom these presents may come. Know ye, that in pursuance of the act entitled " An Act authorizing the grant and conveyance of certain lands to the Ohio Company of Associates," I do hereby grant and convey to Rufus Putnam, Manasseh Cutler, Robert Oliver and Griffin Green, and to their heirs and assigns forever, the following described tract of land; that is to say, beginning at a station or point where the western boundary line of the seventh range of townships laid out by the authority of the United States in Congress assembled intersects the river Ohio; thence extending along that river southwesterly to a place where the western boundary line of the fifteenth range of townships when laid out agreeably to the land HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 39 ordinance passed the twentieth day of May, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-five, would touch the said river; thence running northerly on the said western boundary of the said fifteenth range of townships till a line drawn due east to the western boundary line of the said seventh range of townships will comprehend with the other lines of this tract herein specified and described, seven hundred and fifty thousand acres of land beside the several lots and parcels of land in a certain contract executed on the twenty-seventh day of October, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, between the then Board of Treasury for the United States of America of the one part, and Manasseh Cutler and Winthrop Sargent as agents for the directors of the Ohio Company of Associates of the other part, reserved or appropriated to particular purposes; thence running east to the western boundary line of the said seventh range of townships, and thence along the said line to the place of beginning, which said tract contains as computed nine hundred and thirteen thousand eight hundred and eighty-three acres, subject, however, to the reservations expressed, in an indenture, executed on the twenty-seventh day of October, in the year one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, between the then Board of Treasury for the United States of America of the one part, and Manasseh Cutler, and Winthrop Sargent, agents for the directors of the Ohio Company of Associates, of the other part: To have and hold the said described tract of land with the reservations aforesaid in the said indenture so expressed as aforesaid, to the said Rufus Putnam, Manasseh Cutler, Robert Oliver and Griffin Green, and to their heirs and assigns forever, in trust for the persons composing the said Ohio Company of Associates, according to their several rights and interests, and for their heirs and assigns as tenants in common, hereby willing and directing these letters to be made patent. Given under my hand and the seal of the United States at the city of Philadelphia this tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-two, and of Independence the sixteenth. Go. WASHINGTON. [L. S. ] By the President : TH. JEFFERSON 40 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY. WISDOM AND HUMANITY. The selection of this section of country by the Ohio Company did not seem to some people of that day to have been controlled by either reason or judgment, for the mineral wealth of the region was not known or even thought of. Yet reason guided them, and posterity blesses them for the wisdom of their choice. The lives of the settlers were of the highest consideration to the Ohio Company, and while there might be more inviting fields, from an agricultural point of view, than the hills and valley of the great Hockhocking, there were none that combined so much safety from Indian raids and gave prospects of peace in the future. Then again Virginia had quite a number of settlements on its western border, and these, though some distance away, seemed like near neighbors, and, in case of disaster, a sure refuge. The valley, also, was but the continuation of others which led all the way from Lake Erie to the Ohio River, with but one or two dividing ridges. The valleys of the Cuyahoga and the Muskingum rivers were but extensions of .a natural line of communication between the great lakes, and the Ohio, which some day would become a great highway of trade, and thus it has proved; and if the Ohio Company did not know of the inexhaustible mineral wealth of this valley or even as a future great highway of traffic and commerce, yet there was wisdom in their choice in what they did know, because humanity guided them and that humanity has received its reward in the productive capacity of the purchase a thousand fold, for Ohio has few, if any, more productive fields than the Hocking Valley. So humanity, the guide of honest and honorable men, has been added to by an abundance of wealth, and posterity blesses the men who preferred what many thought a barren land, rather than to sacrifice to their cupidity, or the merciless tribes of Indians, ever ready to carry out the hellish and cruel work, the men who became purchasers of their estate. And so to-day these barren hills are turning out large supplies of mineral products, and the rich valleys are teeming with stock and grain, and the then wilderness is now a land fair to look upon, and the home of a