OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Tidbits of Ohio -- Part 62 ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgenwebarchives.org ************************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 July 21, 2005 ************************************************************************** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Historical Collections of Ohio And Then They Went West Know Your Ohio Tid Bits - part 62. by Darlene E. Kelley notes by S. Kelly [ ] +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits - part 62. The Indians of the Cuyahoga River On the Western Reserve. " Cayagaga " was the first name by which the Mohawk Indians designated the stream that sprang from the northern part of what is now Portage County and proceeded west and south through the gorge and over the falls called "Coppacaw" to the junction with the Little Cuyahoga, and then north again to enter into the lake later to be known as " Erie." The explaination of the word meaning " crooked " from which Cuyahoga Falls got its name, was given by James Smith. James Smith was captured by the Indians in 1755 and escaped in 1759. he writes of one of the explorations of the area, " We turned up the Cuyagaga and hunted for several days until we came to the junction in the Cayagaga. The upland is hilly and second -- and third grade land; the timber chiefly black oak, white oak, hickory, and dogwood." The river had many spellings for its name which is translated into numerous meanings. The Moravians, who in 1786 founded what has been called the first white settlement in the present Cuyahoga County near the junction of Tinker's Creek and the Cuyahoga, wrote the name of the stream " Gajahaga." Near their villiage was an old Indian trail crossing the river at the rapids south of the village. An educated Seneca Indian claimed the name " Cayohaga " meant to the Seneca's " The place of the Jaw Bone," and was thus applied to the river and the locality of Cleveland, because in the dim past before the whiteman came, the jaw bone and other portions of a mastodon were found near the river about five miles from its mouth. An old European map shows the Cuyaoga River and its " carrying place," the Portage Path, with some Indian villages, one of them on the site of Akron being called " Caujahoga Town." The Delaware Indians had it as the " Diiohage." while still another spelling was " Kayhoga." The name is also written " Canahogue," and once even " Tioga" and one writer claims the Cuyahog means " The Beautiful." The early mappers of the Western Reserve, Evans and Hutchins, gave the spelling "Cuyahoga." Other spellngs were; " Cayahoga, Cujahoga, Kayahoga, Cajahages, Guahaga, and Gayahague." The closest the English spelling can approximate the original Mowhawk Indian dialect would be " Kaihoghha." The source of the Cuyahoga River is located in the center of a large field in Hambden Township, Gueuga County. There is a large swamp roughly in oval shape covering perhaps half an acre. The land about the swamp on all sides except the south is cultivated so we can plainly see quite plainly that no stream runs into the swamp. We assume that the swamp is the result of a natural drainage and perhaps underground springs. There is a dense growth of vegetation in the swamp, many elder bushes, cattails, high weeds, a number of small trees and other swamp vegetation. The swamp itself is of secondary importance as we are concerned mostly with the drainage ditch. It took considerable effort to find it as we had to work our way through tall weeds, reeds, briars, and other vegetation. The drainage ditch is very small. It is perhaps twelve to fifteen inches wide and about eight inches deep. There is only a trickle of water in the ditch in hot weather. It is a stream less in volume than could be made with a garden hose. It is hard to believe that this trickle of water is the mighty Cuyahoga River. Strangely, this source of west branch is only about sixteen miles from Lake Erie, yet the river flows in a southernly direction, away from Lake Erie, then west, then north, in a great " U " shape for about eighty five miles to empty into Lake Erie at Cleveland. It is easy to understand why the Indians called it " Cuyahoga," meaning crooked waters. When the earliest settlers first came to Summit County, they inquired of the Indians about legends and stories about the mound builders. The mound builders were gone before the redman came, but they left more than thirty mounds in Summit County. Many have disappeared, but one which remains is located at the entrance of the Valley View Golf Course on Cuyahoga Street near the bank of the river. The mound contains many kinds of soil not found nearby. It is about forty feet high and covered with large oak trees. It remains as a monument to a little known race of people who were first known to occupy our country. As with all stories of the continent and this nation, the roots of our culture sink deep into the