Ohio Becomes a State

On March 1, 1803, the state of Ohio became the first state to be admitted to the Union from the Northwest Territory. During the early 1800s, Shelby County, like the rest of Ohio, with its fertile soil, vast forests, rivers and plentiful game, was an inviting area for settlement by early pioneers.

Rugged hills in the south roll gently into a level uplands in the north. Shelby County constitutes the highest altitude for the railroad or canal within this area (1,078 feet above sea level). The highest point in Ohio is 1,550 feet in Bellefontaine, (Logan County).

Perhaps its most important natural resource is the Great Miami River, which combined with many creeks, creates a very good waterway system. Because of these waterways, Shelby County settlers were able to successfully penetrate this heavily forested area by boat in their search for a place to live. Many of the initial settlers lived near Loramie Creek and the Great Miami River basin.

Ohio’s major settlement boom came after the War of 1812, when there was no longer a great fear of the Indians. Prior to this, disgruntled tribes lurked about in defiance of the 1795 Treaty of Greene Ville, causing fear and distrust. During the ‘great migration’ to Ohio, in one 3 month period, over 800 wagons and all types of conveyances, crossed the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia. Each family hoped to prosper on the fertile fields of Ohio.