Allen County, Ohio - Chapter 1: The Old Northwest, 1906

Chapter 1: The Old Northwest

Allen County and the Ordinance of iySy - Five New States - Marvelous Grozvth of the Old Northwest - Greatness of Ohio - First Colony in the Wilderness - Ohio's First

County and First Court - Gen. George R Clark's Expedition - Fall of Kaskaski Territory - Lands Taken From the India Hazvk War - The Wilderness Subdued.

Allen County, Ohio, formed a part of the Old Northwest. By the celebrated Ordinance of 1787 the territory "northwest of the river Ohio'' was to be divided into not less than three nor more than five sections or States. By the same law it was provided that "whenever any of the said States shall have sixty thousand free inhabitants therein, such State shall be admitted, by its delegates, into the Congress of the United States, on ecpial footing with the original States, in all respects whatever; and shall be at liberty to form a permanent constitution and State government." (Article V, Ordinance of 1787.)

Acting under this provision of our organic law, Ohio became a State. February 19, 1803. and Allen County, as a part of Ohio, entered upon her history-making career, though the county had not yet been organized. There were five States carved out of the Old

Northwest - Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, making a total area of 250,- 000 square miles. At the time of the passage of the Ordinance of 1787 it is probable there were not more than 60,000 "free inhabitants" in the entire five States. Today there are more than 16 millions. In this section - the Old Northwest - we find now the largest lakes, joined by silvery rivers and canals, the richest mine deposits, and the most fertile soil in North America, if not in the world. Here are the longest rivers - and upon their banks sit in pride and majesty the noble cities from whose factories and mills come the clothing and food that help to feed and to protect the hungry millions of earth. The citizenship of this section is among the most enlightened and progressive, Ohio alone having furnished six Presidents of the United States, one Vice- President, three Presidents of the Senate, one

Speaker of the House, two chief justices, five associate justices and 22 cabinet officers. In addition, there is a long list of distinguished senators, inventors, authors and scholars; likewise

For many years after the coming of the white men, the American Indians - the original owners of the soil - made life a burden for these white men who were often forced to bare their breasts upon "upland glade or glen" to the tomahawk, the poisoned arrow and the fagot. The soil was redeemed for the white men by the veterans of three wars. It was reddened by the blood of the Indian, the French, the English and the American. It was consecrated by the death of many a noble son.

But the great ordinance did more than to provide for the admission of States - it had strong provisions in regard to slavery and education. "There shall be neither slavery, nor involuntary servitude in said territory, otherwise than in the punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted." No such expression had yet been seen in any document ; and this is all the more wonderful and noble, when we recall the fact that, at that time, all the original States had slaves. From this can be traced the liberty-loving sentiment ever afterward found in the people of the Northwest. But this is not all. The great document resounded throughout the wilderness, as with a Titan's voice, the cause of religion and education : "Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." The 1 6th section of every township of 36 sections was set aside for the maintenance of common schools in each of these five States. This generous grant on the part of the general government gave to these five States five million acres. From the sale of this land the schools have realized more than 20 million dollars. The spirit of this section of the ordinance spread to all the Western States and they now have magnificent school funds. The ordinance also gave to each State one township entire for the maintenance of a university. In Ohio this township is located in Athens County, and thus grand old Ohio University, at Athens, originated, and is. in part, sustained to-day. It is the oldest university west of the Alleghany Mountains. Thus was the fund for education in Allen County begun, and it has been generously increased by liberal donations from the State and from private funds.