joyous, happy and contented people. They meant well, did these humane managers of the Ohio Company, but even they, in all their integrity and wisdom, built wiser than they knew. HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 41 THE START. A meeting of the directors of the company at Brackett's Tavern, in Boston, Nov. 21, 1787, was held to consummate arrangements for forming a settlement, and an advanced expedition was decided upon, with General Putnam as its leader. The trades were represented in the company. for they proposed to build boats to aid in transportation down the Ohio River, the party of mechanics led under the charge of Major Hatfield White in December following, while the surveying party and some settlers, under General Putnam and Colonel Ebenezer Sproat, started in January, 1788. They arrived at Sumrill's ferry in February. Having built their boats the party started down the river, April 2, with their baggage. ON TO ADELPHIA. The flotilla was composed of one large. boat, forty-five feet long and twelve wide, which was roofed over, and had an estimated capacity of fifty tons, a flatboat and three canoes.' Laden with the emigrants, their baggage, surveying instruments, weapons, and effects, the little flotilla glided down the Youghiogheny into the Monongahela, and finally out upon the broad bosom of the Ohio, which stream was to bear them to their new home. For several days and nights they. pursued their solitary way, urged along only by the current of the beautiful river, whose banks gave no signs of civilized life, nor of welcome to the pioneers. Occasionally a flock of wild turkeys in the underbrush, or a startled deer, drinking at the water's edge, would draw the fire of the riflemen from the boats; and now and then the dusky form of an Indian would be seen darting into the forest. But the emigrants met with no interruption, and on the fifth day reached their destination. On the 7th day of April, 1788, the company of adventurers landed at Fort Harmer, on the right bank of the Muskingum River, and near its mouth. These were the founders of Marietta, and from the clay of their arrival, as above noted, may be said that Ohio dates her existence. The following were their names: General Rufus Putnam, Superintendent; Colonel Ebenezer Sproat, Colonel R. J. Meigs, Major Anselm Tupper, and Mr. John Matthews, Surveyors; Major Hatfield White, Steward and Quartermaster; Captain Jonathan Devol, Captain Josiah Munroe, 42 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY. Captain Daniel Davis, Peregrine Foster, Captain Jethro Putnam, Captain William Gray, Joseph Wells, Gilbert Devol, Jr., Israel Danton, Jonas Davis, Theophilus Leonard, Joseph Lincoln, William Miller, Earl Sproat, Josiah White, Allen Devol, Henry Maxon, William Maxon, William Moulton, Edmund Moulton, Simeon Martin, Benjamin Shaw, Peletiah White, Josiah Whit-ridge, John Gardiner, Benjamin Griswold, Elizur Kirkland, Samuel Cushing, Oliver Dodge, Isaac Dodge, Jabez Barlow, Daniel Bushnell, Ebenezer Corry, Phineas Coburn, Allen Putnam, David Wallace, Captain Ezekiel Cooper, Jervis Cutler, Samuel Felshaw, Hezekiah Flint, Hezekiah Flint, Jr., and Amos Porter. The party at once commenced a settlement, and a town was laid out. The embryo city at the mouth of the Muskingum was pained Adelphia; the " college bred " members of the little community coming to the front got in their work. They followed this up by calling the largest public square a Quadranaon, and the smaller one the Capitolium. The wide road, leading up from the river landing to the square, was named Sacra via,. and the fort, with its inclosure of block-houses, etc., was called Campus Martius. At a meeting of the directors held July 2, 1788, which was the first convened west of the mountains, the name of the city was changed to Marietta, in honor Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. Thus by a fortunate change of name, the city of Marietta managed to live and prosper, but it was a narrow escape. Washington County was organized in 1788, and it had something of a territory, comprising, as it did, nearly half of the present commonwealth. A TERRIBLE AWAKENING. For a while peace and prosperity had been the lot of the white settlers, and they had been spreading their cabins into the interior, until at last they aroused the red man to a sense of his danger in being dispossessed of his hunting grounds. Then again the frontiersmen, those who in a measure made hunting their occupation, had the impression that an Indian, like a wild beast, was game, and he was generally killed on sight. The Indians were by no means backward in retaliation, and the scalp of a hunter was something they considered a legitimate trophy, and a great one if the hunter was a good fighter. Of course this state of affairs was bound to breed trouble, and when in addition to this the pale faces overran their lands or hunting grounds, they determined upon HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 43 driving them out of the country. The result was a general rising, in which the shriek of their victims and the light of their burning cabins called upon the Government for immediate action. THE INDIAN WAR. Peace overtures having failed and the Indians aggressive to