Big Bottom massacre facts for kids

Big Bottom Massacre Site
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Plaque at the site of the Big Bottom massacre
Location in Ohio Show map of Ohio Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Nearest city	Stockport, Ohio
Built	1791
NRHP reference No.	70000512
Added to NRHP	November 10, 1970

imagined Blockhouse at Big Bottom, 1791

Wife of Isaac Meeks resisting during the massacre at Big Bottom

The Big Bottom massacre happened on January 2, 1791. It took place near what is now Stockport, Ohio, in Morgan County, Ohio, United States. This event was a part of the Northwest Indian War. During this war, Native American tribes in the Ohio Country fought against American settlers and soldiers. They wanted to protect their lands and make the newcomers leave.

After the American Revolutionary War, the U.S. government started selling land in the Ohio Country. Much of this land was sold to companies that promised to develop it. Some settlers, called squatters, moved to an area along the Muskingum River. This area was about 30 miles north of a settlement called Marietta, Ohio.

Native American warriors from the Lenape and Wyandot tribes attacked this settlement. They stormed an unfinished fort, called a blockhouse. They killed eleven men, one woman, and two children. Some reports say the number of people killed was slightly different. The warriors captured three settlers, and at least one of them died later. Four other settlers managed to escape into the woods.

The Ohio Company of Associates wanted to protect settlers in the Northwest Territory. Conflicts became more common. A group of Native American tribes worked together to fight the newcomers and keep their lands. This war continued until 1794.

Today, the Ohio History Connection manages the three-acre Big Bottom Park site. This site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Besides the historical markers, the park has a tall marble monument, picnic tables, and signs explaining the site's history.

Why the Conflict Started

The Gnadenhutten massacre in 1782 was a terrible event. During this, American soldiers killed 96 unarmed Christian Lenape people. These people were considered friendly and were not involved in the war. This attack happened at their village on the Muskingum River.

Later, in 1789, the Treaty of Fort Harmar was signed. This treaty was between the United States and some Native American leaders. The treaty reduced the land of the Wyandot and other tribes. However, control of these lands in Ohio was still argued over.

At the same time, the U.S. government sold huge amounts of land in the Ohio Country. They needed money after the war. Many settlers also wanted land across the Appalachian Mountains. As American settlers moved into the area, tensions grew.

The Ohio Company of Associates was formed by veterans of the American Revolution. They bought about 1.5 million acres in the Northwest Territory in 1787. They wanted to develop and sell this land. Early settlers on these lands often followed government rules.

The Ohio Company wanted to expand westward in an organized way. But some people who bought land from the company started moving into areas where the company didn't own the land yet. This caused problems. Fights with Native American tribes threatened the company's main settlement at Marietta, Ohio.

The Ohio Company faced money problems. They also struggled to balance the needs of settlers and investors. The company's leaders mostly focused on the eastern part of the territory. Settlers in the west felt they were not well represented. Western settlers wanted protection from Native Americans. But the company had little money and refused to provide it. Soon, armed conflicts broke out between settlers and the Native American tribes. The tribes wanted the settlers to leave their lands.

The Attack on Big Bottom

About 36 settlers from the Ohio Company had moved upriver from Marietta. They were settling on land east of the Muskingum River. The Ohio Company did not yet own this land. Tensions with Native Americans in the area were increasing.

In late December 1790, Colonel William Stacy skated 30 miles up the frozen Muskingum River. He was a war veteran. He went to warn his two sons at the Big Bottom settlement about a possible attack.

A few days later, on January 2, 1791, the settlement was attacked. Warriors from the Lenape and Wyandot tribes came from the north. They killed several settlers. White settlers later called this event the Big Bottom Massacre.

According to the Ohio Historical Society, nine men, one woman, and two children were killed. Colonel Stacy's sons, John and Philip (Philemon) Stacy, were among those affected. John was killed during the attack. Philemon was captured and died later.

What Happened Next

The attack led to the United States fighting back. Conflicts continued in the Northwest Indian War. In this war, a group of Native American tribes tried to make American settlers leave their lands. The tribes were finally defeated in 1794 at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.

On April 21, 1792, Congress created the Donation Tract. This was an area of 100,000 acres along the northern border of the Ohio Company lands. The government hoped this would create a safe zone for the Ohio Company lands. Congress offered a 100-acre lot for free to any male, aged 18 or older, who would actually settle on the land.

Historical Markers at the Site

There are several markers at the Big Bottom Park site. They explain the history of the massacre.

Ohio History Connection Marker

A marker placed by the Ohio History Connection says:

Big Bottom Massacre After the American Revolution, the new U.S. government needed money. It sold millions of acres of western lands to land companies. One company, the Ohio Company of Associates, brought settlers to Marietta in 1788. Two years later, 36 Company members moved north from Marietta. They settled "Big Bottom," a large flat area on the east side of the Muskingum River. They knew about Native American warfare. But they built an unprotected outpost. They did not finish the blockhouse, build a fence around it, or post a guard. On January 2, 1791, 25 Delaware and Wyandot warriors attacked the settlers. They killed nine men, one woman, and two children. War continued in the Ohio Country until August 1794. The tribes were defeated at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.

Other Markers

Another marker was put up in 2002 by several groups. It lists some of the people involved:

• "Erected by Obadiah Brokaw, 1905"
• "Site of Big Bottom Massacre, Winter of 1790"
• "Escaped, Asa Bullard, Eleazer Bullard, Philip Stacy"
• "Killed, John Stacy, Zebulon Throop, Ezra Putnam, John Camp, Jonathan Farewell"
• "Killed, James Couch, Wm James, Joseph Clark, Isaac Meeks & his wife and two children"

The city of Stockport also has a sign at the site. It reads:

Big Bottom, named for the broad Muskingum River Flood Plain, this park is the site of an attack on an Ohio Company settlement by Delaware and Wyandot Indians on Jan 2, 1791. The Big Bottom Massacre marked the outbreak of four years of frontier warfare in Ohio, which only stopped when General Anthony Wayne and the Indian Tribes signed the Treaty of Greenville.