360 The Winning of the West 



lying along the Ohio on both sides of, but mainly 

 below, the Muskingum, were chosen for the site 

 of the new colony. There was some delay in mak 

 ing the payments subsequent to the first, and only a 

 million and some odd acres were patented. One of 

 the reasons for choosing the mouth of the Musk 

 ingum as the site for the town was the neighborhood 

 of Fort Harmar, with its strong Federal garrison, 

 and the spot was but a short distance beyond the 

 line of already existing settlement. 



As soon as enough of the would-be settlers were 

 ready, they pushed forward in parties toward the 

 headwaters of the Ohio, struggling along the win 

 ter-bound roads of western Pennsylvania. In Janu 

 ary and February they began to reach the banks of 

 the Youghiogheny, and set about building boats to 

 launch when the river opened. There were forty- 

 eight settlers in all who started down stream, their 

 leader being General Rufus Putnam. He was a 

 tried and gallant soldier, who had served with honor 

 not only in the Revolutionary armies, but in the war 

 which crushed the French power in America. On 

 April 7, 1788, he stepped from his boat, which he 

 had very appropriately named the Mayflower, on to 

 the bank of the Muskingum. The settlers immedi 

 ately set to work felling trees, building log houses 

 and a stockade, clearing fields, and laying out the 

 ground-plan of Marietta; for they christened tHe 

 new town after the French Queen, Marie Antoi 

 nette. 15 It was laid out in the untenanted wilder- 

 15 "St. Clair Papers," I, 139. It was at the beginning of 

 the dreadful pseudo-classic cult in our intellectual history, 



