My library writing group met this week and our topic was "What Do You Like About Ohio". We had a small group but the papers were all excellent. Local people are missing out by not joining in with this group. What follows was my submission.
Many Feet
Many feet began to walk across this land in 1669. Prior to that Native Americans lived here. The Iroquois, Miami, Pottawatomie, Kickapoo, and Shawnee were a few of the Native American tribes that walked gently over this ground. But in 1669, white feet arrived. Feet that had shoes and boots and that built permanent dwellings. They built French trading posts and did business with the Native Americans. Then, after a Revolutionary War was fought, and something called The Northwest Ordinance was written in 1787, many more white feet began to walk here. Farms were started. By 1790 so many boots and shoes were on this land that the Native American tribes who remembered what had happened to their lands further east became unhappy and began a war of their own. This war continued until 1795 when the boots and shoes were victorious. So then many more feet arrived. Entire families of feet were soon walking here. Towns were established and more and more feet arrived--entire communities of feet walking. Areas that had been wooded were cleared. Lakes and rivers were traveled on and fished. By 1803, when the population had grown to the required 60,000 pairs of feet, they legally formed this land into a state and called it Ohio. This was a word the Iroquois called this land first and it means “a great river”. The people of the new state of Ohio voted to keep Ohio free of slavery. Soon industrial buildings were and some communities grew into cities. In 1860 there were 2.3 million pairs of feet in Ohio. Throughout the 1800s industry grew and by the end of the century Ohio was a global industrial center. By 1900 there were 4.2 million pairs of shoes walking and living on this land. Shoes from many lands and of many cultures blended to be citizens of Ohio. But many families did not stay in Ohio. Some would stay a generation or two; some would stay a few years and some would just travel through. Still most of the people who migrated from the eastern portion of the United States to western lands traveled through Ohio. Starting in 1811 they followed The National Road which carried people from the Potomac River in Maryland to St. Louis where they could travel the Missouri River up to Independence Missouri and begin either the Sante Fae or the Oregon Trail. The National Road continued to be used well into the 20th Century by many groups of various immigrants and can still be traveled on today. The result of all these feet passing through Ohio and staying various amounts of time were many records. Land records, birth records, marriage records, death records and court records of various types are abundant in Ohio. For any one whose family is located west of Ohio, it is likely they can find their trail through this state. For the family history buff, Ohio is a genealogical paradise. Leaders of the state realized early in its statehood the need to preserve the important history of this state. Ohio has produced eight presidents. There are 76 National Historic Landmarks in Ohio and over 3,900 National Historical Place listings. Also there are literally hundreds more historical sites that have been preserved by state, local, county and private concerns. These can be visited and can be found a stones throw from anywhere in the state. For the history enthusiast, Ohio is a day trippers paradise. Early on, Ohioans recognized the importance of preserving a part of the original natural beauty of the state. While there were time periods when people and industry were not always the most responsible about taking care of their natural surroundings, major areas were saved. Ohio has 74 state parks, 17 state forests, 4 state nature preserves, 12 state wildlife areas, 1 national park, 1 national forest, 3 national wildlife refuges, and 3 large metro city park systems. There are also many private groups that work to save wetlands and other natural areas. Anywhere one stands in Ohio they are not far from an avenue to enjoy nature. Hikers, bikers, campers, fishermen, boatman, and other nature enthusiasts can find many locations to enjoy their activities. Ohio’s parks are beautifully maintained and amply available. For 350 years many feet have been walking on this land. In 2017 the population of Ohio was 11.66 million and 219 million pairs of feet visited the state that year. So not only is there a great river called the Ohio River in the state but the actual land mass has been and continues to be a large river of people flowing from East to West and back again to East. Many feet, many shoes, many boots have been walking across this land for a very long time.
