Ohio History Journal

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The OHIO HISTORICAL Quarterly

The OHIO      HISTORICAL        Quarterly

 

VOLUME 68 ?? NUMBER 3 ?? JULY 1959

 

 

 

 

The Apathetic Foxes

By ALONZO FINLEY KERCHEVAL*

 

 

FOXES ARE LIKE HUMANS in many ways. Few folks rea-

lize that foxes once lived in this country under organized

governments of their own and attended their own schools and

churches just like human folks.

Many years ago the first red foxes were brought to Amer-

ica to supply the hunting needs of wealthy Virginia planters.

The red fox thrived and multiplied and soon Virginia became

overcrowded with red foxes. So, on one warm and sunny

day during April 1795, a few families of red foxes left their

Virginia dens and started for the Ohio country. They had

often listened to wandering fox scouts when returning from

far trips into the western forests tell of the abundance of

fat rabbits, partridges, and delicious game of many kinds.

"Enough to feed a million foxes," they boasted.

When the Virginia foxes reached the Ohio country they

discovered beautiful Pawpaw Ridge hidden deep in the wilder-

ness. Here they did find food in abundance. And then and

there they voted to make Pawpaw Ridge the capital of their

newly founded fox commonwealth. More and more foxes

continued to arrive from Virginia until there were firmly

established red fox commonwealths all through the Ohio

Valley.

 

* Reprinted through the courtesy of the author, known also as Erasmus Foster

Darby and as Dave Webb, of Chillicothe.