Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-02-09

find q bill Of fmisdemeanor, and 50 the
matter rested. II cost the State, how
ever, Sl7 900 to repair the damages.
A word more In relation to the in
cipiency Of the great railroad system o
the State. The hrst railroad made In
the State was finished in 1886 by the
people Of Toledo, extending westerly
into Michigan. Of which we give more
extended notice elsewhere. About this
time q number of prominent citizens o.
Toledo were prospecting and lobbying
for a railroad from Toledo TO Sandusky,
A railroad was being laid out, also
from Cincinnati to Springfield, up the
Little Miami river; Ii was expected al
that time to extend it TO Sandusky
City. A railroad was also in eonsidera'
tiOn to extend from Painesville to the
Ohio river. Says Atwater: 'There
are many charters for other railroads,
which will never be made. So we fear
we might say of several turnpikes, for
want of enterprise and public spirit"
The first turnpike in the State ex-
tended from Warren, Trumbull coun-
ty, to Lake Erie. Atwater gives the
account OF the first turnpikes:
"There is clay turnpike from Ohio
City in the direction of Columbus, but
except in dry weather we cannot praise
it greatly. The same remarks apply to
the road from Columbus to Sandusky
City, l06 miles in length. There is a
charter for turnpike from Cincinnati
to GAINESVILLE, through ChillicOthe,
Lancaster, etc. There is q sort of a
road from Saudusky to Perrysburgh.-
There is a turnpike in progress, actual
ly making from Cincinnati to Spring
field through Lebanon, Waynesville
and Xenia. So far as it is finished, it
is an excellent road. There is another
road from Cincinnati along the Ohio
river and up the Little Miami, twenty
odd miles, completed in substantial
manner. There are two other excellent
roads from Cincinnati, extending
northwardly into the interior. All the
canals, railroads and turnpikes actually
begun will be finished in 1S43. And
these canals and roads will have cost
fifteen millions of dollars. We shall
then have 800 miles of canals, and 900
miles of railroads and turnpikes, in
Guiding the Cumberland road"
CHAPTER v.-THE STATE CAPITAL.
Franklin county was formed from
Ross, April 80, 1908, and named from
Benjamin franklin. 1t was once the
stamping ground of the Wyandot In
dams. They had large town on the
site of Columbus, and cultivated ex-
tensive fields of maize on the river bot
toms opposite their town. jeremiah
and Robert Armstrong, lads from
Pennsylvania, were captured by the
Wyandots and brought to this town.
The former was ransomed and returned
to his friends. The latter was raised by
the Indians, became a great favOrite,
lived, married and died among them.
He was also frequently employed as an
interpreter for the United States. He
left two sons with the Wyandots who
removed with them to the far West;
both of them were educated and one
was admitted to the Ohio Bar. In the
year 1880, a party of whites from the
mouth of the Kanawha, followed a
band of Indians and overlook them on
or near the site of Columbus, gave bat
tie, and defeated them. Here also oc-
Cured the execution for witch-craft, of
the venerable chief, Leatherlips.
The first settlement made within the
present limits of the city of Columbus
was made in the winter of 1796-97, by
young man from Kentucky, whose
name subsequently became interviewer
with the growth and progress of the
capital of the great State of Ohio.
This young man was Lucus Sullivant,
a civil engineer, who with corps of
assistants, was engaged in surveying
lands and locating land warrants in the
Virginia Military District, west of the
SciOto river. In Franklinton, now
West Columbus, he erected log cabin
and fixed up his future home. In
August 1907, he laid out the town of
Franklinton, and to encourage settle
ment therein, he laid out Gift street,
and gave the property thereon to those
who would improve it and become
actual settlers. But few residents of
the street to-day are aware ofthe origin
of its name.
The following are the names of the
original settlers of FrankIinton, nearly
or quite all of whom have descendants
still living in the city: Joseph Dixon,
George Skidmore, John Brickell, Rob-
ert Armstrong, jeremiah Armstrong,
William Domigan, James Marshall,
the Dearduffs, the McIlvains, the Sells,
John Lisle and family, William Flem-
ing, Jacob Grubb, Jacob Oberdier,
Arthur O'Harra, Joseph Foos, John
Blair and John Dill.
The founder of the town was not
but in 1901 he married and
took possession of more pretentious
house than his original log cabin. AT
that tima VINO Starl;uor and Pohart
Russell became citizens of Franklinton.
A year later the new town received
large accession in the shape of Col.
Robert Culbertson and his entire fami-
ly, who came from Shippensburg,
Pennsylvania. Col. and Mrs. GILBERT
son, their sons and daughters, sons-in-
law and daughters-in-law and grand
children numbered almost fifty souls
and gave the new town big send-off.
In honor of his contribution he was at
once elected to the Legislature.
10 RH coHTINuBD