Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-02-22

says, "to the Mingo Town" Three miles
lower down, Washington came to Big
Grave Creek, where he tells US he dis
covered "a path leading to. the Red Stone
creek with the Ohio where the artificial
been erected by q prehiss9ric race for
measures Is feet while its circumference
at base is nearly. 1000 feet. Excavations
chambers constructed with logs. each con-
tanning human skeletons, shell beads and
other From this ancient
irion, in his diary, the beautiful little city
OF Moundsville claiming a population OF
200 derives its name. 1t is here where
early part Of this century this mound and
the plain adjoining it, was owned by a
we are informed s1 me sa Calculated Would Be
so1Hf1 iS virginia TN seat but ef Ma SfhsssSl s0f BENG ENG
liked on for that purpose, Mr.. Tomlinsons
town went to decay"
After leaving Little Grave Creek (cailed
Big Grave Creek by Ohio Navigater).
water known as Pipe Creek by the Indians,
on account of a stone found by them out
o osv which bas they " made pipes Is The Tn name nneof mas
this creek is described in diary as being
exceedingly rich" but Lying low. and
flowed" This bottom" diary continues.
ends where the effects Of a hurricane APP
pears by the destruction and havoc among
the trees" On the west side some distance
below Pipe Creek there is another creek
called Nicholson Grape Vine, and by
others Captina Creek. 1t Is here where
the home and burial place of Lewis Wetzel,
the famous Indian hunter, is situated. A
few years ago the Ohio River Railroad
company had some men engaged at this
point quarrying stone, when they discov-
cred in the crevice OF a rock the skeletons
of a man. woman and three children.
At D6lQg at the mouth of this creek
where II was reported the traders were
kllIed,, Washington determined to investi-
olson and one of the Indians to Grape
Vine Town, an Indian village, about Is
miles up the creek, to ascertain whether
About Z o'clock the following morning
they returned and reported the village de-
from whom they learned that a trader
named Philips was drowned in attempting
10 SWIM across the Ohio, and that his COM
turned to the settlement to get horses to
take home their skins, leaving his son to
look after them during his absence. In
describing the journey from Split Island
Greek to this point Washington says:
We beheld innumerable quantities of tur-
keys and many deer watering and brows-
ing on. the shore side, none of which we
Killed" Two days, he tells us, had passed
since encounterlns any riffs OF. very rapid
the only change In the general face of the
country being in that the bottoms seemed
70 De getting a little longer and wider, as
About five miles from Vine Creek, Wash
1ngton found another large stream of
water on the left side called by the In
clans Cut Creek, from a town or tribe of
Indians which they say was cut off en-
tirely: in a bloody battle between them and
ed Fish Creek, n is 1121a miles below
Pittsburg: 1t is described as emptying
Just at the lower end of an island % or
81 yards wide. The village of Woodland,
containing 100 Inhabitants, sometimes call
point.
A little below Fish Creek, on same side,
the Ohio Navigator speaks Of "a large
body Of land called Buffers Tract" In
speaking of this creek Washington says:
Il fancy it is the creek
Commonly Called Wheeling Creek,
by the people of Red Stone. 1t extends,
according to the Indians account, a great
way and interlocks with the branches of
split Island Creek, Astounding in very fine
bottom and exceedingly good land" A
short distance below on the west side he
speaks OF a small run which answers to
miles below on the same side of another
stream Of water called by the Indians
Broken Timber Creek, on account of the
timber that was at one time destroyed
at this point by a hurricane. This stream
was also known as Opossum Greek. At its
head there was a town OF the Delawares,
which washington says was deserted at
the time he wrote his diary. Coming on
down about two miles he speaks of another
| CASCh VI llC gill SlQCy Jul SiIldlI6T, DtdT-
ing the same name, opposite to which was
a large bottom Of good land" Continuing
MS downWard course at a DISTANCE Of about
on the east side, called by the Ohio Nayi-
gator, Fishing Creek. New Martinsville,
the judicial seat of Wetzel county, is sit
uated at the junction of this stream with
the Ohio, its population being about 1900.
The distance from this point to Pittsburg
is 12S miles. Washington describes this
creek as large and says it heads with
some of the waters of the Monongahela.
The Indians claimed that it was bordered
with some bottoms Of very good land. The
hills, however, were steep and the country
broken. At the mouth of this creek he
mentions the largest fat he had seen
upon the river. The bottom. he said, ex-
tended two or three miles above it, and a
mile below, though he did not think it was
of the richest kind.
Their next encampment was about half
way in the Long Reach opposite to the
beginning of a large bottom on the east
side of the river. At this place they
threw out lines at night and found hooked
to one Of them in the morning a very
During the following day, he says, the
bottoms began to increase in size both
as to length and breadth" The river also
was not only choked up with fallen trees
but the bottom next to the shore was
The fiat mentioned by Washington is now
known as Paden's Valley.
AT half-past six o'clock on the morning
of October 18th the %voyaging party left
their encampment. After speaking of "a
| sHldil run Oi inc .wSSt -Sldt,. AWFUL lUuF
miles lower the diary describes a beach
bottom IS or 20 miles long" which appears
the most extraordinary as the Ohio in gen.
eral IS remarkably good"
During the day they passed several large
Islands,, some" says Washington, con-
tanning a hundred or more acres, but all /
| apprehend liable to be overlooked" 1t
might here be said that ten miles above
the beginning Of this reach is situated the
little city of Sistersville, containing a pop
ulation of 5000. For a number of years ii
was the great oil center of West Virginia,
but on account of the increasing territory
of this production its sister city. Park
ersburg, has eclfpsed ii, leaving 1t, how
ever, still a iourishing town. The dis
lance from Sistersville to Pittsburg by
water is 1919 miles. Just above the head
of the reach referred to, there Is a little
village in Tyler ounty. lately incorpor-
ated and containing $50 inhabitants, called
the Ohio Navigator, tells us, that in 1910
Mr.. Charles Wells, ST., was proprietor of
a tavern and owned a fine farm in the
vicinity, on which he settled in 1776, while
yet a boy, and raised a large family, land
where" says the writer of this book,
"he enjoys all that plentitude and happi-
ness with his numerous family, which
ought 10 be enjoyed by every man in the
happy decline of life, when these blessings
have been obtained by virtue and industry.
Indeed. the serenity and sage-like physi-
ognomy of Mr.. Wells justify the con-
clusion that his wealth and happiness rests
on no other foundation. Blessed are the
fruits of a virtuous life: blessed is he who
hoIdeth out to the end. and soberly en-
joyeth in his old age. the good things pro-
49, - ~ 4. -