Defiance In 1862 By Rev. B.V. Slagle Defiance Express 30 Oct. 1902

    About the middle of August 1862 Rev. Slagle visited Defiance by invitation and preached for the first time, in the Presbyterian Church. It was the time when the country was blazing with excitement, on account of the war of the rebellion. Some great and bloody battles had been fought and the government was calling for troops. Enlistment were being made everywhere. Defiance county had sent companies into the 14th, 21st, 38th 48th and 68th regiments and a company was being formed for the 100th regiment, that was then in camp in Toledo. In this company the two sons of Dr. Isaac Thacker who house the Rev. B.W. Slagle stay at when he visited Defiance.

    Defiance was then a village of about 1,200 people and its beautiful location between the two rivers struck Rev. Slagle most favorable. It sit for the most part between the Maumee and the Augliaze Rivers. A rather dilapidated wooden bridge connected with the the north side, where some of the warehouses stood and a lively business was done in the shipment of grain, lumber and other products of the country. Although the Wabash railroad had been completed, in 1855 it had not greatly interfered with the business of the canal. The Wabash end of the canal had streams of boats still carried corn, oats and wheat to Toledo. The ship timber men were in their glory, and great rafts of lumber were floated down the canal to be shipped to Montreal and Quebec. Adam Wilhelm on the upper lock and Barney Goreman on the lower, did as much business probably as any retail grocery does now in Defiance.
    Clinton Street was then, as it is now the main business street, but it was not lined with imposing brick blocks. The Russel house and the brick store opposite the courthouse, were the only three story building. The rest were frame of one and two stories. The village did not extend much beyond Fifth street. Latty grove and Boughton's wheat field occupied that part of the first ward, where the two Lutheran churches and schoolhouse stands.
    The east side was a farm owned by William Lewis and East Hopkins Street was built on one side only in the direction of Trampe's brick yard. Two flowing mills supplied the country with flour and bread stuff. One on the corner of  Fourth and Perry streets, owned and ran by William A Brown and one at the upper locks by Edwin Phelps the latter the old Palamo.
    The Jr. High School building was not an imposing structure like is now. It stood on Wayne street, and was a two story building with the stairway running to the second story on the outside. There were only two rooms in the building, but these two together with a frame building on the north side and another near the Catholic church were sufficient to accommodate the the children of  Defiance.
    The streets were not paved and the sidewalks were mostly of wood, nor were they lighted by night. Every pedestrian carried his own lantern. Defiance mud was extremely tenacious. Some of the older inhabitants tell of having seen teams stalled on Clinton Street in front of the courthouse and Rev. Slagle knew of one occasion when it was necessary to attach four horses to a hearse to enable the  funeral procession to reach the grave yard.
    The churches were comfortable but not imposing structures. The Catholic church was the only brick church in Defiance. The Lutheran stood on the bank of the Augaize River, which was a frame building.

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Navigating The Maumee History of Defiance County 1883 Page 110-111

    When the new settlers on the Maumee raised a surplus of grain it was sometime shipped down the Maumee River in pirogues. Dr. John Evans, who was engaged in trade at Defiance at that time, had taken in quite an amount of corn, which he concluded to ship, and hired Thomas Warren, Isaac Perkins and James Shirley to ship it to market. It was loaded into a pirogue and started down the river, arriving at the head of the rapids (Providence) where they landed for a rest. Eighteen miles of rapids, currents and intricate channels were before them. None of them knew the channels and rocks; neither of them had ever passed over the rapids, and in prospect was not a pleasant ride; after a short rest they moved on and into the whirling rapids through which they passed in safety, and in due time arrived at Maumee City, where they sold their corn for 50 cents per bushel to Col. John E. Hunt. The measure upon unloading overrun twelve bushels, caused by the splashing of the water in the rapids, which swelled the corn. This the boatmen claimed, giving them $2.00 each, which they proposed to expend on there journey home in high living. Being now ready to return, Mr. Thomas Garrett,a blacksmith, was on his way to Defiance to locate, and proposed to take passage with them. He treated the boys and thanked them for being his relieved from the journey on foot. They now had to run the river against the current, and they made but six miles the first day, with the aid of  Mr. Garrett (their passenger), who towed manfully on the cordelle. Next morning, Mr. Garrett again treated the boys, thanked them for their kindness, but proposed to continue his journey on foot.

