The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1869-08-27
@riainaI Shutters.
Written for the Fremont Journal.
m THE COUNTRY By RAIL

four miles, more or less, as surveyors say
above sandusky city. It may stagger you
belief, but it is fact that it is but'a a few
years since this Fremont was first known
less than twenty, perhaps less than fiftesI
years, the precise time my memory does no
recall And, what is stranger, when dis
covered, it was already quite village o
course refer to the change in its nsme
from Lower Ssndusky to Fremont. What
change it was ! A gentleman left his hOmt
in Lower Sandusky, on one day and, re-
turning the next, found his family removed
to another town, though residing in thC
same house, which was yet on the SAINT
site. Another gentleman starting from
Toledo to visit Lower Sandusky, went tC
Fremont without changing his intention
Verify, what perplexity the change of name
must have caused. All the books Of record
in both the town and the county, respecting
that place underwent transformation SO fal
as the name was concerned-Lower San.
dusky was scratched out or blurred out ol
ruled out, and Fremont written instead A
man deciding lot, must describe it as Lot
No. so and SO in the village of Fremont, OF
late known as Lower Sandusky. The school
children excused themselves for great deal
of useless scrawling Ia their books, under
the plea that they must write the new name
many times to get used to it. doubt not
that the word Fremont covered every fly
leaf and the cover and all the margin of the
inside leaves, Then how many letters and
orders and checks and receipts were spoiled
before business men could think not to write
Lower Sandusky instead of the new name.
And so might continue, but time and space
fail me.
II is hardly needful to mention to my
readers that the name Sandusky was once of
considerable importance. 1t occurs re-
spectacle number of times in our State, and
no doubt is of aboriginal origin. Probably
there was no tribe of Indians of that name,
but it is fairly presumable that It was given
to some noted chief or sachem of the once
powerful Wyaudot. Undoubtedly tbe rivers
there are two of them-and the bay, bear
ing the name, were called after him. He
must have ranked high among the untutOr-
ed red men, for he evidently had three chief
places of residence, if Indians, unless civiliz-
ed, ever do reside. There is Upper San
dusky, Lower Sandusky (noW FremOnt)
aad sandusky City, all on Sandusky River
which empties into Ssndusky Bay. Doubt.
less this redOubtable chieftain held unliuit-
ed sway from the head of the river named
after him, to its mouth. By the way, it
would be interesting to know the signiAca-
ton of the word Ssn-dus-ky. 1t should be
pronounced Son-dus-kee. accentiDg each
syllable alike, as is the case generally with
Indian proper names. All names in that
language mean something, as did the He
brew names. Our word Ohio Of which We
are SO proud, is not of our language. 1t has
a meaning. Some ingenious philOlogist says
it originated in this way: The first settlers
of this part of what was known as the North
West Territory, unable to agree upon
name, decided that it should be called after
what was first said on awakening the next
morning. One after another Of the mora
industrious awoke and remembering the
agreement, remained silent, being unwilling
to bear the great responsibility of giving the
name. But at last one lazy fellow, not haV-
ing any such awe before him, sluggard-like
rubbed open bis eyes, and suiting the ex-
pressive movement of his arms to the very
significant exclamation, with an sgue-like
yawn, was heard to say Ohio, and thus
our State was named Unfortunately for
this cunning theory, the river gave the name
to the State and, the river was thus called
long before auy white man had discovered
it. Speaking of the meaning of some proper
names, Fremont has a Specification doubt
not. Probably it is from the French. The
latter syllable means mountains, Judge
from the meaning of the same syllable in
1 am not Gallo enough to know. In fact 1
am not generally informed sufficiently in
geographical nomenclature to edify any
body in this particular very much, and l
should have avoided exposing my ignorance
but for the hope that might thus bring out
some accomplished etymologist.
If l am not mistaken Lower Ssndusky
was favOrite place with the Wyandots-s
sort of halfway retreat for them between
Upper Sandusky and Sandusky city--and
after they began to war with the whites,
many hapless captive here fell victim 10
their malice by arrow, tomahawk, knife and
fagot. The sight of some brawny brave
dashing out the tender brains of her helpless
infant agonized many a captive mothers
heart and more than one Indian fighter was
forced to run the bloody gauntlet Here
too, the WyandOts laid away their dead,
with all their martial equipage aud enough
provisions to last the spirit to the hunting
grounds above. But the red man was COM
PEELED to yield possession of this coveted
spot-cOVeted by the whites who drove them
awsy-thOugh not till bloody battles we're
fought and many cOmbatants on either side
were struck down to rise TO more. The
naughty Indians leagued with the treacher-
Gus French aud afterward with the relentless
English fought to the bitter end in their
attempts to expel the hated invaders, aud
not till their chieftains were slain and their
prophets captured, did they give over their
frantic efforts and retire to their woodland
aud mountainous retreats. Even now on
our far Western borders is heard the savage
and the smoke of the smOlder-
ing remains of Lighthouses burned down by
Indians rises above tie surrounding forests.
Step by step the red man contests the
ground, and though it be necessary that his
rich hunting grounds give place to fields of
yellow grain or thriving towns and cities,
We can but admire his desperate resistance,
while we abhor his cruelty.