SENECA COUNTY OHIO - HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF OHIO
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Historical Collections of Ohio By Henry Howe, LL.D.

 SENECA COUNTY - Part 7

THE CAYAHAGA RIVER.

We turned up Cayahga, and encamped, where we stayed and hunted for several
days, and so we kept moving and hunting until we came to the forks of
Cayahga. This is a very gentle river, and but few ripples or swift running
places from the mouth to the forks. Deer here were tolerably plenty, large
and fat; but bear and other game scarce. The upland is hilly, and
principally second and third rate land; the timber chiefly black oak, white
oak, hickory, dog-wood, etc. The bottoms are rich and large, and the timber
is walnut, locust, mulberry, sugar-tree, red haw, black haw, wild apple
trees, etc. The west branch of this river interlocks with the east branch
of the Muskingum, and the east branch with the Big Beaver creek that
empties into the Ohio about thirty miles below Pittsburgh.
From the forks of Cayahaga to the east branch of the Muskingum there is
a carrying place where the Indians carry their canoes, etc., from the
waters of Lake Erie into the waters of the Ohio.
From the forks I went over with some hunters to the east branch of the
Muskingum, where they killed several deer, a number of beavers, and
returned heavy laden with skins and meat, which we carried on our backs as
we had no horses.
The land here is chiefly second and third rate, and the timber chiefly oak
and hickory. A little above the forks, on the east branch of Cayahaga, are
considerable rapids, very rocky for some distance, but no perpendicular falls.
From the east branch of the Muskingum the party went forty miles
north-east to Beaver Creek, near a little lake or pond which is about two
miles long and one broad, and a remarkable place for beaver. After various
adventures in pursuit of beaver and other game, they went in February,
1757, to the Big Beaver, and in March returned to the forks of Cuyahoga.
Here occurred a lesson on profane swearing, which is not unworthy of
repetition.
AN INDIAN'S IDEA OF PROFANITY.
I remember that Tecaughretanego, when something displeased him said "God
damn it." I asked him if he knew what he then said? He said he did, and
mentioned one of their degrading expressions, which he supposed to be the
meaning, or something like the meaning of what he said. I told him that it
did not bear the least resemblance to it; that what he had said was calling
upon the Great Spirit to punish the object he was displeased with. He stood
for some time amazed, and then said, if this be the meaning of these words,
what sort of people are the whites? When the traders were among us these
words seemed to be intermixed with all their discourse. He told me to
reconsider what I had said, for he thought I must be mistaken in my
definition; if I was not mistaken, he said, the traders applied these words
not only wickedly but oftentimes very foolishly, and contrary to sense or
reason. He said he remembered once of a trader accidentally breaking his
gun lock, and on that occasion calling out aloud, "God damn it." Surely,
said he, the gun lock was not an object worthy of punishment for Owananeeyo
or the Great Spirit; he also observed the traders often used this
expression when they were in a good humor and not displeased with anything.
I acknowledged that the traders used this expression very often, in a most
irrational, inconsistent and impious manner; yet I still asserted that I
had given the true meaning of these words. He replied, if so, the traders
are as bad as Oonasharoona, or the underground inhabitants, which is the
name they give to devils, as they entertain a notion that their place of
residence is under the earth.
Making a large chestnut canoe, the party embarked, had an agreeable
passage down the Cuyahoga and along the south side of Lake Erie until they
passed the mouth of Sandusky, then the wind arose, and they put in at the
mouth of the Miami of the Lake, at Cedar Point, and sailed thence in a few
days for Detroit. After remaining in the Wyandot and Ottawa villages
opposite Fort Detroit until November, a number of families prepared for
their winter hunt, and agreed to cross the lake together. Here occurs a
description of the Island Region of Lake Erie.
THE ISLANDS OF LAKE ERIE.
We encamped at the mouth of the river the first night, and a council was
held whether we should cross by the three islands, meaning of course, East
Sister, Middle Sister and West Sister, or coast around the lake. These
island lie in a line across the lake, and are just in sight of each other.
Some of the Wyandots or Ottawas frequently make their winter hunt on these
islands, though excepting wild fowl and fish, there is scarcely any game
here but raccoons, which are amazingly plenty and exceedingly large and
fat, as they feed upon the wild rice, which grows in abundance in wet
places round these islands. It is said that each hunter in one winter will
