OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Tidbits of Ohio -- Part 96C ************************************************************************ 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 August 31, 2006 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Historical Collections of Ohio And Then They Went West Know Your Ohio Tid Bits - Part 96 C by Darlene E. Kelley notes by S. Kelly Holley's Journal ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits - Part 96 C Holley's experience in running one of the meridians serves as a description of the others, which cannot be given in a more interesting form, than in the language of his own field books; Monday, July 23d, 1796 -- Left the south line of New Connecticut with Parker, Hamilton, Gray and Davenport, from the first five mile post, north on variation one dergee forty seconds east. Friday, 24th -- Nineteenth mile encamped in consequence of rain. M'Intyre came up and brought some bear's meat, which he dried; dry venison and flour. Monday, Aug 1st, -- Rainy and cloudy. Sent off M'Intyre for provisions to Conneat. Aug 2d -- Thirty- fourth mile. Took variation, ( night of 2nd and 3d.) Cloudy; obsevation bad; my eyes sore; variation two degrees twenty-three seconds. Was obliged to trust Parker to see the star and line; dare not run it; ran on one degree thirty-seven seconds, being that of the Pennsylvania line opposite. Aug 5th, -- Forty-sixth mile; encamped; cloudy; could not get the variation. M'Intyre came to us with provisions, and was most joyfully received, as we were then eating our last dinner but one. Aug 8th, -- Sixtieth mile; at night took variation, one degree fifty-three seconds east. Aug 10th, -- Sixty-sixth mile; came to the bank of the Lake at forty-eight chains 50 links. Set a chestnut post twelve inches square, marked south side, sixty-five miles, forty-eight chains fifty links, & etc. Just as we were starting for Conneaut, we saw a large party coming along the beach, and supposing them to be Indians, and having only a gill of rum left in our bottle, we were hurrying to a spring to drink it before they could come up, and tease us for it. But to our astonishment, we found them to be two of the parties of surveyors coming together. Porter and Pease had run their line through to the Lake with all speed, and came to where Stoddard struck the Lake, just as they were cuting the last tree. We had a most joyful meeting, and had not proceeded far before we met Esquire Warren and his party, returning to bring up their line, which left seventeen miles from where they started out. Altogether they had what was supposed to be thirteen day's provisions. This meeting was not so cordial as the other had been. We arrived at Conneaut two hours before sundown, and stayed until we had eaten the fatted calf. " While the four parties were engaged in running up the first four meridians, Cleaveland, after conciliating the Indians, made an excursion to the site of the future city, which should bear his name. He reached there on the 22nd of July. All of the party must have felt unusually interested, as they approached the spot. Not one of them had seen the place. As they coasted close along the shore, overhung by a dense forest, mirrored in the waters over which they were passing, the mouth of the river disclosed itself, as a small opening, between low banks of sand. The man who controls the party, is seated in the stern, steering his own craft; which is gracefully headed into the stream. His complexion was so swarthy, his figure so square and stout, and his dress so rude; that the Indians supposed some of the blood of their race had crept into his veins. Joshua Stow was probably at this time in this pioneer boat. As they passed into the channel, and the broad river unfolded itself to their view, bordered by marshes, reeds, and coarse grass; their anticipations must have been somewhat moderated. The flats on the west side, and the densely wooded bluffs on the east, did not present a cheerful prospect for a city. They were confined to the eastern shore, by their agreement with the Indians at Buffalo, and at Conneaut. It was necessary to proceed some distance along this shore, before there was solid ground enough to effect a landing. As the Indians had, from generation to generation, kept open a trail along the margin of the Lake, it is probable that Cleaveland's party, scanning with sharp eyes every object as they rowed along the river, saw where the aborginal highway descended the hill, along what became Union Lane. Here they came to a bank, and scrambling out, trod for the first time the soil of the new city. While the boat was being unloaded, the agent had an opportunity to mount the bluff, and scan the surrounding land. This view must have revived his enthusiasm, more than swamps along the river had depressed it. A young growth of oaks, with low bushy tops, covered the ground. Beneath them were thrifty bushes, rooted in a lean, but dry and pleasant soil, highly favorable to the object in view. A smooth and even field sloped gently towards the Lake, whose blue waters could be seen extending to the horizon. His imagination doubtless took a pardonable flight into the future, when a great commercial town, should take the place of the stinted forest growth, which