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 8
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original seat of justice in Wood County was Perrysburg, at the head of navigation on the Maumee River. It was laid out in 1816 just below Ft. Meigs, where Gen. William Henry Harrison made sueh a gallant stand against the British and Indians during the war of 1812. Perrysburg, located at the northern end of the county, was not eonvenient and in 1868 Bowling Green was made the county seat. The county has a large number of prosperous towns and villages which have sprung up within the last fifteen years, most of them, and all of which show signs of an enduring eharaeter. The popula- tion of Wood County in 1900 was 51,555; Bowling Green, 5,067; North Baltimore, 3,561; Perrysburg, 1,766: Cygnet, 896; Jerry City, 555; Bloomdale, 740; Pemberville, 1,081; Grand Rapids, 549: Bradner, 1,148; Prairie Depot, 815; Rising Sun, 660; Wes- ton, 953.
PAULDING COUNTY .- Paulding, named in honor of Pri- vate John Paulding, one of Major Andre's eaptors, was organ-
RACES TODAYFANI
WOOD COUNTY COURT HOUSE, BOWLING GREEN.
ized under the aet of Mareh 18, 1839. The county is level as to surface, and originally swampy. The country roads, having no obstaele to surmount, were laid out through the woods straight as an arrow. Railroads were also built on similar lines. It is stated that a person ean stand near the depot in Defianee and see the headlight of a locomotive two and a half miles from Antwerp, 23 miles away. In early days, in Paulding County, very few people had any idea that the region would ever be oeeupied exeept along the streams. Thriving towns and villages, with rieh farm lands, good buildings, and thou- sands of prosperous eitizens, were not dreamed of in those days. Every aere of Paulding ean be eul- tivated when eleared and drained. Two large streams run through the county, the Mamnee and the Auglaize, which nnit- ed form what was called, on ancient maps, "The Miami of the North." but now the Maumee. Pauld- ing was one of the latest counties to be settled, and only a few years ago had many of the marks
ERY.
STREET VIEW BOWLING GREEN, WOOD COUNTY. A County Fair Day
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PICTURESQUE NORTHWESTERN OHIO
HANCOCK COUNTY COURT HOUSE, FINDLAY.
of a new section. Its towns and villages were located in the midst of clearings made in the gigantic forests, standing in all their primeval grandeur. The mills have been running ceaselessly to work the trees of these forests into timber for the lumber yards of the nation. After selling the timber the owners of the soil had the price thereof with which to drain and tile their broad acres. The making of the hoops and staves has furnished employment to labor, and has been the means of building up a number of thriving communities. In the western part of the county was lo- cated the reservoir of the Wabash & Erie Canal, which connected with the Miami & Erie Canal. The State of Indiana abandoned the Wabash Canal, and the reservoir, covering as it did, 2,000 acres, became a menaee to health. On the night of April 25, 1888, some 200 men cut the banks and let so much water out that the reservoir was practically destroyed. Ohio has since disposed of the land once covered by the water. Charloe, 12 miles south of Defi- ance, was for a short time the county seat, but Paulding was made the permanent capital. In 1900 the population of Paulding County was 27,528; Paulding, 2,080; Antwerp, 1,206; Payne, 1,336; Scott, 547; Grover Hill, 655.
SANDUSKY COUN- TY .- Sandusky, an In- dian name signifying "cold water," was or- ganized under the act of February 12, 1820, and formed from old Indian territory. The soil is fertile, and the surface is generally level. The "Black Swamp" tract covers the western part. Its first settlers were mainly
from New England, but since then many from Pennsylvania and Ger- many have followed the first comers. Like Seneca, Sandusky County was a favorite region with the Indians. Fort Stephenson, or Sandusky, so gallantly defended August 2, 1813, by Colonel Croghan and the United States troops, stood on the present site of Fremont, the county seat. Here the gallant Americans repulsed a large force of British. There were also, in the earlier days of the coun- ty's history, remains of ancient carthworks in this region, evidently constructed centuries before. The county seat was at first known as Lower Sandusky, which name it re- tained until about 1850, when it was changed to Fremont, in honor of General John C. Fremont, the "great pathfinder." In Fremont the late Rutherford B. Hayes, president of the United States, commenced the practice of law. He resided there when elected to that high office, and there he died and is buried. No less famous than her illustrious husband, was Mrs. Lucy Webb Hayes, whose life was devoted to deeds of kindly benevolence. General J. B. McPherson, the gallant officer of the Union Army, who fell at the battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864, was born at Clyde, Ohio. Fremont has become a thriving manu- faeturing city, famous for beautiful homes and solid business in- terests. In 1900 Sandusky County had 34,311 population; Fre- mont, 8,439; Clyde, 2,515; Greenspring, 816; Gibsonburg, 1,791; Lindsay, 614: Woodville, 831; Bellevue (partly), 1,294.
