Ohio History Journal

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URBAN RIVALRY

URBAN RIVALRY

AND

INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS

IN THE

OLD NORTHWEST

1820-1860

by HARRY N. SCHEIBER

At the very beginning of settlement in the Old Northwest urban commu-

nities developed in response to the commercial needs of the surrounding

country.* And almost as soon as they appeared, there was "urban rivalry,"

that is, competition among them for advantages that would promote their

growth and enhance their attractiveness to emigrants and investors.1 The

earliest rivalries usually involved competition for advantages that govern-

ment might bestow. Designation as the county seat or as the territorial or

state capital marked the beginning of growth for many a rude village in the

West, and the pursuit of these choice prizes was inevitably marked by keen

political struggles. The presence of federal land offices, colleges and acad-

emies, or government installations such as arsenals and prisons was for many

towns the only factor that permitted them to outdistance less favored rivals

with equivalent natural or geographic endowments.2

NOTES ARE ON PAGES 289-292