• 152 pages

• 7 x 10

• Softcover

• ISBN 978-1949248-364

• Copyright 2021

By Janet S. Shailer

The tranquil waters of the Scioto River and its tributaries, such as Big Darby Creek, Big Walnut Creek, and the Olentangy River, were once hotbeds of activity as Prehistoric and Woodland Indians used them as major transportation routes. Later the European fur trappers and frontiersmen understood their significance, followed by soldiers from three different countries. The years 1754-1814 were violent ones in Ohio’s history but vital to understanding the state. They set the table for chapters on five famous early Ohioans from the mid-18th and early 19th centuries—Blue Jacket, Tecumseh, Simon Girty, Col. William Crawford, and Jonathan Alder. All of them used the Scioto River watershed to reach certain destinations.

The importance of the Scioto River watershed to Ohio’s early history cannot be underestimated. This river was a transportation artery for the Shawnee, Wyandot, Delaware, Ottawa, Seneca, and Miami on their way to camps in the Pickaway Plains and beyond.

In addition, the area between the Scioto River and the Big Darby Creek was once a cradle of Prehistoric and Woodland activity. This area alone has artifacts from the Paleo-Indian, Adena, Hopewell, and Fort Ancient cultures. Battelle Darby Metro Park along Big Darby Creek, for one, is continuously being studied by archaeologists for its numerous mounds and Native American artifacts that are still being discovered there.

This book includes a guide to those who would like to visit sites once occupied by these First Ohioans.