Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/407

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

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��CHAPTER XLI.

BLOOMING GROVE TOWNSHIP.

Organization — Physical Features — Settlers and Settlements — Pioneer Incidents and Adventures- Stoner and Foulks Families — Mills — Schools and Churches — Trucksville — Rome — Shenandoah.

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��BLOOMING GEOVE TOWNSHIP was organized March 4, 1816, out of Madi- son Township, then eighteen miles square. When first erected, it was eigliteen miles long, from east to west, and twelve miles wide, and included the west half of what is now Butler, all of the present Blooming Grove, Cass, Ply- mouth, Sharon, Jackson, Franklin, Auburn and Vernon (both now in Crawford Count}-), and the west half of Weller, and contained two hundred and sixteen square miles. It remained in that form until June 4, 1816, when a square block was taken out of the southeast corner and called Franklin, leaving Blooming Grove in the shape of an L. In this irregular form it remained until Februar}' 2, 1818, when Ply- mouth and Sandusky Townships were created, leaving Blooming Grove six miles square, con- stituting Township 23, Range 18. The forma- tion of Ashland County, in 1846, left part of Clear Creek Township in Richland County, which was at first attached to Blooming Grove ; but Butler Township being created Februar}- 5, 1849, this was attached to it. and Butler also took two tiers of sections from the east part of Blooming Grove, leaving the latter in its pres- ent shape — four b}^ six miles in extent.

The soil of the northern and central parts is clayej', and the surface' gently rolling. The southern part was somewhat marsh}- in an early day, a large part of it being covered with water a portion of the j-ear, with here and there a small pond or lake which retained the water during the entire year. Since its settle-

��ment, this part has been thoroughly drained, and now constitutes some of the finest farming land in the county, though, during a freshet, the waters of the Black Fork yet overflow and cover extensive bottoms, rendering them useless for agi'icultural purposes.

The township was once densely wooded, the timber being beech, white oak, hickor}^ black walnut, sugar and some other varieties.

The dividing ridge between the head-waters of the Muskingum and those of the Hui'on and Vermillion Rivers, which flow into the lake, passes diagonally across the township from east to west, a little north of its center. The Black Fork and its tributaries drain all the southern part, the main body of that stream entering at the southeast corner, making a bend north and passing out near the center of its southern boundary line.

It does not appear that the Indians occupied any permanent camp within its limits, but it was used extensivel}' by the Wj'andots and Delawares for a hunting-ground. The numer- ous and beautiful sugar-tree groves (from which the name of the township is derived) rendered it a delightful camping and hunting ground during the spring and summer ; and small parties of Indians were often encamped in some part of it, either hunting or making sugar.

The first road in the township was cut l\y the army of Gen. Beall, in the summer of 1812. It entered the township at Shenandoah, pass- ing northwest, through the present site of Rome.

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