USA > Ohio > Picturesque northwestern Ohio and battle grounds of the Maumee Valley, an art and historical work of the worthwest section of the Buckeye State > Part 11
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He was afterwards liberated, with his four brothers, on parole.
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C303
PAVILION AT OTTAWA PARK.
THE BOOK OF TOLEDO.
CONSERVATORY, WALBRIDGE PARK
to Fort Wayne in advance of the main army. Manor was standing in front of Beaugrand's store in Maumee City, talking with some of his neighbors, when the Indians came out of the woods and were about to fire, when Beaugrand waved a white handkerchief, at which they dropped their muskets. Soon afterward one hundred British soldiers, and as many Wyandots and Pottawatomies, came up, when the British commander inquired for guides. Manor was pressed into service, although he feigned to be very much disabled by lameness. He went as far as the head of the rapids, when he was dismissed. He returned to Beaugrand's, meet- ing Colonel Elliott, in command of the entire British force, who examined him thoroughly, and then permitted him to go. He started to join his family at the mouth of the river, but was captured when he reached Swan Creek, by a British officer in command of two vessels lying there. He was impris- oned, until Beaugrand interposed in his behalf, and secured his release. It was not until the close
IN WALBRIDGE PARK
THE BOOK OF TOLEDO.
OTTAWA PARK.
of the war and the declaration of peace, in 1814-15, that quiet was fully restored to the settlers along the Maumee.
On account of the glowing reports of the fertility of the Maumee valley region, immigration increased year after year. A com- pany from Cincinnati, among whom were several officers who had served with General Harrison, purchased four hundred acres of land around the mouth of Swan Creek, and laid out the village of Port Lawrence. Financial embarrassment caused them to relinquish their claim, and it reverted to the gov- ernment. The village made but little improvement for some years. A second village was laid out by Major Stickney, an enterprising Indian agent, which he named Vistula. The site of this village was a tract of land adjoining the Port Lawrence tract on the north and running to the river. In 1832 Vistula was one of the most enterprising of the many settlements along the river, and in the year 1833
the two towns Port Lawrence became united, and soon afterward took the name of Toledo. of Vistula and Hon. Thomas W. Dunlap of Toledo, in his address delivered at the Centennial celebration in Toledo, July 4, 1876, speaking of this era, said: "Then speculation got ahead of prudence, and paper cities and paper money furnished facilities for discounting the great expectations of Lucas County and its future great cities. The early history of the county would be imperfect without a reference to the ruins of imaginary towns, so thickly strewn throughout its length and breadth. Maumee City, Miami, Marengo, East Marengo, Austerlitz, Port Lawrence, Vistula, Manhattan and Havre were projected on the north side of the river. Oregon and Lucas City sprang up on the south side. Like ancient Tyre the sites of Lucas City and Havre were swallowed up in the waters of the deep. The waters of the lake took off the sandy soil by the acre. Not so with Manhattan. A fate still more melancholy was in store for her. Her town lots became the prey of the tax-gatherer, who offered them in open market at three and six cents apiece, without finding buyers.
"Talk about the times that tried men's souls a hundred years ago! Those early times of Lucas County tried the very earth itself. The two Marengos, Austerlitz and Oregon could not stand the pressure of the tax-gatherer, and became known on the tax duplicate as lands, while Port Lawrence and Vistula, under the name of Toledo, with Manhattan, Miami and Maumee City, went into a state of suspended animation to await the resurrection that followed the War of the Rebellion. Those times of suspended animation were indeed hard times. Those were the times when men stayed here because they had no money to get away with. They were the times of twenty- five cent postage, when many a man had to wait a week or two
WATER WORKS.
RESIDENCE OF S. M. JONES, MONROE STREET.
THE BOOK OF TOLEDO.
PRESQUE ISLE.
to raise a quarter of a dollar to get a letter out of the postoffice."
