isa-normaladvance-1913-00244

Description:	244THE NORMAL ADVANCEIt took most of the first year to get a smallclearing made. Even on prairie land, it wTas agreat task to get the sod broken and the soilsubdued for the planting. Labor Avas scarce,and there was little money to- pay for thatwhich was available. All of these factors, together with many others, made the task offorming a neAv settlement a difficult one. Thecapital of the west was thus used up in gettingstarted and in in\7estments, so that there waslittle left to use in getting crops to a market.It was Avell that the territory made the taxesas light as possible.In the meantime the ferries across the Ohio,and the roads leading north from them had notbeen idle. Kentuckians had been crossing theOhio at Henderson, and settling in Posey andWarrick Counties, and the western part ofGibson County. Another road led toAvard theinterior from the crossing at Rockport. Fartherup the Ohio, another road led north from thecrossing at Blue river, into Washington andHarrison Counties.27 By 1815 enough settlershad folloAved this route and other routes tojustify the formation of two new counties.Orange County Avas to consist of the territoryfrom twelve miles west of the Principal Meridian to eight miles east, and north of Perryand Harrison Counties to the Indian boundaryline of 1809. Jackson County was to lie eastof Orange, AArest of range eight east, and northof the Muskatatack, to the Indian country.Both of these counties were in the basin ofEast White river.28STATEHOOD.The legislature folloAved the suggestion ofthe goAernor, and petitioned congress to be al-loAved to pass into statehood. This petitionstated that the inhabitants Avere principallycomposed of emigrants from every part of theunion, and as A-arious in their customs and sentiments as in their persons. HoAvever, Southerners still predominated in numbers, especiallyin the southern and western parts.The petition asked for an enumeration, whichwas taken. This census showed a total population of 63,897—more than the 60,000 necessary to pass to statehood. This census also revealed the fact that the population was pushing toward the interior, and away from theOhio. In the Whitewater basin, Wayne andFranklin Counties (see map) Randolph hadnot yet been erected), neither of Avhich touchedthe Ohio, contained a larger population thanDearborn, SAvitzerland and Jefferson, by 30%.The three counties, Posey, Warrick and Perry,all on the Ohio (practically same territory ascomprised Warrick in 1813), did not have acombined population equal to any one of theinterior counties. Of all the eight counties onthe Ohio, only Clark and Harrison had a population equal to the interior counties. Morethan 71% of the population wras east of theSecond Principal Meridian. The line betAveenranges five and six east would haAe dividedthe population into two almost equal groups.About one-third of the population Was in thethree counties. Clark, Harrison and Washington. In this census the neAvly erected countiesAvere counted as part of the original countiesout of which they were formed. This censusshowed two regions more densely populatedthan any others—the upper Whitewater and theregion Avest and northwest of Jeffersonville,about the new capital, Corydon.29The petition asking for stateliood also askedthat 7% of the moneys received for the sales ofpublic lands be granted the neAv state to beused as it saAv fit. When Ohio became a stateit was provided that 2% of the sales should bedevoted to the building of the National RoadAvithin the state, and 3% be giA^en to internalimprovements and education, but Indiana askedfor more. However, she got only the 5%.It was also asked that Section 16 in eachtoAvnship be granted the state for school purposes that in counties Avhere Section 16 hadalready been disposed of, other lands be giveninstead: that township 2 S. of R. 11 W. be27Cockrum, Pioneer History of Indiana, P. 136.^Territorial Laws, 1815, P. 3 P. 57.Census of 1816, in Cockrum, Pioneer Hist., P. 390.
Source:	http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/34689
Collection:	Indiana State University Archives

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