USA > Ohio > Lorain County > History of Lorain County, Ohio > Part 7
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90
"Since the publication of the first volume of this report, a large amount of interesting material, illustrating the structure of this genus, has been brought to light. In this material is to be found nearly the entire bony system of one large individual, which gives us a more com- plete representation of Dinichthys than has yet been obtained of any of the larger fossil fishes of the Old World. These specimens we owe to the enthusiasm and intelligence of Mr. Jay Terrell, who found them near his home in Sheffield, Lorain county. Here the upper portion of the Huron shale forms, along the Lake shore, cliffs which are being constantly worn away hy the waves. These cliffs have been Mr. Terrell's favorite hunting-ground, and as the erosion of the surface reaches here and there the projecting point of a bone, each indication has been fol- lowed up with care, and the bone taken out, perhaps in many fragments, but yet complete in all its parts. Mr. Terrell has carefully preserved and united these fragments, and thus has been able to contribute to science some of the most interesting and valuable Pahrontological material ever discovered."
"Some months sinee, while scanning the cliff near his house, his attention was attracted to a hone of which only a small portion was visible, the remainder being concealed in the rock. On taking this out, others immediately associated with it were revealed, which were, how- ever, so deeply buried, as to be inaccessible by ordinary means. In these circumstances Mr. Terrell began operations on the cliff above, and excavated a spa .e about twelve fert square down to the locality of the bones. Here he found the ventral shield, before unknown, quite complete: one mandible, a "premaxillary" and two "maxillary;" a perfect dorsal shield, two feet in diameter; two scapulo-coracoids, with a large number of additional bones, including the ossified rays of a large fin. From the same locality Mr. Terrell had before obtained a cranium almost complete, and two supra-scapulas: thus giving, as has been said, nearly the entire bony structure."
"Since this important discovery Mr. Terrell has found a complete mandible and maxillary of larger size than any before met with ; the mandible (oder jaw) being twenty-two inches io length."
The class of fishes to which these bones belonged, are now called Dinichthys-Terrelli (Terrell's terrible fish.)
Dentition of Dinichthys Terrelli.
Side view (diagram); one-tenth natural size, linear.
They were armor-clad monsters of the old Huron sea, which rolled over nearly all of the North Amer- ican continent, long ages before the formation of the coal measures. A thick, massive, bony coat of mail covered all the vital parts of their upper surface. while the plates that protected the under side of the body were large but relatively thin. No scales have as yet been found with their remains; hence it is inferred that the posterior portion of the body must have been covered with a thick, tough skin. It is evident that they were cartillagenons, from the fact that no bones of their internal structure have been found. Hence it is more difficult to calculate their size and shape, which has not yet been fully deter- mined: but probably they were from fifteen to twenty feet in length, with very massive bodies. The head is composed of thick, bony plates, strengthened with massive internal arches, all firmly anchylosed together. forming a bony box which is two feet in length and thirty inches in breadth and in some places more than three inches in thickness.
Prof. Newberry says of the os articulare capitis of the head plate:
"The joint itself is formed by a deep cylindrical socket, into which fits the condyle of the supra-scapular, in such a way as to form one of the strongest and most complete articulations in the whole animal kingdom."
Of the jaws, he says:
"The dental apparatus of Dinichthys is its most remarkable feature. The massive jaws are themselves transformed into teeth more singular in their structure, and more formidable than any living fish. These powerful jaws terminate in four dense teeth, which are five inches long and three broad. They have shining black enamel on their wearing edge. Back of these front teeth, the under jaw is formed into a sharp cutting edge of jet black enamel, one-third their entire length, An upper tooth with a thin, long, heveled edge (six inches long), fits and corresponds to the under jaw in such a manner that the two play upon each other precisely like the blades of a pair of shears."
With such a pair of jaws as these, set in a head more than three feet and a half broad, it is easy to see that these great monsters were able to crash a much larger body than that of a man. I have one bone (middle plate of the back) which is twenty-four inches long and twenty-seven broad; is three inches in its thickest part, and weighs thirty pounds.
I need not here give a detailed description of the many bones which belong to this wonderful fish. The
32
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.
three above mentioned, are sutlicient for our present purpose. It is impossible in language, to give any correct idea of these specimens. Sutlice it, therefore. to say. that they are the remains of the largest fossil fishes now known to the scientific world.
