Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-11-23

1t will be remembered that Mr.. Culver was of
the Surveying parties of the Conn. Land Co. in
the years 1867 and '9s, and who came from
Rochester and attended the first Pioneer Meet
ing of Guyahoga County at Newburgh, October
Goth, under the auspices of the Cuyahoga Co.
Historical Society We shall note down few
incidents as related by Mr.. Culver touching his
early life and adventures in this region of the
west
Mr.. Culver was born l777 one mile and half
from the old "Charter Oak" At years ofage
his father removed to Ticonderoga, where the
family remained years and then removed to
Orwell, Vt, on Lake Champlain. When Oil
yer was 10 years old his father died. Amos
SPafford, living in the vicinity, was engaged by
the Conn. Land Company to come here as Sur
veyor-his son Samuel was also hired, who was
three years older than young Culver. In the
winter of 1896 these two young men started for
the West. They were directed to call at Sche-
nectady and see how the Batteaux were progress
ing in building for which the Land Co. had con-
father that they would be ready about the 10th
ofApril, when the Mohawk breaks up. They
came on to Pennington near Canandaigua, where
Mr.. c. got job of making sap troughs. He
weeks the five Batteaux came up with the Sur
veyors and provisions, bound for the New
Connecticut tract. Judge Spalding, in his ad-
dress at Newburgh, said four boats--Mr. Culver
says five. Mr.. Culver and young Spafford
hired to the Company and came on. The boats
were taken over the Portage from Queenstown
to Chippewa, on the Canada side. In 1896 Mr..
c. states there was no house in Buffalo. They
sailed up the Lake calling at Erie or Presque
Isle Here they found Seth Reed keeping tav-
ern in double log house; sold him one barrel
of Pork for S55. Mr. Reed offered $50 for
second barrel. Here Mr.. Culver saw the grave
of Gen. Anthony Wayne, 1876, on the bank
near the easterly end of the pier. There was
pole with an arm cross-wise in it over the
grave. Coming out of Erie they used their
marques for sails. Mr.. Culver had charge of
boat, and Gen. Cleveland knowing him to be a
good boatman, told Seth Pease, then tall young
Luhu dllu OilG VI Tile SURVEY W W SulNeE
boat. In getting out of the harbor of Presque
Isle and into the Lake, it was very boisterous,
and Mr.. Pease was much terrified He after
wards thanked Mr.. Culver for his seamanship,
to which he thought he owed the preservation
of his life. Their next landing was Conneaut,
and in July entered the mouth of the Cuyahoga.
The Surveyors tents were pitched little north
of Superior Lane, and the log cabin they built
nearby, about the line of River Street Some
of our citizens, old residents say the site ofthis
cabin was a few rods northeast of the present
railroad crossing at St. Clair and Union Lanes.
Others still, near Detmer's Block, between Riv,
er Street and the railroad track. A garden was
cleared and planted on and near the rear end of
the American House, to give parties green veg
etables as they came in at different times from
the surveys
In the fall when the party had closed the la
bors of the season and got under way on their
return, there was one of the Surveyors, Moses
Warren, from New London, Conn, of lively,
merry-making turn, and quite the life of the
homeward bound, sometimes rehearsing his own
poetry to the amusement of the company. Mr..
Culver rected few lines of piece, the most
of which he had forgotten. These lines are as
follows:
From Cleveland's streets and Eries shore,
The woodwork lads at length retreat,
To approach the orient east
And celebrate the autumnal feast,
Which Yankees call Thanksgiving"
Moses Warren must have been the Dodge of
the times, and pumpkin pies loomed up under
the power ofhis inspirations to the ''wood-worn
lsds." Thanksgiving has migrated westward
from the 'orient east" and in our "autumnal
feast" of the 25th under the Governors Procla-
nation, let those have II Thought who, through
much toll, surveyed our streets and run our
township lines. More anon. A P