WYANDOT COUNTY .- Wyandot, named for the Wyandot Tribe of Indians, was crected and organized from territory de- tached from Crawford, Marion, Hardin and Hancock, in about equal proportions, by the aet of February 3, 1845. The surface of the county is level and very fertile About one-third of it is prairie land, being covered by the Sandusky plains. This tract in its natural state was covered with a rank, wild grass, several
LEO
CLOTHING
ANDHATS.
G.D.SWAL
ALL-ALMER
MAIN STREET, FINDLAY, HANCOCK COUNTY
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BATTLE GROUNDS OF THE MAUMEE VALLEY
feet in height. This section was, from an carly day, a favorite residence of the Wyandot Indians. It was the scene of Colonel Crawford's defeat in June, 1782, and his subsequent death by the most cruel tortures. A monument now marks the spot. Upper Sandusky, the county seat, is on the west bank of the Sandusky River. It was laid out in 1843, near the site of Fort Ferreem, a stockade structure, built by General Har- rison in the war of 1812. The old Indian village of Crane Town was located about four miles from Up- per Sandusky. In 1824, at Upper Sandusky, the Methodist Episcopal Church built a mission for the In- dians, which was maintained for many years, and numerous converts were made among the Wyandots. The county at present is rich in agricultural re- sources, with considerable oil and gas territory. In 1900 the population of Wyandot County was 21,125; Upper Sandusky, 3,255; Sycamore, 853; Nevada, 899; Carey, 1,816.
SENECA COUNTY .- Seneca, organized under the act of January 22, 1824, was named from the tribe of Indians who at one time had a reservation within its limits. The surface is level, and well watered. The soil is a rich loam. It was settled by people from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York, with a number of Germans. The principal farm products are wheat, corn, grass, oats, potatoes and pork. Build- ing stone and lime are also shipped. Fort Seneca, a military post, built during the war of 1812, was lo- cated nine miles south of Tiffin. It occupied several acres on the bank of the Sandusky River. It was here that General Harrison narrowly escaped being murdered by an Indian. The section is rich in the traditional lore of the Red Men. Here were their great towns located, and thither came the warriors from far and near to attend the councils of their tribes. Tiffin, the county seat, was laid out in 1821 by Josiah Hedges, and was named in honor of Hon. Edward Tiffin, president of the convention which adopted the Constitution of Ohio, and was the first governor of the State, elected in 1803. In early days Fort Ball was located opposite Tiffin, on the west bank of the Sandusky. Tiffin is now situated on both sides of the river,
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HARDIN COUNTY COURT HOUSE, KENTON.
and is a splendid provincial city. Heidelberg College is located here. Tiffin was the home of the late General William H. Gibson, one of the unique and powerful orators of the last half of the nineteenth century in Ohio. Fostoria, the largest section of which lies in Seneca, was formed from two rival towns of Risdon and Rome, laid out about 1832. The name given later was in honor of the father of Hon. Charles Foster. The old plank roads through the "Black Swamp" have given way to railways and modern thoroughfares, and Seneca County is strong in solid and substantial wealth. In 1900 it had a population of 41,163; Tif- fin. 10,375; Bloomville, 819; Fostoria (partly), 6,208; Re- public, 656; Attica, 694.
BURGER & BORK
BUR C. E
STREET SCENE AT KENTON, HARDIN COUNTY.