Buttermilk Station Defiance Crescent News 2-15-1934 Seth Green

   

 
    The tale is told that when Paulding County, first circus appeared at Junction. The animals all crossed the high level bridge except the big elephant, who placed a forefoot on the high structure and backed away and refuse to budge. However when led down to the level of the canal, he plunge in and splashed his way across, to the terror and delight of the small children.

    A pioneer farmer who lived on the canal, south of the Schooley Locks (off of Hammersmith Road). Kept a good many cows and sold butter. He always had lots of buttermilk and canal crews delight in this treat. For many years this farm was known all along the canal as buttermilk station. 

He Got The Kid Defiance Evening News 7 Feb 1894

    For some time the motormen on the street trolley have been annoyed by young boys jumping on and off, the cars while they were in motion. This was a direct violation of the law and caused the trolley people no little alarm, as a serious accident might result, for which the street car men might be blamed.
    The motormen were ordered to prevent this practice if possible. Early one morning a motormen broke the ice, so to speak, and while his car was over in East Defiance a young lad jumped the trolley. Motorman stopped his trolley and went after the boy with blood in his eye. The boy took to his heels and had no doubt of his ability to keep out of harm. Motorman was formerly something of amateur sprinter himself and has a store box chuck full of medals at home, so he took an extra loop in his belt and  went after that kid in a manner that would cause a member of the Defiance hose company to turn green with envy.

    After a chase of a half mile he returned with a firm grip on the boy's collar. The youngster was sobbing bitterly and promised if he were released he would turn over a new leaf and never jump another trolley, until he got big enough to out run the conductor. Months of experience with trolley  jumping kids has caused, the conductor to contract a hardness of the heart and he was deaf to the boy's cry and gave him a free trolley ride to the Mayor's office. 

    The boy was turned over to the police officer, who afterward let him go on being convinced he was punished sufficiently.

Recollection Of Pioneer Life In The Maumee Valley By Mrs. Ruth (Shirley) Austin Part 10

    In 1825, Brother Nathan moved his family to Fort Defiance.
    We were still without religious services, and a house of worship, and Brother Nathan applied to the Ohio Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in 1827 Rev. Elias Partee was sent to Fort
Defiance Mission. Rev. Partee soon gathered the men together with their axes and teams, logs were cut, hewed and hauled to a lot presented by the proprietors of the town plat, and a church erected.
    It was a simple structure--walls, windows, roof and floor--but no chimney. In this we worshiped when the weather was warm; when cold we held our meeting in private houses. When the brick count house was built, our meeting were held there, our society having outgrown the small accommodation of its pioneer life.
    My father bought land on the opposite side of the Augaize River, one mile from Defiance, improved it and moved his family there. My brother Nathan settled five miles up the Auglaize; brother Elias, three; brother Robert on the same stream near where Charloe now stands, and brother James on the Maumee, ten miles above Fort Defiance.
    Brother Nathan sowed wheat largely, and when his grain was cut (they used sickles), he proposed to his harvesters to pay them an extra shilling a day instead of providing (as had been the custom) with whisky, as he was a man temperance principles. Of the twenty men, only one preferred the whisky, and he was dismissed.
    This was the first public movement towards temperance in our region.
    Of my father's family, but two remain--my brother Robert and myself. My sister Mary married Mr. Thomas Warren, of Defiance, and died in a little less than a year afterward. I married Rev. James B Austin, of the Ohio Conference of the Methodist Church; at the time of his death; in 1857, he was a member of the Cincinnati Conference. Brother John died while a young man and single.
                                                     Mrs. Ruth (Shirley) Austin   1883

Recollection Of Pioneer Life In The Maumee Valley, By Ruth (Shirley) Austin Part 8

 

    The Indians neither loved nor feared him. There was little difference in Okonoksee's lofty bearing after he was deposed, but he did not boast so much about his great bravery nor count on his fingers how many white men he had killed in the war. His people obeyed his word sooner than they did the new chief's. The Indians became dissatisfied when the land near them was bought and settled by the whites, and finally the Government bought their reservation and moved them west of the Mississippi.
    My father, as soon as possible, built a double-log cabin a short distance above the fort on the Augliaze. These cabins were roofed with clapboards and the floor made of puncheons. The trees were felled and sawed into proper lengths, split into puncheons, dressed off with a broad ax  and adze, placed evenly on the sleeperes, driven closely together and firmly wedged.
    My brother James loved to work in wood, and my father had taken a good supply of tools to Defiance.