In his memoirs, that eminent and worthy gentleman of the early pioneers, Jessup W. Scott, thus speaks of the great financial revulsion which succeeded the era of wild specula- tion and colossal air - castle building : "In 1835 commenced that memorable speculation in wild lands and wild cities, which culminated in 1836. The whole Maumee Valley was filled with fortune hunters. Congress and state lands were
VIEW IN CITY PARK.
raced for entry, and the shores of the river, from Fort Wayne to the Maumee Bay, were alive with city builders. From the foot of the rapids to the bay, all the land was considered necessary for the erection of 3-story brick blocks, and after the canal was located on the north side, all the shore from Waterville to Manhattan was held as city property. Jackson's specie circular soon brought these airy fabrics into ruin. In 1844 Toledo was but
PARK SCENE.
WOODLAWN CEMETERY.
THE BOOK OF TOLEDO.
IN RIVERSIDE PARK.
THE BOOK OF TOLEDO.
VIEW IN TOLEDO HARBOR.
little more than the dead carcass of speculation. It had acquired a widespread and almost universally believed character for insalubrity. Much sickness and distress were suffered. When, therefore. the canal began to give it a business worth naming, its reputation for sickness had become such as to divert from it, to other western cities, most of the enterprising business men, who flocked thither from the old states and Europe. Its rivals were very industrious in giving and keeping alive the bad name, which it had, in its specu- lative cxistence, to some extent deserved. This tide and its reaction built up, in a very short time, the cities of Chicago and Milwaukee."
The Ohio and Michigan War. -The year 1835 witnessed the turmoil between Ohio and Michigan, during which the ridiculous scenes enacted, the proclamations promul- gated and the many incidents, romantic, interesting, amusing and otherwise, would fill a volume. A most comprehensive account of the
origin, progress and end of that memorable and bloodless conflict is given in the Centennial address of Hon. Thomas Dunlap, before alluded to, from which a few points are given : The contest arose over the jurisdiction of that strip of land lying north of the line fixed by Congress as the northern boundary of Ohio, called the Fulton line, and south of another line, called the Harris line, fixed by Ohio, and to which Congress had never assented. This strip of land, about seven miles, where it meets Lake Erie, includes the mouth of the Maumee and the present city of Toledo. Such organization as it had was under the Territory of Michigan. The projected canal, which was to furnish a channel of commerce for the future great city, to connect somewhere with Lake Erie, became an object of absorbing interest. The harbor of Toledo, situated in Michigan territory, seemed the natural outlet of the canal. The State of Ohio, in asserting claims to the strip of land in question, received the hearty, interested partisanship of many residents of Toledo. The older, non-speculative, conservative settlers were content to remain under the jurisdiction of Michigan.
March 12, 1835, delegates from Port Lawrence Township, addressed a communication to Hon. Stevens T. Mason, acting governor of Michigan Territory, asking a special act of the legislature, authorizing the removal of WALBRIDGE PARK. the place for holding their township meeting, because they apprehended a riot if the meeting was held in Toledo, "the heart of the hot-bed of disaffection." The request was granted, and as previously stated, the meeting was held at the Ten Mile Creek school-house.
On the other hand, many of the leading settlers determined to remain in Toledo, and to sustain the jurisdiction of Ohio. The allegiance of the settlers being thus divided, resistance was made to the execution of civil process and to the collection of taxes under either authority. Fierce encounters between the contending partisans were of almost daily occurrence. A meeting in the Phillips
WOODLAWN CEMETERY.
VIEW IN WALBRIDGE PARK.
«
THE BOOK OF TOLEDO.
A STREET IN ROSSFORD.
A suburb of Toledo, when two years old, and where the Ford Glass Works are located.
Tavern at Tremainsville broke up in a fight and general row. In the spring of 1835, Governor Lucas determined to run and re-mark the Harris line, and Governor Mason determined it should not be re-marked. Governor Lucas brought to his aid 600 Ohio militia, they going into camp at Fort Miami. Militia in other parts of the State were organizing for the fray. Under the direction of Governor Mason of Michigan, General Joseph W. Brown organized a force of 1,200 men for Michigan. The country became wild with excitement, and if everything had been left to the two governors, a collision would have been inevitable.