the northern tempests had nearly destroyed. But whatever may have been his anticipations, the reality has outstripped them all. Such a combination of natural beauty, with natural advantages of business, is rarely witnessed; to which is added, what the surveyors could have not foreseen, artificial aids to commerce then unknown. It is not certainly known, but Stiles, and perhaps his wife Anna, were of this party. Enough men were left to put up a store house for supplies, and a cabin for the accomodation of the surveyors. These rude structures were located a short distance south of St. Clair street, west of Union lane, at a sping on the side hill, in rear of Scott's warehouse. During the season, a cabin was put up for Stiles, on lot 53, east side of Bank street, north of the Herald Building, where Morgan & Root's Block was erected. This was the settlement of the city commenced. Authorities claim, that houses had before this had been built by white people, near the mouth of the river; but not for the purpose of permanent settlement. Col James Hillman avers that he put up a small cabin on the east side of the river in 1786, near the foot of Superior Street, of which, however, nothing further is known. Sometime previous to 1787, a party who were wrecked, upon a British vessel, between one or two miles east of the river, built a hut large enough to shelter themselves, through one winter. On the west side of the river, a log storehouse was erected, prior to 1786, to protect flour which was brought from Pittsburgh, on the way to Detroit. This building, in dilapidated state, was standing in 1797, when it was occupied awhile by James Kingsbury and his family. Some cabins were erected during the summer near the shore, beyond Euclid Creek, which are noticed in the journals of Holley and Pease. The design and origin of this embryo sttlement, is not yet well understood. No one is known to have remained there during the winter of 1796/7. A frenchman is reported to have been at Sandusky, not as a settler but a trader. At that time proceeding west of Buffalo; the first white inhabitants on the south shore of Lake Erie were located at Erie, Pa.; the next, the families of Gun and Kingsbury, at Conneaut; and the last and only others settlers, on this bleak wilderness coast were Stiles and his wife; at Cleaveland, with whom Edward Paine was domiciled as a border. The " Excess Company " must have based their hopes of territory upon the maps of Evans, which represented the south shore of the Lake as bearing to much westerly. If had proved to be true, that from the north-east corner of the Reserve; the coast line was nearly west, their expected surplus might have been realized. Had the English military expeditions, carried instruments for astronomical observations, this great error, would have been avoided. The surveyors were directed to fix this coast line in 1796, not by observations but by a traverse of the shore, made by chain and compass. This work was entrusted to Mr. Porter, under the supervision of General Cleaveland. West of the Cuyahoga, it was executed without the consent of the Indians, which rendered the undertaking somewhat hazardous. They now immediately commenced the traverse of the Lake shore. Porter acting as surveyor, measuring westward along the coast; in order to find where the west line of the Reserve would intersect Lake Erie, Warren, Pease, Spafford, and Holley again took to the woods in order to run some parallels westward, from the Pennsylvania line to the Cuyahoga River. Warren had town lines between Nos. six and seven, Range one ( Vernon & Kinsman.) Pease between towns seven and eight; Spafford and Stoddard between towns eight and nine, and Holley, between towns nine and ten, or the townships of Hanover and Richmond, Ashtabula County. The parallels they now assumed should bring them out near the mouth of the Cuyahoga, the line between seven and eight passing through the city of Cleveland. In order to keep strict faith with the Indians, tey were directed not to cross the Cuyahoga River, to cut any trees, or make any marks, on the west side. All of the parties when they reached the Chagrin River, supposed they were at the Cuyahoga. The best maps they could procure had no river upon them, between the Grand River and the Cuyahoga. The surveyors were sorely perplexed on encountering this stream, and proceeded down it to the Lake. Much discussion has taken place upon the origin of the name of the Chagrin river. Thomas Hutchins in his " Topographical Description of Virginia, Pennsylvania, & etc., " in 1778, notices a stream by the name of " Shaguin " which is said to mean in some Indian language, the " clear water." On his map of 1764, no important streams are given between the Cuyahoga and Presque Isle. It is thus not easy to determine what river is meant by the Shaguin. The surveyors all speak of it asthen known, as the Chagrin. Grand River is a name evidently of French origin. its Indian name being " Sheauga," from where the term Geauga is derived, by a very natural corruption. It is highly probable that Chagrin is a title given by the French traders, to this stream from some accident or suffering, such as occurred at Misery River, of Lake Superior. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits con't in part 97.