Visitor's guide

Ohio has hundreds of historical, recreational, and scenic attractions. Historical points of interest include huge Indian burial mounds and forts that date back to prehistoric times.

The 2,500 lakes and 44,000 miles (70,800 kilometers) of rivers and streams in Ohio provide many opportunities for boating, fishing, and swimming. Lake Erie is a major tourist and recreational attraction. Hunters shoot deer, ducks, and rabbits in the state's woods and on the rolling plains. Many vacationers enjoy hiking in the hilly eastern section of Ohio, which has some of the state's most beautiful scenery.

Two historical plays performed outdoors rank among Ohio's most popular annual events. Tecumseh!, a drama about the famous Shawnee Indian, is held near Chillicothe. Trumpet in the Land, which concerns Ohio's first permanent white settlement, is performed near New Philadelphia. Both plays run from June to September.

Land regions. Several glaciers moved down from the north thousands of years ago, during the Pleistocene Epoch, which ended about 11,500 years ago. They covered all of what is now Ohio except the southeastern part. These separate glacial movements helped create the state's four main land regions. These four regions are (1) the Great Lakes Plains, (2) the Till Plains, (3) the Appalachian Plateau, and (4) the Bluegrass Region.

The Great Lakes Plains of northern Ohio form part of the fertile lowland that lies along much of the Great Lakes. In Ohio, these plains make up a narrow strip of land that borders Lake Erie. The region is 5 to 10 miles (8 to 16 kilometers) wide in the east, and broadens to more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) in the Maumee Valley to the west. A few low, sandy ridges along the Lake Erie shore break the flatness of the plains. A wide variety of crops, especially fruits and vegetables, grows in the region's fertile soil. The region is one of the busiest manufacturing, shipping, trading, and recreational areas in the United States. It includes many lake ports and large industrial cities. The most heavily populated part of Ohio, the Cleveland metropolitan area, is in the Great Lakes Plains region.

The Till Plains are the easternmost part of the rich midwestern Corn Belt, which stretches westward from Ohio. This region ranks among the most fertile farming areas in the country.

Some hills dot the gently rolling plains, which lie in most of western Ohio. One of them, Campbell Hill in Logan County, rises 1,550 feet (472 meters) and is the highest point in Ohio. From there, the land gradually slopes downward to the southwestern corner of the state in Hamilton County. This area, 433 feet (132 meters) above sea level, is Ohio's lowest point. Farmers of the Till Plains produce grain, soybeans, and livestock. The area has many industrial cities where a wide variety of products is manufactured. It also includes Columbus, the State Capital.

The Appalachian Plateau includes almost all the eastern half of Ohio. This highland extends eastward into Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The southern two-thirds of the region was not covered by glaciers. As a result, this section is the most rugged part of the state, with steep hills and valleys. Most of the soil is thin and not fertile. The northern third of the Appalachian Plateau has rolling hills and valleys, and has less fertile soil than that of the Till Plains.

The rugged Appalachian Plateau has some of Ohio's most beautiful scenery, including the state's largest forests and some waterfalls. It also has Ohio's richest mineral deposits—clay, coal, natural gas, oil, and salt. A few of its cities are important manufacturing centers.

The Bluegrass Region, Ohio's smallest land region, is an extension of the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky. This triangular area in southern Ohio has both hilly and gently rolling land. The hills of the Bluegrass Region have thin, less fertile soil.

Shoreline of Ohio stretches for 312 miles (502 kilometers) along Lake Erie, from Conneaut in the east to Toledo in the west. It includes 53 miles (85 kilometers) along Sandusky Bay, and 66 miles (106 kilometers) along offshore islands. The eastern half of the shoreline consists of clay bluffs about 10 to 18 feet (3 to 5 meters) high. The western half has beaches of clay or sand. Many harbors indent the shoreline. Two of the busy lake ports lie on large bays—Toledo on Maumee Bay, and Sandusky on Sandusky Bay. North and northwest of Sandusky in Lake Erie are some small islands. The largest ones, Kelleys and North, Middle, and South Bass islands, are used chiefly as recreation areas.

