The Hocking River is a tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States.
The Hocking flows mostly on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region. It rises in Bloom
Township in Fairfield County and flows generally southeastwardly through Fairfield, Hocking, and Athens Counties, through the Hocking
Hills region and past the cities of Lancaster, Logan, Nelsonville, Athens and Coolville. It joins the Ohio River at Hockingport. The
Hocking's tributaries also drain parts of Perry, Morgan, and Washington Counties.
Its name originally derives from a Native American name, roughly "Hokhokken" or "Hokhochen", which meant "bottle-shaped"
or "gourd-shaped" and referred to the configuration of the river at the present-day town of Logan, Ohio.
The river was known as the Hockhocking River until the late 19th century.
"When the early explorers and missionaries first visited the
country afterward described as the " Northwest Territory," they
found it under the rule of that famous and powerful tribe of
Indians, the "Six Nations." Later, however, their prestige dimin-
ished, and during the eighteenth century this region was occupied
and owned by several Indian tribes entirely independent of each
other. Those in what is now Ohio were the Delawares, the Shaw-
nees, the Wyandots (called the Hurons by the French), the
Mingoes (an offshoot of the Iroquois), the Chippewas and the
Tawas (more commonly called the Ottavvas). The Delawares occu-
pied the valleys of the Muskingum and the Tuscarawas; the
Shawnees, the Scioto Valley; the Miamis, the valleys of the two
rivers upon which they left their name; the Wyandots occupied
the country about the Sandusky River; the Ottawas had their head-
quarters in the valleys of the Maumee and Sandusky; the Chippe-
was were confined principally to the south shore of Lake Erie; and
the Mingoes were in greatest strength upon the Ohio, below the
site of Steubenville. All of the tribes, however, frequented more
or less lands outside of their prescribed territory, and at different
periods, from the time when the first definite knowledge concerning
them was obtained down to the era of white settlement."
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY, BUT STILL HISTORY.
Indians and the White Man's Advent— 1 he
Owners of the Territory— The Government
Secured It -Ordinance of ITS"— The Dun-
more War— Locating on Indian Lands— Dun-
more's March up the Hocking Valley— 1 he
Indian ^ame and Why 17-26
CHAPTER II. Early Settlement and Material Progress .
The Ohio Company— The Valley of Hocking
— Washington County —Generals Wash-
ington and Futnam — Organization— Pur-
chase of Land— Athens and Hocking Coun-
tj eB _ First Settlers— Adelpl.ia— Marietta-
Indian War— Generals Harmer and St. Clair
Defeated- Mad ALthony Victory— F.rst Set-
tlers of College Lands, or Athens County-
Making Salt— Pioneer Modes and Pioneer
Progress 27-4b
CHAPTER III. The Trials and Tribulations, Cabins and
Comforts of Early Days. .
Pioneer Life— The Log Cabin — Cooking—
Dress— Family Worship-Hospitality-Trade
and Barter— Hog Killing— Native Animals-
Wolf Hunts— Education— Spelling and Sing-
ing Schools— On Their Guard— The Bright
Side— A Touch of Pioneer Life— How the
Pioneers Advanced Civilization — Women
Pioneers
CHAPTER IV. Scientific View of Hooking Valley, Pre-
liminary Thoughts.
Topography — Drainage or River System—
Geology— Stratigraphies! Formation— Arch-
ffi ology— Fauna— Flora— Meteorology— Sum-
mary — Conclusion 85-127
CHAPTER V. Statistics of the Hocking Valley, besides
Railroads and Canals, Senators and Rep-
resentatives.
Lands and Valuation— County Buildings and
Valuation— Miles of Railway— Area ofVal-
li v— Population and Wheat Growing— Cities
and Villages and Population— Boundary of
the Mir era'. Field— Coal Production— Hock-
ing Valley— State Senators of the Hocking
Valley and Representatives .. 128-145
CHAPTER VI. Athens County History — From the Wil-
derness to Advanced Civilization.
Organic— Act of the Legislature— Organized
Feti 20. 1805— Area— First Session of Court
—First Jail and Court-House— Taxation and
License— New Couit-House, 1818 — School
Districts and School Moneys— 1840 to 1850—
Rise and Progress, 1850 to I860— War and
Peace— County Officials — Floods— Devasta-
tion and Ruin by the Rushing Waters —
Floods of 1847, 1858, and 1873— Destruction
ol Thirteen Miles of the Hocking Canal —
The Swelling Waters of 1875 146-165
CHAPTER VII.