ERIE COUNTY .- Erie. named for the Erie tribe of In- dians, was erected from terri- tory detached from Huron and Sandusky Counties, by the act of March 15, 1838, and organ- ized by the act of March 16. 1838. The surface of the county forms a gentle slope from the south line, where it has an ele- vation of about one hundred and fifty feet above the lake to the lake level. It has great quar- ries of limestone and freestone. The soil is fertile. It is prom- inent as a fruit growing county. productive in apples, peaches, and particularly in grapes. Its area is only 290 square miles, being in extent one of the small- est connties in the State. Eric. Huron, and a part of Ottawa Counties comprise that part of the Western Reserve known as
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PICTURESQUE NORTHWESTERN OHIO
LOOKING DOWN STREET, FREMONT, SHOWING CROGHAN'S MONUMENT AND OLD CANNON "BETSY." --
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BATTLE GROUNDS OF THE MAUMEE VALLEY
"The Firelands, " being a tract of about 500,000 acres, granted by the State of Con- nectient to the sufferers by fire from the British in their raids into that State. The first regular settlers upon the Firelands came early in 1808, and others later in the same year. The county seat of Erie County. Sandusky, was laid out in 1817, at which time the place was called Ogontz. The proprietors of the town, Hon. Z. Wildman, of Danbury, Connectient, and Hon. Isaac Mills, of New Haven, named it Portland. It was given a great impetus in the forties by the construction of the Mad River & Little Miami Railroad, and the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark Railroad. It early be- came prominent as a lake town of import- ance. It is claimed that in the manufac- ture of wheels and wood implements it ex- cels any city in the Union. The Ohio Sol- diers' and Sailors' Home is located near the city, and is one of the best institutions of the kind in the Union. The Ohio State Fish Hatchery is also situated on the lake front near Sandusky. Thomas A. Edison, the world-famous inventor, was born at Milan, in this county, in 1847. Kelly's Island, 13 miles out in the lake, is a town- ship of Erie County, and contains a little over four square miles. This island is famous for its production of wine. The population of Erie County in 1900 was 37,650; Sandusky, 19,664: Vermillion, 1,184; Huron, 1,708: Milan, 653: Berlin Heights, 625; Kelly's Island. 1,174.
OTTAWA COUNTY .- Ottawa, an Indian name, meaning "trader." was erected and organized from territory taken from Sandusky, Erie and Lucas, by the act of March 6, 1840. The sur- face of the county is level, most of it being within the "black swamp." but a small part of the eastern section being within the Firelands. But few settlers came into the region prior to 1830. About 1849 a tide of emigration set in from Germany. The farms are not large, but highly productive. On the peninsula, which extends into Lake Erie, are extensive plaster beds, and under- neath it are great limestone quarries. The great victory of Com- modore Perry, in the war of 1812, took place on the lake a few miles from the shore of Ottawa County. South Bass, sometimes called Pnt-in Bay Island, and the smaller islands about it, form Put-in Bay Township, Ottawa County. They are famous for their production of wine. On one of them, Gibraltar, is located the summer home of Jay Cooke. Lakeside, a famous sumner resort, is located on the northeast shore of the peninsula. Port Clinton, which, after a long and bitter struggle, is now the county seat, was laid out in 1827. It is situated on a beautiful bay, at the
CHOLERA
SANDUSKY COUNTY COURT HOUSE, FREMONT.
month of Portage River. The situation of the town is favorable for a steady and continuous growth in the future. In 1900 the population of Ottawa County was 22,213; Port Clinton, 2,450: Oak Harbor, 1,630; Elmore, 1,025; Marblehead, 997; Genoa, 824.
INDIAN CHARACTERISTICS AND CUSTOMS.
Religious Ceremonies .- After we had rendevonzed, prepara- tory to moving, we were detained several weeks waiting until they had got over their tedious round of religious ceremonies, some of which were public and others kept private from us. One of their first acts was to take away the fencing from the graves of their fathers, level them to the surrounding surface, and cover them so neatly with green sod, that not a trace of the graves could be seen. Subsequently, a few of the chiefs and others visited their friends at a distance, gave and received presents from chiefs of other nations, at their headquarters. Among the ceremonies above al- luded to was a dance, in which none participated but the war- riors. They threw off all their clothing but their breechelouts. painted their faces and naked bodies in a fantastical manner, cov- ering them with the pictures of snakes and disagreeable insects and animals, and then, armed with war clubs, commenced dancing, velling and frightfully distorting their countenances-the scene was truly terrific. This was followed by the dance they usually have on returning from a victorions battle, in which both sexes
SANDUSKY RIVER LOOKING NORTH FROM STATE STREET BRIDGE, FREMONT.
It is claimed the British soldiers landed at a point on the west side of the river just below the bridge in their attack on Fort Stephenson in 1813.
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PICTURESQUE NORTHWESTERN OHIO
SENECA COUNTY COURT HOUSE, TIFFIN.
participated. It was a pleasing contrast to the other, and was performed in the night, in a ring, around a large fire. In this they sang and marched, males and females promiseuously, in single file, around the blaze. The leader of the band commenced singing, while all the rest were silent until he had sung a certain number of words, then the next in the row commenced with the same, the leader began with a new set, and so on to the end of their chanting. All were singing at once, but no two the same words. I was told that part of the words they used were hallelujah! It was pleasing to witness the native modesty and graceful movement of those young females in this dance.
