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The Daily Insight Hub

Who settled the Ohio Valley?

Author

Jackson Reed

Updated on January 14, 2026

The Ohio was first seen in 1669 by a European, French explorer Sieur de La Salle (1643–1687). In the first half of the 1700s, traders traveled the Ohio River, finding the surrounding valley a plentiful hunting ground. The fur trade flourished, making the region a coveted possession for both the French and the British.

Who formed the Ohio Company?

Thomas Lee
Ohio Company/Founders

Why was the Ohio Company founded?

Ohio Company, in U.S. colonial history, organization of Englishmen and Virginians, established in 1748, to promote trade with groups of American Indians and to secure English control of the Ohio River valley. Its activities in an area also claimed by France led to the outbreak of the last French and Indian War (1754).

When was the Ohio Company founded?

1747
Ohio Company/Founded

What is Ohio historically famous for?

Ohio is also known as the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, the NationalUnderground RailroadFreedom Centerin Cincinnati and National Football League Hall of Fame in Canton.

What was Ohio called before it became a state?

Northwest Territory
How could this be? Ohio is well-known as the 17th state admitted into the United States in 1803. The land now known as Ohio was part of the Northwest Territory.

What did Ohio Land Company do that the French did not like?

The Ohio Company also was to construct a fort to guarantee the colonists’ safety. In 1750, the Ohio Company hired Christopher Gist to survey the land. The French commander refused and informed the English representatives that the French would arrest any English settlers or merchants entering the Ohio Country.

What companies are headquartered in Ohio?

Detailed List Of The 100 Biggest Companies In Ohio

RankCompanyCity
1KrogerCincinnati
2ConvergysCincinnati
3Watson’sCincinnati
4Procter GambleCincinnati

What land did George Washington own in Ohio?

That document records that Washington acquired 9,744 acres on the Ohio River and owned another 23,341 acres on the Great Kanhawa, with an additional 234 acres in Pennsylvania near Great Meadows, 3,051 acres in the northwestern territory, and 5,000 acres in Kentucky.

Who is the most famous person in Ohio?

Neil Alden Armstrong astronaut, Wapakoneta.

  • George Bellows painter, lithographer, Columbus.
  • Willard H.
  • Ambrose Bierce journalist, Meigs County.
  • Albert J.
  • Erma Bombeck columnist, humorist, Dayton.
  • Bill Boyd / Hopalong Cassidy actor, Cambridge.
  • William Jennings Bryan U.S. presidential candidate, Salem.
  • Where did the Ohio Company settle in Virginia?

    In 1750, the Ohio Company established a fortified storehouse at what became Ridgeley, Virginia across the Potomac River from the Will’s Creek trading post. That year the Ohio Company also hired Christopher Gist, a skillful woodsman and surveyor, to explore the Ohio Valley in order to identify lands for potential settlement.

    How did the Grand Ohio Company get their land?

    However, following Pontiac’s War, land claims west of the Appalachian Mountains were forfeited to the Native American tribes in the Proclamation of 1763, requiring them to be re-purchased through King George III. This map shows the Grand Ohio Company’s proposed colony of Vandalia.

    Who was the surveyor for the Ohio Company?

    French and Indian War. In 1750, the Ohio Company hired Christopher Gist, a skillful woodsman and surveyor, to explore the Ohio Valley in order to identify lands for potential settlement. He surveyed by estimating the Kanawhan Region and the Ohio Valley tributaries beginning in 1750, 1751 and 1753.

    Who was the founder of the Ohio Company?

    In 1748, Thomas Lee and brothers Lawrence and Augustine Washington organized the Ohio Company to represent the prospecting and trading interests of Virginian investors.