a murderous degree, General Harmer was directed to attack their towns. In September, 1790, with 1,300 men, he marched from Cincinnati through the wilderness to the Indian villages on the Miami, which he burned. On his homeward march he was attacked by a susavagesorce of sava:;es, and, after a desperate battle, was totally defeated. General Harmer was barely able to make good his retreat to Cincinnati. His expedition was a failure and gave the Indians renewed courage and hope. From this time there were four years of uninterrupted war with the Indians, and sad indeed was the condition of the settlers. Wherever the settlements extended, the whole frontier was lighted by the flames of burning cabins and destruction of improvements. An attack was made on the settlement at Big Bottom, in Washington County, on the Muskingum River, Jan. 2, 1791, characterized by the usual horrible features of stealth and sudden surprise by the savages, of quick massacre and scalping of the victims, and of hasty retreat into the wilderness. In this attack twelve persons were killed and five carried into captivity. ST. CLAIR'S DEFEAT Governor St. Clair was placed in command of a second expedition against the Indians on a larger scale than the first one. He marched against the Indians who were prepared to meet him, and attacked his force with great fury on the morning of the 4th of November, 1791, and totally defeated it. This called for another change of commanders, and General Anthony Wayne was appointed to the command. He arrived at Cincinnati in the spring of 1793, and the work of organizing a third army was commenced. In July, 1794, with a force of about 3,500 men, he marched against the Indians. They had collected their whole force, amounting to about 2,000 men, at the Maumee rapids. Wayne encountered the Indians on the 20th of August. The battle which ensued resulted in the utter defeat of the Indians, and was their downfall in the Northwestern Territory. Wayne followed up his victory, and gathered all its fruits. He burned their villages, destroyed their grow- 44 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY. ing crops, and laid waste their whole country. Forts were erected in the heart of their territory, and they were made to feel, as they had never felt before, the energy and power of the Government. Convinced, at last, of their inability to maintain the contest, or resolved, perhaps, to accept their inevitable doom, they sued for peace. A general council was convened at Greenville (now in Darke County), at which General Wayne represented the United States, and the following tribes were represented by their chiefs, viz.: the Wyandots, Delawares, Shawanese, Ottawas, Chippewas, Pottawatomies, Miamis, Eel-Rivers, Kickapoos, Weeas, Pinkashaws and Kaskaskias. By the treaty here made, Aug. 3, 1795, it was declared that " henceforth all hostilities shall cease ; peace is hereby established and shall be perpetual ; and a friendly intercourse shall take place between the said United States and Indian tribes." The tomahawk was buried, the Indians gave up their ancient hunting grounds and the graves of their fathers, and the white man's title to the lands of Ohio was never again seriously contested. THE TWO SURVEYS. The committee appointed by the Ohio Company to examine the Hocking Valley made the following report Dec. 8, 1795: " We, the subscribers, being appointed a committee by a resolve of the agents of the Ohio Company of the 9th of Nov. 1790, and for the purpose expressed in said resolve, but being prevented from attending to that business by the Indian war until a treaty took place, since which (in company with Jeffery Matthewson, a surveyor appointed by the superintendent of surveys) having measured and very minutely examined the lands up the Hock-hocking, report that in range XIV., township 10, the following lots or mile squares, viz : Nos. 13, 19, 20, 25, 31 and 32 ;—range 15, township 12, lots 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 17, 23, 24, 30, 35 and 36; — range 16, township 13, Nos. 13, 14, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, 33 and 34, we find are suitable to be laid out into fifth division lots. Having also examined and surveyed the land at the mouth of the Great Hockhocking we find it very suitable for house lots according to map, etc." JNO. DEVOL, Signed, ROBOT OLIVER, HAFFIELD WHITE, Committee) HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 45 The above sections covered most of the river bottom and adjacent upland in Dover and York townships of Athens County, and Green Township of Hocking County. The two townships, Nos. 8 and 9,—Athens and Alexander,—appropriated by the Ohio Company for the benefit of a university, were located about the same time the above report was made, but by another party. The survey of these lands was made under the personal supervision of General Putnam in 1796 and was, said Ephraim Cutler, " one of the favorite portions of the hunting grounds of the Indians" and upon their surrender to the whites after the disastrous defeat of " Mad Anthony" Wayne, was closed to them forever. In the early part of 1797 a considerable number of emigrants had arrived at Marietta, eager to obtain lands on the most favorable