Fascinations of Indian Charae- ter .- With all their foibles and viees there is something fascinating in the Indian eharacter, and one cannot long associate with them without having a preceptible growing attaclı- ment. The Indian is emphatically the natural man, and it is an easy thing to make an Indian out of a white person, but very difficult to civilize or Christianize an Indian. I have known a number of whites who had been taken prisoners by the In- dians when young, and without ex- eeption they formed such attach- ments that, after being with them some time, they could not be indueed to return to their own people. There was a woman among the Shawnecs, supposed to be near an hundred years of age, who was taken pris- oner, when young, in Eastern Penn- sylvania. Some years after, her
friends, through the agency of traders, endeavored to induee her to return, but in vain. She became, if possible, more of a squaw in her habits and appearance than any female in the nation.
Indian Punctuality .- As a sample of their punctuality in performing contracts, I would state that I have often loaned them money, which was always returned in due season, with a single exeeption. This was a loan to a young man who promised to pay me when they received their annuity. After the appointed time le shunned me, and the matter remained unsettled until just prior to our departure for their new homes. I then stated the circumstanee to one of the chiefs, more from curiosity to see how he would receive the intelligence than with the expecta- tion of its being the means of bringing the money. He, thereupon, talked with the lad upon the subject, but, being unsuccessful, he called a couneil of his brother chiefs, who formed a circle, with the young man in the eenter. After talking to him for a while in a low tone, they broke out and vociferously reprimanded him for his dishonest conduct, but all proved unavailing. Finally, the chiefs, in a most generous and noble spirit, made up the amount from their own purses, and pleasantly tendered it to me .- From "Expe- riences Among the Indians." by David Robb, Indian Agent.
THE OHIO INDIAN.
We are apt to think of the Indian as a lurking, dangerous, unrelenting savage, infesting the forest and living without laws or restrietions of any kind, and with no intentions but of evil. This view is both erroneous and unjust. It is true that they were alert and dangerous as enemies, when once they were made ene- mies, but when we shall have learned a broader charity and truth, instead of prejudice and fiction, shall be recorded as history, it will be found that the Indian has not always been the aggressor, and was not by nature the cruel savage as generally assumed and represented. We, the white people, have written all the history so far, but a more impartial review will yet be unade when it will appear that the cruel and vindictive aets of the Indians were largely the result of the cruel and vindietive acts of the white men. They were not, at worst, more fieree or sav- age than many of the white men with whom they came in con- tact ; and, in truth, they could not have been, for history re- cords no darker or bloodier crimes than those which have been committed by our race against the Indian tribes. The massacre of the Moravian Indians in 1782, on the soil of Ohio, in the now county of Tusearawas, and the murder of Chief Cornstalk and his son Elenipsies in 1777, at Point Pleasant, will always
S
WASHINGTON STREET TIFFIN, SENECA COUNTY.
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BATTLE GROUNDS OF THE MAUMEE VALLEY
remain among the darkest, most dreadful and disgrace- ful pages in American history. A thousand other atroci- ties of various natures shame and disgrace the history of our contaet with the Indian tribes whom we eall savages, and largely rob us of the right to claim superiority over them, save in the matter of education and physical force.
They had no written laws, but they had rules of tribal and family government, which had all the force of laws. They had no written language and but a limited vocabulary, but many of them were gifted with marvel- ous eloquenee of speech; and it would be easy to cite among their reported speeches numerous examples of elo- quenee, which, except for want of classic form, would rank little below the best efforts of the best English- speaking orators. They had neither courts nor judges, but they dealt justly with each other, and guarded indi- vidual rights with jealous care. They had no military schools, but they developed brave and skillful warriors, and the names of Pontiac, Teeumseh, Crane, Cornstalk, Solamon, and many other chiefs will remain a permanent part of the history of the long and bloody contest between the Indian tribes and white men for the possession of the territory of the great Northwest.
Our immediate predecessors in the oeeupancy of Ohio were the Miamis, Shawnees, Delawares and Ottawas of the Algonquin linguistic family, and the Wyandots and Mingoes of the Iroquois linguistie family. There were also in the eastern and northeastern part of the State a few of the Senecas and Tusearawas, who were of the Iro- quois family. Their occupaney, however, was for hunt- ing purposes and temporary in character, their permanent homes being farther east in New York and northern Pennsylvania. Their tribal relations were with the Six Nations of the Iroquois. In the early part of this century some of the Senecas broke away from their original tribal relations and settled near Sandusky, within the territory claimed by the Wyan- dots. They were inconsiderable, both in numbers and influence, and eame into Ohio after the formation of the State and eannot, therefore, be considered as having an original occupancy of the eountry.
