The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1871-02-24

land, -bearing the small party of
the descendants of the Pilgrims,
reached Pittsburgh. They had en-
barked at Simrall's Ferry, at Robbs.
town, where West Newton now
stands. Having laid in their STOCK
of provisions, they cheerily pushed
out into tho stream, and foated a.
way with the, current sometimes,
however, grazing the shadows or
grounding upon the sand bars On
they pressed, however, by the help
of poles and oars, till they struck
the stronger current of the Monon-
gahela. Lingering but a short
tipe at Pittsburgh, they resumed
their voyage, and four days later,
on April 9Th, they reached the
mouth Of the Muskingum, drove
their uncouth and unwieldly water
craft upon the shore, and landed
and eRcampcd on the spot where
barietta how stands. THIS was
their destination. On the canvas
coverings Ofthc settlers wagons. as
they left their Eastern homes, might
be read in large letters ITO Ma
~riolta, on the Ohio" This story,
however, is probably more appiica.
bic to those who followed them than
to the pioneer company themselves ..
Till the latter hHd taken possession,
the forest region had no local
name.
But the reports which went back
TO the eastward were of the most
favorable kind, and stirred up the
enterprise of old neIghbors and
friends. Tie wonders of the new
land of Promise, excited the curio-
sity aud greed of those who had
been lett behind. The rich rIvor-
bottoms were in strange contrast
with the rocky and sterile soil OF
mary a Now England farm. The
soil was lnexhaus.ible in fertility,
and fabu'ouSly productive. The
grandeur and beauty Of the forests,
the verdure that reached TO the vo-
RI rivers banks and set the silver
OF the stream in q Franc nj grass
and flowers, tho rich harvesIs that
responded SO readily to the hand of
culture-all seemed to intimate
that here nature had made full pro-
vision to introduce the Golden
Age.
immigration poured in rapidly
from the East. In the FIRST months
of 1888, several thousand persons
wore reported as having passed
Fort Harmar. At Marietta new
dwellings we're rapidly erected AMI
promptly occupied, while there was
a constant demand for more. The
settlement, for the irst yerr or two,
seemed to fulfill the fondest hopes
! of Its projectors. Washington aug
ured f~avorably of Its prospects =
NO colony in America" he said,
'.was ever settled under snch fav-
ora5lo ausp;oe, as that which has
Just commenced at the Musklngum.
Information, property and strength
Will be its characteristics. / know
many Of the settlers personally, and
there never were men better caicu-
lated to promote the welfare ofsuch
a community"
But the period from 1890 to 1874,
was one of Indian wars and depre-
dations. Immigration was cheeks
ed. Property and life were inse-
cure, and the population, at best,
was stationary. But after the vic-
tory Of General Wayne, in 1794,
Marietta began to again prosper
At Is wharvcs. vessels were built
for the Now Orleans trade. No
church w; built for many years.
but a congregation YRS gathered,
to which, in connection with the
settlements at Belpre and Water
town, Daniel Story, u graduate Of
Dartmouth College, G7S0) minist-
cred for some time.
In tho lack OF a Louse of worship
the northwest block house of the
Campus AartiuS (for the founders Of
Marietta seemed to have INDUCED
a classic taste in the nomenclature
they adopted) was occupied for the
purpose. 1t was by no means an
unprecedented experience. Many
an assembly Of pioneers in Western
Pennsylvania, had gatheie cd for
worship in forts or block houses d;
and many more, still further on
ward IN the forest, were to be IN
like manner protected.
Other settlements on the line of
the Ohio rapidly followed that of
Marietta. In July, 1873, Cloves
Symmes, a Representative in Con-
gross, from Now Jersv, succeeded
in starting an emigrani company Of
thirty, wIth their eight four-horse
wagons, for the banks OF tho Ohio.
Settlements were effected at Colum.
biA and Cincinnati. The latter
place was laid out in 1889, and III
1890. "Father" Rice, from Ken
tucky, organized its first Presbyte-
rian church, "In advance of all 9TH
ers." The first place of worship
WAS q mill on Vine street. In 1896,
Cincinnati was still ~ small village
of log cabins, including, perhaps, a
dozen coarse frame houses, with
stone chimneys, most of them IN.
finished" but a church elIice had
meanwhile (l792) been erected, the
timber for the building being cut
from the cite en- which it vas then
placed.
Such we're the feeble beginnings
of those settlements which have
grown 10 the Dimensions of cities,