The Early History of Cincinnati, Ohio
From humble beginnings, the Cincinnati, OH area came to be called the “Queen City of the West”. Although not west by today’s geographic standards, Cincinnati was very west back in the late 1700s, when virtually all of the country was east of Cincinnati. In 1789, Israel Ludlow, Robert Patterson, and Matthias Denman purchased 800 acres from Mr. John Symmes along the Ohio River. Mr. Symmes previous had purchased over 2 million acres from Congress in 1786 in hopes of getting rich by selling it off piecemeal.
The purchasers put their land into action by surveying it and establish a town. In early 1790, Mr. Ludlow had plotted the town, dividing it into city lots and country lots. The town grew, but slowly at first. Months after settling Losantville, there were only 30 homesteaders. In late 1790, the village grew more quickly. Further land purchases and development provided a pathway for further settlement. By the end of that year, there were almost 500 citizens.
Law and order were not readily provided back in Cincinnati at that time. The settlers had to organize, forming a court system and standing up a sheriff. However, soldiers often had to establish marshal law when the civil law was not quite ready. This, however, created tensions between the citizens and local American Indians, especially a tribe called the Shawnees. Further lawlessness was created by alcohol were citizen distilled their own using corn.
In 1790 and 1791, city leaders had a hard time enforcing the law and faced defeat at the hands of the Indians, causing many settlers to flee Cincinnati fearing a return to savage times. Despite this, many did stay, and the town continued to flourish and grow. Still, in the late 1790s, commerce took off and there were over 30 warehouses along Cincinnati town lines providing storage needs for businesses and citizens.
In the early 1800s, Cincinnati had grown to over 1,000 inhabitants and continued its growth patterns for the next few decades. And, Cincinnati had emerged as a major western city, bolstered by its strategic location on the banks of the Ohio River. The river provided its citizen with ample business opportunities due to the transportation industry spanning restaurants, bars, and hotels along the waterfront. With the introduction of steamboats, more transported goods came and went from the docks of the Ohio River.
In these early days, Cincinnati offered the country an early start to intellectual and cultural beginnings. Mr. Daniel Drake establishes the first medical school in Ohio, the Medical College of Ohio and numerous writers, such as Harriet Beecher Stowe called Cincinnati her home As Cincinnati continued to flourish, the mass immigration of Europeans began to flow into Cincinnati, most notably Germans and Greeks. These immigrants would put a mark on the city of Cincinnati that still stands proudly today. From culture to food, Greek and German traditions abound through Cincinnati today. Take a look as you drive around the city and notice these influences even today. From Cincinnati’s early beginnings, the history of the city is still very visible today.
The purchasers put their land into action by surveying it and establish a town. In early 1790, Mr. Ludlow had plotted the town, dividing it into city lots and country lots. The town grew, but slowly at first. Months after settling Losantville, there were only 30 homesteaders. In late 1790, the village grew more quickly. Further land purchases and development provided a pathway for further settlement. By the end of that year, there were almost 500 citizens.
Law and order were not readily provided back in Cincinnati at that time. The settlers had to organize, forming a court system and standing up a sheriff. However, soldiers often had to establish marshal law when the civil law was not quite ready. This, however, created tensions between the citizens and local American Indians, especially a tribe called the Shawnees. Further lawlessness was created by alcohol were citizen distilled their own using corn.
In 1790 and 1791, city leaders had a hard time enforcing the law and faced defeat at the hands of the Indians, causing many settlers to flee Cincinnati fearing a return to savage times. Despite this, many did stay, and the town continued to flourish and grow. Still, in the late 1790s, commerce took off and there were over 30 warehouses along Cincinnati town lines providing storage needs for businesses and citizens.
In the early 1800s, Cincinnati had grown to over 1,000 inhabitants and continued its growth patterns for the next few decades. And, Cincinnati had emerged as a major western city, bolstered by its strategic location on the banks of the Ohio River. The river provided its citizen with ample business opportunities due to the transportation industry spanning restaurants, bars, and hotels along the waterfront. With the introduction of steamboats, more transported goods came and went from the docks of the Ohio River.
In these early days, Cincinnati offered the country an early start to intellectual and cultural beginnings. Mr. Daniel Drake establishes the first medical school in Ohio, the Medical College of Ohio and numerous writers, such as Harriet Beecher Stowe called Cincinnati her home As Cincinnati continued to flourish, the mass immigration of Europeans began to flow into Cincinnati, most notably Germans and Greeks. These immigrants would put a mark on the city of Cincinnati that still stands proudly today. From culture to food, Greek and German traditions abound through Cincinnati today. Take a look as you drive around the city and notice these influences even today. From Cincinnati’s early beginnings, the history of the city is still very visible today.
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