The early settlement of the "Miami Country" and its subsequent history and life are closely bound up with its physical geography. This makes a knowledge of the latter necessary to a proper understanding of the former.
Order of Settlement in the Mississippi Valley.-To a casual observer of the great low plain constituting the upper Mississippi Valley, there might seem to be little choice as to where settlement should begin. In a large way the country is homogeneous, being in this respect perhaps the most distinctively American portion of the United States. The great rivers offer the most obvious suggestion for a beginning. It may therefore seem strange at first that central Kentucky was permanently settled some fifteen years before a beginning was made on the banks of the Ohio, and this, despite the fact that many of the supplies of the Kentucky settlements were carried down the Ohio to Maysville, Ky., whence they were taken overland in wagons.
We are now so much accustomed to the motives of trade that it is hard to understand the motives for occupying a region which is accessible only by wilderness roads, while leagues of fertile country remained unoccupied beside a great natural highway like the Ohio. Yet for more than a decade there was a growing commerce on the Ohio to supply the wants of the Blue Grass settlements, with little or no settlement on the banks of the Ohio below Wheeling, even at the necessary landing place.
To understand this apparent anomaly it is first necessary to examine a good physical map of eastern United States. This shows that the great Appalachian Valley trends west as much as south. This brings it within 200 miles of the Kentucky Blue Grass region. (See Fig. 2) Even Pittsburgh is almost that far from the same valley in Pennsylvania, and separated from it by a country similar in topography to that which had to be crossed by the pioneers farther south.
A second consideration is found in the character of the settlers and their motives. The pioneers of Kentucky were primarily farmers; producers rather than traders, and, as such, were more concerned with the fertility of the soil than with the means of access. The immediate banks of the Ohio are nowhere so good for farming as is north central Kentucky.
Another consideration was greater security from Indians. The Cumberland Plateau, which intervenes between the Great Valley and central Kentucky, was not much more attractive to the Indians than it has been to the whites; hence the wilderness roads which crossed it were relatively secure.
Finally it should be remembered that the north bank of the Ohio was embraced in the Northwest Territory, within which it was not the policy of the new nation to permit settlement. But this restriction did not apply to the south bank, and was not in force at all when the Kentucky settlements were made.
Importance of Navigation of the Mississippi. -The settlements in southwestern Ohio and central Kentucky had much closer relations with New Orleans than with any place in the thirteen colonies. This was to be expected in view of their direct connection by river. Although the return from New Orleans was made by land, and was not much easier than a land trip to Philadelphia, it should be remembered that they were concerned chiefly for their exports, pork, flour, and whiskey, which could be floated down stream in flatboats. From New Orleans these articles were reshipped to ports on both sides of the Atlantic. Articles purchased came largely from the eastern colonies by way of the Ohio.
The chief public question which agitated the new settlements was therefore the free navigation of the Mississippi. The government on the Atlantic seaboard seemed to them indifferent to their interests, or at least unnecessarily slow in action; hence relations were for a time very much strained. Free navigation of the river was at length guaranteed by treaty with Spain in 1795, though not fully realized until after the Louisiana purchase in 1803.
Resources Advertised by John Cleves Symmes.-After John Cleves Symmes had become the proprietor of more than half a million acres in this region, he advertised in 1788 the following: "Excellent soil and climate, absence of mountains, level country, stone quarries, never-failing springs, rivulets and mill streams." His emphasis on the topography is noteworthy. How this appealed to the settler may be understood by comparing the topography of this region with what he saw on the long journey from the great Appalachian Valley. That valley itself is ribbed with mountain ridges between which many of the cultivable strips are narrow. On its northwest side rises the Allegheny or Cumberland escarpment, 1,000 or more feet in height, and forming the eastern edge of a plateau, so deeply cut by streams that it is always spoken of by the people as the Allegheny Mountains (in the north) or the Cumberland Mountain (in the south). The height of this plateau and the depth of its valleys decrease toward the northwest, but not until the Blue Grass region is reached in Kentucky, or the glaciated plains in western Ohio, is there any large area to invite the farmer.
In the matter of soils a similar comparison may be made between that which was passed on the way and that which was found by the pioneer in this region The plateau to the east has a large proportion of sandstone and relatively little limestone, hence the soils are inferior. The soils of the Miami country have been described above.
The preceding chapters make it clear that all the items in Symmes' advertisement were justified. It will be observed that he omitted all mention of forests. Yet two of the leading industries in the development were directly due to forests. In the early days the mast (acorns, etc.) made it possible to raise hogs at small expense. The city thus developed almost immediately the pork-packing industry, in which later, for many years, she led the United States. The hardwood forests with their abundance of hickory also formed the basis of her great carriage manufacturing, which is still important. At the time of the first settlement, the coal resources of the Allegheny plateau were but little known. The nearest point of this field is distant about 100 miles from Cincinnati, but coal is so easily and cheaply sent down stream in barges that, in respect to this resource, Cincinnati has almost the same advantages as Pittsburgh.
Factors Controlling the Location of Cincinnati.-The Ohio has always been the most used stream in the United States. It has, in the first place, the greatest volume of all streams flowing east or west, unless it be the Columbia. It has also a low gradient, averaging less than nine inches per mile, and flows through a region of fairly dense population which produces much freight (coal, etc.), peculiarly adapted to water shipment. Until some time after the Civil War, the importance of the river as a means of transportation was very great.. Since that time traffic by river has greatly decreased. At present it amounts to a small fraction of the railroad traffic at Cincinnati. The benefits of river traffic to Cincinnati at present are largely indirect, except for the great consideration of cheap coal. It is well known, however, that statesmen and students of transportation place much stress on. the coming importance of internal waterways and that the United States is in various ways making preparation for a revival of river traffic.