    This double-cabin, with a large entry between, was our home for several years. Here we entertained many people--travelers and land viewers--as there were none but Mr. Preston's and father to keep them.
    We had at this time neither church nor minister, nor schools; we had no physicians, no roads, no carriages and no mills. We had not a post office even, but had to use Piqua or Fort Meiges (Maumee City) post office, and the mail carrier who carried the mail from Pique via St Mary, Fort Wayne and Fort Defiance to Fort Meigs, would mail our letters for us, and when he took letters out for us he paid the postage and we refunded him.
    We felt sorely the absence of society, but our few neighbors were excellent people, and though we suffered many deprivation in that new country neighbors hastened to each other's help in sickness or trouble of any kind and were ready to lend a helping hand in putting up their cabins, etc., etc. Besides our good neighbors, we every week met men of refinement and polite manners passing through to Fort Wayne. My father was a farmer. He cultivated part of the bottom land on the other side of the Auglaize River. It was very productive and yielded fine corps of corn, potatoes, melons, etc.
    The land was not yet surveyed. I think the contract was given that year to Capt. James Riley. I remember when he came to the fort; he entertained at our house. Soon after that the surveying was commenced. The surveyors suffered greatly while at there work from mosquitoes and gnats. The surveyors came frequently to Defiance for a rest.
    It was a year and a half after that before we heard another sermon. The second was preached by Rev. Solomon Manear, from Ross County, a young man just licensed to preach by the Methodist Episcopal Church (and afterward to the Ohio Conference). He had come out to Fort Defiance with others in charge of two wagons loaded with flour, bacon and dried fruit. My parents invited him to preach in our house; we had just moved into our double cabin.

Streets of downtown Defiance :: Defiance Public Library

Streets of downtown Defiance :: Defiance Public Library

Schlientz Fruit Farm :: Defiance Public Library

Schlientz Fruit Farm :: Defiance Public Library

Abandoned section of the state's old canal system :: Defiance Public Library

Abandoned section of the state's old canal system :: Defiance Public Library

Recollections Of Pioneer Life in the Maumee Valley By Ruth (Shirley) Austin Part 7

    The next morning they were astir early and preparing for a start, and were sober and very quiet. Father walked out among them and called the attention of some of the Indians to the pigs in the pen and holding up three fingers made them understand that there were three pigs last night and only two this morning. They looked very innocent and exclaimed,  "Wawhaugh! waugh! no good, no good!" meaning that whoever took them was not good. The pigs were six months old and of fine breed.
    The Indians were not commonly thievish. They did not steal from each other and very rarely from the whites; and in that thinly settled country, where neighbors were miles apart, I never heard of but one instance of a white woman being molested, and then no personal harm was offered her, but two drunken Indians demolished dishes and furniture in her husband's absence.
    The squaws were very modest and virtuous, Okonoksee, the chief, did not stop his young warriors to restrain them in their violent demonstrations toward the whites, and the whites though he did not care to. He was intoxicated almost all the time, and every year he became worse and worse. His little son, "General Wayne", sickened and died. All his children were now dead except two daughters; one of them was married to a brave, noble Indian, and their little son was the last direct heir to the chief-ship.
    In a drunken frolic at the village one night, Okonoksee sought a quarrel with his son-in-law, and drew a knife threatening to kill him. The young man stepped into his wigwam, not because he was a coward, but to get out of the way of the drunken man,but the chief followed and stabbed him to the heart, killing him instantly, and either with design or a stagger he plunged the knife which he still held in his hand into his little grandson that was sitting on his mother's lap, killing him also. The indignation against him was very great. The chiefs of the other villages came to Okonoksee's village to try him for the crime.
    They sat in council for three days, and decided that he must die. An Indian brought word to Defiance that he was to be beheaded the next day. Messre. Preston and Kepler, and my brothers and some others, went up to the village to see, as they supposed, the last of the old chief. When they got there the Indians men were formed in a circle with the condemned man sitting on the ground in the midst, his arms folded, his head bowed, and his good, faithful wife by his side. The Indians made room for the whites to join the circle. The chiefs were in council in a wigwam set apart for that purpose. After a time the chiefs came out, and walked up to the condemned chief. One of them made a speech; then they all walked around him. Having done this, the oldest chief, with some words, laid one hand on Okonoksee's head and the other hand on his mouth; and all the chiefs in turn said and did the same. The words were evidently the reprieve from the sentence of the day before, and the announcement of his punishment. The laying the hands on the mouth was to signify that it was to be closed in council and in authority, and that he was divested of his chief ship.

