“Geographical and Historical’

Date

2-28-1812

Newspaper

Western Intelligencer

Page and Column

Page 2, Column 3

Newspaper Location

Worthington, Ohio

Serial Number

1196

Abstract

Geographical and Historical description of Ohio

Transcript

Geographical and Historical Sketches of the state of Ohio. No. 3. (Concluded.) That part of this section of country which borders on the Sandusky Plains, is universally covered with oak as the prevailing timber, where the ground is not too wet, mixed, indeed, with much of the valuable kinds so often heretofore mentioned in other parts.-These forests of oak are not thickly set upon the ground, but in may places are quite thin, and every where thrifty and fine, probably beyond comparison. The advantage of navigation in the Scioto, or middle country is very great for carrying to foreign markets the vast surplus produce of so luxurient a soil; having the main Scioto through the middle of it, which is a river superior to any other of its size in these parts for that purpose, with several branches equally navigable with the main river for considerable distances. We shall take notice of four in particular, viz. Paint creek, Bigbelly and the two main branches of Scioto, east and west. Main Point is, or can easily be made navigable to the falls, a distance of about 20 miles square off into the country west from the Scioto, for boats of the size which usually go to the Orleans market. Bigbelly creek is, without any labor, naturally navigable to its fork, 8 miles from the Scioto, neither of these creeks, however, have been named by any law or ordinance as a public highway. The main west branch of the Scioto is a navigable streams as far up as the southwest borders of the Sandusky Plains; this river has indeed a rocky bottom, and banks from about 8 miles above the fork to the Indian line, and from the broken and fractured state of the rocks, the bottom is in many places ruff and the stream rapid, especially for 13 or 14, ms. up from the fork. Thence northward the descent is less and the bottom smoother' till at some distance within the Indian lands it becomes a sluggish stream, passing thro' a tract of country of almost a dead level to appearance; but even in the ruffest part of this river, which is quite a rapid stream for many miles, serving well for mills on that account in several places; there are not so great rapids or bars of rocks but that the largest Orlean boats may descend and keel boats ascend, by observing the proper times for the purpose; this river is 70 yards wide at the boundary; at SELLS' MILLS, 100 yards and at its mouth the same. The main east branch is naturally an excellent stream for navigation as far up as Norton and Kilbourn's mills, at the slate falls, near the town of Worthington; from this point, as we proceed northward the river becomes very rapid, with many bars of rocks and fragments of stones in its bed; it having to pass over the same general region of Limestone, which runs in a transverse direction north, by east and south by west across the country, extending several miles in width, causing the obstructions above mentioned in the west branch. This river, therefore, at this point becomes and continues for 25 miles upward, one of the best mill streams in the state. These falls, however, are not such but that by locks at several of the mill-dams built at those falls, the stream might be navigated to the Sandusky plains, and within 3 or 4 miles of the east branch of Sandusky river, in particularly seasons of the year. This, however, is not an object worthy of attention at present, nor will it be probably for many years, as the heavy commodities of the country requiring water carriage, will chiefly go to market thro' the Scioto, Ohio and Mississippi.

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