Rivers and lakes. Ohio has more than 44,000 miles (70,800 kilometers) of rivers and streams. They flow either south into the Ohio River or north into Lake Erie. A series of low hills separates the two groups of rivers. This divide lies approximately along the southern boundary of the Great Lakes Plains and extends into Indiana. Except for the Maumee River, all the longer, wider rivers flow into the Ohio River. They drain about 70 percent of the state.

The Ohio River, one of the chief rivers of North America, flows more than 450 miles (724 kilometers) along Ohio's southern and southeastern borders. The northern bank of the river forms the state boundary. Many bluffs from 200 to 500 feet (61 to 150 meters) high rise along the river, which winds through a valley less than 2 miles (3 kilometers) wide.

The Ohio River's longest tributary in Ohio is the Scioto River, which is 237 miles (381 kilometers) long. Other rivers flowing into the Ohio include the Hocking, Little Miami, Great Miami, and Muskingum. The largest rivers that flow into Lake Erie are the Cuyahoga, Grand, Huron, Maumee, Portage, Sandusky, and Vermilion. Some underground streams in Ohio have formed caverns, such as Seven Caves near Bainbridge and Ohio Caverns near West Liberty. Many swift streams in northeastern Ohio have rapids and waterfalls.

Ohio's lake waters include 3,457 square miles (8,954 square kilometers) of Lake Erie. The International Line between the United States and Canada runs through Lake Erie about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of the Ohio shore. The state has more than 2,500 lakes larger than 2 acres (0.8 hectare). Over 20 of them are natural lakes with an area of 40 acres (16 hectares) or more. These lakes were formed by the ancient glaciers. Ohio also has more than 180 artificially created lakes that cover at least 40 acres (16 hectares) each.

Several lakes were created in Ohio during the 1830's and 1840's to feed water into two canals. These canals were the Ohio and Erie Canal, between Cleveland and Portsmouth, and the Miami and Erie Canal, between Toledo and Cincinnati. They were Ohio's chief means of transportation until the coming of the railroads in the 1840's. The largest lake in Ohio is 12,700-acre (5,140-hectare) Grand Lake near Indiana. It was created during the 1840's by damming two nearby creeks to provide water for the Miami and Erie Canal. Other large artificially created lakes include Berlin, Indian, Mosquito Creek, and Senecaville lakes.

Plant and animal life. Forests cover about a fourth of Ohio. Most of the state's trees are hardwoods. They include beeches, black walnuts, hickories, maples, sycamores, red and white oaks, tulip trees, white ashes, and white elms. Among the common shrubs found in Ohio are azalea, dogwood, hawthorn, sumac, and viburnum. The state's wildflowers include anemones, blazing stars, blue sages, Indian pipes, lilies, saxifrages, toothworts, and wild indigos.

Ohio has few large wild animals. Only white-tailed deer are plentiful. Smaller wild animals include minks, muskrats, opossums, rabbits, raccoons, red foxes, squirrels, skunks, and woodchucks. Among Ohio's songbirds are blackbirds, brown thrashers, cardinals, chickadees, and wrens. Bald eagles and various shore birds live along Lake Erie. Game birds include ducks, geese, pheasants, quail, and ruffed grouse. Fish living in the state's waters include bass, bluegills, catfish, muskellunge, perch, pike, and walleye.

Climate. Ohio has cold winters and warm, humid summers, with an average annual temperature of 52 °F (11 °C). The average January temperature is 28 °F (–2 °C), and the July temperature averages 73 °F (23 °C). Ohio's lowest recorded temperature, –39 °F (–39 °C), occurred at Milligan, near New Lexington, on Feb. 10, 1899. The highest recorded temperature was 113 °F (45 °C) near Gallipolis on July 21, 1934.