First Colony In The Wilderness

In 1787 Rev. Manasseh Cutler led a band of intrepid pioneers into the wilderness, and they formed the first colony or settlement in what is now Ohio, at Marietta. They named their camp "Marietta," after the beautiful French Queen, Marie Antoinette. Before the first year had passed, Marietta had 132 men and 15 families. The first Fourth of July, 1788, was right royally celebrated in this new home of liberty. On the 15th of that month, the first Governor of the Northwest Territory, Gen. Arthur St. Clair, arrived and took charge of affairs. He was well received by the people.

and most heartily supported by them. Governor St. Clair soon began the work of organization and he laid out Ohio's first county (1788), which embraced about all of the eastern half of Ohio, and which he named Washington County. A sheriff, judges and other officers were appointed, and on Campus Martins, the first court in Ohio was opened in the block house. This was a great event, for on that day law and order began in the wilderness. The beginnings of great things are always of deep interest, and this interest grows with each decade. This beginning of established law was thus announced from the door of the log cabin court house, on Campus Martins, in the fall of 1788, by the newly appointed sheriff in these words: - "Oyez! Oyez! A court is now open for the administration of even-handed justice, to the poor and to the rich, to the guilty and to the innocent, without respect of persons; none to be punished without trial by their peers, and then in pursuance of the laws and evidence in the case." From this first county of Ohio, the number has grown to 88, and courts of justice are established in each county.

Gen. George Rogers Clark

The history of the Old Northwest cannot be told without relating the great work of George Rogers Clark. It would really be the play of "Hamlet" with Hamlet omitted. He was born in Virginia in 1752, and was a brother of Capt. William Clark, whose great journey of 8,000 miles into the Oregon country, 1804-06, in company with Capt. Meriwether Lewis, a grateful nation is this year (1905) commemorating by a World's Fair at Portland, Oregon. George Rogers Clark was made a brigadier general in 1781, but is generally known in history, especially during the campaign in the Old Northwest, as Colonel Clark. He was only 20 years old when he plunged into the unbroken wilderness of Ohio, as a soldier and surveyor of Lord Dunmore's expedition. He was as fine a rifleman as ever entered a forest, and he was skilled in all the knowledge of woodcraft. As a soldier he was brave and manly ; as a commander he was sagacious, patient and fearless. The Indians respected and feared him alike, and gave him and his men the title of "The Long Knives."

In 1775, at the close of Dunmore's War, Clark went to Kentucky, where he assisted Daniel Boone to fight Indians, and to build a new commonwealth in the wilderness. On his return to his old home in Virginia, he learned that the War for Liberty had actually begun between the Colonies and England - the mother country. One year later we again find him in Kentucky, aiding the settlers on the borders in many ways. He is chosen by them to command the rude militia of this country, and it proved a wise choice. Every settlement was in constant danger of attack by the bloodthirsty Indians, and Clark knew full well how to resist them. But Virginia was claiming ownership of this country of Kentucky - "the dark and bloody ground" - and the hardy settlers thought they should have some protection from Virginia. At last two delegates, Clark being one, were chosen to go to Virginia and see the Governor and ask for the aid so justly due them. These determined delegates obtained an interview with the Governor of Virginia - then the noted Patrick Henry - and very forcefully showed him their needs and the necessity of immediate action. They petitioned for the formation of their country into an independent county, and that they might be allowed to assist the Colonies in their struggle against the tyranny of England. They also asked for 500 pounds of gunpowder and a supply of rifles. The Governor was at first inclined to refuse these requests on the ground that Virginia had all she could manage in the defense of the Colonies. But Colonel Clarktold him plainly that a country that was not worth defending was not worth claiming. The delegates obtained their desired arms and ammunition, and when the Legislature next met the County of Kentucky was formed, with almost the identical boundaries as now mark the State of Kentucky.

the spring of 1777 the Indians had been so incited to cruelty and bloodshed by the promise of pay on the part of the British, that they made constant raids on the settlements across the Ohio. Hiding in the dense forest, they boldly attacked the unprotected and helpless pioneer while at work in his field, burned his cabin, destroyed his cattle and his crops and carried his wife and children into hellish captivity. Not a single life was safe, for there was always a hidden dusky foe on every hand. Unless relief could be obtained soon, all the whites in the valley would be destroyed. Relief came - and under the guiding hand of the brave young Clark. He conceived the plan of not only protecting the settlements, but of saving the great Northwest. But to carry out his plans he must have more men, and he therefore hurried back to Virginia, and laid his plans fully before Governor Patrick Henry. He was duly commissioned to raise seven companies of 40 men each among the settlers west of the Alleghany Mountains. As an incentive each soldier was promised 300 acres of land, to be selected from the richest valleys of the conquered territory. Thus originated the Virginia Military Reservation, between the Scioto and Miami rivers in Ohio, and the Reservation, now in the State of Indiana, for Clark and his soldiers.

