• Native Americans were the first inhabitants of the Cincinnati area.

• Mound builders have left artifacts around the area– Mounds for burial and defense

• Near North Bend, Fort Ancient in Lebanon, and Mound Street in downtown Cincinnati

• Mound builders were out of the area by 1600s

• Future Native American inhabitants were forced there by settlers

• Settlers cam through the Cumberland Gap and down the Ohio River

• Growth of the area improved with two Congressional Acts– Land Ordinance of 1785 created rules of

how land would be obtained in new territories– Northwest Ordinance of 1787 set rules for

how territories could become states• Outlawed slavery north of the Ohio River

• Territory in the west was attractive because of a bad economy and weak currency

• Benjamin Stites traveled the Ohio river to survey territory

• John Symmes acquired over a million acres of farmland in Miami Purchase

• Three settlements were quickly founded1. Columbia, west of the Little Miami River

2. Losantiville, near the Licking River

3. North Bend, at the northern most point of the Ohio River

• Israel Ludlow laid out Losantiville along the same plan as Philadelphia– Hoped that the layout would lead to future

growth– Planned no space for parks or public space

• North Bend experienced flooding and did not grow

• Columbia grew due to good transport location but was also hurt by flooding

• Losantiville was in no danger of flooding and gained supremacy in the area

• August 1789, troops sent to protect against Native Americans chose Losantiville to build a base, Fort Washington– Troops greatly enlarged the population– City became a ready market for local produce

and logical stopping point for goods heading down river

• After the fort was built, Governor of the Arthur St. Clair renamed Losantiville Cincinnati

• Cincinnati was named after the Revolutionary War officers’ Order of the Cincinnati– Cincinnatus was a Roman farmer who was

drafted, led an army to victory, and after battle beat his sword into a plow.

• Influx of troops gave the city a rough reputation– Kept population predominately male (Less

then ¼ were female)– Majority of new settlers were troops

• Many troops were killed in clashes with Native Americans– Civilians stayed away due to losing battles

• General “Mad” Anthony Wayne led troops to victory over Native American coalition

• Native American population was completely forced out of the Cincinnati area

• Several things led to an increase in civilians moving into Cincinnati– withdraw of Native Americans– Gaining municipality status– Ohio becoming a state

• Population growth– 1795 = 500– 1803 = 1000– 1815 = 4000

• City could barely keep up with the need for housing and facilities

• Most new comers arrived from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and Kentucky

• Cincinnati became an important market town between Pittsburgh and Louisville– Great/Little Miami, Licking Rivers and Mill

Creek brought produce to the city

• Growth of the area led to destruction of forests– Woods replaced with crops– Deforestation led to increased runoff and silt

build up contributing to flooding

• River trade fueled the economy– Agricultural products sent down river as far as

New Orleans• Usually one way trip; 100 days to complete a

round trip back to Cincinnati

– Boats were glorified rafts and cheap to make• Once in New Orleans he boats were dismantled

and sold• This kept boat builders in business in the

Cincinnati area

• Early 1810s, Cincinnati seemed much larger then its large town status– Visitors made the population seem much

larger– Could by basic tools for future work further

west• Originally shipped from the east but the Ohio

Valley quickly created a manufacturing industry• Building furniture also became a large industry in

Cincinnati

• Real wealth in the area came from the sale of land.

• Nicolas Longworth gained the largest real estate fortune– From New Jersey and studied law– Accepted land as payment for legal services– Tried to make hilltop areas into a wine-

producing region

• Martin Baum bought land on a hillside near Fort Washington naming it Mt. Adams after President John Q. Adams– Built what is now the Taft Museum on Lytle

Park– Lytle Park was home to many prominent

Cincinnatians through history

• William Henry Harrison was stationed at Fort Washington– Married Ann Symmes, daughter of John

Symmes– Resigned from his post and settled in North

Bend– Continued to fight against Native Americans in

Indiana Territory

• Harrison moved back to Cincinnati after is fighting days ended– Started his bid for the presidency out of the

city– Was criticized for coming from the

“backwoods”, but used it as a positive• Ran the “Log Cabin Campaign”

– Became first president to come from Ohio

• Into the 1800s saw Cincinnati become the largest city along the Ohio ahead of Louisville and Pittsburgh

• Lexington, KY was the only western city that rivaled Cincinnati– Older, centrally located, and largely populated– Transylvania University– “Philadelphia of Kentucky”

• Cincinnati worked to catch up to Lexington– Cincinnati College, 1819– Western Museum, 1820

• Archeology and natural history displays

– Two daily papers, seven weeklies, medical journal, and literary monthly