The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-05-04
CHAPTER ii.


shed,
And sunlights brightest rays
"Flowers of the fairest dyes,
Trees clothed in richest green;
And brightly smiled the deep blue
skies,
Ger this enchanting scene.
"Such was Ohio then
With wild luxuriance blest;
Where no invading hand had been,
The garden of the west"
Going west from Fort Pitt upon the
great Indian trail, it strikes the Ius-
carawas river at the line between
Stark and Tuscarawas counties, and
at the point where the Sandy creek
empties into the Tuscarawas river,
lust about three-fourths of a miles
from the present town of Bolivar.
Here at the crossing of the river on
the west bank, at an early day stood
an Indian village with a population
of pretty near eight hundred inhablt-
ants. This village was the capital
town of the Delaware and Seneca
tribes of Indians who lived in this
valley at that time. and it was evil
IDENTIFY a town of many generations
in age 1t was one of the seats OF
the ancient Indian empire then IN
western Pennsylvania and eastern
Ohio; a place where delegations from
different tribes met together to hold
councils, and determine upon the
modes and time of attack upon their
hated white enemy. Here such chiefs
as Captain Pipe, White Eyes, Beaver,
Custaloga. Netawatwes, Shingask and
others often thundered forth among
their brethren in eloquent tones or
Indian oratory against the encroach-
ments of the whites and melted their
listeners to deeds of bravery and des-
perate effort to rid the earth of an
enemy whom they considered, and had
good reason to believe, was doing their
utmost to drive them away and take
possession of their rich country ana
hunting grounds. The buildings in this
village were of the ordinary kind
constructed by the primitive inhabit-
ants of that day, and were usually OF
the shape denominated lodges and
wigwams and were covered with skins
and bark to render them. proof against
transforms and inclement weather.
There was pretty near one hundred
buildings in this village, each occu-
pied by families ranging in number
from six to ten persons. The total
population, according to the best au-
thority obtainable being somewhere
near eight hundred in number. The
name given the village by the Indians
was "Tuscarora," and was usually
called by the early settlers "Tusca-
roratown." The name was derived
from the TuscaTora tribe of Indians,
who at an early day had withdrawn
from the Mobilian COnfederacy and
joined themselves with the tribes
then occupying this valley, and from
which the present county of Tusca-
Tawas and the river bearing the same
name also derived their titles. Ac-
ocrding to the pioneer missionary,
Heckewelder, who first came to this
valley in the year 1862, the name
"Tuscarcra" means in the Indian dia-
lect "Old Town" and may have been
built by some of the tribes occupy
ing the valley prior to the coming OF
the Delaware and Seneca Indians, and
having been there when they came
they christened it "Old Town" The |
ground upon which the village stood |
was bluff bank bordering closely |
upon the river. The buildings stood
In two parallel rows with street be-
tween them, and was probably thirty
or forty rods in length. The coun-
ell house stood at the north end OF
the village just by the trail, so that
delegations coming together had the
house easy of access. The burying
ground was en- the west side of the |
village, and was laid out with con-
siderable taste and exactness. Here
there we're a great many persons
buried during the occupancy of the
village by the Indians, the graves be- !
ing in rows parallel with each other |
and having streets or paths between
them. About the year 1920 this rest
ing place of the dead was desecrated
by lot of white ghouls, who dug up
almost the entire ground, scattering
the remains of the dead around pro-
miscuously, and in many instances let
ting them remain upon the surface,
where they had been thrown out. This
was done in order to obtain trinkets
and other supposed valuables, which
In some instances were buried with
the deceased. This village was de-
serted by the Indians some time dur
ing the year 1863 or beginning Of "a.
They emigrated northwest and set