Such a fish as this must have had formidable enemies, or he would not have been clad with such a bony coat of mail; and then his teeth clearly indicate that he was carniverons, and therefore fed on other large animals of the deep. Hence, in all my re- searches for his remains, I have ever been on the lookout for something else; and my labors have been rewarded as follows:
In the rocks up Black River, which Prof. Newberry designates " Cleveland Shale." and as belonging to the Waverly series, I discovered the remains of very large placoderm tishes, nearly if not quite as large as those belonging to the Huron epoch, some of the bones weighing many pounds each. I am not quite satisfied that the location of these rocks is correet; at present. however, we leave them as they are placed by the geological survey.
I also found in the same locality the spine of a large etenucanthus shark; cludodus, and other small sharks" teeth : jngular and other plates, of different parts, of these little carboniferous sharks; together with the seales of other fishes.
In the Bedford shales below Elyria I have obtained shells of a small Lingula, not yet described and named; also a shell, now. but probably allied to the Spirifers, and quantities of mollusks. ( Macrodon- Hamiltonice): also a species of small shark, and some other fossils. These were all found in a band of limestone, of abont one foot in thickness, lying in the upper stratum of this shale and extending two or three miles atong its exposure on Black river.
I have obtained from the Huron shale at the lake shore, in addition to those already mentioned, several bones and teeth of small, and as yet undescribed fossil fishes, some cones, apparently belonging to Lepido- dendron, fruit pods and seeds, of sea weeds, and an undescribed species of Goniatites, (chambered shells). Broad, flag-like impressions of sea-weeds are very common all through this shale.
We now come to three classes of large fishes, that have recently been described and named by Professor Newberry. 1 give extracts from his deseriptions, published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Seienees, 1878:
DIPLOGNATHUS MIRABILIS* ( N. SP. ) N.
" Dentary bone of mandible (under jaw), about eighteen inches long, by two inches in width, anterior half thickens as in Dinichthys, rising into a prominent point anteriorly, which diverges from its fellow of the opposite dentary bone, to form a forked extremity to the under jaw. Upper margin of the anterior half of dentary bone set with strong, conical, smooth, acute, incurved teeth, which dimish in size as they ascend the elevated point. Four farger, conical, reenrved teeth, are set on the inner side of the triangular extremity of the mandible, filling the space between the point and the symphysis. A broad, roughened depression or pit at the symphysis marks the place of attachment of a
strong ligament, which unites the mandibles, and prevents the splitting of the forked extremity of the jaw.
" The remarkable structure of the jaw on which the foregoing descrip- tion is based, is without parallel, so far as known in the animal kingdom The dentary bones are produced forward into triangular divergent points, which are set with teeth on either margin; thus the extremity of the lower jaw forms a fork set with strong recurved teeth. This would form a very effective instrument for catching slender slippery fishes like rels and was doubtless used for that purpose."
" From the Huron Shale, Sheffield, Lorain conuty, Ohio, Discovered by Jay Terrell."
DINICHTHYS CORRUGATUS (N. SP. ) N.
"Dorsal plate four to five inches long, shield-shaped, terminating anteriorly in an obtuse, posteriorly in an acute point; the sides, irregu- larly rounded, form a feather-edge, probably buried in the is tegument, Upper surface gently arched, marked by several obscure longitudinal striæe, and by a peculiar transverse crape-like wrinkling. The under surface is uniformly excavated, and arched transversely on either side of the low and sharp central crest. This crest is prolonged into a nar- row neck-like process, which projects forward and downward from the margin of the shield, and is excavated in e broad furrow on its upper surface.
" The supra-occipital bone is wedge-shaped and truncated forward, rounded behind, with a low point at the center of its margin. The upper surface is marked with characteristic transverse crape-like wrinkling; the under surface slopes backward from the middle, with a prominent ridge, which forms the terminal point; anterior to the slope is a semi-elliptical excavation, divided at the bottom in two by a longi- tudinal ridge."
" An imperfect jaw found with the dorsal plate, and correspond ng in size, is about four inches in length, posterior extremely spatulate and thin; the anterior portion polished without, and terminating above in a sharp edge; the anterior extremity broken away."
" From the Huron Shale, Sheffield, Lorain county, Ohio, Discovered by Jay Terrell."
UTENACANTHUS COMPRESSUS ( N. SP. ) N.