In May, 1778, he started on the famous expedition from Redstone Old Fort - Brownsville, Pennsylvania - with only about 150 men. But the band increased in size as it marched on to old Fort Pitt, where it embarked upon the Ohio. When Colonel Clark left the Governor of Virginia, he was entrusted with two specific commands. One was to protect the settlers in Kentucky, and the other - not yet to be made public - authorized him to attack Kaskaskia, a British post on the Kaskaskia River, one mile east of the Mississippi. Governor Henry also gave him $1,200. and an order on the commandant at Fort Pitt for all the powder he might need. From this fort the little band of men, without uniforms, fresh from the cabin, the forest and the mountain, began their perilous journey to conquer what has proved to be as rich a country as can be found upon the globe. A motley crowd they were! Clad only in the garb of the hunter, and armed with the clumsy flint-lock rifle, the tomahawk and the long knife. But each man felt that he had a mission to perform, and under the leadership of the "Hannibal of the West," he knew not defeat. At the falls of the Ohio, the army of backwoodsmen halted and camped on "Corn Island," opposite the present site of Louisville. Here the settlers, who had accompanied the expedition, decided to remain, and build their homes. Colonel Clark drilled his soldiers here, then boldly informed them of his secret commission from Governor Henry to attack the British post at Kaskaskia. Cheers from the soldiers followed the announcement. Clark wise- ly decides to make the journey by land, and therefore hides his little flotilla near the mouth of the Tennessee and begins his journey through the tangled forest. This journey was filled with dangers and difficulties, but, on the night of July 4. 1778, he surprises the garrison and captures the fort and the town. By a masterful management he brought all the inhabitants to take the oath of allegiance to the United States - and that without shedding blood. The British colors were lowered, and in their place, the "Old Blue Flag" of Virginia was hoisted. Without fighting, the garrison of Cahokia, a few miles up the Mississippi, also surrendered. Then quickly followed the surrender of Vincennes, on the Wabash, 240 miles distant. Vincennes at this time was deserted by most of the British, as the Governor General, Hamilton, had returned to Detroit. But on learning of its capture by Colonel Clark and his backwoodsmen, and also that Kaskaskia and Cahokia were in his possession, Hamilton hastened to Vincennes with a large body of British regulars and Indian allies. He finds the fort in possession of just two men - Captain Helm and a soldier. The Captain places a cannon at the open gate and demands the honors of war, if the fort is to be surrendered. The request is granted - and two men march out between rows of British soldiers and Indians. Hamilton again takes command of the fort, but as it is now the dead of winter, decides to await the coming of spring before attacking Kaskaskia. But Clark is informed by his faithful Spanish friend. Colonel Vigo, who loaned Clark nearly $20,000 to aid in this campaign, that Hamilton had sent most of his men home for the winter, with the intention of recalling them early in the spring for an attack on Kaskaskia. Clark at once marches against Hamilton, a long and dangerous journey. The streams were filled with floating ice, the meadows and valleys were full of water and the ground was swampy and irregular. Often the men had to wade, for four or five miles at a stretch, through water to their waists. Food became scarce, and the men were falling from sickness. But fortunately for them they captured a canoe from some squaws, and in it they found a goodly quantity of buffalo meat, corn, tallow and kettles. This revived the weak, and gave them all added courage to press on to the attack. At last they camped on a small area of dry ground within sight of Vincennes. Hamilton was not aware of the approach of any enemy, and consequently felt secure in his stronghold. When night fell upon the camp, Colonel Clark led his men in a bold rush upon the town. The people of Vincennes were most heartily tired of British rule, and they welcomed the Americans. After some sharp fighting, Hamilton agreed to meet Clark in a church and arrange terms.. The valiant Clark would listen to no proposition from this "murderer of defenceless women and children'' but unconditional surrender. The next day Hamilton's men, 79 in number, marched out and laid down their arms. The American colors were again hoisted over "Old Vincennes," and the fort was rebaptized with a new name, "Fort Patrick Henry." To the good name of George Rogers Clark also belongs the great work of the invasion of the rich country of the Shawnees, and the defeat of the Miamis. This successful campaign gave to Clark undisputed control of all the Illinois country, and the rich valley of the Wabash. In fact he was the unquestioned master of the country from Pennsylvania to the "Father of Waters," and from the Ohio to the Great Lakes.

