Canesadooharie facts for kids

Canesadooharie was an old name for a river in the northern part of Ohio. For a long time, people thought this name referred to the Black River in Lorain County. However, today, many believe it was actually the Huron River. The Huron River flows past Milan before it reaches Lake Erie near the village of Huron.

Unraveling the Mystery of a River Name

This section explores the interesting story behind the name "Canesadooharie." It looks at how historians tried to figure out which river this old name truly belonged to.

The Story of James Smith and the River

In 1755, a young man named James Smith, who was 18 years old, was captured in Pennsylvania. He was taken to live with a Native American tribe in Northern Ohio. It was a custom for this tribe to adopt a young man to replace a warrior they had lost.

Smith lived with the tribe until 1759. He eventually found a way to return safely to his home in Pennsylvania. Later, he wrote a book about his adventures.

Smith's Clues to the River's Identity

Much of Smith's time in Northern Ohio was spent near a river he called "Canesadooharie." Smith was well-educated for his time. He wrote down important details about this river.

He said the river was "about 8 miles east of Sandusky." He also noted that it "interlocks with the West Branch of the Muskingum." These clues match the Huron River very well. The Huron River is about 10 miles east of Sandusky Bay. It also comes very close to the start of the Black Fork of the Mohican River, which connects to the Muskingum River.

Smith also mentioned one more important detail about the "Canesadooharie." He said it had a "falls" that was "12 to 15 feet high, and nearly perpendicular." This means it was a tall, very steep waterfall or a series of rapids.

Why Historians Got Confused

Later historians focused on Smith's mention of a "falls." They thought this meant the river must be the Black River in Lorain County. The Black River has two impressive waterfalls near Elyria, Ohio. These falls are quite famous.

More historians added to the confusion. They claimed the word "Canesadooharie" meant "black pearl" or "string of black pearls." However, it's not clear what proof they had for this translation. Over time, later historians simply repeated these ideas. Because of this, Smith's "Canesadooharie" became widely accepted as the Black River, not the Huron River.

Setting the Record Straight

It's a bit sad that the first historians didn't pay enough attention to all of Smith's details. Let's look at why the Black River doesn't quite fit his description:

• The Black River is about 30 miles from Sandusky Bay. This is much farther than Smith's "about 8 miles."
• The two waterfalls on the Black River are each about 40 feet high. They are also completely straight down, or "absolutely perpendicular." This doesn't quite match Smith's description of "12 to 15 feet high, and nearly perpendicular." His description sounds more like very steep rapids than a huge, straight drop.

It's more likely that the "falls" Smith saw was near what is now Norwalk, Ohio. It was probably a high, very steep set of rapids. By the mid-1800s, nature might have worn them down even more, making them look even more like rapids.

Despite these facts, because of mistakes made by historians in the 1800s, "Canesadooharie" is now often thought of as another name for the Black River. But it was probably meant to describe the Huron River all along.