"'Spine of medium size, perhaps six inches long, much compressed, by one inch and a half wide, strongly arched above; anterior margin smooth, posterior flattened with a well-marked rounded ridge along the central line. Upper half of posterior face thickly set with conical reenrved teeth. Exposed portion wholly covered with fine longitudinal ribs, which are highly ornamented hy closely approximated transverse lines."
" Pectination finest on middle and lower portion of sides."
" From the Huron Shale, Sheffield, Lorain county, Ohio. Discovered by Jay Terrell."
I have now mentioned and deseribed all the fossils, so far as I know, that have been discovered within the limits of our county. The Cuyahoga shale which is exposed along the streams in the southern portion of our county, has yielded in Medina and some other places crinoids, mollusks and other small shells, and no doubt these might be found here upon proper search made for them; and possibly new genera and new species.
CHAPTER VI. THE MOUND-BUILDERS.
A people, concerning whom nothing beyond the fact of their existence is known, are called Mound- Builders. This name was given them because of the earthworks, monnds and fortifications which they erceted,-generally along the courses of streams. Some of these are works of defenee, others burial places. These mounds and their contents furnish ns the only information obtainable in reference to this strange people. That the period of time at which they existed reaches far back into the past is evi- deneed from the fact that the races of red men who
* Wonderful double-acting jaw.
33
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.
succeeded them have been unable to furnish ns any account of who they were, whence they came and whither they went. A veil of impenetrable mystery enshrouds their history. Their mounds are a proof of their existence, for their character and the place and mode of their erection attest the handiwork of intelligent beings, while the bones. weapons of war- fare, stone implements and arrow-heads which have been discovered and are still found buried in these earthworks, furnish a still stronger proof of the ex- istence of a pre-historie people. The skeleton re- mains of human beings of such dimensions as to show that their one-time possessors were beings of almost gigantie proportions, were exhumed from their ancient cemeteries by the first settlers. The Indians, dis- claiming them as kindred, could give no information in regard to them. These ancient carthworks are found in several places in Lorain county. We de- seribe one or two of them. Professor Newberry says:
"The best preserved fortifications in the county are on land owned by R. Burrell, Esq., in the angle formed by the union of French and Sugar ereeks, in Sheffield township. The valleys of these two streams are quite deeply excavated, and inclose a narrow triangle of high land at their juncture, which is hounded by chffs of shale forty five feet in height and almost perpendicular. Across the base of this triangle, at the distances respectively of three hundred and fifty and two hundred and seventy-eight feet from the apex, are two deep, parallel trenches, each one hundred and thirty-five feet long, reaching from bluff to bluff. Mr. Burrell states that when the land was first cleared in 1816, these trenches were eight feet deep. They have been plowed over from year to year since, but are quite plainly discernible. The purpose of these trenches was evidently to defend from attack, a village or eitadel situ- ated on the level surface of the height. The plateau was evidently in habited for many years, perhaps centuries, as the soil which covers it is a 'made soil,' abounding in bones of animals, stone implements nnd arrow heads. Probably the efficiency of the trenehes was increased by palisades or some other defence of wood, all trace of which has dis- appeared hy deeay.
"An ancient fortification erected by the Mound-Builders is discernible on land owned by Mr. Jacob Delker on a bench of the west bluff of the Vermillion river, where it makes a bend after entering the townshin from Henrietta, not far below the bridge. The descent upon this pro- jection of land is quite rapid. About midway of the descent a trench was dug and breastworks were thrown up. They now stand out dis- tinetively, but have been cut through in the middle to permit the pass- age of wagons. The trench has been mostly filled in by the washing down of the gravelly bluff above. A young peach orchard is in the old fortification.
"Abont seven acres are included in a large fort on Mr. Jacob Ennis's land, on the east bank of the Vermillion river, three miles above its mouth. The Mound-Builders must bave considered this an important station, as shown by these extensive intrenehments, now somewhat ob- scured ia outline on one side by reason of many years' plowing. The soil of this fort contains quantities of fragments of bone and pottery and chippings of flint."
CHAPTER VII. THE INDIANS.
