The first road of the settlers in Ohio lay much of the way along the beach of the lake, and sometimes the wagons of our fathers ran deep in the sands and its waters. The first regularly surveyed highway was the Ridge Road along Liberty Street, in 1800, by Nathan King, first surveyor, and Seth Harrington and Aaron Wright. It was cut open as far as Ashtabula. The next one, styled "The Old Salt Road" because it was cut through for a track over which to draw salt, was started from the harbor in 1804 and ran in a southern irregular direction through several towns of the first range. But beside Indian trails there are still remaining traces of old brush roads through these parts from east to west. Not long since, Lewis A. Thayer pointed out to us one which was underbrushed from near Niles� Corners over Thomas Sibson's farm, S. B. Buss', Mr. Thayers, just north of his sugar house, on the present site of the F. B. Church, through Eber Sanford's dooryard south of his house, Nehemiah DeMaranville's, Earl Pierce's to Kingsville. Another one is clearly to be seen across the farm of Lyman Brewster, in which at present, through the woods, young trees have grown. This was called in an early day "The Old Military Road", over which our brave soldiers in the War of 1812 passed on their way from Pittsburgh to Cleveland. While contemplating the track, in our imagination we can almost see their foot-prints, the bristling bayonet, the worn uniform, and hear the playing fife, the bestin drum, all moving at the voice of their commander, and the dangers of the forest, the tomahawk and the scalping knife of the Red Man, and the fearful prowess of foreign foe. We see them on their way west to join Gen. Wm. Henry Harrison of Indiana, to protect our western frontier. On tracts of lands that have been cleared and cultivated all traces of these roads have disappeared, and to serve the wants of the early settlers, new ones have been surveyed and worked through.
Good roads are a mark of civilization, but if they were to stand as such an indication at South Ridge, there could have been at that time no such high civilization here. Not a good road was known in these parts for eight or ten years after the arrival of the settlers. The Center Road into Conneaut was surveyed in an early day, but it was not open direct to the town until about 1819. The great swamp between where is now Stephen Daniels and Daniel E. Sawtell, Stretching half a mile east and west, utterly precluded the idea of reaching Conneaut in any shorter distance than either by the angling trail by Smoke Run through East Conneaut, or in a westerly route down the ravine between David Pollock's and Alonso Ward's in a north-westerly direction by Mrs. Tripp, widow of Admiral Tripp, by Mrs. Huston's, crossing the creek where formerly was Josiah Brown's mill and thence east by the Ridge Road into town. These were the only ways of travel into town during those long dreary years. The "Big Swamp" as it was called, was a bed of black muck covered a great part of the year with from a foot to eighteen inches of water, which defied the travel of man or beast. In the time of heavy rains or the melting snows of Spring, the water would raise almost high enough to run over the land where now stands the residence of Mrs. Alien, widow of the late Hon. D. C. Alien. After weeks of leaching through the sand, and dry weather, it would settle away and the soil near its borders could be cultivated Peck Clark once led a horse through after he came to South Ridge, but he came near foundering in the mire and wished many times that he had not attempted it.
In 1817 Ashtabula County appropriated a little money to be laid out in building a road there, and the job of cutting down the trees was let to Daniel Bigford and Hannaniah Brooks, father to James and John. During the Fall, these men made an opening among the hemlocks, elms, maples and beeches, so that during the Winter the people could see through. The Job of building a corduroy road was engaged to Judge Nehemiah King, who employed in the work Zaphna and Theodore Lake, brothers of our townsmen Hiram and Harry Lake. When dry weather came, with a yoke of oxen they ventured into the much to wheel their logs out in order. Many of them were two feet through, while a few would be, less. Still they made the way passable, but It became a terror to man and beast. There was danger of catching the horse�s feet between the logs, and danger of breaking their wagons while bumping and bounding over them. The sound of their rattling could be heard for miles away. In a still evening, many a time the people on the Ridge stood out of doors to listen and make observations.
Years later Judge Kings and Zaphna Lake arose from the position of road makers to take their seats in the halls of the Ohio Legislature to become the honored law-makers of our state.
During the Winter of l817-l8l8 the young people we're invited to an evening party at Shubel Abbey's, and one of the gallant young men wanted a lady from the north side of the Big Swamp; hence at the appointed hour he was at her father's house - not with a horse and buggy, but on foot, and the question was, "Shall we make the circuit around by Josiah Brown's or attempt what has never been attempted by a lady, a passage over the logs of fallen trees, and run the risk of falling off into the water and mire.'." His girl said she could walk the logs of fallen elms and hemlocks and did not care for the knots and brush. They made their way over in the darkness of night in safety.
The road north of the swamp led across the creek north of Daniel E. Sawtell's on the Ridge Road between Ellis' furnace and Mr. Olmstead's new residence, and thence east to where is now the borough.
