CHAPTER IV. THE WESTERN STATES. OHIO. The first white settlement in Ohio was made April 7th, 1788, by a company from New England. In 1781 a territorial government was established over this region, called the territory north-west of the Ohio river, from which, in 1802, the present state of Ohio was separated. The surface of the state, though not mountainous, is elevated in some places ten thousand feet above the level of the sea, and in other portions from six hundred to eight hundred feet. The northern part of the state is drained by Lake Erie, the southern by the Ohio river. The tributaries of the Ohio are much larger than those of Lake Erie. The Ohio river forms the entire southern boundary of the state, giving it access to the commerce of the great Mississippi valley. Its principal tributaries in Ohio are the Muskingum, Scioto, and Miami. These rivers vary in length from one hundred and ten to two hundred miles. The chief rivers of the northern slope are the Maumee, the Sandusky, Huron and Cuyahoga. Lake Erie forms the northern and northeastern boundary of the state for about one hundred and fifty miles. At the west end of the lake are the Maumee and Sandusky bays, besides several small islands belonging to the state. Large stones, called boulders, are found on the plains of Ohio, and of several of the western states. These boulders are sometimes very large; they differ in character from the rocks of the surrounding country, and have evidently been brought from a distance. They appear to have been transported from their original resting place by the icebergs of an early sea, and dropped at random as the ice melted. At Bryan, in Williams county, there is a natural fountain, supposed to proceed from a subterranean lake. The supply is never affected by droughts or rain, and small fish are sometimes thrown up. The celebrated white sulphur fountain is situated on the Scioto, eighteen miles above Columbus. It rises from the bed of the Scioto through solid rock. It was first discovered in 1820, while boring for salt water. The operators had pierced a hole about two and one half inches in diameter, through about ninety feet of solid rock, when the auger suddenly fell two feet, and there gushed up with great force a stream of strong white sulphur water. The water, which is pure, is supposed to be forced up by its own gas. It leaves on the ground, near the spring, a heavy white deposit. "The source of Cold creek is a beautiful and curious flooding spring, rising from a level prairie at the village of Castalia. This spring is about two hundred feet in diameter, and sixty feet deep. The water is so pure that the smallest particle can be seen at the bottom, and when the sun is in the meridian, all the objects at the bottom, logs, stumps, etc., reflect the hues of the rainbow, forming a view of great beauty. The constituents of the water are lime, soda, magnesia, and iron, and it petrifies all objects, such as grass, stumps, bushes, moss, etc., with which it comes in contact. The stream courses about three miles through the prairie, and empties into Lake Erie. The water is very cold, but never freezes, and at its point of entrance into the lake, prevents the formation of ice. Upon it are the well known Castalia and Cold creek mills, the water wheels of which are imperishable from decay, in consequence of their being incrusted by petrifaction.” The climate in the southern part of the state is mild. The summers are warm and regular, but subject at times to severe drought. In the northern part of the state the winters are probably as severe as in the same latitude on the Atlantic coast. In agricultural products Ohio stands among the first. The soil is fertile, especially on the river bottoms. Coal is abundant; it is found in twenty counties in the state. COLUMBUS, The capital of Ohio, is situated on the east bank of the Scioto river, ninety miles from its mouth. The surrounding country is rich and populous. The site of Columbus is level; the streets are wide and laid out with great neatness and regularity. It has many elegant public buildings, among which are a new state house, the Ohio lunatic asylum, the institution for the blind, the asylum for the deaf and dumb, and the Ohio penitentiary. The city was laid out in 1812, and incorporated in 1816. Its population in 1860 numbered eighteen thousand five hundred and fifty-four. The other important places are Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, Toledo, Zanesville, Sandusky, Chillicothe, Hamilton, and Springfield. CINCINNATI, Called the Queen of the West, is the largest city in the state. It is situated on the right bank of the Ohio river, one hundred and twenty miles south-west of Columbus. It is situated near the eastern extremity of a valley, about three miles in diameter, surrounded by beautiful hills, some of which rise about four hundred feet above the river. A lovely view of the city and valley is