The Ohio Country (1950s)

[Music] and pioneer costumes assembled at the Manassa Cutler Church in ipswitch Massachusetts they were gathered here to recreate as Faithfully as possible an important event in the history of our nation it was their desire and purpose to emulate the track of the first pioneers to leave Massachusetts travel West and settle the Ohio country that great event which in the past has been all too little known to most of us took place on December 3rd 178 7 a century and a half ago at that time a band of pioneers assembled at the same church in ipswitch before starting their long track Westward they had planned to establish new homes for themselves and families in the wilderness the lay north and west of the Ohio river and so in commemoration of that famous track our modern Pioneers will relive the events of those days the time December 3rd 1787 Quiet Man Reverend cutter has a message for you Brothers we have waited a long time for this memorable day 33 years ago at the Albany convention the first step was taken toward a union of our American colonies of equal importance however were the discussion and plans for obtaining control of the Northwest ter territory since that meeting you and thousands of your countrymen were forced to take up arms to free yourselves from the unjust burdens of a tyrant the blood shed at Concord Bunker Hill and Valley Forge was not in vain it proved beyond all doubt that you were right in your courageous fight for justice we have become a free Nation free to govern ourselves according to the dictates of conscience and the principles of Justice the last obstacle has been removed by the passage of the recent ordinance you are free to start your journey to the Great Northwest may God bless and guide you on your trip the original Pioneers who started the track had with a number of of other soldiers of the American Army previously formed the Ohio Land Company the purpose of the company was to buy land in the Northwest Territory from the government they were to be governed by the Ordinance of 1787 which set up the type of government for the new land it Incorporated the ideals for which the colonies had fought and contained these Provisions inhabitants shall always be entitled to trial by jury there shall be no slavery or involuntary servitude and Above All in This territory no person shall be molested his mode of worship with these thoughts in mind the Pioneers started their Journey leaving behind them the Comforts of home and the companionship of families and friends they faced the hardships of winter travel in the hope of reaching their destination in time to plant crops in the springtime 15 days later the Pioneers arrived at Newberg on the Hudson the original party had Vivid Recollections of the hardships they had endured the winter of 1782 when they were encamped here as part of the main troops of the Continental Army three of the men visited the old headquarters it brought back memories their conversation may have been this the old place looks much the same remember that miserable winter we spent here all requests burden by Congress there was only one person who who could control us General Washington if it hadn't been for our love and respect for him we might have started a Civil War the State of Affairs that winter was more critical than most people realized never before had plans for the permanent unionization of the American colonies been more in Jeopardy after leaving Newberg travel became more difficult they left behind the thickly populated areas where the roads were good and started cutting through the Wilderness to follow the original route now there were no roads only trails and with the exception of a very few locations all streams were fored progress had been slow and each succeeding day it became slower as they traveled farther into the mountains then to add to the hardships the weather turned bitter cold snow began to fall and the Steep Mountain grades which ordinarily were treacherous in dry weather now became almost impassible the Pioneers did not stop but kept plotting slowly onward it seemed that the farther they traveled into the mountains the harder it snowed mile after mile they struggled through deep snow drifts and along slippery Mountain sides even these hardships did not stop them because they were still determined to reach the Ohio country by Spring the storm had almost subsided as they reached the western slope of the mountain the going became a little easier this gave them New Hope for the worst part of their Journey was almost at an end the Caravan progressed quite rapidly from here on and by January 23rd almost 8 weeks after their departure from IPS they first looked down on the yoga Haney River at some fer a place which is now known as West Newton Pennsylvania many weeks were to be spent here in further preparation for the completion of their Journey a site was selected for their semi-permanent camp near a Springfed Brook so that they were assured of an ample supply of water for both themselves and their animals the trip so far had been no more difficult than they had anticipated and although the men and animals were very tired and weary they were all in good health there was plenty of work to be done preparing the camp but the men went about their duties with New Hope in their hearts they were happy with the thought that this place was to be their home for quite some time the camp was a scen of many activities as some of the men busily engaged themselves in unloading the duffel from the wagon While others gathered firewood and cleared away the brush a Pioneer had to be very resourceful and a jack