The aboriginal tribes that are known to have inhab- ited this region, together with the entire country in Ohio lying to the south of Lake Erie, belonged to one or the other of two great families of Indians: the Algonkin, or Huron-Iroquois. The tribes which may be named as having been at one time or another dwellers upon the soil of what is known as the Western Reserve, are:
Of the Huron-Iroquois family: The Eries, followed by the Iroquois proper, or the six nations-the Mo- hawks, the Cayugas, the Onridas, the Onondagas,
the Senecas and the Tuscarawas-and the Hurons proper, or the Wyandots. Of the Algonkin family: The Delawares, the Shawnees, the Ottawas, the Mi- amis, the Chippewas, the Pottawattomies and the Kickapoos.
THE ERIES.
The Eries are the only red men, who as a complete tribe have inhabited the region bordering the southern shore of the lake that bears their name. They were known to the first French explorers and discoverers of the great west, and by them were called the Felians or the Cut nation. Why they received this name is not known, except it was that through the forests in which they dwelt there prowled great numbers of the animal known as wild cats. They have given to the lake near which they dwelt the name that desig- nated their tribe. More than this, we do not know aught of this strange people, except the interesting information which the traditions of other tribes furnish us in regard to their overthrow and complete destruction. These traditions come from their con- querors, the fierce and powerful Iroquois, and by them we are assured that the account is accurate and trustworthy. We give herewith the narrative as taken from the lips of Black Snake and other venerable chiefs of the Senecas and Tonawandas, and published in the Buffalo Commercial of July, 1845. That paper says:
"Near the mission-house, on the reservation adjoining the city of Buffalo, can be seen a small mound, evidently artificial, that is said to contain the remains of the unfortunate Eries, slain in their last great battle. The Indians hereabouts believe that a small remnant of the Eries still exist beyond the Mississippi. The small tribe known as the Qwapaws, in that region, are also believed to be the remains of the Kaukmus, the allies of the Eries."
This sangninary confliet is supposed to have taken place a few years prior to the year 1700.
DESTRUCTION OF THE ERIES.
The Eries were the most powerful and warlike of all the Indian tribes. They resided south of the great lake (Erie), at the foot of which stands the city of Buffalo, the Indian name for which was Tu-shu-way.
When the Eries heard of the confederation which was formed between the Mohawks, who resided in the valley of that name, the Oneidas, Onondagas, Cuyu- gus, and Senecas, who lived, for the most part, upon the shores and the outlets of the lakes bearing respec- tively their names (called by the French the Iroquois nation), they imagined it must be for some mischiey- ons purpose. Although confident of their superiority over any one of the tribes inhabiting the countries within the bounds of their knowledge, they dreaded the power of such combined forces.
In order to satisfy themselves in regard to the character, disposition, and power of those they con- sidered their mutual enemies, the Eries resorted to the following means: They sent a friendly message to the Senecas, who were their nearest neighbors, invit- ing them to select one hundred of their most active, athletic young men to play a game of ball against the
5
3.1
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.
same number to be selected by the Eries, for a wager which should be considered worthy the occasion and the character of the great nation in whose behalf the offer was made.
The message was received and entertained in the most respectful manner. A council of the "Five Nations" was called, and the proposition tully dis- cussed, and a messenger in due time dispatched with the decision of the council, respectfully declining the challenge. This emboldened the Eries, and the next year the offer was renewed, and, after being again considered was again formally declined. This was far from satisfying the proud lords of the great lake, and the challenge was renewed the third time.
The blood of the young Iroquois could no longer be restrained. They importuned the old men to allow them to accept the challenge. The wise counsels which had hitherto prevailed at last gave way, and the challenge was accepted.
Nothing could exceed the enthusiasm with which each tribe sent forth its chosen champions for the contest. The only ditlieulty seemed to be to make a selection where all seemed so worthy. After much delay one hundred of the flower of all the tribes were finally designated, and the day of their departure was fixed. An experienced chief was chosen as the leader of the party, whose orders the young men were strictly enjoined to obey. A grand council was called, and in the presence of the assembled multitude the party was charged in the most solemn manner to observe a pacifie course of conduct towards their competitors and the nation whose guests they were to become, and to allow no provocation, however great. to be resented by any act of aggression on their part, but in all respects to acquit themselves worthy the representatives of a and great powerful people, anxious to cultivate peace and friendship with all their neighbors. Under these solemn injunetions the party took np its line of march for Tu-shu-way. When the chosen band had arrived in the vicinity of the point of their destination, a mes- senger was sent forward to notify the Eries of their arrival, and the next day was set apart for their grand entree.
