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Ohio Map
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A Brief Description Much like the U.S. State of West Virginia, Ohio was originally inhabited by the Adena Culture, or (Mound Builders.) They lived here for many centuries and remnants of their fascinating culture remain to this day.
A variety of Native American tribes followed the Adenas into this fertile landscape; they lived happily on indigenous animals, beans and corn, but their idylic lifestyle would soon change forever.
In 1669, the French explorer Robert de La Salle traveled through the Ohio River Valley; he claimed the entire area for France, and his King, Louis XIV. Soon the flood gates opened, and this land beyond the Allegheny Mountains proved irresistible, especially to the British.
In 1750, Christopher Gist, a surveyor for the British "Ohio Company," reported that "This Ohio Country is fine, rich, level land, well-timbered with large walnut, ash, sugar trees ... it is well watered and full of beautiful natural meadows, abounding with turkeys, deer, elk and most sorts of game, particularly buffaloes. In short, it wants nothing but cultivation to make it a most delightful country."
This land claimed by France and coveted by Britain, soon was ground-zero in the French and Indian War (1754-1763), as both European powers fought for total control of North America. In the end, the British dealt crushing blows to the French and their Indian allies.
Shortly after that conflict's end, the British placed this land above the Ohio River within the boundaries of Canada. That action, and new taxes imposed by England on the original thirteen colonies, were sparks that ignited the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783).
During that war the remaining Native Americans fought on both sides of the conflict. When the British army finally surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia in 1781, the British (by terms of the 1783 Treaty of Paris) ceded all claims to the Ohio Territory.
In 1787, the United States formed a governmental region called the Northwest Territory. It encompassed all of its land to the west of Pennsylvania and northwest of the Ohio River, including present-day Ohio, as well as modern-day Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and the northeastern edges of Minnesota.
With vast quantities of choice land now available, thousands of settlers (many from Pennsylvania and New York) arrived on barges and flatboats along the very-navigable waters of the Ohio River.
By 1801, the Ohio Territory's population surged to nearly 50,000. By 1802, because of its rapid growth, the U.S. Congress authorized the residents to form the state of Ohio and join the Union. A state convention drafted a constitution, and in 1803, Ohio entered the Union as the 17th state with Chillicothe as its first capital; Columbus became the permanent capital in 1816.
During the War of 1812, fought mainly over trade restriction imposed on the United States by Great Britain, Ohio played an important role. During that war the United States Navy engaged Great Britain's Royal Navy in the Battle of Lake Erie. Fought in the Bass Islands to the north of Sandusky, the U.S. won a convincing victory, and thus controlled the lake for the duration.
In the early 19th century Ohio's transportation system of roads and canals began to reach beyond its established river-traffic routes. New York's Erie Canal connected the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean, giving Ohio a road to the marketplaces of the world. In short order new railroads crossed the state, and industrial expansion soon followed.
During America's Civil War (1861-1865), the State of Ohio played a key role in providing troops, military officers, and supplies to the Union army. As nearly 320,000 of its men marched off to war, Ohio was spared the bloody battles witnessed by other states, and yet, 7,000 of its soldiers were killed in action.
Of both political and military note, several of the war's most influential generals were from Ohio, including Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, and Philip H. Sheridan. In addition to Ulysses S, Grant, four (Ohio-born) Civil War officers would later serve as the President of the United States; James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley.
And speaking of Presidents, William Henry Harrison, America's 9th President, although born in Virginia - lived in Ohio when elected. In the early 20th century, the state's political influence expanded as Ohioans William Howard Taft, and Warren G. Harding both served as President of the United States.
In the late 1800's, Ohio's industrial base developed rapidly due to the state's central location, extensive river networks and access to the Great Lakes. Automobile parts, coal, iron ore, steel and petroleum products soon moved through port cities fronting Lake Erie, and Cleveland and Toledo exploded into prominence.
With manufacturing giants like the United States Steel Corporation, Goodrich Tire and Rubber and Standard Oil based in Ohio, the state's economy was crushed by the Great Depression that began in 1929. Adding insult to injury, labor strikes (especially in the steel industry) further
crippled the state.
Like most other U.S. States, World War II also revived the prosperity and pride of Ohio. To support the war effort manufacturing industries opened factories across the state, thousands of jobs became available, and Ohio was once again in a prominent position.
Much of that prosperity ended in the latter part of the 20th century as its northern industrial centers all but closed; the massive steel industry shutdown plant after plant; the worldwide market for coal faded away, and unemployment reached record levels.
Today, resilient Ohio is right back on track; new businesses are opening in record numbers, many small and large manufacturing plants are on a 24/7 work schedule, and its fertile farmlands are some of the most productive in the country.
The State of Ohio - the proud home of eight American Presidents - is often called the "Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers," as NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong (the first man on the moon) and John Glenn were born in Ohio, as well Orville Wright, the co-inventor of the airplane.
Ohio is acclaimed as the birthplace of the first professional baseball team (the Cincinnati Red Stockings) and for a tasty American-classic...the hot dog.
It's also renown for college towns, football teams, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but it's the Buckeye State's small towns, family farms and hard working people that remain the cornerstone of its future.
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Famous Natives OHIO FAMOUS NATIVES - here! Fast Facts OHIO FAST FACTS - here!  Flag and Symbols OHIO FLAG AND SYMBOLS - here! Landforms OHIO LANDFORMS - here! Land Statistics OHIO LAND STATISTICS - here!  Latitude and Longitude OHIO LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE - here! Links OHIO LINKS - here! Maps OHIO MAPS - (a large selection) here! Time TIME IN OHIO - here! Timeline of History OHIO TIMELINE - here!  Union General during America's Civil War and the 18th President of the United States Travel Information OHIO TRAVEL - here! Weather OHIO WEATHER - here!  
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