of all Trad he had to be able to care for himself as well as his animals for practically the first time on the entire trip the men allow themselves to relax a little they had their light moments too shall I trim it close no even the dog received his share of attention because he was a friend of all the men the ARX driver had perhaps the most difficult task of all carrying for The Oxen now an ox may be a patient hard work working animal but he becomes unruly when led to the shoeing stall if not properly handled he may break the stall to bits first a band is put in place and drawn tightly so that it takes some of the weight off the animal's legs then the hoop to be worked on is roped securely in place this can be quite a job if the ox decides not to cooperate and usually that is the way it happens the next operations require a great deal of care and skill the hoof of an ox is much thinner than that of a horse and if car is not taken the hoof will be cut through on account of his cloven hoof an ox requires two half shoes instead of a single one in accordance with the original plans five Boats were to be built in order that they might continue their Journey to the Ohio country by water these boats were to carry the men animals equipment and food the largest boat was to be 50 ft long so it was necessary that they select trees that were tall and straight the men had some difficulty locating trees of the proper size but their predecessors had found an abundance of good Timber near at hand the forest resounded with the Ring of the axe and the rasp of their saws it was hard work but it was an agreeable change after their many weeks of travel they set to work and fell the first tree in short order a large part of the finishing was carried on at the spot where the tree was fell after the branches were removed the next task was marking the Timbers and laying out the work the men divided into groups one group worked with the saws sawing to the line others rough dressed the Timbers with broad axes those skilled in the use of the ads appli the finishing touches to the great beams everyone went about his work in a very businesslike way for each had his job to do some of the trees were SED into logs of various lengths these were drawn to the river by The Oxen where further work was to be done the River's Edge was a scene of great activity these days from dawn to dusk the work went on muscles ACH back seem as if they would break still they continued unceasingly it had to be if they were to duplicate the strenuous schedule set by the original party the logs were stripped of bark and then moved to the saw pits these pits had been constructed by digging out the bank and building a platform above the planking for the boats was cut 2 and a half to 3 in in thickness and would deflect bullets this was a precaution taken by the early Pioneers for protection against attack by Indians while on the river all the boats were built to the specifications found in the old plan the plan showed them how to construct the special stock upon which the largest of the boats was to be built the first beam of the large boat had been brought to the River's Edge and was now being put in position this was the beginning of a truly large boat it was to be 50 ft long 13 ft wide and have a carrying capacity of 21 tons for several weeks the work progressed quite steadily without any particular Interruption the large boat was now beginning to take shape planks were raised and placed in position to form the super structure which in the olden days served not only as protection from the weather but also as a bul workk against possible attacks as on that Journey many years before the large boat was named Union Galley one of the four boats yet to be built was a pero designed to carry about 2 tons the perogue was made of three large sections of Walnut One log was cut to length and shaped for a centerpiece the log which was to form the sides was cut and trimmed to measure then burned to the proper depth and split in two assembly of the boat would be accomplished when the two side pieces were securely fastened to the centerpiece on March the 29th approximately 8 weeks after the work began the union Galley was ready to be put in the water launching day was a happy day for everyone it marked another step nearer their goal the cabin of the Union Galley was completed shortly and on April 1st duffel and other equipment was stoed aboard by some of the men in preparation for casting off they were anxious to be on their way others of the party had started Overland with the oxen and horses they were to secure Provisions as well as feed for the animals and join the rest of the party farther down the river when everything was in Readiness the men climbed aboard took their places and pushed the union Galley away from the bank a number of saplings had been trimmed and were used to pull the boat into position the huge craft was not easily maneuvered so they had to be careful that the wind did not blow them around ground and cause delay progress was quite rapid on the River due to the high water stage and by April 4th 3 days after leaving West Newton they had entered and passed through the manang Gila River and worked their boats into the current of the great Ohio then they proceeded down the river to harman's Creek here they were joined by the rest of the party who had secured the provisions they had set out for after the provisions had been carried aboard and stowed away carefully the horses were persuaded to go on board with greater ease than the men had anticipated with everything loaded the Pioneers again set forth spring rains raised the Ohio