Ohio inventions and firsts · First · 1788
First permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory
On April 7, 1788 forty-eight Ohio Company of Associates settlers led by Rufus Putnam landed at the Muskingum-Ohio confluence, founding Marietta, the first permanent U.S. settlement in the Northwest Territory.
At a glance
- Year
- 1788
- Company
- Ohio Company of Associates
- Place
- Marietta, Washington County ZIP 45750 · Marietta · Washington County
The story
After the Revolution, the new United States opened land north and west of the Ohio River, the Northwest Territory, to settlement. A group of veterans and investors, the Ohio Company of Associates, wanted to be first. General Rufus Putnam led them.
On April 7, 1788, 48 men of the company arrived at the mouth of the Muskingum River where it meets the Ohio. The spot had been recommended in earlier surveys as the best part of the whole of the western country. George Washington, who had surveyed the area in 1770, praised the venture in 1788.
They built the Campus Martius fort and the Picketed Point stockade. By the end of the year, 137 people lived there. The town was named to honor Marie Antoinette, thanking France for help in the Revolution.
The settlers also saved ancient Native American earthworks, including the Great Mound, by planning their cemetery around it. They named two large platform mounds Capitolinus and Quadrophenus.
Timeline
- 1770: George Washington surveys the region. (Ohio River) source
- 1788-04-07: 48 men of the Ohio Company arrive at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers. (Marietta, OH) source
- 1788: Campus Martius fort and Picketed Point stockade are built. (Marietta, OH) source
- 1788-12: The settlement has 137 residents by year end; the town is named for Marie Antoinette. (Marietta, OH) source
What it changed
- First permanent American settlement in the Northwest Territory.
- 137 residents by the end of 1788.
Why it matters
Beginning of Ohio statehood.
Places in Ohio to see
- Campus Martius Museum (Ohio History Connection; includes the Rufus Putnam House) (museum)
601 Second Street, Marietta, Washington County ZIP 45750 (approximate) · Marietta · Washington County · official page
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.