Rockford Bicentennial Historic Mural

Rockford Bicentennial Historic Mural. . , 1747-1828 , People of historical significance who crossed the St. Marys River in our area , Research by: Harrison Frech , 1| Captain Celeron de Bienville , The earliest known record of Europeans in Rockford was in 1749, where Bienville led an expedition through the upper Ohio Valley. , 2| Mahican Village , In 1782, a group of Moravian apostate Mahicans established a small village directly across the St. Marys from present day Rockford where they converted hundreds of Indians to their faith. , 3| Father Joseph Pierre de Bonnecamp , Was part of the group led by Captain Celeron de Bienville in 1749 and helped reinforce relations with the tribes of the area, drive out English settlers, and plant lead plates marking French claim to the Valley. , 4| Area Tribesmen , Along the St. Marys between Mendon and Rockford, archaeologists have located 2 pre-historic enclosures and two burial sites, showing presence of tribespeople. , 5| Fort Adams , General Anthony Wayne built Fort Randolph on the south side of St. Marys River to protect their supply line, which was soon renamed to Fort Adams in honor of Vice President John Adams. Fork Adams was abandoned in the summer of 1796 after General Wayne's army defeated the Miami Confederacy at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. , 6| General Anthony Wayne , General "Mad” Anthony Wayne brought an army north to fight the Miami Confederacy in 1794. He was almost killed when a tree fell on his tent during construction of Fort Adams, which caused suspicion of a possible assassination attempt by the army's second in command, General James Wilkinson. , 7| Anthony Shane, Founder of Rockford, OH , Antoine Chene, later known as Anthony Shane, was a French Canadian and Indian who led a very colorful life. His land grant, Indian reservation, and other dealings influenced the settling of the entire Northwest area of Ohio. Anthony Shane spoke five languages and was a hunter at Ft. Defiance and an interpreter for the Ft. Wayne Indian Agency. He later served as a messenger and advisor to General Henry Hull at Detroit during the War of 1821. Anthony Shane was influential and liked by both the whites and the local Indians. , 8| Auqualanaux Shane , Anthony Shane's wife, Lamateshe, also known as Auqualanaux, was a Delaware Indian whose Grandmother was a Moravian convert. Auqualanaux bore Anthony Shane two daughters and two sons, with one son dying early in his childhood. , 9| Reverend Isaac McCoy , A Baptist Missionary who visited Shane's home at the Crossing in 1820. Mrs. Shane previously lost a child and received religious solace from McCoy, and would later be converted and baptized by him. , 10| General William Henry Harrison , On August 30th, 1812, Harrison led an army of 2,200 men headed from Cincinnati to relieve Fort Wayne where the Indians were pursued by Harrison's cavalry. On September 9th, they reached what Harrison called "Shane's crossing of the St. Marys” where Colonel Adams was waiting for them. , Behind Harrison in the mural is Shane's log cabin home, which has been restored and re-built in Rockford's Shanes Park. , 11| Major Stephen Long , In 1823, Major Stephen Long led an expedition to explore the Upper Mississippi Valley. They traveled along the St. Marys River and across 12 miles of swampy land to a beautiful dry prairie, known as Shane's Prairie. Six miles later, they reached Shanesville. , 12| Captain James Riley , In 1821, Riley's family met Anthony Shane and his wife during their journey at Shane's Crossing. Sacatcha, Shane's nephew, guided the family to their cabin at Devil's run on the St. Marys River. , 13| Benjamin Drake , Benjamin Drake visited the Shanes at the end of 1821 and interviewed them about Tecumseh and his brother, the Shawnee Prophet. This later served as a major source of the Native American leaders. , 14| John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) , On April 29, 1828, Johnny Appleseed was in Shanesville for a business deal where he met with William B. Hedges to sign a 10 year lease on local land for an apple orchard. He continued visiting the community even after his lease was up. John Chapman died in Fort Wayne in March 1845