THE PIONEERS OF WESTERN OHIO

From an essay read before the Shelby County Pioneer Association in Sidney, Ohio, on September 1, 1894, by Prof. C.W. Williamson

"During the time of the war [of 1812] the armies formed a barrier between the pioneers of southern Ohio and the troublesome Indians of northern and northwestern Ohio. Three more years of war again brought peace to the pioneer State of the west. The armies...were composed of men who were looking for homes. They were fascinated by the beauty of the scenery and the fertility of the soil in the Miami and Maumee valleys.

Large numbers of them made immediate preparation upon their return home to immigrate to the valleys of Ohio. Covered wagons from the east and the south were to be seen every hour of the day traveling along the great army roads leading to the north. Flat boats could be seen every hour of the day coming down the Ohio river and landing at Marietta, Cincinnati and other towns lower down the river."