land and are nourished by the tales of Indian folk lore. This area of the nation which we call Cuyahoga Falls was probably property of no particular Indian tribe, but set aside by various tribes as a hunting ground. With the dawn of the history in Ohio at the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, we find a cat nation, or Eries, in this region; but before the arrival of the first settlers the Eries had been defeated by the Iroquois, in 1656. After the annihilation of the Erie tribe, Ohio became an open country for all Indian tribes who cared to come here or were driven westward by the ever increasing white population. A few tribes traveled through Ohio on their way westward without even stopping. Many adopted the Ohio as their home, being content to stay for a while, loafing and enjoying the easy life that the rich land of Ohio afforded them. They moved on only as whim struck them. Other tribes found living so easy and comfortable that they decided to stay indefinately. Strange as it seems, many Indian tribes which had continually warred against each other in their homelands of New York and Pennsylvania, now lived together in Ohio in peace and harmony. One very popular place for incoming Indians was the valley of the Cuyahoga River. Senecas lived with a stone's throw of Ottawas, Mingos and Delawares and built their villages close together. Chippewas and Wyandottes were neighbors. There was no tribal warfare, since the provided food and pleasure was sufficient for all. The Indians who lived in Summit County were peaceful and friendly to the white settlers. In Summit history, there is no record of the Indians burning the cabins of the settlers or murdering their men and women. It was only when the Indians became intoxicated by the whiteman's firewater that they became troublesome; and then afterwards were sorry and apologetic. Near Boston, there was large Indian encampments. A number of Indian tribes lived in adjacent Indian villages, the biggest being one of Chief Pontiac's camps occupied by Ottawas. Nearby lived the Cuyagas and others. It is said by many historical writers that the Indians near Boston were most advanced gardeners and farmers. Rich lands along the river was planted in corn, pumpkins, and tobacco. Mature apple trees were found there by the first settlers. Nearby, in Northhampton Township, there was another village of the Ottawas under Chief Pontiac. The site of this village on the Portage Trail, was at one time, marked by a large stone that was used by the Indian squaws to grind grain. [ It has since been removed to a farm nearby and used as an ornament, and then removed to the Summit Historical Society.] Prehistoric Indian Mounds, campsites, and other landmarks indicate use of this area as a hunting ground. the trails and portages were used by early settlers as they journeyed from lake to river, portaging from the Cuyahoga to the Tuscarawus; and crossing east to west, from the great salt springs in the eastern portion of the state to the hunting grounds that lay to the west. The Indian trail from the Great Lakes and Canada to the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and thus to the Gulf of Mexico lay through the valley. All who wished to make the trip started up the Cuyahoga River to the point at which it was crossed by Portage Path. >From there the Redman and Whitemen alike carried canoes and cargo up the hill and then South along Portage Path, East Avenue, and Manchester Road to the location of Young's Inn. [ The Inn is still there but not in use.] Here, at the crossing of the Tuscarawas River, the travelers could continue by water all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. This trail of water and land marked the northern limits of this new nation in 1800. All agreements for land and settlement rights at the time of the first pioneers in this area gave the Thirteen Colonies the land east of this line and to all the Indians all the lands to the west. The boats used in the transportation of men and goods fom the mouth of the Cuyahoga to the " old Portage" were long and narrow vessels, frequently called " dugouts." They were from twenty to forty feet long, and from three to four feet wide and were propelled by poles when going against the current. They could carry from ten to twelve barrels of pork salt, or whiskey. At that time, salt sold for $ 20.00 per barrel and whiskey for $ 5.00 or less. In a report dated 1771, Thomas Jefferson said." The Muskingum is 280 yards wide at its mouth and 200 yards at the lower Indian town. It is navigable for a small batteaux to within one mile of a navigable part of the Cuyahoga River which runs into Lake Erie. It is felt the Indians liked hills and valleys more than the coparatively level land in the lakes region; but, whatever the reason, most Indian life was centered about our northern townships. The Big Falls of the Cuyahoga and the Old maid's Kitchen, was the site of a large village of the Delawares under Chief