Ohio Land Grants

Yesterday, I wrote about the book, How the States Got Their Shapes by Mark Stein, and commented on the Ohio Western Reserve of Connecticut. The territory that became the State of Ohio was pieced together from lands surveyed and sold by the federal government, private individuals, and by the states of Virginia and Connecticut.

Since parts of the state were surveyed at different times, Ohio was divided into areas called survey "districts" or "land grants."


Map from the OHGenWeb Project

In addition to the Western Reserve, the "Fire Lands" were a gift from the state of Connecticut to citizens who had property destroyed by the British during the American Revolution, the "Virginia Military District" was intended to be given to Virginia's veterans, and the "Refugee Tract" was given to Canadian refugees who had helped the American colonies during the Revolutionary War. See Ohio History Central for more detail.

These details are imporant not only for historians, but also genealogists. When tracking the birth, death or property of an ancestor during the period before Ohio's statehood, it is imporant to be able to identify the territories that eventually became the different counties. Concidentally, Shawna, the Genealogy Librarian at my library shared with me some maps she drew in grade school:





I have already sent these fine maps to the Hand Drawn Map Association for inclusion in that collection.

How the States Got Their Shapes

How the States Got Their Shapes by Mark Stein. I read this book several months ago, and have been meaning to mention it here....

Each of the 51 chapters (it also includes the District of Columbia) discusses some history of each state, focusing primarily on the decisions that were made by kings, settlers and Congress when drawing borders around states.

This book answers some burning questions:

• Why West Virginia has a finger creeping up the side of Pennsylvania


• Why Michigan has an upper peninsula that isn't attached to Michigan


• Why some Hawaiian islands are not Hawaii


• Why Texas and California are so out sized, especially when so many Midwestern states are nearly identical in size


• Was Delaware really necessary?

Stein tells the stories of these states with humor. My favorite is the sad story of Maryland, and how they LOST every single border dispute over history (just look at it... a very unnaturally shaped state.):



As a resident of Ohio, I was particularly interested in the story of Connecticut and their claim to lands in the West. Like many of the original thirteen colonies, they claimed land stretching all the way to the Pacific. In most cases, it wasn't that they truly expected to govern that land, but they wanted the right to sell the acreage to settlers. Eventually they were obliged to relinquish they claim to half of Pennsylvania, and much of the territory in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois as Congress organized that area as part of the Northwest Ordinance:



However, Connecticut reserved the right to sell the land in what is now northeast Ohio. It was their "Western Reserve." I had often wondered where the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland got their name.



My only criticism is the author's arrangement of the chapters. He chose to put the states in alphabetical order, which is fine if you are not reading the whole thing straight through, but want to find and refer to specific states. I would have preferred that he arranged them by regions. So many of the states have common histories of their borders (such as the 49th parallel and the Mason-Dixon Line). If arranged thematically, many of the chapters would not have needed to be so repetitive. Still, this book is a must for map and geography buffs.

#280

Buckeye Firsts

Just as Ohio likes to style itself the "Mother of Presidents" (because, like Virginia, they lay claim to eight presidents that called Ohio home), Ohio historians also like to highlight the number of famous inventors from Ohio. The list of famous inventors from Ohio includes Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers, and Charles Kettering.

I only mention this as an excuse to highlight this poster on display in my library:



The photo does not effectively show the 3-D effect of the state of Ohio thrusting out of the heart of America, but it creates an attractive display.

More Ohio Postcards

I finally got around to scanning the rest of my Ohio map postcards. There's not a whole lot to say about them. If you enjoy map postcards, then enjoy perusing these.

If you are interested in trading postcards, see Map Postcards to Trade and my Postcard Gallery.


















#228

Dick's Map

Mrs. Cartophiliac and I visited Dick's Sporting Goods the other day. While there, I could not help but notice, and appreciate, this use of a map in the design of their store:



Out came the camera phone!

In case you are wondering, that is a pillar in the middle of the store. The star represents the location of the store.

Ohio on a Stick

Some of you may have noticed my recent experimentation with selling advertising space to Project Wonderful. It is an interesting model for buying an selling ads. That little ad box in the upper right portion of this page does not, I think, usually offend.If anything, the ads are often a little silly and irrelevant to the topic of this blog (online comics, fan fiction, t-shirts). I have so far made a grand total of $0.27!

Just imagine my suprise when, this morning, I looked at my blog and found an ad for "Original Map Paintings." The ad links to an online shop at Etsy, an online community where members can buy and sell "all things handmade".

The art featured in this shop is by Erik Maldre. He calls the two examples posted here Ohio on a Stick and Estonia on a Stick.

From the Artist's Statement:

The second reality is clearly defined by the title of each piece. "'Region' on a Stick No. 'X'" perpetuates beyond the representational notions of a map by suggesting that the represented region is a physical object unto itself. Ironically enough, the duality of representation comes full circle for the suggested physical object is still a representation of such due to its physically painted nature.

Erik, I love this stuff. If you had sent me a link, I would have plugged your site for free! (Like I'm doing now.) Although, as long as you maintain the Project Wonderful ad, your link will remain at the top of the front page...

