Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-09-23
AN ANCIENT ARTERY,
Along Which tho Ceuntry's uit
Blood OF Commerce and
Travel Pulsated.
The Stage Route Through Wheel
ing Which United the Western
Wilderness to tho East.
Judge Thompson's Sketch Of Travel
10 the Days Of our Grand
fathers IA Rsmlnlsceus.

WHEELING, W. Va, September 2l.-"I
have stood on the porch OF this house and
counted fifty.two six horse wagons in sight
at one time on the old road in its palmy
days" said the Judge, and have known
- many as four thousand head Of stock On
route to the East to be quartersd ov0r
night on this place"
The sneaker, Judge Geo. W. Thonpsou,
moe ns1i4y ID 49, 7Vdd7n4 kl16
master under Amos Kendall, oonsrsssmas
before the Missouri oompromiss was ~.
pealed, judge OF Virginia court when
John Brown was hung, and his residence.
two miles east OF Wheeling, on the Cum.
berland pike, where the conyersatiou oc.
CURED, Was in its day perhaps the best
known OF the many famous ho,telries
that once lined the National thorough
fare from Baltimore to st. Louis. when
my wife's father, Daniel Steenrod, kept
this house" added the old gentleman. Gen.
Jackson would pas, through Wheeling 10
stop with him on his way East, or il going
West would stop over here instead Of going
on to Wheeling. Clay stopped in Wheel.
ing with the Wings. He was great friend
Of Noah Zanes, who lived On Main street
near the head OF the present wharf and
who was public spirited citizen and lib.
eral entertainer, and IL Was by reason OF
the friendships formed by Clay hers that
Wheeling got the road. The act OF Con-
gress passed March 10Th, 1904, to regulate
the laying out and making OF . road
from Cumberland, Nd, TO the state
OF Ohio, provided that IL should
strike the Ohio river between Mounds.
vile and Steubenville. The proposed
routes through the present Panhandle
above and below offered superior advan-
tsges 10 the Wheeling route, and Philip
Doddridge, OF Wellsburg, who was . man
OF national prominence then, made strong
fight to secure It's crossing at that point,
but Clsys influence controlled the loca-
ton and he stood by his Wheeling friends.
The fact 10 Wheeling at that time had
more influence and exercised . larhsr con-
troll OF national affairs than shs has ever
done since. She was then prominent
point on the most travelled route East and
West, the statesmen OF the South aud
West-men like Jackson, Clay, Tom Ben
ton, Lewis Linn, and others OF like cali
bre, made her q resting point and we're hos.
pitably entertained BY her people, and
they stood ready in return to do her kind
ness when occasion offered"
How the Road wa Baiit.
There Is Q general impression, Judge
that 10 Mr.. Ciays efforts the country Is In.
debted for the entire road, a. well ~ Its To-
| cation st particular points"
That's a mistake. He was recognized -
its friend from the beginning. aud tue mon
ument erected In his honor by the roadside
ten miles this side Of the Pennsy iyaniA line
records his services in It's behalf, bat that
mon ument was erected by Col. David Shep-
herd, a personal friend, and was only In.
tended 10 indicate Shepherds personal ap-
probation OF the Great Com moner. The
origin OF the road goes far beyond Clay's
period. IL you will examine the proceed.
ings OF the convention which framed the
Federal Union you will find that the main
objection made by Maryland, delaware and
some OF the other smaller States 10 the
adoption OF the proposed constitution, was
that Virginia, which then comprised the
territory now covered by ohio, Indiana, II.
linois and Michigan, II allowed 70
come in with this immense arcs,
must at no distant peri iod be destined
in national politics. In order 70 obviats
this objection Virginia agreed 10 cede 70 the
general Government the territory NORTH
west OF the Ohio, with the condition, among
Others, that o certain percentage OF the
public lands sold In such territory should
he set apart for the building Of road for
public uses through the domain. Out of
| this reservation and percentage the Nation.
| al road originated. I do not think you
| will find any serious opposition TO 10 in
| the Congressional debates OF the period.
