The Squirrel Hunters of Ohio

In Short

N. E. Jones offers a personal, wide-ranging chronicle of the settling of the Northwest Territory and the transformation of Ohio from an unbroken wilderness into a powerful state. Combining local history, social critique, natural history, and personal reminiscences, the book records the everyday customs, hardships, and triumphs of the early pioneers—the "squirrel hunters." It traces how these self-reliant settlers developed an improved strain of American manhood, built homes, established institutions, and ultimately stepped up to defend their nation during the Civil War, leaving an enduring legacy of independence, resourcefulness, and devotion to liberty.

The Story

The narrative opens with an appreciation of the Northwest Territory as a fertile domain dedicated to freedom, perfectly suited to forge a resilient new population. Driven from the East by poverty and post-Revolutionary debt, patriotic veterans accept land warrants in the Ohio wilderness. Jones details how these early settlers adapt to their environment, mastering the practical knowledge of the woods—from identifying native plants and wild game to building humble log cabins and tapping black maples to make maple sugar during frosty spring nights.

As the territory grows, isolated frontier clearings give way to organized society. Jones highlights the rise of vital regional institutions, detailing how medical societies established strict standards and board examinations to license doctors, and describing the passionate religious revivals that swept through camp meetings, complete with unexplained phenomena like the "jerks." He also documents the fierce intellectual drive of the frontier youth. Despite lacking formal public schools or libraries, ambitious young men walk hundreds of miles with backwoods preparations to attend prestigious Eastern universities like Yale, returning to lead their home state as lawyers, scholars, and statesmen.

The book moves forward through Ohio's political and economic development, contrasting the visionary infrastructure projects championed by Henry Clay—such as the canal system designed to bind the Union together—with the constitutional reservations of Thomas Jefferson. Jones tracks the rapid advent of modern transportation, recording early resistance to noisy steamboats and early railroad construction blunders, such as building overly rigid stone roadbeds. Alongside this physical growth, he addresses political tensions, detailing the brave anti-slavery efforts of local abolitionists despite severe opposition.

As civilization advances, Jones turns a critical eye toward the cost of progress. He laments the reckless destruction of the state's primeval forests and the ruthless extermination of native wildlife, like the wild turkey and passenger pigeon, driven by commercial pot-hunters and short-sighted legislation. He contrasts this environmental devastation with the balanced hunting practices of Native Americans, urging the adoption of strict conservation measures.

The narrative culminates during the Civil War, when the defense of Cincinnati becomes a defining moment for the region. As Confederate forces threaten the city, thousands of civilian volunteers—armed with their hunting rifles and dubbed "The Squirrel Hunters"—join forces with laborers, lawyers, and judges to dig entrenchments and hold the border, demonstrating the unyielding defense of their home state.

How It Unfolds

The migration west Driven by post-Revolutionary economic hardship, eastern veterans trade depreciated paper pay for unsurveyed wilderness lands in the Northwest Territory. They arrive in a bountiful, unbroken forest, quickly learning to clear land, construct shelter, and subsist on the region's rich natural resources.

Mastering the wilderness Pioneers develop a deep, practical familiarity with nature, learning the craft of sugar-making from black maple trees and relying on hunting for survival. Everyday life centers on self-reliance, simple tools, and the companionship of working dogs in field and forest.

Building frontier institutions Communities establish orderly systems for professional and spiritual life, ranging from formal medical boards that examine and license doctors to dramatic, high-energy camp-meeting revivals where ministers attempt to explain intense physical religious manifestations like the "jerks."

Pursuing higher learning Determined young men from backwoods log cabins prepare themselves for higher education, walking hundreds of miles carrying simple knapsacks to attend Eastern colleges like Yale before returning home to serve as Ohio's judges, governors, and civic leaders.

Infrastructure and political growth The state expands rapidly through major internal improvement projects like the Ohio canal system, navigating political debates over federal power and overcoming early technological hurdles in steamboat and railroad development.

Defending the frontier When Civil War forces threaten Cincinnati, citizens of every class unite to fortify the city. Armed with personal rifles, thousands of civilian "Squirrel Hunters" man the trenches to preserve their state and secure the nation's future.

The People

• N. E. Jones, M. D. — The author and narrator, an observant physician and avid woodsman who observes Ohio's rapid transition from frontier wilderness to modern statehood while recording its natural history and pioneer customs.
• Archos — A remarkably intelligent cocker spaniel who accompanies the author into the forest for eight years, expertly locating obscure bird nests and retrieving lost game.
• Seaberry Ford — An ambitious backwoods squirrel hunter who walks hundreds of miles from an Ohio log cabin to Yale University, becoming the college's first Ohio graduate and later serving as state governor.
• Henry Clay — A visionary national statesman who passionately advocates for internal improvements like the Ohio canals to serve as an "adamantine chain" binding the Union together.
• Rev. Calvin Fairbanks — A dedicated abolitionist who suffers severe imprisonment and brutal physical punishment in Kentucky for aiding escaped slaves before being freed by presidential order.

In Its Own Voice

"Many persons, familiar with higher mathematics and languages named in the curriculum of Yale or Harvard... would be turned down if asked to describe or name the uses of many very simple things to an Ohio 'squirrel hunter' of three score and ten years." — Jones reflects on the practical, specialized knowledge required for frontier survival.

"I took the stand like most of men who know but little and fear nothing, and undertake to account for the jerks." — A young revival preacher describes addressing a massive camp-meeting crowd on intense religious phenomena.

"The Squirrel Hunters of Ohio and North-west will do it. Good Night." — The author closes his broad narrative with a tribute to the enduring civic spirit of the region's self-reliant citizens.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book explores how environmental independence shapes human character and democracy. Jones argues that a direct, unmediated relationship with nature—where a family owns its land and controls its own labor—creates a self-reliant, virtuous citizenry capable of high intellectual achievement and heroic self-defense. The text examines the tension between true progress and destructive greed, warning that urban industrialization, corporate monopolies, and the reckless destruction of natural forests jeopardize the very independence that made frontier society thrive. Through historical anecdotes, environmental warnings, and personal reflections, Jones asserts that preserving personal liberty requires maintaining a permanent, respectful connection to the land and honoring the practical virtues of the pioneer past.

Why Read It Today

The Squirrel Hunters of Ohio offers a vivid, unfiltered window into nineteenth-century American frontier life, written by a witness who experienced its closing chapters firsthand. Readers interested in regional history, environmental conservation, and social commentary will appreciate Jones's energetic, anecdotal style. He blends local folklore, legal records, medical history, and natural observations into a unique personal chronicle.

The narrative does present some reading challenges. Jones frequently digresses, jumping abruptly from maple sugar production to congressional debates, railroad engineering, or bird-nesting expeditions. His prose reflects nineteenth-century attitudes and period perspectives on political figures, native populations, and industrial expansion. Yet despite these sprawling detours, the book maintains a strong, authentic voice. Readers will be left with a deep appreciation for the ingenuity of early settlers and a surprisingly modern warning about the environmental costs of unbridled progress.