The Historical Background that Lead to the Expansion into the "Connecticut Western Reserve"
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I am beginning to question the reasoning of why the settlers entered into the region of the United States immediately after a long and terrible war was fought upon the original colonies, which in turn is referred to as the new United States. This area in northeastern Ohio along the Mahoning River must have been a desolate place at one time, but one cannot imagine how the settlers arrived in such a desolate state: there were no open spaces; all trees had to be felled and land cleared. Life had to have been so desolate and terrible it's hard to believe how the people existed.
The Revolutionary War had just ended, the lives of the surviving army and the families whose lives not devastated by the British Army. But why did this particular area interest George Washington? How did the founding fathers reach this area? The answer to that is that before the Revolutionary War there were several tracts of land surveyed. Fort Duquesne was established during the early 18th century by the French and lost during the French and Indian War against the British. George Washington participated in the war against the French and their existing lands. However, before the war the land was surveyed and plotted out. But how did they establish the boundaries? Where was the original boundary between Ohio and Pennsylvania?
By this time the British had calculated methods of latitudes, then eventually longitudes. The latitudes were measured by distances from the East Coast. The surveyors then determined the distance of miles within a particular line to determine the time. But why this area and not another area?
One area before the Revolutionary War that was also settled down by peoples from New England upon the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, called the Wyoming Settlement, which eventually was to be one of the first outposts of western expansion. However, it ended up disaster for every settler due to the Indian incursions. The Indians there obliterated them all, leaving no survivors.
After that failure the colonists began to waken up to the realities of what was out there. The Indians have been hunting and gathering for thousands of years prior to the Europeans arrival in the early 17th century, where the Indians had no boundaries and no titles to any land grants. They were territorial and in the act of surviving, and once an area became depleted of animals for skins they moved on in the search of new game. 2
However, for thousands of years when the Indians dominated the land nothing every really got destroyed. The rivers remained clean and areas filled with wildlife. Trees were only chopped down for the use of fire and to the tribal areas for the huts they lived in. The tree lines remained the same, in constant shade from the state of Maine to St. Louis, Missouri. The rivers were fresh with drinkable water. Although, there were drawbacks as well, which in turn was the climate. The climate had not changed dramatically since the end of the Ice Age around 12,000 years before.
In 1609 King James I laid claims to the Virginia Colony, that it dominated the areas 200 miles north, 200 miles south, and extend all the way into the Pacific Ocean. Virginia laid claims following suit of New York, but according to King James the claim was founded on certain charters on the dates: April 10, 1606; May 23, 1609; and March 12, 1611. But the area which would eventually become a state two centuries later was a wild and obscure area to the new colonial people. But in the 17th century the area around Ohio was dominated by the French colonists from Quebec, and the French province of Louisiana. In 1615 the priest (La Caron) discovered Lake Huron, but Cavalier La Salle, who laid claims for the French to set sail upon Lake Erie in around 1680, eventually landed in the area now called Ohio.
In 1838 in Mahoning County, Canfield and noticed markings of damaged trees cut seven inches from the center and was measured by the tree rings of the age of the trees. They estimated the cuts in the tree rings to go back to around 1660, most likely by French explorers.
In the early 17th century the French navigated around Newfoundland and made their way into the interior of North America before the English colonists even arrived. What the early French explorers noticed was that the area around the Great Lakes were inhabited by Indians, who were barbaric to the European eye, especially on the south shores of Lake Erie.
The Jesuit priests arrived into the interior through Champlain and his discovery of the Lachine Rapide of the St. Lawrence Seaway onto Lake Ontario. The Jesuit priests did leave evidence that they actually visited the Indian nations around 1656 in western New York along the Lake Erie shores. They were referred to as the six nations of the Iroquois Indians in New York, clear into Ohio. But their enemies were the Huron Indians, who dominated the western shores of Lake Erie. 3
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About the Book
Nearly 4 centuries ago, beginning with the British Empire under the reign of King Charles I. The europeans had the great conception of worldly expansion, and eventual trade. In realities , they were competing against other european nations that were on their way to world colonization. By the late 16th century, France and Spain had allready discovered, and colonised the north american continent. Britain, wanted into the game, and soon, began to sail, and eventually colonise areas, which would be beneficial to the empire. After a failed attempt to colonise the americas in the late 16th century, Britain, made another attempt in the early 17th century(1607) in the Jamestown Colony, which eventually succeeded, and lead to the first colony for Britain. Which in turn lead to the succession of the colonisation of New England. Britain, had something else in mind. The empire wanted to expand all the way to the Pacific Ocean, and to rid itself of the French fur traders, and Spanish colonists. The colonies of Virginia, and Massachusetts, were the most successful in agriculture, mercantilism, and shipping. King Charles I, allowed them to expand westward clear to where the eyes could see, and colonise it. However, Virginia gained the most control of land, and into the Ohio River Valley. There were a few squabbles between the Massachusetts colony,and Connecticut. The colony of Connecticut was granted the land to the 41st degree, by the 42nd degrees exactly west of the northern, and southern borders of Connecticut. The Ohio valley became an important area west of the Appalachain Mountains which was forbidden for exploration by the american colonists. But turned itself around by the mid 18th century in the French, and Indian War, in which Britain defeated the French, and took control of The Ohio River to the great lakes. The territory of Ohio played an important role during this episode. The French and Indian War,(1756) lead to the American Revolution, due to almost bankrupting Britain. The Western Reserve held to its own, and was left intact against the Virginia Military tracts in the southern end of the Ohio territory. But still the territory was not allowed to be explored, with the exception of the royal surveyors, supported by the British Army. Britain, decided to tax the colonies to repay the empire for the French and Indian War, in which lead to dissention. By April 17, 1775, in Lexington Massachusetts, the American Revolution had commenced, and did not know if they were going to survive. Besides, the colonies were fighting the mother country, who had the greatest army in the world.
By the year 1783, Britain conceeded to a cease fire. The 13 colonies eventually were free, but the Declaration of Independance was actually in 1776. After a few failed attempts to colonise west of the Appalachains, the Western Reserve held to its own. But after the Revolutionary War, became a "White Elephant". It became a burden to the Connecticut taxpayers, and eventually began to sell the land. For the length of 120, by 67 miles wide, was sold to investors of the Connecticut land company.
About the Author
Arthur Bauman has prior experience in writing, and has had a few books published. Including the "Life and Times of Oliver Hazard Perry", in which was written about one episode of the War of 1812, during the Battle of Lake Erie. The other book was written about "The Adventures of Captain John Smith", about his adventures into the obscure area in southeastern europe, in the Hungarian alps in the Carpathians, known as "Transylvania". This was a harrowing experience with the war against the Ottoman Empire, against the turkish invaders from progressing into central europe. He was awarded the title of Captain, from the Hungarian Prince Bathory. Eventually getting captured by the Turks, he escaped, and eventually returned to England, to involve himself into another adventure. John Smith got involved with the Virginia Colony Land Company,and made his way into North America, and to the formation of the Jamestown Colony.
I prefer to live in an obscure life, and continue to travel. Spent time in the military, during the Vietnam Era in the United States Air Force, and Graduated from College.