    This ceremony being ended, they brought a young Indian, a distant relative of the old chief, into the circle. They put a wampum belt and some silver ornaments, and with other ceremonies, which I have forgotten, they installed him chief. Everyone, both Indian and whites, were dissatisfied with "George," the new chief.

Recollection Of Pioneer Life in the Maumee Valley By Ruth (Shirley) Austin Part 6

By this time, a large number of Indians had arrived, and they were very much excited. They buried her on the bank, near the wigwam where she died, and then moved over to the Defiance side of the river--men, squaws, papooses, horses, dogs, camp kettles and all--and camped on the green just below our cabins. Some of the men began to gather wood and brush, and others rails from father's calf pasture for a great fire, while others hobbled and belled the horses. The squaws, in the meanwhile, were stealthily carrying off armfuls of bows and arrows, tomahawks and guns, to hide them in the bushes.
    When it was quite dark, a squaw came into our yard and motioned us to put out all the lights and keep within the house. She said, "Indians mad at white man because half-white killed squaw," We gratefully acted upon her advice. The green was lighted up with the great fire, and we, being in the dark, could distinctly see every movement of the Indians. Not a squaws nor papoose was to be seen; they were all hidden in the bushes. The war--dance commenced to the time of an instrument that sounded like a negro banjo. They had stripped themselves of all clothing except a piece of broadcloth about the loins. They divided into two parties, dancing different ways and then meeting as would enemies, all the time having the wildest gestures, throwing their arms and springing off the ground and keeping up a shrill war- whoop.
    They looked frightful with their faces painted in red streaks on one side and on the other black, and feathers of different colors in their hair. We were thoroughly alarmed; even brother James, our brave pioneer, sat quietly in the house. The war-dance kept up till the great fire had burned down to a mass of coals; then they began to scream and beat upon their camp-kettles, making the howl. We could see the squaws and papoose among them now, and in the  height of the yelling and pounding  we heard the distressed squeal of the pigs and soon smelled the singing of hair. Then father said."Go to bed, children, I am thankful that it required only a pig to appease their wrath." They cooked, ate and slept.

Recollection Of Pioneer Life in the Maumee Valley By Mrs. Ruth (Shirley) Austin Part 5

    All this time the young chief's parents sat on the ground, without their ornaments. Ockonoksee's hair hung down upon his shoulders; dust was upon his head. He sat in an erect position, his feet crossed like a tailor's. His wife sat by his side, her head bowed to the ground, and moaning low, she would beat the ground with her hand.

    The little brother of the young chief, who was only five years old, and whom his father named General Wayne, and who was now the heir of the chiefship, kept all the while close to his father, with behavior as dignified. When the ceremonies were over, all the Indians left in great haste for their camp, except Ockonoksee and his wife; they remained, and took farewell of the grave, the mother uttering pitiful cries.

    Mr. Preston took them into his house and gave them their dinner; they then rode slowly out of the fort.

    The next morning we hastened to the grave, fearing that, from its shallowness the hogs would disturb it, and found the earth rooted away and the clapboard exposed. 