Military History — War of 1812, Mexican
War, and the War Between the States.
Early Patriotism— War with Mexico— The
Rebellion— Firing on Fort Sumter— News-
papers Firingthe Hear's of the People— Ath-
ens County Meets All Demands— Camp Jew-
ett— Mustering In— Camp Denison— Sanitary
and Relief— Work— Morgan's Raid— Nelson-
ville Captured— Ladies Once More to the
Front— Grand Encampment— 'N ar Ended—-
President Lincoln's Assassination— The Ath-
ens Soldiers by TowLships-The Regiments •
in which they served 166-178
CHAPTER VIII
Statistics of Athens County— Population,
Agricultural, Political.
Population bv Townships and by Decades—
The Value of Real and Personal Property in
1870, 1880, 1881, and 1882— Assessed \ aluation
in 1846, 1853, and 1859— Record of Marriages
and Deaths— Pauperism— Land Sales— Mort-
gages-Dog and Sheep Statistics— Railroad
andTelegraph— Political— Preeidentianote,
1836 to 1880— Governor's Vote, 1836 to 1880
-Vote for Secretary of State— The County
Vote by Townships 1.9-1*
CHAPTER IX.
Melange— A Series of Articles Worthy op
Attention.
Perusal — Educational— Normal Institute-
statistical - Agricultural Society — Annual
Fairs— Constitution and By-Laws— Pioneer
Association— The Death Roll- Officers-Let-
ter of General Thomas Ewing— Future Pros-
pects— New Court-House-The Old Log
Oourt-House of 1807 -The Ancient Brick
Court- House of 1818-The Pride of Athens
County, 1880- Its Cost-Jail-Chi dren a
Home— Infirmary— Defalcation 197-324
CHAPTER X.
Township and City of Athens Linked To-
gether— One and Inseparable.
Interwoven-Metes and Bounds-lH5, and
1851 to 1883— Items-First Post Route-Pro-
gressing Slowly-Popnlation and Compan-
ion of Growth-Township Officers, 1806 to
1883 — Trustees - Treasurers - clerks jus-
tices of the Peace —
Bounds— Some of the Early Settlers— Min-
eral Deposits—Transportation Only Needed
--Churches— Cemeteries -- Schools, and Ma-
terial Prosperity— Biographical . . 701-713
CHAPTER XXVI. Carthage Township — The Beauty of Its
Landscape.
The Act which organized It— Taken from
Troy Township in November, 1819— Area-
Lost Records— Officeholders—The Pioneers
—First Mill — First Postmaster — Population
by Decades — Growth Slow but Substantial
— Churches and Schools— Biographical 714-730
CHAPTER XXVII. Dover and Trimble Townships.
Outline— Early Settlers— Township Officials
—Sunday Creek Valley— Mineral Resources
—Social Periods— Biographical 731-789
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Lodi Township — An Agricultural Town-
ship Mixed with Petrifactions and In-
dian Traditions.
Organization and Bounds — Population —
Topography— Petrifactions— First Election,
Fourteen Votes— The Pioneers— Schools and
Srnie Few Remarks — Churches, Villages,
Business — Towns- hip Officers from 1827 to
Biographical 790-812
CHAPTER XXIX.
HisTory of Hocking County — The Hocking
Valley— The White Man's Advent and
Fed Man's Exit.
Those Who Led the Van of Civilization—
The First Pioneers— The County Organiza-
tion Act —Early Records— Eagle and Salt
Creek — County Commissioners' First Meet-
ing— First Grand Jury— Green and Laurel —
Townt-hlps Organized and Numbered — Items
— Falls -G ore and Jackson — Marion — Benton
— Jail and Court- House —Mineral Talk-
Progress— Population, 1840 — Taxation— Ex-
tracts from Sentinel, 1842 — Something of
Early Days — Something about a Name — To-
pography—Metes aud Bounds 813-834
CHAPTER XXX.
Agricultural and Mineral — Local Events.