conditions, and were induced by General Putnam to come to these college lands. Among these were Alvan Bingham, Silas Bingham, Isaac Barker, William Harper, John Wilkins, Robert Linzee, Edmund, William and Barak Dorr, John Chandler and Jonathan Watkins. They made their way down the Ohio and up the Hock-hocking in large canoes early in the year 1797. Having ascended as far as the attractive bluff where the town of Athens now stands, they landed and sought their various locations. A few of them fixed on the site of the present town, but most of them scattered up and down the adjacent bottoms. The surrounding country was then covered with dense forests. The bluff and bottoms were heavily timbered with hickory, walnut, ash, poplar, and other trees, indicative of good soil; while the course of the tortuous Hockhocking was marked as far as the view extended by the gigantic sycamores that grew thick set and lofty along its edge. Hunting parties continued to traverse these hills and valleys, embracing the land watered by Raccoon, Monday, Sunday and the heads of Federal Creek. According to Mr. Cutler the buffalo and the elk were exterminated about the year 1780. A young buffalo, believed to be the last seen in this part of the country, was captured a few miles west of Athens, on a branch of Raccoon, in the spring of 1799, brought to the settlement, and reared by a domestic cow. The bears continued in considerable abundance until the last great hunt of the Indians in the winter of 1810-'11. That winter was a favorable season for them to effect the object they seemed to have in view, which was to destroy the game, the weather being 46 - HISTORY OF HOOKING VALLEY. cold, with several falls of snow. The carcasses of many deer were found in the woods bordering on the settlements in 'Washington and Athens counties, which appeared to be wantonly destroyed by the savages. The pioneers soon opened up several clearings about Athens, and the echo of their axes was the first sound of civilized industry heard in all this region. The clearings, however, were irregular and scattered, and no effort was made, as yet, to lay out a town. Early in 1798 a number of emigrants arrived, among whom were Solomon Tuttle, Christopher Stevens, John and Moses Hewitt, Cornelius Moore, Joseph Snowden, John Simonton, Robert Ross, the Brookses and the Hanings. Some of these had families. Some settled in Athens and some in Alexander Township. Mrs. Margaret Snowden, wife of Joseph Snowden, was honored by having " Margaret's Creek" named after her, she being the first white woman who reached this central point in the county. For the enforcement of laws and preservation of order, Alvan Bingham had been commissioned a Magistrate, and his brother, Silas, a Deputy Sheriff. One of their most difficult duties was to prevent illegal entries and occupations of land by new corners; but this, and their other duties, sometimes delicate and accompanied with danger, they discharged with firmness and general acceptance. Ephraim Cutler, who came in a little later than the Binghams, and settled in Ames Township, was also a Magistrate, and in a cer taro class of land cases, which required two magistrates and a jury; he and Judge Bingham held court together. In those early times, notwithstanding the primitive state of society, the judges had proper ideas of the sanctity of law and the dignity of a court. It is related that at one of these trials of forcible entry, the leaders of the disorderly class came forward and threatened violence ; the magistrates ordered them to leave the room, which they did, but uttering threats to put a stop to such courts. The judges, determined to vindicate their judicial dignity, instantly issued warrants, and ordered the sheriffto arrest the parties immediately, and take them to Marietta. They were arrested accordingly, and it is not easy to conceive of men more frightened ; the idea of being taken to Marietta, to be tried by a court that had established a reputation throughout the territory for firmness and strict justice, filled them with terror. Silas Bingham (who, to great shrewdness and dispatch in business, united an unconquerable humor) did nothing to allay their fears, but told them the better way would be to come into HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 47 court, and, on their knees , ask forgiveness and promise amendment. The ringleader of the offending party replied that "it was too bad to be compelled to kneel down and ask forgiveness of two Buckeye justices," but he concluded to submit, rather than be taken to Marietta, and the penitential ceremony was accordingly performed. During the first year of the county, the court was held in a private house, obtained for the occasion. In December, 1806, Silas Bingham was allowed $12 for the use of a room occupied by the courts during that year, and an allowance of $6 was made by the county commissioners to " Edmund Dorr and Barak Dorr, for guarding and victualing John Farmer one month." The two Binghams, Judge Alvan and his brother Silas, were natives of Litchfield County, Conn., and had both served in the Revolutionary army. The former was a man of strong corn. mon sense, and his judicial mind and well-trained conscience admirably qualified