The Mingos were but a small tribe, a branch of the Iroquois, which formerly occupied the eastern portion of the State, near Steubenville, and later settled upon the banks of the Scioto, where the eity of Columbus now stands. They had but three small villages, one in front of and south from where the Ohio Peniten- tiary now stands, another was at the west end of the Harrisburg bridge. Logan was their most noted chief and at one time pos- sessed great influence, not only over his own, but all the other tribes of the Ohio.
TOST & PACKARD ARCHITECTS COLUMBUS O
WYANDOT COUNTY COURT HOUSE, UPPER SANDUSKY.
As illustrating the fierce nature of the conflicts between the tribes north of the Ohio and those south of it in times past, it is an important fact that no tribes lived along the banks of that river or permanently oceupied the contiguous territory. The Ohio, as it flowed through the wilderness, was, and has always been, considered one of the most beautiful rivers on the globe, and its banks presented every allurement to and advantage of permanent occupation. Yet, there was not on it, from its source to its mouth, a distance of more than a thousand miles, a single wigwam or structure in the nature of a permanent abode.
General William Henry Harrison, in an address before the Historical Society of Ohio, said: "Of all this immense territory the most beautiful portion was unoccupied. Numerous villages were to be found on the Scioto and the head waters of the two Miamis of the Ohio; on the Miami of the Lake (the Maumee) and its southern tributaries and throughout the whole course of the Wabash, at least as low as the present town of Vin- cennes; but the beautiful Ohio rolled its amber tide un- til it paid its tribute to the father waters through an un- broken solitude. At and be- fore that time and for a een- tury after, its banks were A.VOGEL without a town or single vil- lage, or even a single eottage, the curling smoke of whose chimneys would give the promise of comfort and re- freshment to a weary trav- eler."
This was the result of the long and fieree struggle which was waged between the Indians north of the Ohio and those south of it. Its banks were not safe for
MAIN STREET VIEW, UPPER SANDUSKY, WYANDOT COUNTY.
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PICTURESQUE NORTHWESTERN OHIO
WEST MAIN STREET AT CORNER OF PLEASANT, LOOKING WEST, NORWALK.
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BATTLE GROUNDS OF THE MAUMEE VALLEY
permanent occupation by any of the Indian tribes. Even the vast and fertile territory of Kentucky was not, so far as known or as tradition informs us, the permanent abode of any considerable number of red men. It was, indeed, a dark and bloody ground long before its occupancy by the white men. In that ter- ritory there were great numbers of buffalo game, which made it a most desirable hunting ground, and hither came the Cherokees and Chickasaws of the sonth, as also the tribes north of the Ohio, to hunt and to obtain salt, and to wage war with each other; but it was not the permanent abode of any consider- able number of any of these tribes. It was, rather, a battle ground and seat of conflict between the north- ern and southern tribes which had been waged for a long period of time.
INDIAN GOVERNMENT.
All the tribes in Ohio had practically the same government or tribal organization, although they may have differed in many details. In the social organi- zation of the Wyandots there were four groups-the family, the gens, the phratry, and the tribe. The family was the household. It consisted of the per- sons who occupied one lodge or wigwam. The gens were composed of consanguineal kindred in the fe- male line. The woman is the head of the family and "carries the gens." and each gens has the name of some animal. Among the Wyandots there were eleven gentes, namely : Decr, Bear, Striped Turtle, Black Turtle, Mnd Turtle, Smooth Large Turtle, Hawk, Beaver, Wolf, Sea Snake, and Porcupine. A tribe is a body of kindred, and to be a member of the tribe, it was neces- sary to belong to some family or to be adopted into a family. The white captives were often adopted into families and given the re- lationship of the family. The phratry pertained to medical and religious rites and observances.
There was practically a complete separation of the military from the social government. The councils and chiefs in the social
T
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HURON COUNTY COURT HOUSE, NORWALK.
government were selected by a council of women from the male members of the gens.
The Sachem of the tribe or tribal chief was chosen by the chiefs of the gentes. In their grand councils the heads of the households of the tribe and all the leading men of the tribe took part. These general councils were conducted with great ceremony. The Sachem explained the object for which the council was assem- bled, as to what was proper or best to be done. If a majority of the council agreed the Sachem did not speak, but simply announced the decision. In case there was an equal division of sentiment, the Sachen was expected to speak. It was con- sidered dishonorable for a man to reverse his opinion after he had once expressed it.
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