River to almost flood stage but this proved to be a blessing rather than a handicap it helped the small Fleet to move along smoothly and swiftly the flotilla was now made up of the second boat 28 ft long and 8 ft wide which carried the wagon and oxen in addition to the men the union Galley the perogue and two smaller canoes on the original trip the Pioneers cited a group of Indians the Indians however immediately showed signs of friendship and dispelled all fears that the Pioneers might have had treaties had been made with the Indians for the possession of lands within the Northwest Territory but both the whites and the Indians were justly skeptical of the sincerity of the pack on April 7th 1938 weather conditions were identical to those of April 7th 1788 the banks of the river could scarcely be seen from the boats due to heavy rain and fog and before the men realized their plight they were passing the mouth of the muskingham river their intended land in place the original Pioneers were fortunate because help was near at hand at the junction of the mingham and Ohio rivers Fort Harmar had been built as an outpost in 1786 a small Detachment of soldiers stationed there immediately set out in small boats to assist them ropes were attached to the soldiers boats so that they could toll them to land on the Eastern Bank of the muskingham river Captain pipes chief of the delawares along with about 7 of his tribe were encamped they had come from their Village at the headquarters of the Muskingum a few days before to trade furs with the soldiers at Fort harmer it is hard to imagine what the Indians feelings were as he watched the white man arriving in 1785 the United States by treaty with the Indians acquired title to the land just north of the Ohio River extending halfway to to the Great Lakes behind the Indians seeming friendliness at that time there lurked a bitter hatred for the white man much of this hatred dated back to the massacre of the Moravian Indians six years before at ganaden Eden what were the Pioneers thoughts as they arrived at the banks of the Muskingum were their memories of the dire Tales told in their New England homes of Indian massacres and torture would peace with the Savages continue here in the Ohio country whatever thoughts the pioneers of 1788 may have had they kept them well hidden and did not allow them to hinder their progress probably they were too busy unloading their boats to spend any time with such reflection the men had taken a great deal of care to protect their provisions on the river trip but even so a large quantity of them had become wet and spoiled they did not permit this loss to discourage them nor did they T long to greet the Indians but set to work immediately those of the party who understood surveying were assigned the task of laying out the Ohio land company's property here in the midst of a great Forest dotted with Terraces cones and other fantastic works of the mound builders it was demonstrated as they clear the Wilderness and placed the cornerstones how hard manual labor great great vision careful planning and able leadership were necessary to carry out this Venture successfully the men had banded together with one purpose in mind that of helping each other build permanent homes for their families the Ohio Land Company organized another expedition in the East which escorted the women and children to these homes the first tree which was felt was a buckeye tree and eventually became the symbol of the settlement tree after tree was drawn from the forest Again The Oxen demonstrated their hardiness and strength much credit goes to these faithful Beasts for their part in the success of the Expedition the work moved along rapidly and five weeks after the Pioneers arrived at the mingham 150 acres of land had been cleared and planted to Corn as each plot of ground was cleared great hand Hune beams were brought to the site while this work went on Hunting parties were busy attempting to replenish the food supply which had spoiled on the river trip on their return the hunters reported an abundance of Buffalo and deer saying they were as plentiful as sheep in Massachusetts as these men toiled surveyors were making rapid progress in their work of laying out the Ohio company's land the track was marked out in plots of8 Acres each and every shareholder of the company was deeded one all seemed peaceful as the men worked steadily on if however they could have foreseen what was to happen in the next few years perhaps their Spirits would not have been so high for soon the entire Northwest Territory was engaged in a great Indian War and it was not until 1795 that the Treaty of Greenville was signed and peace with the Indians was assured in the Northwest Territory up to that time migration to the Ohio country had been slow but with the coming of Peace many new Villages were settled and from the banks of the Ohio River to the shores of Lake Erie progress moved forward rapidly schools and churches came into existence and the social activities of the church included many a wedding similar to this those pioneers and hundreds of thousands like them carried over the threshold of the Northwest Territory a great civilization with them They Carried a new religious freedom and a new democracy we have been left a great heritage so like the Pioneer who planned and established his home here let us too explore the Ohio Country View within the boundaries of this great state the broad fertile farmlands visit its beauty spots and enjoy a varet variety of Scenic Splendor that is unpass see its modern towns and cities then plan and build an even greater Ohio of tomorrow