The following address was delivered by A.C. Comparett
My parents moved up the Maumee River to Fort Wayne, Ind., they went up in a pirogue. There were but few white people, but there were many Indians extending up the St. Marys and St. Joe rivers. In the spring and fall they would come to Fort Wayne with their furs, as my father and the Ewings were the principal merchants, who bought furs and pelts those days. They packed them up and shipped them down the Maumee River by pirogues to Maumee City. This fur business was a great traffic in the early days in this part of the country. Men were sent out those days to hunt up this commodity of fur and pelts, as men sent to look at hogs and cattle. But the men of those days had to go afoot or horse back with a gun on their shoulders. There were no roads; they would meander along the streams, as the Indians, generally camped there and trapped for otter, mink and muskrats.
The traffic of keel boating and pirgueing on the Maumee river was a grand thing those days and was the only way of getting in and out of Fort Wayne. Ravinscraf and Barber were the only ones who propelled keel boats on the river. Each had a boat propelled by long poles with heavy iron sockets which would stick to the stone bottom of the river. There would be three or four men on each side of the boat to push the boat up stream.They would go to the bow of the boat and run along the stern, on the gangway at the side of the boats. These keel boats were run when the river was in a good stage of water, as they could carry a good cargo. They never went separate in case of the water going down, although the water in the Maumee did not run down those days as now, as the wood and logs kept the water backed up, and it was slow in getting into the river.
There were very few families along the river. At the head of the river was Mr. Cole, opposite the fort (Fort Wayne), now Lakeside, below him Wm Jackson, John Klinger,opposite and below the Nine Mile dam was William Taylor at the boat landing some two miles below town.
The settlers below at New Haven were McDonnel, Rogers and Burges. Those are the early settlers before the canal was commenced. Not much settlement for some distance below New Haven.
Bull Rapids a man named Ervin laid out a town called Fairport on account of the canal.
Next was the state line, old man Saylor, George Ashley another town laid out.
Now we are in Paulding County, the settlers along the river there were Slough, Doering, Graves, Murphy, Runion, Spurrier, Banks, Wm Rogers (Pirogue Man), Woodcox, Snooks and Daggets; these are the families living near Antwerp. Below on the river were Hughes, Gordon, Clemmers, Curtis, Musselman, Platers, Simpson, Blair, Eaton and Shirley.
At Defiance Dr. John Evans, Sprague, Tuttle,Bouton, Edwin Phelps, David Marcellus, Brown, Miller; not much of Defiance those days. Sprague commenced building the Russell House. It was said of him that he only had $5.00 to commence with, but he stuck to it and completed it which was the first public building of note in in Defiance.
Very few people then in Milford township; names Dr. Ladd, Noble, Bratton, Helwig, Green, Clark, Pierce, C.W. Barney,Wilcox and Hopkins.
I then returned to Ft. Wayne es the business there increased as the wheat began pouring in from the north on the prairies and the facilities were good to get it to market, by the way of the canal to the lake. The first wheat that was bought in early days only bought three shilling, 37 in half cents per bushel, that was before the canal was completed through to Toledo.
Cincinnati was a great manufacturing town of cooperage hictory, hoops were in good demand and Paulding county would furnish the goods. The early settlers had no other means than to hunt the poles up and carry them to the canal and thet would send men out to pick them up. These men would start out of Cincinnati with $3000.00 or $4000.00 to buy up these poles. The poles were packed out in bundles, as it was impossible to haul them out with a teams on account water and logs, as they had to go to market before the canal froze up for the winter. Then the stave business came next as they could lay on the banks of the canal and dry out before shipping; which was the means of the clearing up of Paulding county, as they had the timber to dispose of.
The canal lands were sold at 62 in half cents per acre with no buyers, but as soon as reduced to 30 cents to actual settlers they were soon disposed of, mostly to speculators.
The traffic of keel boating and pirgueing on the Maumee river was a grand thing those days and was the only way of getting in and out of Fort Wayne. Ravinscraf and Barber were the only ones who propelled keel boats on the river. Each had a boat propelled by long poles with heavy iron sockets which would stick to the stone bottom of the river. There would be three or four men on each side of the boat to push the boat up stream.They would go to the bow of the boat and run along the stern, on the gangway at the side of the boats. These keel boats were run when the river was in a good stage of water, as they could carry a good cargo. They never went separate in case of the water going down, although the water in the Maumee did not run down those days as now, as the wood and logs kept the water backed up, and it was slow in getting into the river.
There were very few families along the river. At the head of the river was Mr. Cole, opposite the fort (Fort Wayne), now Lakeside, below him Wm Jackson, John Klinger,opposite and below the Nine Mile dam was William Taylor at the boat landing some two miles below town.
The settlers below at New Haven were McDonnel, Rogers and Burges. Those are the early settlers before the canal was commenced. Not much settlement for some distance below New Haven.
Bull Rapids a man named Ervin laid out a town called Fairport on account of the canal.
Next was the state line, old man Saylor, George Ashley another town laid out.
Now we are in Paulding County, the settlers along the river there were Slough, Doering, Graves, Murphy, Runion, Spurrier, Banks, Wm Rogers (Pirogue Man), Woodcox, Snooks and Daggets; these are the families living near Antwerp. Below on the river were Hughes, Gordon, Clemmers, Curtis, Musselman, Platers, Simpson, Blair, Eaton and Shirley.
At Defiance Dr. John Evans, Sprague, Tuttle,Bouton, Edwin Phelps, David Marcellus, Brown, Miller; not much of Defiance those days. Sprague commenced building the Russell House. It was said of him that he only had $5.00 to commence with, but he stuck to it and completed it which was the first public building of note in in Defiance.
Very few people then in Milford township; names Dr. Ladd, Noble, Bratton, Helwig, Green, Clark, Pierce, C.W. Barney,Wilcox and Hopkins.
I then returned to Ft. Wayne es the business there increased as the wheat began pouring in from the north on the prairies and the facilities were good to get it to market, by the way of the canal to the lake. The first wheat that was bought in early days only bought three shilling, 37 in half cents per bushel, that was before the canal was completed through to Toledo.
Cincinnati was a great manufacturing town of cooperage hictory, hoops were in good demand and Paulding county would furnish the goods. The early settlers had no other means than to hunt the poles up and carry them to the canal and thet would send men out to pick them up. These men would start out of Cincinnati with $3000.00 or $4000.00 to buy up these poles. The poles were packed out in bundles, as it was impossible to haul them out with a teams on account water and logs, as they had to go to market before the canal froze up for the winter. Then the stave business came next as they could lay on the banks of the canal and dry out before shipping; which was the means of the clearing up of Paulding county, as they had the timber to dispose of.
The canal lands were sold at 62 in half cents per acre with no buyers, but as soon as reduced to 30 cents to actual settlers they were soon disposed of, mostly to speculators.
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