written by Sam, Katie, and Britt of 4H
Describe the three settlements found along the Ohio River and the reasons why each remained a settlement or did not.
Columbia
One of the settlements was Columbia. Benjamin Stites left his home and bought a piece of the land by the Little Miami River. He named it Columbia. His daughter was the first to walk on southwestern Ohio.
People started building houses. There were 26 people who built Columbia. On November 18, 1788, they got to Columbia. They were worried about the unfriendly Indians.
The men started building blockhouses before they built their house because some of the men had to stand guard so the Indians did not attack. When they were building their blockhouses there were eyes watching them. The Indians were interested in the new homes and people who were building them. They weren't unfriendly Indians. The first time settlers saw the Indians, the Indians guns were pointed to the ground. They were holding out hands of friendship. They wanted to live in peace with them. Through the colder season the Indians wanted to prove their friendship to the settlers. They showed them how to use corn to make flour when they ran out of it. They gave them food that they ran out of. So, they were trying to make friendships, as you can see. They also led them through the woods so they could hunt. Later their friendliness changed. Columbia was flooded and destroyed.
North Bend
The Ohio River twists in the northernmost bend of the whole river, so the town was called North Bend. North Bend was the town Judge Symmes started. In later January the settlers started down the river on their flatboats to go there. The boats arrived on February 2nd and the river was already beginning to drop. Their shelter was built very quickly because of the cold and snow. North Bend was a good place for a fort, but no one sustained it.
Losantville
Another settlement was Losantiville. Losantiville was the first settlement on the Ohio River and between the Miamis. The second town was planned by three men who bought land from Judge Symmes. They wanted to build their own land. Losantiville means City Opposite The Mouth of the Licking River. Groups of the settlers came on December 29th, 1788. There were 23 men in the first group but no women or children. Their trip down the river became very unpleasant because of the cold. They took five days to make the trip to Kentucky. In February the first family arrived to take their place in the small town of Losantiville. Losantiville became Cincinnati.
Who bought the land later to become Cincinnati, and who came to settle on it? How did they come, and what did they have to bring to start their new life?
Why did Cincinnati become a large permanent settlement?
Cincinnati became a large city because there was Fort Washington. It could fit 1500 people and 300 soldiers. The walls were strong and high. You still had a job inside the fort. The fort protected the settlers from Indians.
Cincinnati is a big city because Cincinnati is right by a river. That made it easy to get to. The river brought people to live in the Miami Country, but people did not want to walk that far so they decided to live in Cincinnati.
Cincinnati became a large city because it was safer after the Indians left. The Indians moved north near the Maumee River.
Describe in detail the settlement of Indian Hill.
The land of Indian Hill had very rich orchards of apples, peaches, pears, grapes, strawberries, hay, corn and wheat Butter and eggs were produced in abundance. They were sold for 25 cents a quart, but at the end of the season they sold for 5 cents a quart. Remember, that was a lot of money back then.
The neighbors were very close to each other. The women helped a lot with everything, like the housework, making beds, and rugs. The men worked in the fields, and so did the young boys. In the house the children [girls] worked also just like the women, but they fed the chickens, pigs, cows, and horses. Their work was actually probably harder then the women's work.
There were no doctors there and they had to travel miles to go to the people. The orphans were cared for in private homes.
Dollars were hard to get in those days. From March to November there was always something beautiful blooming, like groups of daffodils or or groups of tulips. They grew their own herbs on their hilly hills.
There were watchmen that held shot guns to keep out trespassers [bad people].
Most bodies of Indian Hill pioneers were buried at the Old Armstrong Chapel. The legend of Indian Hill is an Indian was shot off hard horse. He was buried on a hill and people called it Indian Hill.
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Mark Richardson, Technology Facilitator |
| 02/26/99 | richard1@ih.k12.oh.us |
