The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-11-22
WashingtOn's Tour TO the
Ohio in l77O.

OhlO HI l6SOs
In the year ITO, Washington made q
tour to the Ohio river, prospecting for
land. His journal is before us. He left
his home on the Potomac, October 9Th,
for Fort Pitt, (Pittsburgh,) in company
with DR.. Craig, and three servants-the
party on horseback. On the 18th, they
reached Capt. Crawford's, near the
present town of Connelsville, Fayette
county, Pennsylvania, on the Youghio
geny river. Crawford had served with
Washington in the French and Indian
Wars, and was his intimate friend. He
il well known in Western History. as
Colonel VIM. Crawford who led an ex-
petition against the Indians, in 1882 and
was taken prisoner in the present county
of Wyandot, Ohio, where he was burned
to death amid most excruciating tor
lures. On the 18th, they went to sec
coal mine local of the very best kind,
and abundance of it." says Washington;
and on the 18th he states that he went
to see 1900 acres of land which "Capt.
Crawford had taken up for me near the
Youghiogeny, some as fine land as ever
lsaw."
Washington arrived at Fort Pitt, on
the 18th, and remained there three days;
and on October Doth, embarked OH the
Ohio, sin large canoe, with suffici
emit store of provisions and necessaries,
and the following persons besides Dr..
Craig aud myself, to wit: Capt. Craw-
ford, Joseph Nicholson Gan interpreter
Robert Bell, VIM. Harrison Charles Nor
gan, and Daniel Rendon boy of Capt.
Crawford's and the Indians (two,) in q
canoe by themselves"
They proceeded on their way down
the Ohio, encamping on shore at night.
Washington noted here "a body of fine
land, ga body of good land ALSO" and
again, "a body of fine, rich, level land"
and so on.
On the 22d, he says: "The river
of ducks. We killed five wild turkeys
to-day. Upon our arrival at the Mingo
Town, (three miles below Steubenville,)
We received the dissgreeable news of
two traders being killed at the Grape
Vine town, thirty.eight miles below
this, which caused Us to hesitate wheth-
er we should proceed" But they con-
cluded to 60 on. They found here more
than sixty warriors of the Six Nations,
going to the Cherokee country, to war
against the Catawb has. The creek zeal
led Wheeling" is noticed, as is also
Pipe creek, so called by the Indians
from stone found here out of which
they make pipes" and opposite, "a bot
tom of exceedingly rich land" Came
to Csptina observation-disclosures spells
it Captema,) near where the traders are
said to have been killed, but found at
Grapevine town, eight miles up the
creek Cat the lower edge of Belmont
county, "ncb"ay but two old Indian
women" and. vhe story of the two traders
killed dwiudled down TO one drowned
in attempting TO cross the Ohio. Other
creeks are u0tlced but not by the pre-
sent names.
October 18th, "about half way in the
Long Reach, We encamped, opposite the
beginning of ,arge bottom on the east
side Of the river"
October Goth, left at 81 o'clock in the
morning. "At the lower end of the
Long Reach, and for some distance up
it, on the east side, is large bottom,
but low, and covered with beach near
the river shore which is no indication of
good land. The Long Reach is q
straight course of the river for about
eighteen or twenty miles, which APP
pears more extraordinary as the Ohio
In general is remarkably crooked. There
are several Islands in this Reach some
containing hundred or more acres of
land, but, all apprehsnd, liable to be
overhowed. At the end of this Reach we
found Martin aud Lindsay, two trad
ers." he speaks Of what is now known
as Middle Island, opposite the upper
part OF Newport, as ian island of good
land at least mile or two in length .
and says the creek opposite on the east
side twas called by SOME Balls creek
from one Bali that hunted on it, and
saws that the land at the mouth is good
land, although rather too much mixed
with beech. Five or six miles below,
we came to the three Islands, (now
known as the three Brothers. Below
these isiaads is large body Of Hat land,
with a water course running through it
on the east side and the hills back
neither so high nor steep in appearance,
as the are up the river. On the other
hand, the bottoms do not appear so rich,
though much longer and WIDER
On this night, October Doth, ITO,
Washington encamped just above the
mouth of the Little M1skingnm which
he calls creek about twelve miles be-
low the Three Islands, and says il is
pretty large at the mouth, and Just
above an island.
Stn,-Leit ont en- campmsut a Quar-
ter befor seven, and after passing tbe
creek near which We lay, and another
OF much the same size and ON the sama
side, also an island about two miles in
length, but not wide, We came 70 the
mouth of the Muskingum, distant from
our encampment about four miles, This
river is about hundred and fifty wards
wide at the mouth; it runs out in a
gentle current aud clear stream, and ia
navigable great way into the country
for canoes. From Muskingum to Little
kannawa is about THU teen miles. This
IL ABOUT as wide at the mouth as the
Muskingum, but the water much deep
or. truhs up towards the inhabitants
OF MonoEgahela, and according to the
Indian account, forks about forty or
mtg miles from the mouth, and the
liuge between the two pros gs leads di-
lectiy to the settlement. To this fork,
anu ABOVE, the waters are navigable for
esnoes. On the upper side of this river
tne,e appears To be n bottom of exceed
ingiy rich land, and the country from