him for the position of judge, which he filled for many years. He is said to have been a person of quiet and dignified manners. stern and uncompromising in his sense of right. Silas was " full of anecdote and humor, social and kind in his feelings, a man of excellent sense, and a terror to evil doers." The promptness with which these men acted in enforcing the laws had the effect to rid the settlement of nearly all disorderly persons. Alvan Bingham was the first Treasurer of Athens County, and Silas was for several years a Constable. One of the greatest troubles that the pioneers had to contend with was the extreme scarcity of salt, and the high price of that essential article often caused severe privation. At the time of the first settlement of Athens and Ames, it was sold for $6 a bushel, and had to be packed on horseback a great distance. As early as 1788, when the first colony arrived at Marietta, it had been rumored that salt springs existed on a stream, since called Salt Creek, which flows into the Muskingum River, near Duncan's Falls, Muskingum County, and even during the Indian War a party was sent up the river from Marietta to search for them. The exploration was made at great risk, but the springs were not found. White men, held as prisoners by the Indians, had seen them make salt at these springs, and had noted their locality. An accurate description of the country having been gained from these persons, another exploring party of hunters and experienced woodsmen was sent out, a year or two later, to find the springs. This time they were successful, and brought back with them a small supply 48 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY. of the precious article. In 1796 a joint stock company was formed of fifty shareholders, at $1.50 each, making a capital of $75, with the object of buying castings, erecting a furnace, and manufacturing salt. Twenty-four kettles were bought at Pittsburg, and transported by water to Duncan's Falls, and thence, on pack-horses, to the salt springs, seven miles further. A. well was dug. near the edge of the stream, about fifteen feet deep, to the bed rock, through the crevices of which the salt water oozed and rose, though not very abundantly. The trunk of a hollow sycamore tree was fixed in the well to exclude the fresh water. A furnace was built, of two ranges with twelve kettles each. The water was raised from the well by a sweep and pole. The company was divided into ten sections of five men each, who worked in turns for two weeks at a time, and the works were thus kept in operation day and night, the men standing regular watches. They were thus able to make about 100 pounds of salt in twenty-four hours, using about 1,600 gallons of water. This was the first attempt to manufacture salt in Ohio, and the product was a very inferior and costly article. For several years all of the salt used by the pioneers of the Hocking Valley was brought from these works, and afterward from the Scioto salt licks, in Jackson County, on pack-horses. Yet time changes all things, and the primitive modes of early days gave way to the inventive genius of the people, but the pioneer days were full of incidents in the struggle of life, and the progress of civilization at the hands of the pioneers are here recorded. CHAPTER III. THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS, CABINS AND COMFORTS OF EARLY DAYS. PIONEER LIFE-THE LOG CABIN-COOKING-DRESS, ETON-FAMILY WORSHIP- HOSPITALITY-TRADE AND BARTER-HOG KILLING-NATIVE ANIMALS—WOLF HUNTS--EDUCATION—RATHER LONG-DRAWN-OUT SPELLING AND SINGING SCHOOLS-ON THEIR GUARD-THE BRIGHT SIDE-A TOUCH OF PIONEER LIFE GIVEN-HOW THE PIONEERS ADVANCED CIVILIZATION-WOMEN PIONEERS. PIONEER LIFE. The pioneers of Ohio, especially those who settled in the Ohio, Valley and its tributary streams, like the Scioto, Muskingum-Hocking, came generally from the older States which were upon the border, like Pennsylvania and Kentucky, but not a few found their way from the Eastern, or North Atlantic, States. There is little difference in pioneer life even at this day. It is the poor and hardworking element that seek a home in a new country as a general thing, and at this day especially, very few who enjoy the comforts of civilization, of churches, schools, railroads and telegraph, and are able to remain will leave for a residence in the wilds of the West. The exceptions to these are those who may be in fair circumstances, but have large families, who are willing to give up their comforts for the better providing for the future of their children. Thus we find the pioneer generally poor but robust, *In an energy which labor increases, and with an endurance that seems to baffle all opposing forces. Poor in purse, but rich in faith, he tackles the wilderness, and it blossoms like the rose. He has reached his location in the West and he at once commences the erection of his LOG CABIN, a description of which may not be uninteresting to the present readers while it will be of profound interest to the generations yet to come, who will be so far removed from pioneer life as to wonder over the primitive styles and habits of long ago. Very few of these old-time structures', are now to be seen, but here is their mode of building. - 49 -