Ohio's annual precipitation (rain, melted snow, and other moisture) averages 38 inches (97 centimeters). The wettest area is in the southwest, where Wilmington's yearly precipitation is 44 inches (112 centimeters). The driest part of Ohio lies along Lake Erie between Sandusky and Toledo. It gets 32 inches (81 centimeters) of precipitation a year. Snowfall of Ohio averages 29 inches (74 centimeters) a year. It increases from west to east, and from south to north. Northeastern Ohio receives about 100 inches (254 centimeters) of snow annually and has several ski areas.

Located in the heart of the industrial region of the northeastern United States, Ohio has long been known as an important manufacturing center. Manufacturing is the single most important economic activity in Ohio. Its manufacturing industry is characterized by the wide variety of goods produced. The manufacture of aircraft parts, machine tools, motor vehicles, plastics, processed foods, soap, and steel are all billion-dollar businesses in Ohio.

Service industries, taken together, account for the largest portion of Ohio's gross state product—the total value of goods and services produced annually. Community, business, and personal services form the state's leading service industry group. Coal is the leading mined product. Soybeans and corn rank as Ohio's most valuable agricultural products.

Natural resources. Fertile soils and valuable minerals are Ohio's most important natural resources.

Soil. Fertile soils deposited by ancient glaciers are found in all parts of Ohio except the southeast. Many layers of these soils are several feet deep. Materials in the various kinds of soils include limestone, sandstone, and shale. The soil is less fertile in the southeastern part of the state, which was not covered by glaciers during the ice age.

Minerals. Coal is Ohio's most important mined product. Deposits in eastern and southeastern Ohio have an estimated 24 billion tons (22 billion metric tons) of coal. Oil and natural gas are found in several parts of Ohio. The state has about 100 million barrels of crude oil reserves. Ohio also contains huge reserves of rock salt and saltwater. The state could supply the United States with all the salt it needs for thousands of years. Most of the salt lies in deep rock-salt beds in northeastern Ohio. Other mined products in the state include large deposits of clay, gypsum, limestone and dolomite, sand and gravel, and sandstone.

Service industries, as a group, account for the largest portion of Ohio's gross state product and employ more people than any other type of industry. Most of the service industries are concentrated in the state's metropolitan areas.

Community, business, and personal services lead the service industries in terms of the gross state product. This group also employs more of Ohio's people than any other industry. Community, business, and personal services consist of a variety of businesses, including private health care, engineering firms, hotels, law firms, private research organizations, and repair shops. Cleveland is a leading center of health care in the United States. Columbus is the home of Battelle Memorial Institute, one of the world's largest private research organizations.

Wholesale and retail trade ranks second among service industries in contributions to the gross state product. The wholesale trade of coal, groceries, motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts, and steel is important in Ohio. The ports of Toledo and Cincinnati handle much wholesale trade. Columbus is a leading distribution center for store merchandise. Retail businesses include department stores, food stores, and restaurants. The Cincinnati area is the home of several major U.S. retail companies, including Federated Department Stores and Kroger. Wendy's, a leading restaurant chain, is headquartered in Dublin. The Limited, a major retail clothing chain, is headquartered in Columbus.

Finance, insurance, and real estate ranks next among the service industries in terms of contribution to Ohio's gross state product. This industry group is most important in Cleveland and Columbus. Most of Ohio's largest banks are based in these cities, including Keycorp and National City of Cleveland. Cincinnati is also the home of several large financial companies, including Fifth Third Bancorp. Real estate businesses have grown rapidly in the suburban parts of the large metropolitan areas.

Next among Ohio's service industries are government services, which include public schools and hospitals, and military bases. The public school system employs many people. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base lies near Dayton. State government offices are based in Columbus, which is also the home of Ohio State University.

Transportation, communication, and utilities rank fifth among Ohio's service industries in terms of contribution to the gross state product. Shipping is an important part of the transportation sector. Several large shipping companies lie along Lake Erie and the Ohio River. Roadway Express, a major trucking company, is headquartered in Akron. Telephone companies are the largest part of the communications sector. Ohio's largest utility companies are American Electric Power of Columbus and FirstEnergy of Akron. More information about transportation and communication appears later in this section.