Indoor and Arena Football Nation

In addition to my passion for maps and boardgames, I am also a big fan of minor league arena and indoor football; a fast-paced, high scoring version of American Football. While games are played indoors on a 50-yard field, with padded dasherboard walls, they are two different game systems. Both the Arena and Indoor football seasons started this month.

Arena Football is the patented game system used by the Arena Football League and arenafootball2. The distinctive feature of Arena Football is the large net stretched across the end zone. If the ball bounces off the net, it remains in play. Indoor Football avoids violation of the patent (which expires this year) by leaving out the nets. In most other ways, the game is the same. Eight men on the field (sometimes seven), emphasis on passing, quick scoring, and fans close to the action.

Over the years many Indoor and Arena Football teams have come and gone in Ohio. Currently there are six teams in four different leagues.

• Arena Football League:
• Columbus Destroyers
• Cleveland Gladiators
• arenafootball2:
• Mahoning Valley Thunder
• Continental Indoor Football League:
• Miami Valley Silverbacks
• Marion Mayhem
• American Indoor Football Association:
• Canton Legends

However, the team that first got me hooked on the game was the Dayton Skyhawks, of the now defunct Indoor Football League. I happened to attend the last home game of the 1999 season and was able to get a front row seat near the endzone. I not only enjoyed the style of game, I appreciated being very close to the action. I could see and hear every hit, and it was even possible to interract with the players and coaches with some good-natured "trash talk". We teased one player about what he was going to do, and he looked right at us and said, "I'm going to score a touchdown!"

After the Skyhawks and the IFL folded up their tent, I had to wait a few years for another team. In 2005 the Dayton Warbirds offered terrific action on the field. Unfortunately, the shady financial dealings of their owners, and their league (the infamous National Indoor Football League), left a sour taste for the city, making it unlikely that another team will be able to succeed in this market for years to come. Fortunately, the Miami Valley Silverbacks play in the city of Troy, to the north of Dayton, and I can always make the trek to Columbus to see the Destroyers.

During the last two seasons I ran a website and fan forum for fans of indoor and arena football in Ohio. It was called Ohio Indoor Football, but that venture is currently on hiatus (update: now defunct). You all must admit, that I had a cool logo... (logo design by Robert Cole).

The best place on the Internet to find news and other info about indoor football teams, arena football teams, and teams in any other American and Canadian minor league sport (baseball, hockey, basketball, soccer and outdoor football) is OurSportsCentral.com. In addition to news, press releases, fan message boards, and netcasts, they also provide Google maps to locate all of the teams in all of the leagues. Below is the map for the Arena Football League.



Indoor and Arena Football. Check it out. Remember, if a ball goes in to the stands, you get to keep it. If a player ends up in your lap, you have to throw him back...

Ohio: Hillary Clinton's New Favorite State

Hillary Clinton won a big electoral victory in Ohio last night (along with Texas and Rhode Island) breathing new life into her campaign. For me, that is as good a reason as any to post Ohio map postcards from my collection:



I have been living in Ohio now for almost thirteen years. It is a suprisingly diverse state. Sometimes I feel like it is three different states. In the northeast, Cleveland to me often feels like an eastern city. Columbus is a solidly midwestern town. Cincinnati is an enigma. I have often described it to my friends as a "southern city on the wrong side of the river." However, Mrs. Cartophiliac, who grew up in the Queen City, rejects that description. She calls it a feudal city-state, because they so rarely like to acknowledge that they are associated with the rest of the state of Ohio.



The state is also divided by its sports loyalties. Cleveland has the football Browns and baseball Indians. Cincinnati has the Bengals and Reds. How the loyalties are distributed has been discussed in my post about the United Countries of Football.



On to Pennsylvania...

The Path to the White House Leads Through Ohio

In the 2004 United States Presidential Election, Ohio was one of the "battleground" states. George Bush's victory in the state was by only 2.11%. The Next President of the United States will likely need to win Ohio to achieve an electoral victory. On March 4, Hillary Clinton will need to win Ohio to continue her quest for the Democratic nomination against Barack Obama.

To help Clinton, Obama and McCain find their way around the state, I recommend one of these handy Ohio map T-shirts from my collection.

Important Ohio facts:

Ohio was the 17th state to enter the Union, in 1803.

In 1836, Ohio lost the Ohio-Michigan War, thus being obliged to keep Toledo.

Seven presidents were born in Ohio, making it second to Virginia's eight.

Ohio is known as the "Buckeye State", however, never eat a real buckeye nut, as they are poisonous.

The State Fossil of Ohio is the trilobite.

Ohio Quilt

One of my local boardgaming groups meets several times per month at Sew-In-Style, a Sewing School for adults and kids. They have a nice room in the back with big tables. I cannot help but appreciate one of the room's decorative quilt wall hangings.

Artist: Cheryl Richards

The Ohio State University - Cannot beat the SEC in a bowl game

The Ohio State University is now 0-9 vs. the SEC in bowl games. For the second year in a row, OSU has lost in the BCS College Football National Championship game.

LSU 38
OSU 24

However, I have a fine map postcard from Columbus:



"The statue of William Oxley Thompson, former president of The Ohio State University, stands in front of the Main Library and looks over the Oval, the academic hub of the campus."