obtained from the summit of these hills. Cincinnati is remarkable for its rapid growth. It was first settled in 1788. It seems to have been originally laid out with great regularity. A large proportion of the entire valley is already built up, and the central and business portion is compactly and finely built with large warehouses, stores and handsome dwellings; but the outer portion is but partially built up, the streets being irregular and the houses scattered. The streets are wide, with sidewalks paved with brick and stone, and many of them lined with shade trees. The city contains one hundred and five churches, five colleges, three of which are medical, eighteen common schools, two intermediate, and three high schools. The charity institutions of the city are highly respectable. Under its control and support, are a house of refuge, an infirmary, a dispensary, and a lunatic asylum. Its population in 1864, was about one hundred and eighty-six thousand. CLEVELAND Is situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Cuyahoga river, one hundred and thirty miles north-east of Columbus, and two hundred and fifty-five miles from Cincinnati. It is one of the most beautiful towns in the union. Nearly all of the city is situated on a gravelly plain, elevated about one hundred feet above the lake, of which it has a most commanding prospect. A public square of about ten acres occupies the center of the town. The court-house and one or two churches front on this square. In the center stands the statue of Commodore Perry, the hero of the battle of Lake Erie. It is the largest marble statue in the United States, and was erected by the citizens at a cost of eight thousand dollars. The public schools of Cleveland rank among the first in the country. It has twenty primary schools, twenty secondary, twenty-three intermediate, nine grammar, and two high schools. The high schools are handsome edifices of stone and brick. The course of study prescribed fits the graduate to enter college without further preparation. Cleveland was settled in 1796, and incorporated in 1836. In 1860 the population was forty-three thousand four hundred and seventeen. Since 1862, the population has rapidly increased, and in 1865, it was not less than sixty thousand. DAYTON Is situated on the east bank of the great Miami river, at the mouth of Mad river, sixty-seven miles west of Columbus, and fifty-two miles from Cincinnati. The town is laid out with streets one hundred feet wide, crossing each other at right angles. The public buildings are fine, and the city also contains many elegant private residences. The court-house, which cost the city one hundred and seventy thousand dollars, is one of the finest in the western states. The abundant water power which Dayton possesses, is one of the chief elements of its prosperity. It is extensively engaged in manufactures. In 1866 its population was about thirty thousand. TOLEDO Is situated at the western extremity of Lake Erie, on an elevated plain on the left bank of the Maumee river, about four miles from its mouth, one hundred and thirty-four miles northwest of Columbus, and one hundred and twelve miles west of Cleveland. At this point the river expands into a broad and beautiful harbor, affording accommodations for the largest vessels and steamers. The city stretches along the river for more than a mile, and has two points at which business centres, called the upper and lower landing. It was originally two distinct settlements. At these two points the stores, warehouses and dwellings are thickly crowded together, but between them it is rather thinly settled. It was incorporated as a city in 1836. The population in 1865 was between eighteen and twenty thousand. ZANESVILLE Is situated on the east bank, in a bend of the Muskingum river, about sixty-five miles above its mouth, and fifty-four miles east of Columbus. "The river seems once to have run nearly in a right line, from which, however, it has gradually diverged to the westward, forming a horse-shoe curve, and depositing, through successive centuries, an alluvium of gravel, sand, etc., of great depth, on which Zanesville now stands." In sweeping around this curve, through the space of about one and threefourths miles, the river falls eight or ten feet, and, by the aid of a dam, a fall of between sixteen and seventeen feet is obtained, thus furnishing very extensive water-power. Steamboats ascend from the Ohio to this point, and several of them make regular passages between Zanesville and Cincinnati. The plan of the town is regular, the streets are wide and adorned by many fine buildings. The city contains fourteen churches, and a number of well organized public schools. It was laid out in 1799. The seat of state government was removed from Chillicothe to this place in 1810, and about two years later transferred to Columbus. In 1860, the population was nine thousand two hundred and twenty-nine. |