catch one thousand raccoons.
INDIANS IDEAS UPON RATTLESNAKES AND RACCOONS.
It is a received opinion among the Indians that the snakes and raccoons
are transmigratory, and that a great many of the snakes turn raccoons every
fall, and the raccoons snakes every spring. This notion is founded on
observations made on the snakes and raccoons on this island.
As the raccoons here lodge in rocks, the trappers make their wooden traps
at the mouth of the holes; and as they go daily to look at their traps, in
the winter season they commonly find them filled with raccoons, but in the
spring, or when the frost is out of the ground, they say they can find
their traps filled with large rattlesnakes, and therefore conclude that
the raccoons are transformed. They also say that the reason why they are so
plenty in winter is, every fall the snakes turn raccoons again.
I told them that though I had never landed on any of these islands, yet,
from the numerous accounts I had received, I believed that both snakes and
raccoons were plenty there, but no doubt they all remained there both
summer and winter, only the snakes were not to be seen in the latter; yet I
did not believe that they were transmigratory. These islands are but seldom
visited, because early in the spring and late in the fall it is dangerous
sailing in their bark canoes; and in the summer they are so infested with
the various kind of serpents (but chiefly rattlesnakes) that it is
dangerous landing.
A DRIVING HUNT.
I shall now quit this digression and return, to the result of the council
at the mouth of the river. We conclude to coast it around the lake, and in
two days we came to the mouth of the Miami of the Lake, and landed on Cedar
Point, where we remained several days. Here we held a council, and
concluded we would take a driving hunt in concert and in partnership.
The river in this place is about a mile broad, and as it and the lake form
a kind of neck, which terminates in a point, all the hunters (which were
fifty three) went up the river, and we scattered ourselves from the river
to the lake. When first we began to move we were not in sight of each
other, but as we all raised the yell we could move regularly together by
the noise. At length we came in sight of each other and appeared to be
marching in good order. before we came to the point both the squaws and
boys in the canoes were scattered up the river and along the lake to
prevent the deer from making their escape by water. As we advanced near the
point the guns began to crack slowly, and after some time the firing was
like a little engagement. The squaws and boys were busy tomahawking the
deer in the water, and we shooting them down on the land. We killed in all
about thirty deer, though a great many made their escape by water.
We had now great feasting and rejoicing, as we had plenty of hominy,
venison, and wild fowl. The geese at this time appeared to be preparing to
move southward. It might be asked what it meant by the geese preparing to
move. The Indians represent them as holding a great council at this time
concerning the weather, in order to conclude upon a day that they may all
at or near one way to the southern bays. When matters are brought to a
conclusion and the time appointed that they may all at or near one time
leave the northern lakes, and wing their way to the southern bays. When
matters are brought to a conclusion and the time appointed that they are to
take wing, then they say a great number of express are sent off, in order
to let the different tribes know the result of this council, that they may
all be in readiness to move at the time appointed. As there was a great
commotion among the geese at this time, it would appear from their actions,
that such a council had been held. Certain it is, that they are led by
instinct to act in concert, and to move off regularly after their leaders.
Here our company separated. The chief part of them went up the Miami
river, that empties into Lake Erie at Cedar Point, whilst we proceeded on
our journey in company with Tecaughretanego, Tontileaugo, and two families
of the Wyandots.
As cold weather was now approaching, we began to feel the doleful effects
of extravagantly and foolishly spending the large quantity of beaver we had
taken in our last winter's hunt. We were all nearly in the same
circumstances; scarcely one had a shirt to his back, but each of us had an
old blanket which we belted around us in the day and slept in at night,
with a deer or bear skin under us for our bed.
THE FALLS OF SANDUSKY.
When we came tot he Falls of Sandusky we buried our birch bark canoes, as
usual, at a large burying place for that purpose, a little below the falls.
At this place the river falls about eight feet over a rock, but not
perpendicularly. With much difficulty we pushed up our wooden canoes; some
of us went up the river, and the rest by land with the horses, until we
came to the great meadows or prairies that lie between Sandusky and Scioto.

-continued in part 8