The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-02-09
MARK
The Historic Spots
Before II Is Too Late. Logan
County Rich In Them.

made historic by the Indians and
early settlers, that should he marked
and preserved.
Wouldn't it be good thing for the
people of each neighborhood known
to have historic interest, to form
historical association and erect a
monument to mark the spots. Then
at the nearest point on the road, let
a descriptive board be put up giving
a statement of the fact that makes
the point historic. This would add |
to the local interest of the neighbor-
hood and interest and instruct the |
passers by. Many of these points |
cannot now be located and in a few
year they will all be beyond recovery.
Very effective monuments could be
made of the boulders on the fields
with our Logan County Cement.
Zanesfeld and the Mad River and
Aac-o-chee valleys are the most
prominent. The site of Zanesfield
and vicinity seem always to have
been a favorite location of the In
dians who from some sense of the
beautiful and romantic. or be-
cause rivers, hills and prairie bot
toms were favored with game, or
both, always choose amongst the
beautiful spots of nature for their
\ villages. From the earliest dates
the Indians had d village at Zlnes-
field, and before revolutionary times
the English had built a large and
strong blockhome there, where
they could rally the friendly Indians
lagainst the French and their allies.
Here Simon Kenton captured at
Eagle Creek, just above Ripley. on
the Ohio river, was brought, and here
he had to run the gauntlet twice and
afterwards spent many years of his
life in the vicinity. The citizens
of Zanesfield should form an histori-
Ical society, and endeavor from reci-
tails and traditions to locate the his
ltoric points and mark them for the
lbenefit of visitors and future genera
ltions. The spot where Kenton ran
the gauntlet should be purchased and
lmade into d park and playground,
land the site of the old stockade
marked.
"Hull's Trace" or the track of
Hull's army through our country
fought to be marked with monuments
or markers.
General Lytle, who accompanied
Gen. Logan's army when it wiped
out the Indian towns of Chief Mo-
luntha on Mad River and Mack-o-
chez in 1885, describes four Indian
villages as located on Mad River,
one at Zanesfield, one called Wapa-
tomica, three miles below near the
lSidesingers Pigeon Town, three miles
below this and and two above West
Liberty. These were Wyandottes.
Some of the older settlers ought to
locate these from what they have
heard handed down from the first
white settlers. Each site ought tC
to be marked.
Chief Bokengelas had a village
somewhere near the present County
Infrmary farm. These were Della
ware Indians, and they had another
village between Huntsville and Har
per.
Bellefontaine was the home of Blue
Jacket (Weyapiersensawl next only
in Importance TO Tecumseh. 1t was
Blue Jacket that ordered the Indi
ans to attack Gen. Wayne, on the
/ Maumee. and led the attack in which
the Ohio Indians got their last good
licking.
Tarke (the Cranel and ExCommis
= sioner A. G. McClure's home is or
the site. Lon ought to put up a mon
: ument or marker.
There was an Indian village alsC
z at McKee's Creek between Bellefon.
) taine and West Liberty, the site
of which ought to be marked, and
one on the Miami at A point called
5 Reedstown.
Lewistown was the last and largest
Indian village in our county.
Walt Mcpherson ought to be able
to give much information about tho
Shawnese. and locate many historic
points.
Gen. A. S. Piatt no doubt remem
q bers the talk of the earlier settlers
and could locate the battlefield neal
West Liberty.
e The site of the home of Simon
5 Kenton when he lived in Zanesfield
the cabin where he lived at Jerusa
lem, and also his grave at Jerusalem
6 from which the Urbana folks pur
s loined his remains ought to b'
n marked.
e Logan county was not only pic
turesque home for the Indians, bu
lfrom what is now West Liberty
lcemetery, from Bald Knob, from thu
). hills east of Zanesfeld and from tn,
Highest Point, east of Bellefontaine
a few signal fires could spread alarm
4 from Piqua and Lima to Marysyill,
a | and Columbus. On clear day, from
the Highest Point the locomotive
/ smoke on the d. q u. can be followed
/. from Pinua to Lima, and on the Pan
I Handle from Urbana to Piqua. From
: Pres Shaw's old home on Bristle Ridge
5 the spire on the harysyille Court
: House can be seen above the
e intervening forests. So il viii bt
a seen that there was no other point il
Ohio 80 favorable for A rallyine
point, or from which to send out no