There Is . tradition OF q statistical speech
| Of Congressman Beeson's In Its behalf, In
which he demonstrated that
The Horseshoes % wouid wear ost
would keep the ,mithies OF the country
ringing and that the horseshoe nails it
would require would furnish employ yment
for all the idle population, but IL 10 doubtful
whether any such figures were needed. The
road became fixed fact from the time the
| reservation referred 10 was accepted In the
| ceksion. inst as much n the common
schools provided for in other reservations oil
| he ssme instrument. Every snoseq usnt
| appropriation by Congress In aid Of the
road provides that the money sppropristsd
| shall be paid out OF the fund which sccum.
ulated by reason OF this reservation. The
rosd was therefore practically built 70 far
ss IL Was built from 81. Louis 10 Cumbsf.
| land by virginls, and Congress merely car
| risd out trust assumed when the oession
| Of the North western territory wM scosptsd.
| You will find . reference 10 the souros Of
the fund In every appropriation bill for its
| laying out, making, extension or repair, from
| 1866 10 1877. From Baltimore 10 Cumberland
| the road Was laid out by Maryland banks
which were recbsrtered In 1916 on oonditios
| that toty complete II. In 1895 Congress o.
| dered thst the rosd be laid out and made
from Cumberland, Md, 10 the Ohio river.
March 3, 1871. go 600 wss appropriated 70
csrry the road from Cumberland 10 Browns
| Vile, Pa, May O, 1872, 5000 more VS. sp.
| propriated, and February 10. 1915. el0o,00o
more was voted. From Cumberland 10
Ubiontown, Pa, the trend OF the mount
sins rendered but one routs possible, be-
| yond that the line was Q nattsr OF discfs-
lion possible tempered by political inau-
| ence.
Prom BsI01ers - D. LSsss.
ON The 18th OF May, 1870. Congrss. sp.
| Wheeling 20 ST. Louis, through Ohio, In.
disnA and Illinois. March 30. 1875, $4,000
IVES appropriated 20 build the rosd from
Canton nov Bhdgeport) opposite Whssl.
| ing, 10 ZsnesvilIe, on the xuskiDgum.
! March ID, 1879. go 900 was voted to bald
the rosd 10 Indiana, east snd vest from IN.
| disnspolis to the boundaries OF the State.
March ID. 1879, SlOo, 200 vss sppropristed
to be ,pent east OF the Ohio hvsr, and IN
1881 SIS, 900 passed for Indisna and 90, 100
for Illinois. About tbis time the general
government manifested Q disposition % ~.
trench her expenditures in this diFsctsoa.
for Congress gladly socsp.ed the propcsI
| tions Of Ohio, ViFginis and PsnLsyiyania
TO seoept and care for the portions Of t5e
road Within their respective boundAtse
and endesvored 70 indues the otbsr eeaees
interested 10 make Q similar agrssmsot
| Nevertheless, In 1884 tbs tuo houess VOTED
| 500. 900 for containing the Yosd IN Ohio.
$4,000 for Containing it in Indisns. eico.-
| 90 for Illinois and t300.0O Tor to.
| proyemeps and repairs sast 81
the Ohio river, ordering thst
| VIXEN thoss sppropriations vsrs o..
| pended the rnsd should b suTsodsfe4 -
| he States through which 70 pesssd. and
| thst the United States shouid not thsas.
.ftsr be subject TO sIpsnss on scocant
thereof This sounds psrsmptosy, bst -
March ID, 1895, Ohio got $4,000 noeo
| fror Congress for contnuibs the work
| within her limitA Indiana 10000, ssl
i the sectiou east Of the Ohio hvsF ~, ,1b6 8,
| the money 10 Be withheld ustii thsse etstes
accepted the road snd Iook its bueiee o.
| the general Government In spits ~ -.