Norwich bulletin., 1921-10-03
ODE TNCIDENTS IN AMERICAN
 HISTORY
HOW OUR POPULATION MOVED
 WESTWARD.

WESTWARD.
 It was nearly three centuries after the discovery of America that the ueople liv- ing along the Atlantic coast began to migrate westward and it was very slow al first, owing to inaccessible means of transit and the unsettled condition of the western section, due to hostile Indian tribes and other obstacles. It was not until after the Revolutionary waE. that an effort was made to obtain an exact ac- counting of thenunnber of persons liv- ing in the United States.
 In TITO when the first census was enumerated, t was found that the center of population of the country was twenty-three miles east of Baltimore Maryland. During the decade that follow ed, 1790 to 1900, this center appears to have moved almost due west to apoint about eighteen miles west of the same city.
 From 1900 to 1S10 the center skipped by Washington. The southward move ment during this decade was due 10 the annexation of Louisiana which contain ed quite extensive settlements. enough to draw the center population off it's pure ly westward course.
 During the ten years between 1910 and 1920 the center moved westward agan and still slightly to the south to point about sixteen miles north of Woodstock. Virginia. This second south ward movement appears to have been idle to the extension of settlements in Mis- sssippi. Alabama and Eastern Georgia. From 1920 to 1880 the center moved still further westward and southward 1 to a poin about nineteen miles south | west of Moorefield in the present state l of West Virginia. This is the most de l cided southward movement that 1t has made during any decade. This was due, 1 in part to the addition of Florida to our 1 territory and inpart to the great exten- l sion of settlements in Alabama, Louisia- i na. Mississippi andArkansas 1 From 1880 to 1S4e there was another 1 westward movement, but, slightly chang ing the direction northward, reaching 8 ] point sixteen miles south of Clarksburg 1 West Virginia During this decade set l dement's had made decided advances l in the Prairie states and in the north l ern portions of Michigan and Wisconsin From 1S40 to 1850 it moved westward and slightly southward again, to poin about twenty three miles southeast O l Parkersburg, which change was du T largely to the annexation of Texas. Fron 1850 to 1860 it moved westward an
 northward to a point twenty miles soutl
 of Chillicothe, Ohio.
 From 1880 to 1870 the course was west
 ward and sharply northward, reaching
 point forty-eight miles east of Cincinna
 to and in 1880 the census placed tn center of population again southward nearly to the same latitude it had bee l in 1880 During the decade from fS7 to 1880 the southern states showed
 large increase both from natural gTowt l and migration, and the center of popu , lation in 1880 was eight miles south . l west of Cincinnati.
 In 1890 the center of population ha
 moved northward into practically tn same latitude 1t occupied in 1870, bu :. westward until it was twenty miles eas ] of Columbus. Indiana. The movemer .. during the next decade was the slow 1 est of any, the distance from poir g to point In direct line was only four 3 teen miles, and the center was six mile |. southeast of Columbus. but when tn
 census of 1910 was taken it was foun |, to have jumped thirty-nine miles, an { is now in the city of Bloomington, IT diana It is not likely that the nez census will show any very great chang
 as the people of the country have arrive
 at a more or less settled condition as
 residence.
 T (Tomorrow-Nellie Grants Rpmance.)