In the Fall of 1816 where now is the Center Road, the timber was cut as far south of the creek and Farnham's mill, as to Kent's Corners, but it was not logged off and stumps taken out until years later. The first bridge at Farnham's was built in 1719. Before this teams forded the creek up stream and in a circuitous route one hundred rods east, up the banks and across the farms of Daniel A. Waite, and S. Edgerton Ely. From Azra Kellogg's through Monroe to Pierpont Line, it was not chopped until 1824. To do this, several of the first settlers gave thirty days work with team, and a few days did not return home but 'taking their provisions with them, camped out over night. Among these, two still survive - Eber Sanford and Samuel Eaton. All travelers who wished to go to Andover and the towns south were compelled to take their course through Kelloggsville and down the old Turnpike Road.
The Plank Road was built from Conneaut harbor to the south part of Williamsfield 1851-5 by such capitalists as Robert Lyon, Zaphna and Hiram Lake, Milo Osborn, Benjamin Carpenter, Horace Wilder, and many others who put in their shares of $25 each. About thirty thousand dollars was subscribed, but it cost them when completed sixty thousand. The high bridge at Farnham's mill, built from bank to bank across the race, flats and creek, with the grading, cost the company seven thousand dollars. The road was one of the greatest public benefits in these parts. It opened the market for lumber at the very doors of the southern towns and the people improved it with a relish. Often from eighty to 150 lads have been counted passing South Ridge on the way to market in a single day. And during the hot season teams would be going all night. Loads of lumber would be laid out as broad and high as heavy loads of hay. All who had timber land everywhere reapt a rich reward. To the proprietors for the first two or three years It brought a revenue that could be divided among then, but as soon as repairs were needed It required all the income to pay expenses, and on the whole, financially It was a loss. But a never-to-be-forgotten blessing has fallen on the public as the result of the self-sacrificing enterprise.
We have four east and west roads, one at the four corners at John Howard's, one at the Post Office, one at Kent's Corners, and one at Azra Kellogg's. At the present time no portion of our county has better roads than are found at and about South Ridge, especially In the dry season, when they are hard as a floor.
The want of good roads was one of the greatest obstacles In the way of settling a new country. The distance of five hundred miles, our pioneer fathers and mothers met this trouble at every step. And when at the end of four hundred the reached in their Journey the noted "Four Mile Woods" or Cattaraugus Swamp, they felt that bad had come -to worse. The women, beholding the mud and mire axle deep, and the teams struggling and the wagons sinking, turned pale with horror. Sometimes night overtook them even in the midst of this terror of roads; The Wright families, the aged father and his sons Diocletian, Ralph, George, Sherman, and Lemuel Jones, and their families were in this hell of roads when a cloudy dark night closed in upon them. Two or three of the men mounted their horses and went through the swamp to return in the morning. But the larger number stayed with their families and goods, built a fire to keep the wolves away, which were already beginning to howl. Their last candle had burned out and there could be no more light in their wagons. The children cried for drink and they could hear running water, but away from the fire not a hand, tree, or bush could they see. Sherman, accompanied by one other of their number, with jug in hand, following the sound, found the stream and filled the jug and returned. But their suspicions were so thoroughly aroused lest there might be insects or reptiles in the water that they durst not drink. However, at the break of day, the morning meal was taken and they went on their way.
Several years later, 1818, when the Clark families came - Peck and Wm. Fowler Clark, his nephew - the Cataraugus swamp was still the slough of despair. Mrs. Win. Fowler Clark, who would sometimes utter her honest convictions even though her friends should hear. Exclaimed with great sensation, "The farther we go the greater fools we see the men are fbr taking their families off so far into the woods." After reaching South Ridge Mr. Clark attempted to find his way onto his land where is now Clark's Corners. Crossing the creek near the site of Farnham's mill he made an effort, with his family of six children and two loads of goods to drive his team up the hill on the south bank, but could not. His next course was to cut his road east. When near Wm. Frack's mill he broke one of his wagons, and went for an auger to make repairs, taking his wife along the ravine with him to Benjamin Abbott's. Mrs. Clark entered the house with tears in her eyes and mournfully cried out, "Where in the world are these men taking me?" and throwing her sun-bonnet under the loom, she sat down and wept most bitterly. With an attempt at comforting words Mrs. Abbott replied, "The are taking you where all the rest of us have been taken; off into the woods." Late at night Mr. Clark drove his teams up to Mr. Abbott's where he found all the comforts for his family and team that the situation afforded. He settled at Clark's Corners, the place now called after his name, where he lived and died. He was a carpenter and mill wright. Those of us who live today beholding our town checked so beautifully with the lines of the highway, accommodating every family at its own door, realize very little what wisdom and labor have cost. To our careless minds, the marks on the boys checker board might excite more wonder. But it has worn out the generation to get things ready for the next one to live. Our fathers and mothers have nobly served their country and left these public benefits to be used by all succeeding generations, and it becomes us to prove the worthy descendants of such a worthy ancestry.