The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-23
CINCINNATI.
The Early History of the Queen City of the
West-Olive Logan Corrected.

To the Editor of the indianapolis Journal:
! The July number of Harper's Monthly
contains very interesting sketch of the
Queen City of the West" from the pen of
Olive Logan. OF course, the writer had to
depend on floating tradition for many of the
early incidents and dates of that narrative,
as these almost invariably belong to the
chapter of unwritten history. Strict accu-
racy cannot, therefore, be expected in such
details but it is well that these matters
should find their way into print while those
yet live who can correct the errors from
their own memory, or from direct infor-
nation from the actors in these early events.
Fort Washington was located on the high
point of land at the mouth of Deer creek, in
the spring of 1888, for the protection of the
prospective colony which was to settle the
land which Congress had granted to John
Cleves Symmes, of New jersey so that the
town grew up under the protection of that
garrison. l venture, therefore, to suggest
that possibly the danger from Indians is
overdrawn in this sketch. The red man,
then as now, had a wholesome dread of
them wide berth. Moreover, there is
slight mistake in the statement that
the Indian trail to Kentucky crossed the
Ohio river at Cincinnati North Bend was
the point where that trail crossed and the
little pocket-like cove where the town of
Cleves now stands was the depot where the
Indians concealed their stolen horses and
| other property till the thieving gang could
reasonable. The Indians never made an at
tack on the town or garrison, and but one
man was ever killed by them within the
| present city limits. His name was Van
| Cleve. He was a noted Indian hunter, and
was killed little south of where the Com
mercial Hospital now stands
Another slight mistake l detect in the
photography and etymology of the original
name OF the city. That name originated
with Colonel Ludlow, who surveyed the first
city plat, after the model of Philadelphia.
He was an accomplished scholar, but was
| little pedantic. His name-Losantiville ii in
stead of in the third syllable)-is literary
curiosity. L is an abbreviation of Licking
| (SaxonG os, mouth (GreekG anti, opposite
(Latin) vile, town, or group of houses
| (French) Translation: The village opposite
the mouth of Licking But this name, with
all its classical prestige, did not take readily
with the backwoodsmen, and as the fort had
been named Washington, there was dis
| position to transfer the name to the town.
In 1890, Gen. St. Clair was made Governor
of the Northwestern Territory and COM
mander-in-chief of the military forces
therein, with headquarters at Fort Washing
| ton. He was prominent member OF the
Society of the Cincinnati" composed of
officers of the Revolutionary army who, on
retiring to domestic pursuits in 1888, Or
ganized this society and named it in honor of
| the Roman Cincinnatus. At the suggestion
of Gen. St. Clair. and in honor of his society,
Losantivlle accepted the name of Cincin-
Rnf off ~,
1894, and the subsequent withdrawal of the
military post, the town was generally known
| as Fort Washington. The writer of the mag
azine article says that the tide of immigra-
| ton from New England reached Cincinnati
| some time between 1925 and 1890 Now,
distinctly remember the arrival of colony
of about thirty families from the Penobscot,
in Maine, early in the spring of 1915, They
had wintered at Clean, in Pennsylvania,
and came down the river on a raft of
pine lumber. After selling their lumber they
bought a district of white-oak flats a
few miles above the mouth of the Little
Miami where they established the first free
school in the West-taxing themselves and
paying teacher by the month. This colony
was followed by Others each year for some
time, and finally by general private immi-
grafton from the Eastern States
The paper speaks of the large steamboat
commerce enjoyed by Cincinnati, but fails
to give its genesis. Fulton built a stern.
wheel boat in Pttsburg which descended the
river in February, 1872 She was
named THE Experiment." and was after
wards called the Orleans. But this was
not the first boat on the Ohio, as is generally
claimed. At this time the largest shipyard
on the Ohio was at Marietta. An enterpris-
ing company of boat-builders here brought
steam-engne from Philadelphia, and fitted
| up first-olass keelboat with stern wheel
driven by their engine. This boat bearing
the name of THE Enterprise" descended
the Ohio in the early days of November, 1911.
After reaching Cincinnati, she returned to
Maysvile to demonstrate her ability to run
against the current. Returning she pursued
her course for New Orleans, but was caught
in the terrible earthquake on the 18th of No
| vember, 1911, a few miles below the mouth
of the Ohio. She was thrown entirely out of
water on the beach, but the return wave car
ried her back into the element again, and
continuing her voyage, she reached New Or
| leans the first of December, 1911, This steam
boat Is the earliest inscription on the men,
DRY of the present writer. RIB.
Mackey's Ducai Palace.
London Cable Dispatch.