By the Treaty of Paris, 1783, at the close of the Revolutionary War, this great area, now consisting of five States, was transferred from Great Britain to the United States. To the hero of this expedition America owes an enduring monument. But we have not always rewarded our great men in due measure. It is sad to relate that George Rogers Clark was allowed to pass his last years in poverty and neglect. His death came in 1818.

Ownership Of The New Territory

For a long time it was doubtful to what State this newly acquired region belonged. Virginia claimed nearly all of it - and certainly her claim was a strong one. Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut each laid claim, also, to parts of this territory. But Delaware. New Jersey and Maryland absolutely refused to enter the Union, unless all the other States gave up their claims to Congress. Their contention was this: Should Virginia, or any other State, be given the whole or even a great part of this vast area, she would then have too much power. Therefore all claims, they said, should be surrendered by these States to Congress for the general good. This firm stand on the part of these three small States finally prevailed, and all claims, save certain reservations, were given up to the general government. It was many years, however, before the Indian tribes gave tip their rich hunting grounds to the white men. We cannot find heart to censure them for this, for it was no small matter for the savage son of the forest to yield the land of his birth and the bones of his fathers, to the encroachments of alien foes. The treatment given these original owners of the soil of God's broad footstool will ever bring the blush of shame to every honest American, for these lands were taken from them by misrepresentation, dishonesty and overwhelming force.

Senator John Sherman - Ohio's great Senator - always claimed that the government never kept a single treaty made with the Indian. Is it any wonder then that we find the Sacs, the Foxes, the Ottawas, the Winnebagoes and the Kickapoos making a last desperate struggle to retain their happy hunting gi ounds ?

Black Hawk

The story of this last long effort by these tribes centers around the one chief who towers above all others in this country as Mont Blanc towers among the foothills of the plain, viz : Black Hawk, a chief of the Sacs and Foxes. He was born in 1767, in the Indian village of Sauker.uk, on the north bank of the Rock River, about a mile above its mouth. At the age of 19, upon the death of his father, who was killed in battle, he "fell heir to the medicine bag of his forefathers," and for 50 years was the only leader of his people - the last savage patriot to defend his land against the irresistible force of civilization. Black Hawk was a born warrior and leader of warriors. His great-grandfather was a mighty chief before him - the celebrated old Thunder, who more than a hundred years before had led his fierce people - the Sacs - from the northern shores of the St. Lawrence to the rich valleys of Rock River and the Wisconsin. Black Hawk taught his people a rude form of agriculture, and they made a garden of Rock Island. Until the unfair and one-sided treaty was made by the authorities at St. Louis in 1804 for a narrow strip of land along the great river, in order to work the mines of lead there, he was a friend of the Americans. But he never would acknowledge the rights of this treaty by which the valuable lands of his people were filched from them. This had been accomplished by loading the four chiefs, who had been sent to St. Louis to secure the honorable release of a Sac warrior imprisoned for killing a vicious backwoodsman in a quarrel, with gaudy presents, and filling them with whiskey. In addition, they were made' flattering promises, and under these various influences they finally consented to give the American commander - the representative of the American government - certain parts of their country on two rivers - the Illinois and the Mississippi. It was also promised, on the part of the President of the United States, to pay the Sacs $1,000 per year for this valuable grant. These chiefs had no right to make any treaty, though they thought

