Ohio History Journal

"NEWS FROM THE OHIO!"

Extract of a. letter from a Gentleman at the Muskingum, to the Printer

of the MASSACHUSETTS SPY, written on the spot where the first city of that

territory is to be built.¹

 

ADELPHI, May 16th, 1788.

MR. THOMAS,

I embrace the earliest opportunity of communicating to you such

information as I am capable of giving, respecting the Western Country

in general, and in particular of that part purchased by the Ohio Company.

With respect to the country in general, and even of the greatest part

of our Purchase, I am still obliged to rest my opinion on that of others,

as I have had opportunity of seeing but a small part thereof; however,

from what I have seen and been informed since my arrival, it is my

decided opinion that Mr. Hutchins, in his pamphlet (republished in the

Massachusetts Spy in February and March, 1786) has given a very modest

description thereof.

I am much pleased with the Purchase we have made, and am fully

determined to fix my residence here. That part of the Purchase I have

been over, far exceeds my expectations; from our eastern boundry to

the Muskingum (the distance of about five miles) the intervals, or what

the people of this country call bottoms, are from one half to three

quarters of a mile wide; these, in richness, an apparent fertility of soil,

exceed any thing I ever saw east of the Allegany Mountains; next to

these are what is called second bottoms, which are elevated plains, and

gentle risings of the richest uplands, and as free from stone as the low

or first bottom, except in some few instances, where these elevated plains

consist of a shallow, light, and sometimes sandy soil, under which appears

an open, loose earth; back of these commence the hills, which in general

are considerably uneven, and separated by deep, hollow grounds, which

flow innumerable rivulets, which have their source from springs which rise

among the hills, the most of which are free from stone, and consist of

rich and deep soil, suited to the culture of wheat, grazing, &c. In this

distance fall into the Ohio two very considerable creeks, called Little

Muskingum and Duck Creek; in the spring season these are navigable

for boats more than twenty miles, and afford large tracts of the best

bottoms and uplands for farming.

We have surveyed the lots of one mile square on both sides the

Muskingum, for 15 miles up; a description of the lands in this distance

would be only a repetition of that already given of that on the Ohio.

The timber growing on the land above described are of the kinds men-

tioned by Mr. Hutchins and others; but I must confess the trees are

larger and more numerous than I expected to find.

We have found plenty of lime stone, as well as fine quarries of

building stone, at a small distance up the Muskingum, sufficient for

building the city, or any other purpose for which they may be wanted.

At present we go 20 miles up the river for pit coal, but there is no doubt

1 Massachusetts Spy: or, The Worcester Gazette, June 19, 1788.

(371)

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372    OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

 

plenty will be found nearer; we have found several salt licks within our

surveys, and are assured there is a salt spring about 40 miles up the

Muskingum, from which a sufficient quantity of salt for the supply of

the country may be made: Some gentlemen at Fort Harmer doubt this

information, but say a sufficient quantity may be made at a spring on a

branch of the Scioto.

We have had no time yet to go in search of iron ore, but one of

our people has brought in a small stone, taken from one of the neighbor-

ing hills, which I found on trial to contain a rich iron ore. We find

the season here much more forward than even at Pittsburgh; by the

7th of April there was as good feed for cattle on the banks of the Mus-

kingum, as you will generally find by the middle of May in the best

enclosures in the county or Worcester.

To give some idea of beginning a settlement in this country, com-

pared with Vermont or any new country to the northward, I state the

following fact:--About a dozen families removed to this place a year

ago last March, and settled opposite Fort Harmer, on the Virginia side

of the Ohio; their lands were the same as ours, and entirely new; they

raised one thousand bushels of corn last season, and although the last

winter was severe, they wintered, without any hay, (making use of their

husks and storks [stalks], with some corn) between 60 and 70 horses and

neat cattle, fatted a sufficient quantity of pork for their own consumption

besides wintering over a large number of swine.

