The Ohio Frontier in Turbulent, Unsettled Times

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           The Ohio Frontier was a hot bed of activity between the French, British, American settlers and Native Americans during the 1700s and 1800s.  It was an unsettled time with each race battling fir control over the territory.  From 1760-1814 what was known as the Smiling Valley. Present-day West Liberty and its surrounding lands were greatly influenced.

                Perspective determined who the “good guys” were and even that could change with every raid or attack launched by each race.  While the war raged over control of the precious, fertile Ohio Valley and the sacred hunting grounds of Kentucky, the peoples in this area struggled to survive in a harsh environment with little but grit, determination, and faith that a better life lay ahead.

                The French and Indian War, 1754-1763, was coming to a close.  The majority of natives supported the French because had proved more honest in the dealings with the natives.  When the treaty was signed in Europe in 1763, the French gave up all claims to North America.

                On the heals of the French and Indian War in North America, Pontiac, an Ottawa war chief led a rebellions against the British at Fort Detroit near Lake Huron. When Pontiac learned of the French defeat, he knew he could not continue with help from the French and stopped fighting.

                Thirteen years later American settlers fought the British in the American Revolution, 1776-1783. Many natives were persuaded to fight for the British this time: however, some natives supported the American cause. Families were torn pitting family members against each other as they struggled between supporting the British and once again suffered a defeat with the British.

                During the War of 1812, natives once again supported the British and once again suffered a defeat with the British. In addition, white settlers ignored treaties meant to protect native land from settlement.  As settlers pushed beyond the Appalachian Mountains and then beyond the Greenville Treaty line in the Ohio Valley, native tempers flared.  Natives attacked white settlers and the American Army attacked the natives.

                It is during this turbulent time that the first white men and women came to the Logan and Champaign County area.  First to arrive were mountain men, who passed through the area, more than settlers here. Some lived with and liked the natives in the area.  In 1801 Job and Phebe Sharp, considered the first white settlers, settled in Logan County. 

                The first settlers found a heavily timbered country with patches of prairies where a heavy growth of deep-rooted grasses grew.  The area was wet and swampy having many springs and lakes in the area.  The rich, varied soil supported oak, hickory, sugar maple, beech, poplar, elm, ash sycamore, basswood, dogwood and sassafras trees.

                It took a good here to five years before a frontier farm could be relied upon to furnish the needs of a family, according to historical accounts. Until that time settlers survived on the fare of the wild country that ensconced their existence.  They relied on wild game and wild fruits for sustenance until they could establish grain crops and build a herd of domesticated cattle.

                Settlers generally raised Indian corn, wheat, rye, oats, and barley.  They kept cows and chickens to provide meat, butter and eggs.  The settlers made any necessary tools or articles not carried into the wilderness.

                Muddy paths provided the only roads, and crude shelters protected families from the elements and abundant wildlife.  Yet as word spread about the beauty of the land and abundance of wild game, more settlers poured into the area, relying on those who came before them to help them establish an existence.

                The relationship between the white settlers and the natives alternated between peaceful co-existence and war; one race struggling to save their land and way of life, and the other struggling to build a new life.  The country struggled with its newly found independence and self-reliance.  It is here that many of our ancestors carved out a living through grit and ideology.

~Written by Bridget Early