Manufacturing contributes more to the gross state product than any other industry. Products made in the state have a value added by manufacture of about $120 billion a year. This figure represents the increase in value of raw materials after these materials become finished products. Ohio ranks high among the states in total value added by manufacture.

Transportation equipment is Ohio's leading manufactured product by far. The most important types of transportation equipment made in Ohio are motor vehicles, motor vehicle parts, and aircraft parts. Automobiles are assembled in East Liberty, Lordstown, and Marysville. The state's largest truck factories are in Avon Lake, Chillicothe, Lorain, Moraine, Springfield, and Toledo. Motor vehicle parts come mainly from Cleveland, Dayton, and Toledo. Large factories that produce aircraft parts are in Akron, Cleveland, and Evendale.

Fabricated metal products rank second among Ohio's manufactured products in terms of value added by manufacture. This category includes structural metal, metal stampings for automobiles, tools and hardware, and valves and pipe fittings. The Cleveland area leads the state in fabricated metal products.

Chemicals rank third in terms of value added by manufacture. Ohio's leading chemical products include soaps and cleansers, industrial chemicals, and paints and varnishes. The Procter & Gamble Company, a major manufacturer of soaps and cosmetics and many other products, is based in Cincinnati. Its soap factory in Cincinnati is the largest in the United States.

Food products are Ohio's fourth-ranking manufactured product. The Cincinnati and Columbus areas are the state's main food processing centers. Cincinnati has meat packing plants. Factories in Columbus make beer and bakery products. Cooking oils are made in St. Bernard. Mariemont has a plant that makes cookies and crackers. Solon makes frozen dinners. Dairy products, which include pasteurized milk and cheese, are also important. The world's largest soup factory operates at Napoleon. A factory at Wellston is the world's leading producer of frozen pizzas.

Machinery is Ohio's fifth most valuable type of manufactured product in terms of value added by manufacture. The state's major machinery products are bearings, heating and cooling equipment, and machine tools and machine tool parts. Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Dayton are the chief centers of machine tool production in the state. Plants in Dayton make air-conditioning and ventilation equipment. Large factories in Canton manufacture ball and roller bearings.

Primary metals rank sixth among Ohio's manufactured products. Indiana is the only state that produces more raw steel than Ohio. The largest centers of steel production are in the Canton, Cleveland, Lorain, Middletown, and Warren areas. Cincinnati and Cleveland have aluminum foundries.

Ohio is also an important manufacturer of rubber and plastic products, printed materials, clay and glass products, and paper products. Factories in Akron, Dayton, and Findlay make such rubber products as hoses and tires. Goodyear Tire & Rubber, a major manufacturer of tires and other rubber products, has its headquarters in Akron. Many cities in Ohio produce plastic products. Types of electrical equipment manufactured in Ohio, include appliances, electric motors, and lighting equipment. Clay products include bricks and tile, roofing, and tableware. Much pottery is manufactured along the Ohio River, especially in East Liverpool. Toledo and various other cities in Ohio are centers of the glassmaking industry. Plentiful deposits of sand and natural gas, which are used in glassmaking, helped establish the glassmaking industry in the state. Printed materials include newspapers and business forms. Many cities in Ohio make paper products. Mead, a major manufacturer of paper and other wood products, is headquartered in Dayton.

Agriculture. Ohio has about 78,000 farms. Farms and ranches cover about half the state's land area.

Field crops provide most of Ohio's agricultural income. Soybeans are the state's leading farm product. Corn ranks second. Ohio ranks among the leading producers of both corn and soybeans. Farmers grow these two crops in nearly all parts of the state, especially in the Till Plains region. Other field crops raised in the state include hay, oats, popcorn, and wheat. Most of the grain production is used for livestock feed.

Milk is the leading livestock product in Ohio. Most of the milk produced in Ohio is sold in nearby cities. The state's leading dairy-farming areas include Wayne, Holmes, Columbiana, and Tuscarawas counties in the northeast, and Mercer County in the west.

