American pioneers to the Northwest Territory facts for kids
| Date | April 7, 1788 |
|---|---|
| Location | Northwest Territory, the area later to become Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, as well as the northeastern part of Minnesota |
| Participants | Pioneers and veterans of the American Revolutionary War |
| Outcome | Founding of the first permanent American settlement of the Northwest Territory at Marietta within the area to become Ohio |
The American pioneers to the Northwest Territory were brave people who helped settle new lands for the United States. Many of them were soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War. In 1788, these pioneers created Marietta, Ohio. This was the first lasting American settlement in the Northwest Territory. It helped open up the western parts of the new country.
Famous leaders admired these pioneers. General George Washington said they were "men better calculated to promote the welfare of such a community." General Lafayette from France, who fought in the Revolution, visited Marietta in 1825. He called them "the bravest of brave. Better men never lived." Historian David McCullough also noted that these pioneers were "characters of historic accomplishment."
The first group of these pioneers is often called "the forty-eight" or "the founders of Ohio." These 48 men were carefully chosen. Leaders like Rufus Putnam and Manasseh Cutler picked them. They wanted men who were brave, had good character, and had skills to build a new town in the wilderness.
In 1852, the president of the Ohio History Connection described these pioneers. He said they lived "various and eventful lives." They were born under a king, fought for independence, and helped create a new republic. Then, they moved into the wilderness and built a new state. He called them "energetic, industrious, persevering, honest, bold, and free."
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Journey from Massachusetts to Ohio
Under Rufus Putnam's leadership, two groups of pioneers left New England. They traveled west through mountains in a very cold winter. One group left Ipswich, Massachusetts and Danvers, Massachusetts on December 3, 1787. The other group left Hartford, Connecticut on January 1, 1788.
The pioneers met at Sumrill's Ferry, which is now West Newton, Pennsylvania. This was on the Youghiogheny River. During the cold winter, they built two large flatboats. One was called the Adventure Galley, also known as the Mayflower. This name honored their Pilgrim ancestors. They also built a smaller boat called the Adelphia and three log canoes.
This small fleet of boats carried the pioneers down the Youghiogheny River. They then went to the Monongahela River and then to the Ohio River. They continued their journey to the Ohio Country and the Northwest Territory. They finally arrived at the mouth of the Muskingum River on April 7, 1788. This is where the Ohio and Muskingum rivers meet.
These heroes helped open the Great Northwest Territory for settlement. Many of them were trained soldiers. They wanted this land as payment for their military service. They had fought to protect their government's ideas. They also helped create the Northwest Ordinance, which set rules for governing the territory. General Putnam led a truly excellent group of men.
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Pioneers leaving Manasseh Cutler's home in Ipswich, Massachusetts on December 3, 1787.
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Pioneers building the flatboat, Adventure Galley, at Sumrill's Ferry in March 1788.
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Rufus Putnam and the pioneers arriving at the Ohio and Muskingum rivers on April 7, 1788.
The First Forty-Eight Pioneers (April 1788)
The first 48 pioneers arrived on April 7, 1788. A few arrived a bit later that month. This group included:
- General Rufus Putnam, who led the settlement and helped start the Ohio Company of Associates.
- Colonel Return J. Meigs, Sr., a surveyor.
- Colonel Ebenezer Sproat, also a surveyor.
- Major Anselm Tupper, another surveyor.
- John Mathews, a surveyor.
- Major Haffield White, the quartermaster.
- Captain Ezekiel Cooper
- Captain Daniel Davis
- Captain Jonathan Devoll (Devol)
- Captain Peregrine Foster
- Captain William Gray
- Captain Josiah Munroe (Munro)
- Captain Jethro Putnam
- Jabez Barlow
- Daniel Bushnell
- Phineas Coburn
- Ebenezer Corey (Cory)
- Samuel Cushing
- Jarvis (Jervis) Cutler (son of Manasseh Cutler)
- Israel Danton
- Jonas Davis
- Allen Devoll
- Gilbert Devoll, Jr.
- Isaac Dodge
- Oliver Dodge
- Samuel Felshaw
- Hezekiah Flint
- Hezekiah Flint, Jr.
- John Gardner
- Benjamin Griswold
- Elizur (Elisur) Kirtland
- Theophilus Leonard (Learned)
- Joseph Lincoln
- Simeon Martin
- Henry Maxom
- William Maxom (Mason)
- William Miller
- William Moulton
- Edmond (Edmund) Moulton
- Amos Porter, Jr.
- Allen Putnam
- Benjamin Shaw
- Earl Sproat
- David Wallace (Wallis)
- Joseph Wells
- Josiah White
- Peletiah White
- Josiah Whitridge
More Pioneers Arrive (May-August 1788)
More settlers arrived in the months after the first group.
- In May 1788, General Samuel Holden Parsons, Colonel John May, and Colonel Israel Putnam arrived. Other notable arrivals included Colonel William Stacy, Major Winthrop Sargent, Captain William Dana, Aaron Putnam, Jonathan Stone, and Lisbeth.
- In June 1788, James Owen and his wife, Mary Owen, arrived. Mary Owen was the first woman settler in the area. Dr. Jabez True and General James Mitchell Varnum also came in June.
- In August 1788, General Benjamin Tupper arrived with his family. This included Colonel Ichabod Nye and his wife Minerva Nye. Major Asa Coburn, Andrew Webster, and the Cushing and Goodale families also joined the settlement.
Later Arrivals (1788 and 1789)
Other important pioneers arrived in 1788 and 1789. These included Quartermaster Griffin Greene, who was a cousin of General Nathanael Greene. Commodore Abraham Whipple also arrived.
Legacy of the Pioneers
The 48 people who landed from the Adventure Galley on April 7, 1788, helped start something big. They laid the foundation for one of the greatest political systems. This system would later protect millions of free and happy people. They were the ancestors of the people who built the great Northwest. Within 50 years of their arrival, Ohio had 1.5 million people. It had also made great progress in transportation, laws, and education. It became an example for older states.
These early American pioneers are remembered in poems and books. The poem Landing of the Pioneers was written by Frances Dana Barker Gage 60 years after the event. The poem The Founders of Ohio was written by William Henry Venable in 1888. Books like Pioneer History (1848) and Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio (1852) by Samuel Prescott Hildreth tell their stories.
Many of these early pioneers are buried in Mound Cemetery in Marietta, Ohio.
In 1888, a boat called the Adventure Galley III recreated the original journey. In 1984, the Adventure Galley II (the fourth boat with this name) also recreated the trip. This Adventure Galley IV is now on display at the Behringer-Crawford museum in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Film
- Opening the Door West is a film that aired on Ohio PBS in 2003. It is available on DVD from Shelburne Films. You can find more information at Opening the Door West website.
See Also
