Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-06-28


the Sahdusky Rivef-no reservation what
ever being upon or near the CuyahOga. The
reservation at and about the British Fort
Miami was ~ miles square. On the 18th
day Of April, 1896, Goy. 81. Ciair created the
county Of Wayne which included within is
boundaries ali the country south Of the Lake
and west Of the Cuyahoga River, so that at
this time the Indian war had ceased, peace
had been restored, nearly the whole country
/ had been ceded by the native owners to the
| United States, and the North Western Terrific
| rial Government had assumed civil authority
over all this country, so it is not very likely
! ''that all west Of the river awaited the ar
I bitrament Of the sword and the tomRhawk
a. claimed by Gen. Bieree ; nor was it at all
probable that the British had a fort or a garri-
son upon our soil.
The Barr manuscript COPIED into How's
Ohio Collections, P. 1907 says, "Their tre-
\ ders 1.-THE British) had house in Ohio City,
north Of the Detroit road, on tho point Of the
hill near the river, when the Surveyors FIRST
arrived here in l79G.n Mr.. Barr is mistak-
en- in supposing that this house belonged to
! the British traders. II belonged to Duncan
/ and Wilson Of Pittsburgh, and was erected
] DIV Auls DllluhH anu Ills hsaOGlhlI1 III tue
! Spring of 1885, From the time ofits erection
up to the time mentioned by Mr.. Barr it had
been occupied by them as a place of deposit
/ for their goods. Duncan & Wilson packed
goods across the wilderness from Fort McIn-
tosh, at the mouth of the Big Beaver, to the
mouth of the CuyRhoga, from thence they
| carried them in small schooner called
"Mack:naw,n to Detroit. The caravan usu-
ally consisted of ten men and ninety horses.
This was considerable trade and no doubt
profitable.
The 6rst permanent settlement was made
on the Western Reserve, at Youngstown, Ohio.
Judge Young had purchased tract of land
/ where the village now is, and early in 1885
he came on with surveyors and commenced
a survey of the land. Col. Hillman, in 1886,
in going down the Mahoning in his canoe,
I on returning from one Of his trading expedi-
tions. saw a smoke where Youngstown now
is, and on going to it he found Judge Young,
and his Surveyors. After few days stay,
| Judge Young accompanied Mr.. Hillmal to
! Beaver Town to celebrate the 4th o. July.
From this circumstance an Intimacy sprang
up between the two, and Hillman was in
duoed 10 return and commence permanent
settlement, which he did. This was some
/ time in july 1876. Young and bis men
were on the ground at least in JUNE, 1876,
and built a small cabin; and in July Mr..
Hillman built house The first Surveying
party of the Connecticut Land Company
landed at Conneaut on the 4th day Of July,
1896, and on the 9TH they commenced the
erection of "Stowe Castle" It would seem
that Youngstown has the preference by
month or more Of time, in the settlement of
the Reserve.
Col. Hillman was born in Northampton
in the State Of Pennsylvania, about the year
1868. He was a soldier under Gen. Hamar
in 1884, and was discharged at Beaver Town,
in 1855. In the Spring of 1880 he entered
the service of Duncan and Wilson, in their
North Western trade, and worked for them
in packing goods for two years. From
1888 to 1895, Col Hillman traded with
the Indians on his own account in Ohio,
and mostly on the Western Reserve. He
carried his goods in canoes up the Beaver
and the Mahoning Rivers. His Intercourse
with the Indians made him familiar with
their customs and habits; and he als6learn-
ed their dialects, or language, by means Of
which he gained their confidence, and was
enabled afterwards to render important SER
vices to the settlers of the Western Reserve.
Indeed without his kind Offices, difficulties
which sprung up between the rude settlers
and the Indians might have produced general
war and much bloOdshed. In the spring of
1900 two Indians, Capt. George and Spotted
John were murdered at the Salt Springs by
Mcmahon and Story. This came near ex-
tinguishing the small and feeble settlements
over the eastern townships of the Reserve
bat the prompt and fearless action Of Col.
Hillman appeased the Indians and aTerted
the blow. At another time when ''Nick-
shaw" was murdered he again.rendered good
service to the settlers.
He was married in 1856 and settled in the
wilderness at Youngstown in 1896, where he
LIVED until @ bis 6 sfa as5tR P Po@sa8 N@sA8 81 81 dfddfanes
having passed through greater hardships,
trials and exposures than most frontier men,
and at the age of eighty-four, his eye was un-
dimmed, his memory good, and his step
elastic as many men 30 years younger. His
mind was strong and active, with Judgment
acute he knew men and things and the
wilderness world, but had but little Of what
is termed education or book learning. He
was emphatically wOodsman born in the
woods, reared in the woods, and nearly all the
duties of his life led him into the woods,
and among the widest and most savage of
creatures. He was man for the time, and
performed well his part, Such men are
worthy of remembrance and deserve favor
able and honorable mention in all pioneer
celebrations. -. a- ~
1 have here vindicated othe truth Of his
tory" and trust friend Bieree, upon further
examination will find himself mistaken
Gen. Bierce has done much for the history of
the ReserVe-has contributed his part towards
a preservation of the incidents and events
which make up that history, and he should
have the thanks of all who feel an interest
in the subject Let him persevere in the
good work he has begun, gather facts and
information from every accessible source, so
that we shall have from his pen full, COM
plete and truthful history of the Reserve.
Truly yours,
JUEIUs, Jr.