Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-06-16

NJ. President. Ladies, Gentlemen, and Pi0lssys:
It is peculiarly proper to hold a Pioneer
Celebration this year, as It is just q century
since the first white American stood on the
Reserve. In 1859, Dugald Campbell was liv-
ing in TuscaraWa Valley, on the banks of
the Canscoquin Greek in Cumberland county,
Pennsylvania. In the same hcuae with
Campbell resided family by the name of
Stuart, consisting Of the man, his wife and
several children, one Of whom was an infant
Campbell had daughter, Mary, a black
eyed, lovely child Of seven summers. Mrs.
Stuart left home one day-to vista neighbor,
entrusiing her children to the care Of Mary
Campbell. On her return, and when near
the house, she heard the screams Of the child
Fen, and at that instant g partyiOf Delaware
Indians came out of the house with all the
children, including the infant and May
Campbell, prisoners. They seized Mrs. Stu
art, and added her TO the number Of eaptives,
and then started for their camp on the Cata-
mans, in what is now Armstrong county
Soon becoming tired of the infant, the Indi-
ans dashed its brains ont in the presence of
its mother. .-r
Mrs. Stuart had also little boy about sew
en- years old, who was unable to walk and
keep up with the party, and the Indians car
ried him for three days, on their backs. On
the third day, the Indian who had him in
charge fell behind the company, but soon
came up without the child, but with little
white scalp hanging to his belt. The feel
ings of the mother cannot be imagined by
any but a mother, as she recognized the
curly locks Of her little SON.
Mary Campbell was adopted by NetsWat-
wus, head chief Of the Turtle band Of the
Delawares, who, in 1718 signed the treaty of
Canestoga. From the time of her adoption
by NetawatWus, Mary was treated with great
kindness, and shared equally in the affec-
tions Of her adopted parents, with the rest Of
the children.
The following year, 176O), Netawatwlis,
wit his band, left Pennsylvania, and re-
moved to the foot of the Big Falls Of the
Cuyahoga River, about two miles below the
present village Of Cuyahoga Falls in Summit
county. l.a a.aH-
Mary Campbell and the other prisoners
were taken along, and became residents Of
the Reserve.
At the foot of the falls were two villages
one on the south side belonging TO the fro-
quois, the one on the north side belonging to
the Delawares. Here the prisoners were de-
tanned for seven long years, when they were
surrendered up by the tresty Of the Mus
kingum in 1858, and taken home. In III
Mary was married to Joseph Wilford, Of
Cum mberland county, Pa, and became the
mother Of Rev. Samuel Wilford, late of
Green township, Wayne county, Ohio, and
grandmother Of Hon. Joseph Wilford, late
a member of the Senate OF Ohio from the
county Of Wayne, in which he now lives.
Five years before Mary and her fellow pFis-
oners were taken to the Falls, the French
had established trading post on the Cnya-
hoga-but no Americans except the Captiyes
visited the Reserve until 1856.
At that time the British had fort on the
west side of the river near its mouth, in
what is now the City of Cleveland. The
Cuyahoga then-only sixty-four years ago
separated the American Eagle and the British
Lion, end all wet Of the river awaited the
arbitrament of the sword and tomahawk-
The British had not only fort in Cleveland,
but an army at Fort Miami, near the mouth
of the Maumee, determined to dispute the fur
ther progress Of the Americans westward.
Although the French had trading post on
! the Cuyahoga, in what is now Brooklyn, as
! early as l755-and the Moravians mis-
| sionary establishment in what is now Inde-
pendenee, as early as 1856, yet the first house
erected on the Reserve, by Americans, was
| "Stow Castle at Conneaut, July 3, 1885,
| the second was a cabin at the foot of Union
Lane in Cleveland-the third was a cabin on
| the site Of the Comm ercial Bank-and the
fourth was erected by Lorenzo Garter, on the
| hill, west side of Water street, and few rods
! north of the corner Of Water and Superior
/ streets. The first three were erected in the
summer of 1896 by the first Exploring Ex-
! pedition, and in the one erected on the site of
the Commercial Bank, Job p Stiles and wife,
and Edward Paine spent the winter of 796
| 81.
The solitude Of this winters residence may
be well imagined, when we reflect that their
nearest neighbors were the garrison at Fort
| Niagara-tWO families at LeWistown-one at
Schlosser-two Indian traders st Buffalo
few settlers at Erie-Messrs Kingsbury and
/ Gum at Conneaut-a French trader at San
dusky-and French settlement at Detroit
These comprised the whole civilization Of Hthe
Northwestern Territory"
The year 1897 added two more families to
the city. Judge Kingsbury and Elijah Gum
removed their families from Conneaut to Cleye-
land; making city Of four families-but in
the fall, One-fourth Of the whole city, in the
family of Judge Kingsbury, removed to New
burgh-but the city had further increase Of
two families, by the arrival Of Lorenzo Car
Ter and Ezekiel Hawley with their families
i Although the little colony had this increase,
yet it seemed doubtful whether the inhabi-
tants could contend with the fevers Of the
country On the 9th of July, 1897, AMI
Atwater, one of the surveyors with Miner
Bicknell, an assistant, were sent to run the
line between what is now Portage and Tranl-
bull counties At the northeast corner of
of Palmyra, in Portage county, they found
Wareham Sheppard, another surveyor, sick
with the dysentery-and to add TO their dis
tress, Bicknell, who accompanied AtWater,
was taken with q violent fever "Here" in
the language Of Atwater in a letter of his,
which l have, "was difficult case, to know
what to do. We were at a great distance
from any comfortable place for the sick-and
without medicine-and ignorant ofits use if
we had it--nO guide but our compasses, OF the
township lines. To get Bieknell to CleEe-
land seemed most desirable if it was practics-
BILE. We were in hopes some Of our boats
were at our late camp, at the foot Of the Big
Falls of the Cuyahoga--but how 70 get him
there, was the question But necessity was
the mother Of invention; Atwater took two
poles, and fastened them together with bark
so as TO go by the sides Of the horses, like
the thills Of WagOn-one horse following
the other 50 far apart as 70 admit a man to
lie lengthwise between them. With bsrks
and blankets he made bed as comfortable
as possible, and, by twisted bark ropes, fast
ened it to the pack-saddles on the horses
Leaving Sheppard with one man, to fare as
best they could, AtWater started with Biek-
nell for Cleveland. Inthis manner be carried
the sick man FIVE days, and distance of
fifty miles. Bicknen had high fever all the
time, and was, most Of the time, delirious.-
They arrived at the river early in the fore
noon Of July 25th, 1897, and Bicknell died
about two hours afterward He was buried
near the river, on the south line of Independ-
ence, on land now owned by Esq. Frazer