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

Brother there is a small willow island.
scribes "a large body of at Land with
Ia water course running thru sgh it,, now
KnGw1 as Cow Creek. Two liles below.
o oSi not mentioned in diary. cutters the
The next encampnent was about twelve
above the mouth OF the Little MuskineiIm
river, on the Ohio side. Washington de-
ing small hillock as far as the eye could
reach" Referring again to the Ohio
navigator. we find that in 1891 there was a
the Little Muskingum.
According to the diary Washington and
parry met with no riffs during. the day
though the water was strong. A great
many old trees choked up the passage OF
the river. and made i difficult to proceed
Siary the a1ro eanSe. c,s This day. says the
only day since the 18th 1t has not rained
or showed. or threatened the one or the
October 9th. the voyagers left their en-
O'Clock, and passed the creek near which
size and on the same slde s509 the 'n name ssn of
which he did not learn. but now called
as Marietta Island, after Which they came
to the mouth of the Big M~uskingum. III
miles below Pittsburg.
This river" says Washington, 'is about
$50 yards wide at its mouth. It runs out
in a gentle stream. and is navigable a
great way into the country for canoes.
IRON the Musklngum to the Little Kan
I'm 1907" says the Ohio Navigator, "the
legislature. of Ohio passed a law TO raise.
Dy way OF lottery, the sum OF $4,000 for
improving the navigation OF these two
rivers" meaning the Muskirs sum and
the mouth of the Muskingum was ear
ried across by means OF a rope extending
from bank to bank. and a windlass ingen-
lousy worked at each end"
The settlement of Marietta at this point
was first begun in 17S. In describing this
old town, which now numbers about 1900
population. the above named book says.
Marietta is finely situated at the mouth
of the Muskingum, having about 20 houses
0 %be ene upper nppe g. ana % on the opposite bank
bank was established here in the summed
OF 1897. capital 100000. OF which Rufus
ried on here QS0) with spirit. 1t has one
printing office. a postotce, two rope walks.
a court house. a market house, an aead-
mill, to which is attached a carding ma
chine The inhabitants are principally
New Englanders, whose industry is as pro-
cal, moral and religious. About a mile
above Marietta are some curious remains
OF ancient Notifications.
Marietta is the seat OF justice in Wash
s. W. Of Piittsburg BY land lSpl The hrst
brig called the St. Clair, of 100 tons bur-
en-. built in Marietta, by Col. Roeble in
1873 or 'es, who descended the Ohio and
mississippi in her, went to Havana, and
thence TO Philadelphia, where he sold her"
The ancient Qualifications, referred to
the great Temple Mounds" with which
Marietta abounded in early days, OF which
the Indians were unable to give account,
have since been ieveled down to accommo-
date the growing city. There is still pre-
served in an old cemetery, however, an
elevated square, said to measure 10 feet
1 nigh and I'M feet lnnQr nv 12f feet uida Tho
top is perfectly level and has an area of
half an acre. being reached on each Of
the four sides by graded ways % feet wide
Williamstown, situated opposite to Mari
eta, was settled about 1875. Many of the
in the vicinity and take great pride in
keeping fresh in their minds the history of
their town, which now numbers about 800.
After describing the Muskingum river,
washington tells us that the Little Kan
awha. was " as wide as the mouth OF the
alsnsrs M but r,r that q the water was n much iSa
inhabitants OF the M~onongahela, and ac-
cording- to the Indians account. forks
about As or so miles from the mouth. and
the ridge between the two leads directly to
the settlement. Te this fork and above.
the water is navigable for canoes. On the
upper side there appears to be a bottom of
exceedingly rich land, and the country
from hence up to the Three Islands level
i rou aRdPeih n a bo and hoe. .orms ono = Stunning odv o{
fiat land, which added to that running up
the second Long Reach aforementioned
can not contain less than 50 thousand acres
in view
.Parkersburg, one of the most beautiful
cities in West Virginia, with a popula-
of the Ohio and Little Kanawha. 1881
miles below Pittsburg. It was first set
tied in 11sS by James Neal whose de-
scendants in the vicinity are still numerous.
On July 3rd. 1857, 10 years after Washing
toms voyage down the Ohio, a patent was
Issued to Alexander Parker
by Beverly Randolph, Governor OF vir-
ginia, for the land ON which the city now
among the heirs, after the death of Parker
in 1900, from whom the town took its name:
1890. In 1851, having taken in more terri
tory, 1t became known as the city of
Parkersburg. Both rivers are SCANNED at
this point with magnificent steel bridges,
that crossing the Ohio, being the second
longest in the world.
Parkersburg is not only the center of the
It has an inexhaustible supply Of natural
gas, coal also being plentiful. Its first
class transportation facilities both by land
and, water, enable those engaged in. the
lumber business to ship their wood from
the inter 10 Of the State to anX part Of the
machine shops, oil refineries. etc, giving
employment to large numbers Of men. II
is also provided with electric lights, electric
cars, water works, sewerage, telephone and
| telegraph systems; and its school and col
feges are first class in every repect. The
| DuliQln5S UOln pubic anu private. are SUD-
stantial and elegant, while the streets are
broad and well paved. many OF them being
lined with shade trees. Wood
county celebrated it's Tooth anniversary the
80. 4th and 5th of October, 1888.
The Ohio Navigator refers TO Parkers-
burg as Wood County Court House.
and says that in 1919 it was small and not
of much business. though II adds, from
it's situation It may rise to some import
ance."
1t describes Belpry, which IS opposite to
Parkersburg on the Ohio side, as "a rich
and pleasant settlement in Washington
county, Ohio" 1T stands" says this
book, several miles on the river. and
ends about the foot of Blennerhassett
Island" The present population Of Belpry
is about 1900. After describing the land
on both sides of the Ohio for three or four
miles below the Kanawha as being broken
and Indifferent" Washington speaks Of
passing a small run on the west side, now
called Ames' Ripple, after which he ar
rived at a cluster Of islands, afterwards
included In one Of the general surveys
made by him during this voyage.
In March, 1881, Herman Blennerhassett.
an Irish gentleman, purchased the upper
end, or main portion Of this group Of Is
lands, for 1880. The following year he
erected a costly mansion and adorned it
with the most expensive furniture, paint
iugs. etc. and having landed a great re-
tinue Of servants on the Island, he brought
his beautiful wife and child TO the para
disc he had prepared for them, little
dreaming that his future acquaintance with
the artful eonspirator, Aaron Burr. would
end in transferring IL into "a garrison for
Soldiers - and the grounds 80 tagtefutFv