BIG SPRING PRAIRIE. 19 



the Wyandots residing near Solomon's Town and on 

 Blanchard's Fork in addition to the reservation before 

 made, sixteen thousand acres of land to be laid off in a 

 square form on the head of Blanchard's Fork, the 

 center of which shall be the Big Spring on the trace 

 leading from Upper Sandusky to Fort Findlay." This 

 reservation is indicated by a dotted boundary line on 

 Map I. This section was granted to the Indians be- 

 cause such a large portion of it was unfit for agricul- 

 tural purposes; while, at the same time, it formed an 

 excellent hunting ground for them on account of the 

 abundance of game of various kinds. Even after the 

 reservation was thrown open to settlement deer, 

 beaver, otter, mink and various species of water fowl 

 were quite common. From the wording of the article 

 granting the Big Spring Indian Reservation to the 

 Wyandots, one would be justified in inferring that the 

 Big Spring was at the head of Blanchard's Fork in 

 1818. If this is true, there must have been a natural 

 drainage for this section in the earlier years of the past 

 century, and as there was no well-defined outlet when 

 the reservation was thrown open to settlement, the out- 

 let or Blanchard's Fork must have become so clogged 

 up that nearly all traces of the original stream became 

 obliterated. In a history of Seneca County the follow- 

 ing occurs: "Big Spring was once a very powerful 

 one, and formed a small lake. Clearing of land de- 

 creased its importance." The reservation was ceded 

 to the U. S. in 1832 Jan. 19th, and w^as thrown open to 

 settlement in 1833. Big Spring township, Seneca 

 County, was formed March 6, 1833. The town of 

 Springville was laid out in 1834, by which time, most 

 of the ridge land was occupied by settlers. During 

 this year there occurred in this section, a very destruct- 

 ive late Spring frost. 



In 1837 the crops were greatly injured by drought. 

 Even the marsh was well dried off for that day. The 