Net-a-wat-wees. It is said they had the largest fields of corn and vegetables in the country. The northern part of North Akron was always a plateau without trees. The largest Indian Village was at Silver Lake, about 500 Senacas under Chief Wabmong. Wabmong, from the beginning, was a great friend of the early settlers, supplied them with food, nursed them in sickness, and helped them generally. His greatest feat was the prevention of the massacre of the entire white population of Stow Township during the War of 1812. The British bribed the Indians and tried to persuade them to murder all whites. Chief Wabmong was able to control his drunken " braves " and caused them to leave for the west without harming the whites. Here the Indians lived quietly and peacefully for many years. The early settlers told interesting stories of peaceful, as well as warlike, encounters with the Indians. Mrs. William Wetmore never tired of telling stories of the Indians. Lydia Wetmore of Cuyahoga Falls was not of the nervous type, and she understood how lucky the settlers were to have Senacas, Ottawas, and Delawares as neighbors. She understood too, that diplomacy was required. But she would have owned to a touch of real concern when spring burned through in the year the youngest of her three boys turned 12 and her eldest 16. As she scrubbed their work trousers, she watched out her real glass window at Silver Lake. The three Seneca girls bathing in Silver lake [ Stow's Pond ] were handsome and lively. The sun glinting off their coppery limbs painted the beautiful kind of picture which would haunt any young man's nights. And the trousers that Lydia was scrubbing were definately long pants now. A boy was a man at 16 out here, if he was going to be one. But Lydia and her husband William Wetmore, cofounders and agent for Joshua Stow of Cuyahoga Falls, felt that serious trouble could break out if settlers' sons coveted Indian daughters in this girl scarce land. Three times this spring the Seneca girls had bathed here, spashing and laughing with the light footed joy of emeging from winter boots. Lydia watched them dry off in the sun, and with a woman's heated lighting awareness, she linked it to the sudden cessation of ax blows from up on the rise where the boys were clearing. The Indian girls dressed, but their short- open sided summer manteaux were far from Connecticut fashions. She saw that they were headed now not back to the village, but up to her own house to visit, as they often did. Lydia Wetmore was a woman of understanding. For white settlers to tell indians to wear Connecticut dress would be clumsy. And Silver Lake, she felt, belonged more to the Indians than her. Suddenly she reached down a bolt of blue dyed sacking, sissored off seven feet, folded it, cut an interesting neckline at the fold, and sat down with needle and thread, composing herself as one not in a hurry. " Come in." she called casually to the knock. Lydia Wetmore was a favorite with Senaca girls. They smiled with pleasure at the sight of the crisp clean sacking. They crowded close, inquiring with soft Seneca exclamations. Lydia Wetmore smiled around a mouthful of pins and nodded them to be patient. Intently they watched her work, and they argued pleasantly in Seneca about what she was making. She kept them in suspense, until she unfurled it with a flourish. Then it all came clear, Lydia nodded to the tallest girl who gasped and snatched the cloth. She put it on right over everything else and looked down at herself with pleasure. But the short girl laughed and spred her arms wide, "H-a-a!" Mrs. Wetmore laughed, too. She cut off a narrow band from the bolt, wrapped it abound the tall girl's waist and tied a large neat bow. The short girl folded her arms and cocked her head, " Ah-ha !" And she stared involuntarily at the bolt of cloth. Mrs. Wetmore unrolled the blt of cloth and handed her the scissors. then she threaded three iron needles. The Seneca girls ran across the trail to their Silver Lake village.They had not been gone long when their smiling mothers suddenly appeared at Mrs. Wetmore's door. One held out a blue sacking waist sash and nodded with agressive geniality. Inside the hut, Mrs. Wetmore held up the diminished bolt against the nodding mother. There was a problem of girth. But she told them to get hides and pelts and come and meet her at the trader's cabin. There the pelts was negotiated for yard goods. After that, the Seneca women met in increasing numbers every sabbath in the Wetmore cabin. She taught them how to keep the stitches very small. They kept coming and she taught them how to cut and sew dresses for themselves and their families. So it can be said that the woman's sewing circle was the first gathering of people in the land of Cuyahoga at the headwaters of the Coppacaw, Cuyahoga Falls. Here too, they all exchanged cooking recipes and the woman became very close in friendship. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits to continue in part 63.