Many farmers in Ohio raise beef cattle. Ohio also ranks as a major hog-producing state. Farmers in the Miami River Valley developed the famous Poland China hog during the 1800's. A monument to the Poland China breed stands near Monroe. Farmers also raise sheep for both mutton and wool, chiefly in the central part of the state. Ohio produces more wool than any other state east of the Mississippi River.

Ohio is one of the leading states in egg production. Most of the egg-producing poultry farms are located in the west-central and east-central parts of the state. Ohio poultry farmers also raise turkeys and broilers (chickens from 5 to 12 weeks old).

Ohio has been an important fruit-producing state since pioneer days, when Johnny Appleseed roamed the countryside planting apple seeds. In addition to apples, Ohio farmers produce grapes, peaches, and strawberries. Grapes are raised on the plains along Lake Erie and on the offshore islands. The warm lake winds protect the grapes from frosts in late spring and early autumn. Some of the grapes are made into wine.

Large crops of cucumbers, potatoes, sweet corn, and tomatoes are grown in Ohio. The rich soils of the Great Lakes Plains and the warmer lowlands located along the Ohio River are especially good for growing vegetables. During the cold season, vegetables are grown in heated glass shelters called hothouses. Other vegetables grown in Ohio include cabbage, celery, lettuce, peppers, and snap beans. The plains and lowlands in the state also have tree nurseries and flower greenhouses.

Mining. Coal is the greatest source of Ohio's mining income. The state's great fields of bituminous (soft) coal lie mainly in the east and southeast. Belmont, Meigs, Monroe, Noble, and Vinton counties produce the most coal. The fields there form part of the great Appalachian coal fields that include parts of Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Natural gas is the second most valuable mined product in Ohio. The southeastern part of the state is the leading area for natural gas production. Gas is pumped from the wells to businesses and homes, where it is used mainly for heating.

Ohio leads all states in the production of building sandstone, providing about a third of the country's supply. Sandstone is taken chiefly from quarries in eastern and northern Ohio. The best-known variety of sandstone, Berea or grit, comes from Lorain County. Ohio's best clays come from the eastern part of the state, in or near the coal fields. These clays are used in such products as bricks and tile, cement, pottery, and stoneware.

Ohio provides about a fifth of all the limestone used in the United States to make glass. The state also leads in the production of lime, which is made from limestone. Other uses of limestone include the manufacture of cement, chemicals, fertilizers, and steel. Limestone is quarried chiefly in north-central Ohio.

Ohio's oldest mining industry is the production of salt, and the state is a leading salt producer. The deepest salt mine in the United States is near Fairport Harbor, northeast of Cleveland. The mine is about 2,000 feet (610 meters) deep. Petroleum is mined in several parts of eastern Ohio. Sand and gravel are produced throughout the state. Ohio's other minerals include abrasives, dolomite, and gypsum.

Electric power. Plants that burn coal provide about 85 percent of the electric power generated in Ohio. Air pollution from these plants is a major problem. Nuclear plants produce most of the remaining power.

Transportation. Ohio is a transportation link between the eastern and western United States. Cross-country railways and roads began going westward through the state during the 1800's.

The first east-west roads in Ohio were the natural trails that followed the sandy ridges along Lake Erie. Later roads, paved with logs, followed Indian trails. The historic Zane's Trace, built for the federal government by Ebenezer Zane, opened in 1797. It ran from what is now Wheeling, West Virginia, through the present-day Ohio cities of Zanesville, Lancaster, and Chillicothe to Maysville, Kentucky. Maysville was then the northern end of the road to New Orleans. During the early 1800's, the National (Cumberland) Road became an important link between the East and the West.

Today, Ohio has about 116,000 miles (187,000 kilometers) of roads, most of which have hard surfaces. Many multilane highways and expressways cross the state. The 241-mile (388-kilometer) Ohio Turnpike runs from the Pennsylvania border across northern Ohio to Indiana. Four major railroad lines provide freight service in the state, and passenger trains serve about 10 cities.

