The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-03-08
TURKEYFOOT ROCK,
An Old Indian Shrine.
Auto Affords Easy Access
to Points of His
toriC Interest.
Spots Made Memorable by
Daring EscapadeS of
Antony Wayne.

on a cold blUstry night a crowd of
irresponsible automobile enthusiasts
had gathered close around an imitation
log ire in the clubrooms of the Toledo
Automobile Club. getting thoroughly
warm before starting out TO meet the
New York 10 Paris racers az they came
through Toledo.
The short drive drown town from the
various garages promised the autoists
cold trip. and. weatherbeaten as they
We're, they were preparing carefully for
g. hard run. Stories of all sorts OF
trips and tours were in the air, most of
them i'm the nature OF exciting trims and
trips attended with considerable hard
ship. when one of the officers of the
Club-a Wayne determined
TO take their attention from the hard
weather with the following story:
Starting in the early morn from De
troit for Toledo. for trip around the
historic Maumee valley, the numbering
cid stage coach used 10 travel.
We bowled along over historic ground.
where every. foot has a story 10 tell,
but never pausing until we reached
the point for which we started, the
bloody ground" OF the Maumee val
ley. Here we drove the big machine,
reveled in the historic scenes and POSED
in our best attitudes for the pictures.
which our Photographic friend was de
termined to preserve as momenJOs Of
the trip.
a dinner at a famous Toledo hostelTy
put us in good trim, and it was with
every sense alert that we started along
the beautiful river road toward the
scenes where history was made.
We reach the first point of interest
Fort Miami. Bloody ground" il may
well be called, for here the great
Pontiac hurled his Indian hordes with
savage fury. here Nicholas plotted,
Tecumseh pIundered and ravaged. and
the impetuoLs Blue Jacket occasionally
practiced his braves in the arts Of war
and treachery; here Tippecanoe Harrison
won much of his undying fame; mere
the gallant Dudley and his men were
massacred, and here the "sleepless'
chieftain OF the whites dashed with his
soldiers into victorious battle.
1t was on the exact spot where Fort
Miami now stands that the first white
men TO penetrate the Businesses of the
Ohio country, Gabriel Godfrey and Ba-
ing post away back in 1850. This post
was maintained until 1915, and then
abandoned. as the relations between the
Indians and the French had become
strained, and the French governor com
planned that the Indians roasted all
their French prisoners"
In 1894 came the dashing Wayne. and
Fort Miami again became a military post.
Nine days before the battle of Fallen
Timbers came five Of Wayne's intrepid
scouts, among them Wells (the famous
scout whose blood was drunk and his
heart eaten by his Indian captors. at
Chicago, a few years later. to secure
information of Indian intents and
knowledge Daringly they entered the
Indian camps at Fort Miami and other
points, posing as Indians come from a
great distance to take part in the i'm
pending battle.
They took several prisoners, and
started for Wayne's post at Fort De
hance when suddenly the suspicious OF
the savages were aroused. Alert as "a
fox Wells detected the first symptom
of distrust among the enemy, ard firing
his pistols into their midst was of at
fun gallop followed by his four trusty
lieutenants. Wells was shot through
the shoulder. but ALI escaped except
May. young man who until short
time before, had lived among the IN
dams He was forced upon a fiat rock |
IN the Maumee river. where his horse |
slpped and fell. and ne was captured. /
Two DAYS later he was burned at the /
STAKE Just outside Of Fort Miami.
teaching the village OF Maumee we /
urove hrst to the old courthouse. where
aHHH To-
Juslice III wood and Lucas counties was
i-rst dispensed This antique structure
Is now deserted and Of value only as a J
relic. Upon this spot occurred the
hlooalest and most disgraceful of IN
dian niassacres- 1t was during the siege
OF Fort Meigs' when General Harrison
issues in the war CT 1872 Colonel Du5-
lev with troop Of gallant men, rode