mcleaveland4

In the stately library of the Western Reserve Historical Society,
through the courtesy of the Director, I was shown a prized collection
of historical narrative and data touching the coming of Moses
Cleaveland in 1796, when he founded Cleveland. From the walls
portraits of the city's forefathers, many of whom I knew, looked down
upon me as I read reports of the expedition, which have escaped
historians.
I would call attention to this story, never before told, since it
details the land and water divisions of the party; the number of boats
an pack horses; each encampment and jostling land speculators never
mentioned who crowed in on the expedition. It descibes Stow's Castle
and the Massasagoe Indians on Conneaut Creek. It gives the exact
number of the surveying party, including "Black Joe," and tells all
that is known to the Cuyahoga.
On the afternoon of July 4, 1796, the expedition proceeded
westward along Lake Erie. The six batteaux had their sails set and
with a fair breeze were making good progress. The land party, led by
Maj. Sheppard, followed the beach--pack horses first, then cattle,
with a few horsemen under Amzi Atwater, followed by a crowd of land
speculators. Surveyor Pease had left the boats and was traveling
along shore. He says they found the walking good, with springs
flowing from clay banks and plenty of water to cross. Occasionally
the procession veered into the lake to round trees fallen from high
cliffs, those on foot wading waist deep. They were nearing their
destination. Conneaut Creek. At 3 o'clock by an excursion island
they dicovered the stone near the north end of the Pennsylvannia State
line, marked 42' of north latitude. They crossed the line and
precisely at 5 o'clock gave three lusty cheers. They were well on
the Western Reserve!

Conneaut Creek--

The land party arrived at Conneaut Creek at 5:30 and the boats
entered it an hour later. Pease says in his notes that they pitched
their tents on the east side. If they did, they must have moved them,
for Atwater, who had taken a course in surveying and was called an
"explorer's assistant," made an accurate map of the encampment, in
which the four tents are shown on the wide beach on the west side,
formed by the eastward bend of the creek's mouth. Atwater's map
shows the broad beaches on each side which he says, were caused by a
low stage of water in the lake at that time. Back of these high
cliffs are high bluffs covered with timber. Across the creek on the
east side the six boats are tied.
A party cruising the creek found prevailing west winds had driven
water upstream to form a wide sand bar on either side. There was a
broad space between creek banks and the higher levels of land,
covered with small timber and bushes. Further up near the " lower
rapids" they came upon an Indian village of 15 families living in
small well built houses near a good spring. Two years later a dam
was built there for the first grist mill of the region.

Salute ! --

The first night's encampment at the creek mouth has been
described. They heard the boom of guns at the United States Fort at
Presque Isle,and the men under Tinker, lined up on the beach and
fired a federal salute of 15 rounds, with another in honor of what
they intended to call "New Connecticut." They gave three cheers and
named the place Fort Independence. That night at supper they drank
six toasts befitting the Fourth of July and their arrival and
retired. Moses Cleaveland says " in remarkedly in good order." Old "
Black Joe" the pilot, soon made his way back to Buffalo. At Sodus,
on lake Ontario, the expedition had lost one or more boats in a
storm. Here it is supposed they picked up Elisha Gun and his wife,
Anna, who were to become residents at Conneaut Creek.