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is Ohio's busiest airport. Columbus, Dayton, and Toledo also have major airports. The largest airport serving the Cincinnati area lies in nearby Boone County, Kentucky.

The Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway connect Ohio with the Atlantic Ocean. Ice closes this passage in January and February. The Great Lakes also link Ohio with the north-central states and Canada. Another major waterway, the Ohio River, connects the state with the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The entire length of this waterway is navigable all year.

Communication. The first newspaper published north and west of the Ohio River, the Centinel of the North-Western Territory, was founded in Cincinnati in 1793. The nation's first antislavery newspaper, the Philanthropist, began publication in Mount Pleasant in 1817. Today, the state has about 80 daily newspapers and 270 weeklies. The largest dailies include the Akron Beacon Journal, The (Toledo) Blade, The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Cincinnati Post, The Columbus Dispatch, the Dayton Daily News, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and The (Canton) Repository. About 400 periodicals are published in Ohio.

Ohio's oldest radio station, WHK, began broadcasting in Cleveland in 1922. Also in 1922, Ohio State University in Columbus started WOSU, the first educational radio station in North America. The first Ohio TV station, WEWS-TV, opened in Cleveland in 1947. Today, Ohio has about 300 radio stations and about 45 TV stations. Cable television systems and Internet providers serve many Ohio communities.

Constitution of Ohio, the second in the state's history, was adopted in 1851. Ohioans adopted their first constitution in 1802. An amendment may be proposed by (1) the state legislature, (2) a petition signed by 10 percent of the voters, or (3) a constitutional convention. A convention may be called if it is approved by two-thirds of each house of the legislature and by a majority of the voters. Ohioans also vote every 20 years as to whether they wish to call a constitutional convention. Amendments to the Constitution must be approved by a majority of the people voting on them in an election.

Executive. The governor and lieutenant governor of Ohio are elected to four-year terms. They can serve an unlimited number of terms, but not more than two terms in succession. The governor has the power to appoint the heads of many of the state's administrative departments and agencies and also the trustees of state-supported universities and institutions. Some appointments of the governor must be approved by the state Senate.

Voters also elect the secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, and auditor. These officials may not serve more than two terms in succession.

Legislature, called the General Assembly, consists of a 33-member Senate and a 99-member House of Representatives. Voters in each of Ohio's 33 senatorial districts elect one senator. Senators serve four-year terms and may not serve more than two terms in succession. Voters in the state's 99 representative districts elect one representative. Representatives serve two-year terms and may not serve more than four terms in succession. Regular legislative sessions begin on the first Monday of January in odd-numbered years and have no time limit.

A 1903 amendment to the state Constitution required that each county have at least one representative, regardless of its population. In 1964, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled this amendment unconstitutional. In 1965, Ohio's governor, the state auditor, and the secretary of state drew up a reapportionment (redivision) plan for the Senate and House of Representatives. They set up single-member legislative districts that were as equal in population as possible. A special three-judge federal district court approved the plan for use until a permanent plan could be drawn. The Supreme Court of the United States approved the federal district court's decision. In 1967, the Constitution was amended to provide for a permanent reapportionment plan.

Courts. The highest appeals court in Ohio is the Supreme Court. It has a chief justice and six other justices, all of whom are elected to six-year terms. Ohio also has 12 courts of appeals. The court of Cuyahoga County has 12 judges. The other districts in Ohio have from 3 to 8 judges each.

The highest trial courts in Ohio are the courts of common pleas. Each of the state's 88 counties has one such court. These courts have varying numbers of judges, all of whom are elected to six-year terms. Other courts in Ohio include county, juvenile, municipal, mayor, and probate courts.

Local government. Ohio has 88 counties. All of the counties except Summit are governed by an elected three-member board of commissioners. Summit County is governed by an elected county executive and a seven-member council. By law, counties may have home rule—that is, a county may adopt its own charter. But only Summit County has done so.