In any case, the presence of the Ohio River has, from the first, been one of the main reasons not only for the location of Cincinnati, but for its very existence.
The factor which determined the location of the city somewhat more exactly, is the meeting at this place of the Licking Valley from the south and Mill Creek Valley from the north. Near Hamilton the latter merges with the wide Miami Valley, which gives an easy course for 100 miles to the north; but Mill Creek itself could scarcely be a factor even in canoe travel. Nevertheless this natural crossroad was followed-by Indians from prehistoric times. By this route the tribes north of the Ohio made their raids on the Kentucky settlements. Later it became, in succession, the line of wagon travel, canal traffic, and finally the chief entrance for railroads into Cincinnati. Even before Cincinnati was settled, Matthias Denman bought the ground on which the business section now stands, intending to found a town and "establish a ferry." Later, that ferry and others became enormously important. There is no other natural highway crossing the Ohio which compares in importance with that made by the Licking and Mill Creek valleys.
Independent Communities.-The actual site of Cincinnati was determined partly by the place of crossing the Ohio, and partly by the local divergence of the bluffs. This latter factor causes the Cincinnati basin with its several square miles of flat ground 110 feet above the river and 40 feet above the highest water. Settlement climbed upward from the river to this terrace somewhat gradually. That the city should ever reach and climb the bluffs seems to have been an after-thought. Other settlements, however, grew up on the hilltops and throughout the Miami country. To reach these, the roads which radiated from Cincinnati climbed the bluffs through the notches made by small streams. Thus were determined Gilbert Avenue (Montgomery Road and Madison Road), Reading Road, Vine Street (Carthage Pike), Colerain and Harrison pikes, and several others. Other villages grew up along these roads, until within the present area of Cincinnati there were forty or fifty more or less independent villages, many of them having their own corporate organizations. Thus Clifton, Mount Auburn, Mount Adams, Walnut Hills, Price Hill, Westwood, and many others grew on the hilltops, and Cumminsville, Brighton, Carthage, Norwood, and others in the valleys (Fig. 59).
Local Sentiment.-Among the results of this peculiar mode of growth is the strong community consciousness which still attaches to the local centers. There are in Cincinnati forty or more local improvement or welfare associations. These are a very important factor in the life and government of the city. It is not to be understood that the organization of these associations dates back to the time of village independence, but the sentiment which, under later conditions, caused these societies to take shape was inherited from earlier conditions. Norwood (population 22,000) and St. Bernard (population 5,800) still remain independent cities, practically surrounded by Cincinnati.
The Laying Out of Private Grounds.-Another result of the peculiar topography is found in the extraordinary number of large and beautiful private grounds surrounding suburban homes. Above and beyond the cliffs there was no lack of room, but much of the area was dissected by ravines, making it difficult to construct streets, without which small lots could not be laid out. Even now, the city embraces much unimproved ground of this character. With increasing population new streets have been graded, and many of the old homesteads have been thus subdivided. The slope of the steep bluffs overlooking the city has almost prohibited road making, with the result that these have been but sparingly occupied by homes of a humbler sort.
City Parks.-The peculiar character of the city's parks has been determined by the same principles. Eden Park and Burnet Woods, and the University Campus, occupy areas of exceptionally deep and beautiful ravines (some of which have been leveled up at great expense to the city). The ultimate park plan involves, the parking of the now unsightly bluffs, extending practically around the lower city except on the south. This is an opportunity almost unique among American cities. It involves a narrow strip of park with the maximum amount of outlook and good air, and located at the minimum distance from the centers of dense population.
Building in the Basin.-The flat portion of the city east of Mill Creek (about three square miles) is still too large to be used exclusively for business. It is large enough to accommodate the business of a city several times the size of Cincinnati. The outer parts of this flat were long the suburbs and outlying districts. For a long time the canal along the line of 11th street was the practical limit of business. The outlying portion beyond was then called "Over the Rhine," a name which this district has ever since retained. This is now the most densely populated part of the city. There is no room for private yards except some small courts in the rear of dwellings and stores. Most of the area is occupied by buildings two to four stories high, the ground floor being used for stores and the upper floors for residence.
At the same time the business of the city is greatly congested within a small area nearer the river, having no natural boundaries. The streets are narrow, and the recent fashion of building tall buildings has added greatly to the crowding of these streets. Considering the narrowness of the streets on the one hand and the large level area which awaits a better class of buildings, the building of skyscrapers in Cincinnati seems peculiarly out of place. If covered with good buildings from six to ten stories high the area of the Cincinnati basin is sufficient to accommodate the business of the city for several, perhaps many, generations to come. The limiting of buildings to a moderate height will have a double advantage. Local congestion 'Will be prevented and a larger area will be improved.
As noted in the description of the topography, the main portion of the city is completely encircled by a ring of low ground, the Ohio, Little Miami, and Mill Creek valleys and the Norwood trough. Manufacturing tends more and more to occupy this low strip. The railroads are necessarily there also. The lower part of Mill Creek Valley, in part occupied by railroads and factories, and in part waste ground, affords a natural site for a great harbor.