Governor Lucas was about to cross the Fulton line with his troops and take possession of Toledo. Then came two commissioners, Hon. Richard Rush and Colonel Howard, sent by President Jackson, to use their personal influence as peacemakers. ' With them also came the Hon. Elisha Whittlesey. On the 7th of April, after several conferences with both governors, the following propositions were submitted by them :
FORD PLATE GLASS WORKS, ROSSFORD, FROM WEST SIDE OF RIVER.
THE BOOK OF TOLEDO.
1. "That the Harris line should be run and re-marked, pur- suant to an act of the last session of the legislature of Ohio, without interruption.
2. "The civil elections, under the laws of Ohio, through- out the disputed territory, having taken place, that the people resid- ing upon it should be left to their own government, obeying the one jurisdiction or the other, as they may prefer, without molestation from the authorities of Ohio or Michigan, until the close of the next session of Con- gress."
Governor Lucas accepted the proposals of the commissioners, and disbanded his troops. Governor Mason, however, declined them. A few days afterwards General Brown was in Toledo with a sheriff's posse of 100 men, to arrest persons who had accepted office under the State of Ohio. Finally the Governor of Ohio, April 26, started a surveying party to run IN WALBRIDGE PARK. the Harris line. William McNair, under-sheriff of Lenawee County, Michigan, arrested nine of the Ohio party in their camp, and took them before a justice at Tecumseh. This stopped survey proceedings. Benjamin F. Stickney, George Mckay, Judge Wilson and others, were also arrested at Toledo, by Michigan officers. Andrew Palmer, editor of the Toledo "Gazette," and a warm partisan of Ohio, had a narrow escape by instant flight.
Governor Lucas was becoming impatient and chagrined at the situation. Ohio had failed to run and re-mark the Harris line, while many Ohio partisans were languishing in Michigan jails, or were subjected to the humiliation of giving bail for their appearance before Michigan criminal courts. His next move was to hold a court. September 7, 1835, was the day fixed by the Ohio legislature. The Ohio troops had been dispersed. General Brown with his 1,200 Wolverines, was on the alert. He was determined to capture the court officers, and thus prevent court being held. So he sent Captain Warner Wing with 100 men to occupy Toledo, with orders to watch the judges and arrest them if they attempted to hold court. Jonathan H. Jerome was the senior associate judge. Three judges constituted a quorum. Governor Lucas sent his adjutant general, Samuel C. Andrews, to advise with the judges and officers, and to back up the holding of the court. The adjutant general directed Colonel Van Fleet to call out his regiment. The colonel called, and 100 men responded. This was on Sunday, the 6th of September. All kinds of rumors were afloat regarding the Michigan soldiers in the town ready for the test. In this emergency Colonel Van Fleet offered to be responsible for the safety of the persons of the judges, and to insure the holding of the court, if they would obey his orders.
He said : "The 7th day of September will commence at mid-night. No hour is specified in the law when the court should be opened. Governor Lucas wants the court held, so that by its record he can show to the world that he has executed the laws of Ohio within the disputed territory, in spite of the vaporing threats of Governor Mason. If we furnish him that record, we shall have done all that is required. Be ready to mount at 1 o'clock A. M. for Toledo. I will be ready with an escort and protect you.
The Wolverines in Toledo under Captain Wing, closed their eyes in undisturbed slumber that Sabbath evening, and did not awaken until after day had dawned on the 7th. But long before that time the first term of the Court of Common Pleas of Lucas County had been held. It opened at 3 o'clock Monday morning, September 7, 1835, dispatched business more rapidly and closed quicker than any held since that time. The judges and officers of the court were escorted by 20 armed men under command of Matthias Van Fleet, Colonel of the First Regiment, Second Brigade of the Seventeenth Division of Ohio militia. The court was held in the school house which stood where Washington street crossed the canal. This is the record of the proceedings :
" STATE OF OHIO, LUCAS COUNTY, SS :
At a Court of Common Pleas, begun and held at the court house in Toledo, in said county, on Monday, the 7th day of September, A. D. 1835, present : the Hon. Jonathan H. Jerome, sen., associate judge of said county, their Honors Baxter Bowman and William Wilson, associate judges. The court being opened in due form by the sheriff of said county, Horatio Conant being appointed clerk of said court, exhibited his bond with sureties accepted by the court, agreeably to the statute in such case made and provided. The court appointed John Baldwin, Robert Gower and Cyrus Holloway, commissioners for said county. No further business being before the court, the court adjourned without delay.
