Deep
Roots
Ohio
is rich in history, and a large share of that wealth has
its roots in the Upper Sandusky area.
An
interesting chapter in the settlement of the area was
the arrival of John  Stewart in 1816. A mulatto raised in
Virginia, he ventured into Ohio as a young man. After
being robbed in Marietta, he became destitute and took
up drinking. One evening, he happened across a Methodist
camp meeting, which led to his conversion to the faith.
Seeking redemption, he plunged deep into the wilderness
on a personal mission to preach the Gospel. He
eventually encountered a band of Wyandotte in what is
now Upper Sandusky, and succeeded in converting several
of them to Christianity.
Stewart's
frail health forced him to retire shortly after his
arrival in Upper Sandusky, and he died in 1823 at the
age of 37. But his work led to the approval of funds by
the Methodist Conference for the creation of the First
American Methodist Mission.
White
settlers continued to move to the area, and in 1845
Wyandot County was officially established. That year a
county jail was built, and work commenced on the
county's first courthouse (completed in 1851). Upper
Sandusky, the county seat, was incorporated in 1848. The
city took its name "Upper" from the its
location along the Sandusky River, and "sa-un-dus-tee,"
meaning "water within pools." By the turn of
the century, Upper Sandusky was an established community
of tree-lined neighborhoods, banks, shops, a daily
newspaper, schools and churches.
During
the 20th Century, the Upper Sandusky area underwent
transformations similar to those experienced by rural
communities throughout the nation. The railroad and
canals spurred industrial development early in the
century, farmers and factory workers were hit hard by
the Great Depression, and an economic upturn spurred by
World War II lasted into the 1 980s. Farming continued
as a major economic factor, although farms became bigger
while employing fewer. The area's manufacturing base
grew, as did its retail and service sectors.
Human
artifacts and the remains of extinct animals found in
the Indian Trail Caverns near Carey indicate the Upper
Sandusky area has been inhabited for thousands of years
prior to the establishment of the city of Upper
Sandusky. Among the earliest recorded residents of the
area, and the county's namesake, were members of the
Wyandotte tribe.
The
Wyandotte once numbered more than 30,000, controlling
land from the Straits of Mackinac west to Quebec, and
from Georgian Bay south to the Great Miami River. An
epidemic of smallpox in 1639, however, killed almost
half of the tribe. Following defeat in a protracted war
with the Iroquois, the Wyandotte dispersed, and in the
early 1700s many had resettled along the Sandusky River.
The
plains and woodlands along the river were well suited to
the Wyandotte's livelihood of farming and hunting. The
temperate climate and rich soil were conducive to a
variety of crops, and the dense woods and wetlands were
habitat to a plentiful population of wild game.
Throughout
the 1700s, the Wyandotte and other tribes opposed
European settlement of the "Ohio Country."
Scalping, kidnaping and burning of homes were commonly
practiced by both the tribes and the white settlers. The
Wyandotte allied with the French until the British
victory in the French and Indian War. During the
American Revolution, the tribe sided with the British.
The British defeat meant the Wyandotte were on their own
in fighting against the legions of American settlers
moving into their territory.
One
of the most infamous confrontations occurred toward the
end of the Revolutionary War, following the cold-blooded
murder of a group of 96 Christian Indians by a group of
white soldiers near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. News
of the massacre spread quickly through the region,
spurring an uprising of the Wyandotte and neighboring
tribes.
Colonel
William Crawford - surveyor, farmer, soldier and friend
of George Washington led a volunteer force of 480 men to
put down the revolt. Wyandotte and Delaware warriors,
joined by two companies of British Rangers, were able to
repel Crawford's troops. During the retreat Crawford was
captured, and the Wyandotte extracted their revenge by
burning him at the stake.
The
Wyandotte and other tribes were finally defeated in
1794. With the signing of the Treaty of Greenville in
1795, the tribes gave up their claim to most of their
land and agreed to move "west of the
Mississippi." Among those signing the treaty was
Wyandotte Chief Tarhe, the "Crane," a fierce
warrior who became a leading proponent of peace
following the treaty. In 1843, the Wyandotte left for a
reservation in Kansas, marking the departure of Ohio's
last organized band of Indians.
As
they enter the 21st Century, the residents of the Upper
Sandusky area are as proud of their heritage as they are
excited about their future.
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