President Andrew Jackson And Black Hawk

Courtesy of the American Book Co. by thus complying with the wishes of the white chief, they would gain his good will, and save the life of the Sac warrior whom they had been sent to aid. Instead, however, they saw him led out and shot to death - murdered without a trial - in the very land over which the Or- dinance of 1787 had expressly stipulated: "The utmost good faith shall always be observed toward the Indians; their lands and their property shall never be taken from them without their consent; and in their property, rights and liberty they shall never be invaded or disturbed, unless in just and lawful wars authorized by Congress, but laws founded in justice and humanity shall from time to time be made for preventing wrongs being done to them, and for preserving peace and friendship with them." How well we have kept these fair promises! What wonder that the noble blood of Black Hawk should fairly boil with vindictive rage at such treatment of his race! From this one abuse originated the Black Hawk War. But it was augmented by many other causes of even greater flagrance and dishonor. False reports about this great chief were spread far and wide, and the government sent an army against him. Our own great Lincoln formed, when a mere youth, a militia company, and marched to the supposed scene of "the great Indian uprising." Black Hawk, who never really meant to fight the Americans, but had long borne in silence his deep wrongs, was captured, through the treachery of the Winnebagoes, and imprisoned. His tribes - men, helpless women and children - were ruthlessly shot down or drowned in the Mississippi, the very river upon whose banks they had so long hunted, lived and loved. After a long imprisonment in Jefferson Barracks in Missouri, he was taken to Washington, where President Andrew Jackson held an interview with him. When asked by the President why he had attempted to make war against the Americans, he answered : "I am a man and you are another. I took up the hatchet to avenge injuries which could no longer be borne." The great President sent him back to live in peace with the few remaining people of his race, upon the plains of Iowa, where lie died in 1838. Thus was closed forever, in the Old Northwest, the efforts of the red man to retain the lands and hunting grounds of his fathers. The Black Hawk War forms their last chapter. "As a race they have withered from the land. Their arrows are broken, their springs are dried up, their cabins are in the dust. Their council fire has long since gone out on the shore, and their war-cry is fast dying away to the untrodden West. Slowly and sadly they climb the distant mountains and read their doom in the setting sun."

The Wilderness Subdued

Gradually the wilderness gave way to the pioneer. His sturdy arm and untiring frame never knew rest until the forest was made to blossom with fruit and grain. He turned the mountain side into a garden of flowers. Along the stream he built bis mill, and in the protected valley he laid out the village - now the great city with its millions of people. He met the howling wolf with defiance, turned the woolly coat of the buffalo into a protecting robe, and dined upon choice rounds of bison and deer. As the virgin forest yielded before his axe, cattle, sheep, hogs, and horses flourished in his meadows. The meadow, in turn, gave place to the corn, and later to the wheat - and in place of the "johnny cake" came the snow-white loaf. The loving mother, sons and daughters were clad, for many years, only in garments made by their own hands - the linsey-woolsey of "Hoosier" days. Everybody worked from daylight until late into the night. The pioneer was his own manufacturer. He could shoe a horse, or "iron" a wagon. He could build a chair or a house. He could make his children's shoes, or a spinning wheel, and by the light of the fire from the great open fire-place - that ancient emblem of the tribal family and of modern civilization - he tied his brooms and taught his children the "three R's."

As markets came nearer, his rude cabin "where humble happiness endeared each scene," gave place to a more pretentious dwelling, and in it many of the real luxuries of life were found.

Blest be that spot, where cheerful guests retire To pause from toil, and trim their evening fire; Blest that abode where want and pain repair, no warrior patriot, ever served his country better or earned laurels more nobly. The world may forget what he suffered and what he accomplished, but his monument shall remain as long as our country endures. What is his monument? It is the Old Northwest itself, now the center of the republic, and the crowning factor of our country's greatness."