From the plot of ground laid out for building the city of Adelphi

we have a most delightful prospect; from this ground we will have a

full view of the waters in the Ohio eight or nine miles up that river,

and five below; and of the Muskingum from its mouth five or six miles

up. The front line of house lots is 95 yards from the Muskingum, and

parallel thereto; all the space between them and the river is to remain

an open street or common; the course of this street is north 40 degrees

west, and extends in length one mile; all the streets are either parallel

or at right angles with that; but from some hollow ground and rivulets

the city will not be a perfect parallelogram, although that figure has

been aimed at as much as the situation would admit; the northeast end

thereof is bordered by a beautiful brook, which I am informed runs all

the year; the southeast end, and part of the rear, is bounded by another

creek larger than the former, which will afford a good canal for boats

to pass up when the waters of the Muskingum are high. The house lots,

in their nearest approach to the Ohio, are distant therefrom twenty five

perch, and separated from it by the last mentioned creek and low interval

land of the first quality; a part of the house lots toward the rear are

separated from the rest by a deep hollow ground, through which the last

mentioned creek passes; these lots are situated in ground gently ascend-

ing towards the northeast, which farther on terminates in very consider-

able hills, in which rise eight springs, the sources of the creek last

mentioned; these, with a comparative small expense, may be collected into

one great reservoir, and conducted to any part of the city.

The city plot includes the ruins of some ancient town or works, of

which the world has heard much of late. I have not had time to take

an accurate survey of them all, therefore must omit a particular discrip-

tion thereof; but I must confess that I was greatly surprised in finding

those works so perfect as to put it beyond all doubt that they are the

remains of a work erected at an amazing expense, perhaps some thousand

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"NEWS FROM THE OHIO"                        373

 

years since, by a people who had very considerable knowledge in fortifica-

tions. In laying out our city we have preserved some of the works

from becoming private property, by including them within lots or squares

appropriated to publick use, viz. an advanced work, containing a mound

of earth in the figure of a cone, the base of which is 376 feet in circum-

ference, and is 30 feet perpendicular, surrounded by a parapet 586 feet

in circumference and 15 feet thick, having a ditch 15 feet wide, and at

present about three feet deep, and on the side next to town or principal

works, an open space without parapet or ditch, where it is presumed was

the gate or place of entrance. We have also in the same manner secured

for publick use two elevated mounds of earth, situate within the walls

of the great oblong square or principal fortification; one of them is

nearly of a square figure, the sides measuring 153, 45 feet by 135, 7 feet,

is raised about five feet above the common surface, and on the top a

horizontal plain of the above dimensions, having on three sides thereof

gentle ascents projecting out, of about 20 feet wide, in the form of

glassee [?], for the convenience of walking up; and on the fourth side

is an indented ascent of the same width. The other elevated square is

an oblong of 200 feet by 124, of about the same height and as level on

the top as the other, and regular projecting ascents on each side thereof;

these appear to have been the foundations of some spacious publick build-

ings; but however that may be, they are very convenient, and now re-

served for that purpose; the rest of the works can remain, when the city

is built, on paper only.

As to the natives, the ensuing treaty I trust will be conducted on the

principles of honour and justice, and end to the satisfaction of that, as

I conceive, much injured people. When we arrived at this place, we

fortunately found Capt. Pipes, the Chief of the Delaware Tribe, with

about 70 men, women and children of that and the Wyandot Tribes, at

Fort Harmer, who had come down to trade; we were introduced to them

by the Commanding officer; Capt. Pipes some days after, with about 20

others, came over and dined with me; we gave them to understand our

business, and that we hoped to live in friendship, and should be glad to

see them, or any of their friends, at all times;--Capt. Pipes told us that

they should be happy to live with us, but did not expect any people would

come on to settle before the treaty; we told him we had brought no

families, nor would any come on until after the treaty, when we expected

every thing would be settled to their satisfaction; in the mean time it

was necessary we should plant some corn; Capt. Pipes appeared fully

satisfied, and parted with avowing his friendship should continue as long

as the sun and moon endured. Since making up this new acquaintance

we have more or less of our Indian Friends to visit us almost every day,

who appear in perfect good humour, and full as happy as we in the new

acquaintance; but nothing is said about our settlement, except one of

their Chiefs, who is now at the fort, and appears to be a very sensible,

sober old gentleman, on his first visit to us, told me, that "he thanked

God that the way was cleared so that they could come down with safety

to trade; that Capt. Pipes told him he and all the Indians were used

exceedingly well by us; that he was very glad to see us here, but there

was some things he should not speak of until they met in the Great

Council," meaning the treaty.

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