J. H. JEROME,
Associate Judge."
This brief primitive record marks the time when Lucas County became an organized body under the laws of Ohio. It was formed from portions of Wood and Sandusky Counties, with Toledo as the temporary seat of justice. Its eastern boundary is Lake Erie. It is joined on the south by Ottawa and Wood Counties, with the Maumee River forming a large extent of its southern boundary. Fulton County bounds it on the west, and Michigan on the north. Its area is 420 square miles. Its extreme length from east to west, along what was known as the "Fulton line," is 36 . miles. Its
THE BOOK OF TOLEDO.
breadth along the western boundary is 21 miles. The principal water courses of the county are the Maumee River, the Ottawa River and Swan Creek.
In pursuance of their appointment by the first court held in and for Lucas County, the commissioners, John Baldwin, Robert Gower and Cyrus Holloway, met and organized as a board, in Toledo, for the first time, Monday, September 14, 1835, and appointed Samuel M. Young, county auditor; Eli Hubbard, county treasurer, Frederick Wright, county recorder.
The holding of this first court on that special date was deemed absolutely necessary to uphold the dignity of Ohio. The Ohio legislature, on the 20th of June previously, had solemnly enacted a law that "the Court of Common Pleas in said county should be holden on the first Monday of the next September." This was undoubtedly taken responsive to an act passed by the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan, February 10, 1835. That act was entitled, "an act to prevent the organization of a foreign jurisdiction within the limits of the Territory of Michigan." This act imposed a fine of $1,000 and five years in prison for anyone who would officiate or accept an office by virtue of any commission not derived from the Territory of Michigan or the United States.
That a court had been held in obedience to the law-making power of Ohio, and that, too, in the midst of a hostile force to prevent that very thing, was a cause of much rejoicing and hilarity. When court adjourned, officers and escort went to a tavern kept by Munson H. Daniels, about where the Merchants' Hotel is on St. Clair Street, registered their names and took a drink all around. While discussing the events of the night, they were making preparations for a second drink around, when some one exclaimed, "the Michigan soldiers are coming." That second drink was not taken. They scattered, they scampered, helter-skelter, they sprang for their horses. There was mounting in hot haste, and away they went. About a mile distant the tall hat of the clerk of the court collided with the limb of a tree, and that hat contained the minutes of the court. This mishap halted the party. After brief consultation, it was resolved to return at any risk and secure those documents. It was unanimously decided that after all the trouble they had undergone to hold a court would be of no avail whatever if no record could be shown, and it was concluded that no record could be made without the minutes. After some patient search, to their great relief, the hat and the minutes of the court proceedings were found. They celebrated their good luck at once by two volleys from their guns. That noise awakened the sleeping infantry of Michigan's army, and was the first notice they had an Ohio court had been held in their midst during their watch on what they claimed as their territory.
OFFICES AND WORKS OF THE CRAIG SHIPBUILDING CO.
ONE OF TOLEDO'S LARGE ENTERPRISES
.- Builders of- Lake and Ocean Freighters and Passenger Steamers
DRY DOCK, 500 FEET LONG Special Facilities for Supplying Large Iron Castings of Every Description
The officers of the Company are as follows:
JOHN CRAIG, Pres't E. W. TOLERTON, Vice-President GEO. L. CRAIG, Gen'! Mgr.
JNO. F. CRAIG, Treas.
A. H. MERRILL, Sec'y
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