The elegant and athletic forms; the tasteful, yet not cumbrous, dress; the dignified, noble bearing of the chief, and, more than all, the modest demeanor of the young warriors of the Iroquois party, won the admiration of all beholders. They brought no arms; each one bore a bat. used to throw or strike a ball, tastefully ornamented, being a hickory stick about five feet long, bent over at the end, and a thong netting wove into the bow. After a day of repose and refreshment, all things were arranged for the contest. The chief of the Iroquois brought forward and depos- ited upon the ground a large pile of elegantly wrought belts of wampum, costly jewels, silver bands, beauti- fully ornamented moccasins, and other articles of great value in the eyes of the sons of the forest, as the stake or wager on the part of his people. These were carefully matched by the Eries, with articles of
egnal valne, article with article tied together and again deposited on the pile.
The game began, and, although contested with desperation and great skill by the Eries, was won by the Iroquois, who bore off the prize in triumph. Thus ended the first day.
The Iroquois having now accomplished the object of their visit, proposed to take their leave, but the chief of the Eries, addressing himself to their leaders, said their young men, though fairly beaten in the game of ball, would not be satisfied unless they could have a foot-race, and proposed to match ten of their number against an equal number of the Iroquois party, which was assented to, and the Iroquois were again victorions,
The Kaukwas who resided on Eighteen-Mile ercek, being present as the friends and allies of the Eries, now invited the Iroquois party to visit them before they returned home, and thither the whole party repaired. The chief of the Eries, as a last trial of the conrage and prowess of his guests, proposed to select ten men, to be matched with an equal number of the Iroquois party, to wrestle, and that the victor should dispatch his adversary on the spot by braining him with a tomahawk and bearing off his scalp as a trophy. This sanguinary proposition was not at all pleasing to the Iroquois; they, however, concluded to accept the challenge : with the determination, should they be victorious, not to execute the bloody part of the proposition. The champions were accord- ingly chosen. A Seneca was the first to step into the ring, and threw his adversary, amid the shouts of the multitude. He stepped back and declined to execute his victim, who lay passive at his feet. As qnick as thought the chief of the Eries seized the tomahawk, and, at a single blow, scattered the brains of his van- quished warrior over the ground. His body was dragged away, and another champion of the Eries presented himself. He was quickly thrown by his more powerful antagonist of the Iroquois party and as quickly dispatched by the infuriated chief. A third
met the same fate.
The chief of the Iroquois party, seeing the terrible excitement which agitated the multitude, gave a signal to retreat. Every man obeyed the signal, and in an instant. they were out of sight. In two hours they arrived at Tu-shu-way, gathered up the trophies of their victories, and were on their way home.
This visit of the hundred warriors of the Fire Na- tions and its results only served to increase the jeal- ousy of the Eries, and to convince them that they had powerful rivals to contend with. It was no part of their policy to cultivate friendship, and strengthen their own power by cultivating peace with other tribes. They knew no way of securing peace to themselves but by exterminating all who might oppose them. But the combination of several powerful tribes, any of whom might be almost an equal match for them, and of whose personal prowess they had seen such an exhibition, inspired the Eries with the most anxious
35
HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.
forebodings. To cope with them collectively they saw was impossible. Their only hope, therefore, was in being able by a vigorous and sudden movement to destroy them in detail. With this view a powerful party was immediately organized to attack the Senecas who resided at the foot of Seneca lake (the present site of Geneva), and along the banks of Seneca river. It happened that at this period there resided among the Eries a Seneca woman, who in early life had been taken prisoner, and had married a husband of the Erie tribe. He died and left her a widow without children, a stranger among strangers, Hearing the terrible note of preparation for a bloody onslaught upon her kindred and friends, she formed the resolu- tion of apprising them of their danger. As soon as night set in, taking the course of the Niagara river, she traveled all night and early next morning reached the shore of Lake Ontario. She jumped in a canoe, which she found fastened to a tree, and boldly pushed iuto the open lake. Coasting down the lake, she arrived at the month of the Oswego river in the night, where a large settlement of the nation resided. She directed her steps to the house of the head chief, and disclosed the object of her journey. She was secreted by the chief, and runners were dispatched to all the tribes, summoning them immediately to meet in coun- cif, which was held in Onondaga Hollow.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.