Ohio History Journal

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BRIAN HARTE

BRIAN HARTE

 

Land in the Old Northwest: A Study of

Speculation, Sales, and Settlement on the

Connecticut Western Reserve

 

Settlers who came to the American West from the Northeast carried with

them a vision of what their new lives would involve. The act of moving

to the West required a leap of faith, a presumption that they could convert

their vision into reality. Despite their uncertainties, these pioneers were

aware of and depended on certain existing parameters that would stabi-

lize their lives in the new land. For instance, the Northwest Ordinance of

1787 assured settlers that their new homes would be safely within the con-

fines of the United States and its political order. Also, they carried their

New England culture with them, and that culture included a set of assump-

tions about their place in society and the location of their markets. The land

speculator also had a vision, and the act of investment required no less a

leap of faith on his part. The speculator assumed that the territory in which

he was investing would develop into a viable and integral part of the

country, rise in value, and return a profit to him. As one of the first large-

scale targets for both settlers and investors, Ohio became the testing

grounds for both settlers' and speculators' confidence in the future of

Western settlement and development.

Thus, the settlement of Ohio played a pivotal role in the shaping of West-

ern attitudes and East-West relationships. In the late eighteenth and early

nineteenth centuries, the state and national governments of the United

States began to distribute their western lands to settlers and speculators;

much of this land was located in the Northwest Territory and, specifically,

the Ohio country. The United States Government and the various private

groups of speculators viewed the land market in the Northwest Territory

as an opportunity to turn a fast profit. Although some people actually made

a significant sum of money, lands sales were not the surest path to riches

for many investors. A large plot in northeastern Ohio known as the Con-

necticut Western Reserve had inherent disadvantages that turned its ini-

 

 

 

 

Brian Harte graduated from Yale University in 1991, where he completed this thesis for

the History Department under the guidance of his friend and mentor, Jay Gitlin.