Iron Manufacturers— Progress and Flood —
Yield of 1859— Local History— Valuation and
Taxation— 1807 to 1875— Jail— Births and
Deaths', 1873 — County Infirmary — Its Cost
and Officers— Assessment Returns, 1874 and
187(3— Agricultural Products and Stocks for
1870, 1875, and 1880— Hocking County As-
sei-sment, 1882 — Coal Output — Two Items-
Hocking County Agricultural Soricty— From
1853 to 1882— The Record of a Crime— Mur-
der ot the Weldon Family — Patrons of Hus-
bandry—Oil Well— Postal Routes and Tally
Ho— Normal Institute— From 1868 to 1882...
835-851
CHAPTER XXXI.
Political History.
Governors of Ohio and Hocking County's Vote
— County Officials — Commissioners — Other
County Officers — The Vote of Hocking Coun-
ty. 1818 to 1882— Population from 1820 to 18S0
— Seventh Judicial District — Sub-Districts 1,
2, and 3— Judges from 1818 to 1883— Counties
Comprising the Districts and Sub-Divisions
—Ten Judicial Districts in the State. .852-8B1
CHAPTER XXXII.
War History of Hocking County— The Glo-
rious Record of the Gallant Sons of
Hocking.
They Were Born So — Michigan and Ohio
boundary Troubles— Mexican War and Lit-
tle Hocking— What Ohio Did— The Gallant
Seventeenth— A Series of Marches — New < r-
ganization— The Slain— The Glorious Thirty-
first — Ordeied to Trave:— The Gallant Dead
—The Noble Fifty-eighth— The Sixty-third,
Seventy fifth, and the One Hundred and
Fifty-first— The End 862-883
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Falls Township — The Pioneer Township
and Its Steady Growth.
From 1798 — Something of Its Important
Changes of Territory— Railroad, Canal, and
River—Timber, Coal, and Iron Ore— Assessed
Valuation— Schools— Streams— The Falls of
the Great Hockhockicg— Under the Surface—
Churches — When Located — Cemeteries-
Population— Falls-Gore— Railroad and Fur-
naces—Church—Schools—Societies—Towns
— Industries — Business — Land — Water —
Boundary— Name 881-893
CHAPTER XXXIV.
The City of Logan— The Pride of the Val-
ley and of the Hockuocking.
To the Memory of the Mingo Chief, Logan—
The Beauty of its Location and Surroundings
—From 1825 to 1830— Incorporation of Logan
—What She Was— Bridges— the Culver Prop-
erty— Purchase and Price- Logan Postoffice
—Mayors of Logan-- Logan Graded School —
Business Interests in 1859 and -Pro-
fessional 891-902
CHAPTER XXXV.
Referring to Religions, Morals, Political
and Business Interests.
Presbyterian Church — Methodist Episcopal
Church-Catholic Church-Lutheran Churches
—People's Bank— First National Bank— The
Logan Press — Manufactories— Iron and Steel
— Furniture — Woolens— Sash, Doors, and
Blinds— Fire Brick— Foundry and Machine
Shop- Lodges and Societies 903-917
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Biographical Sketches < f Falls Township,
Including Falls-Gore and City of Logan
918-1011
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Ward and Green Townships— Ward Town-
ship, the Seat of Wealth, of Coal and
Iron.
Mineral but not Agricultural — About Ninety
Per Cent— Shawnee Ore— Gardner's Trace-
Interesting Situation— Dew Farm Organiza-
tion—Carbon Hill— Orbiston— Murray City-
Population and Area--School, etc. —Holocaust
—Biographical— Green Township— Organi-
zation and Area— Topography— Its Wealth
of Waters — Coal and Iron — Craft's Furnace,
Saw and Grist Mills— Early Settlement —
Haydensville — Churches— Greenland Lodge
—Assessed Valuation— Schools — Population
—Its Relative Progress -Biographical
1012-1035
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Starr Township — A Township That Has a
History.
Boundary— Name— Water Courses— Timber
—Pioneers— Who They Were — Starr Post-
office — New Cadiz -Haydensville— Schools
—Mills — Societies— Political — God's Acre-
Religious— Churches — Township Officers-
Biographical 1036-1070
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Washington and Benton Townships — A
Combination of Hills and Valleys, Caves
and Ravines.
Washington — Its Name, Topographically
Speaking— Soil and Production-Old Settlers