    My brother James took his ax, and, going into the woods, cut small sapling and erected over the grave a strong and shapely booth, which protected it perfectly 
    When the Indians returned from Detroit, they stopped at the grave and shot off two guns and burned tobacco and poured whisky.
    When Ockonoksee saw how nicely his son's grave was protected, he inquired who did it, and, on learning it was brother James , he sent for him. Having a mark set up, he selected two young Indians to shoot at it, and told them whoever, firing once, would hit the mark, should be his adopted son. They eagerly tried, but both missed it, Ockonoksee then bade James to shoot at the mark. James did so and hit it; whereupon Ockonoksee took a roundabout, or sailor's jacket, that belonged to his deceased son, and put it upon James shoulders, thus investing him with the honor of his son's place.
    Ever after this the old chief claimed James as his, and whenever he came to the fort he exercised much authority over him, and required many favors at his hand.
    Two years after the young chief's death, a halfbreed shot his wife.She was an Ottawa squaw. They were on their way to Detroit, and were camping on the other side of the Maumee, waiting for the others to come. He was shooting ducks, and, having killed one among the willows, and sent his wife to fetch it while he re-loaded his gun. As she was going down the bank, he shot her in the back, and then ran to the nearest canoe, crossed over the river below the point, and was soon lost to sight, first in the corn-fields and then in the woods. The few Indians who were there, and my brothers James and Elias, with others of the  whites, all joined in the pursuit of him all that day, and some of the Indians kept on to the Indian village on Blanchard Fork, but did not find him. The squaw  lived in great agony until the next afternoon, when she died. 

Defiance Civil War Story Defiance Crescent News 9-23-1931 By U.G.F

    Back during the Civil War , some of the 38th Regiment boys heard a man say if he "went to Washington he would kill old Abe Lincoln and tramp the flag into the street", and was caught on the run by the boys at the Wabash bridge and saved at the last moment by Col. James Steedman on a spectacular gallop from Defiance. As they were about dropping the man off the bridge with a rope around his neck. Also he kept the boys from slinging the contents of the Defiance Democrat News paper into the canal, and would likely have "ducked" Judge Greene (the editor) there if they found him. Democrat office was a three roomed, one story framed building, just across the street south of the present (Crescent News Office),

Recollection Of Pioneer Life In The Maumee Valley By Mrs. Ruth (Shirley) Austin Part 4

    The whites did not like the chief of the village above Defiance, Ockonksees; they though he ought to control his young men better; but their hopes were upon his elder son, a fine young man, who would soon come into the chief ship, and whom everyone liked. He died, however, the first summer we lived at the fort.

    The Indians were on there way to Detroit to draw their annuities, and, as their custom was, they encamped on the other side of the Maumee to wait for all the Indians to collect, when they would together make the journey.
    The young chief's horse broke its hobbles and ran away; he and others ran very fast to catch the horse, and while heated he drank hastily and freely of what he supposed was river water (he was temperate), but on draining the cup he exclaimed "Ugh whisky!" He laid down to sleep, never waked. His corpse was brought over to the fort, and buried just a little way above the fort, on the Auglaize, under a large apple tree.
    The corpse was dressed in his best suit, namely, a dark blue cloth sacque and handsome leggins and moccasins.
    The coat had two small capes, one a little above the other; the edges of each were ornamented with small silver brooches.
    He wore silver arm-bands, and on his breast two silver breastplates, in shape of a half-moon, hung one above the other.
    A bunch of silver baubles was in each ear, and around his waist was a beautiful wampum belt, in which was his hunting-knife in its scabbard. His tomahawk and shot-pouch were by his side.
    At his feet were placed a two-quart pail full of soup, together with a wooden spoon, and his pipe and some tobacco. This was the outfit of  the dead chief for his journey to the great hunting-grounds.
    The grave was dug so shallow that the corpse was nearly even with the surface of the ground. My brother James hastened and brought some clapboards to lay over the grave before they covered it with earth.
    The Indians would not permit more than a slight and flat depth of earth over the grave. Before the grave was closed, Segatchaway, the brother of the old chief, stood over the grave and made a loud and vehement speech, threatening any man, white or Indian, with death who would rob the corpse of its expensive ornaments.
    Two guns were fired off toward the Indian village, to inform a brother and sister there of the young chief's death.
    Tobacco and whisky were sacrificed at the grave.