Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1927-04-14
The Mound RuiIders

at one time, the date of which is un-
certain and obscure in antiquity, a
race of people had occupied the ter
ritory about to be settled all of
whom had long since vanquished be-
fore the arrival of the Indians. They
are known today as the mound
builders. At this point one great
mound had been erected, evidently
used for military purposes. This
mound had a commanding view of
the two rivers for quite distance
and at the time of the arrival of Ru-
fus Putnam and his forty-eight set
tiers giant trees had grown on the
mound and all vestiges of the
mound builders had vanquished and
the solemn forest had closed above
every remembrance of their fate.
This unknown race of people had in
habited the Southeast part of what
is now the State of Ohio and far
down the Ohio river and some dis
tance in the interior. Who they were,
where they came from or where they
went no one has yet ascertained. A
visitor in this City of Marietta may
see many things that have been re-
moved from the ancient mounds.
This long since vanquished people
knew one of the arts; they worked
in copper, zinc and lead. They had a
medium of exchange and evidently
carried on some sort of civilization,
but when they existed no one has
ventured a prediction.
Early Settlers
These new settlers were almost all
soldiers of the Revolutionary army.
They were hard working, orderly
men of trained courage and of keen
intellect. An observer has said that
they were the best informed, the
most courteous and the most law
abiding of all the settlers who came
to the front and their leaders were
men of higher type than elsewhere
to be found in the west. These colon
lists built their town under the pro-
lection of the guns of the Federal
Fort. These settlers at this time held
the impression that all Indians were
hostile. This was not correct. The
Indians they found were friendly
and courteous and at the time of the
coming of these settlers had nothing
but the kindliest feeling for the
strangers. They had lived in this
productive land for generations un-
disturbed. This was wonderful
country. 1t was heavily wooded, with
eight different varieties of trees.
The soil was very productive and
when scratched it would smile. The
woods were full of game; the
streams of fish The aboriginal in
habitants as found by these settlers
were living in a paradise so to speak,
They knew nothing whatever of the
habits or the plans of the white man
and thus these two elements came
face to face. The coming of the
white man caused a condition to
exist and not a theory.
In the summer of 1888 DR.. Cut
Ter visited this colony and he kept g
diary of his journey and he proceed
ed to the place of the settlement
where he and others brought sup
plies and cattle. With the establish
ment of this settlement, the Ohio
territory was created and Arthur
st. Clair who had reached the place
in the following July was appointed
governor. In the fall of 1887 another
purchase of land was negotiated by
the Miami Company and a settle
ment was made where the present
City of Cincinnati now stands. These
settlers had all been members Of
Continental army.
Thus it will be seen that what is
now this great commonwealth, start
ed under auspicious circumstances.
While General Putnam had been a
member of the Revoluntary army
yet he with the exercise of absolute
precaution, started his settlement
under the protection of the guns OF
Fort Harmar and perhaps none OF
the settlers at that time had much
of an impression of what would be
| the result of the undertaking. As
| has been observed they regarded
| Indians as hostile. This was ,erron-
eous. We must consider the situa-
| ton as it existed. The Indians were
not particularly interfering with the
country as nature left it. The white
man had a diametrically opposed OBJ.
iect in view and we find two forces
then in existence opposed to each
other and at the beginning not hos
tile.
ITO he Continued)