Ohio law defines cities as incorporated communities with at least 5,000 people. Villages have populations of less than 5,000. Officially, Ohio has no towns. Ohio law allows cities and villages to adopt home rule, and about a fourth of them have done so. The home-rule cities and villages have mayor-council, council-manager, or commission governments. In 1913, Dayton became the nation's first large city to adopt council-manager government. About three-fourths of Ohio's cities and villages have a mayor-council government.

Revenue. Taxes account for more than half of the state government's general revenue (income). Most of the rest comes from federal grants and other U.S. government programs.

A general sales tax and a personal income tax are the leading sources of tax revenue. Other state taxes include those on motor fuels, corporate income, public utilities, and motor vehicle licenses. Other revenue comes from charges for government services and from a state lottery.

Politics. Both the Democratic and Republican parties have much strength in Ohio. The Democratic Party is strongest in Cleveland and other metropolitan areas in northeastern Ohio. The Republican Party is dominant in most rural areas and is also strong in the Cincinnati and Columbus metropolitan areas. Since the end of World War II in 1945, Democratic and Republican candidates have won elections for governor about an equal number of times.

Ohio is often called a barometer state in national politics. That is, the political views of Ohioans frequently indicate those of most Americans. For example, the winning presidential candidates have won Ohio's electoral votes in a great majority of presidential elections since 1804.

Indian days. Thousands of years ago, prehistoric Indians lived in what is now Ohio. These Indians were the ancestors of peoples called Mound Builders, some of whom had high forms of civilization. The Mound Builders left more than 6,000 burial mounds, forts, and other earthworks throughout the Ohio region. The Indians included the Adena and Hopewell peoples, who lived there from about 600 B.C. to about A.D. 500. 

When the early white settlers arrived, several Indian tribes lived in the Ohio region. These tribes included the Delaware, Miami, Shawnee, and Wyandot, or Huron.

Exploration and settlement. The French explorer Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, was probably the first white person to reach present-day Ohio. He is believed to have visited the region about 1670. The French based their claim to the entire Northwest on La Salle's explorations. But the British claimed all the territory extending inland from their Atlantic colonies. In 1750, the Ohio Company of Virginia sent Christopher Gist to explore the upper Ohio River Valley. This company, organized in 1747, was made up of English people and Virginians who planned to colonize the Ohio region.

The dispute between the United Kingdom and France over territory in North America, including the Ohio region, led to the French and Indian War (1754-1763). In the peace treaty of 1763, France gave the United Kingdom most of its lands east of the Mississippi River. Pontiac, an Indian chief believed to have been born in Ohio, started an Indian rebellion against the British in 1763 after the peace treaty was signed.

Fighting during the Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783) forced a Moravian mission settlement named Schoenbrunn, near present-day New Philadelphia, to close down. The settlement, founded in 1772 by David Zeisberger, was abandoned in 1776. In 1780, George Rogers Clark defeated Shawnee Indian allies of the British in the Battle of Piqua, near present-day Springfield. Clark's campaigns in the Northwest helped win the region for the United States during the Revolutionary War.

The region, including Ohio, became the Northwest Territory in 1787. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 provided for the eventual statehood of Ohio and other divisions of the territory. That year, the Ohio Company of Associates bought land northwest of the Ohio River in the Muskingum River Valley. Members of this company came from New England. On April 7, 1788, the company founded Marietta, the first permanent white settlement in Ohio. Rufus Putnam, a Revolutionary War general, was superintendent of the colony. Marietta became the first capital of the Northwest Territory in July 1788. Soon other communities developed along the Ohio River. Many settlers were Revolutionary War veterans who received land in payment for their military service.

For several years, Indian uprisings disturbed the settlers. Several raids were led by Little Turtle, a Miami chief. In 1794, General Anthony Wayne defeated the Indians near present-day Toledo in the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The next year, in the Treaty of Greenville, the Indians ceded the United States about two-thirds of what is now Ohio. The Indians accepted the treaty largely through the influence of Tarhe, or Crane, a Wyandot chief. With peace restored, more and more settlers poured into the region. Many settlements were founded in the valleys of rivers flowing into the Ohio. Some pioneers also settled in northeastern Ohio in the area called the Western Reserve.