Indian scout looking at tracks at the edge of Lake Loretta in Alley Park during a performance of Frontier Spirit 1799 presented by the Frontier Players Associaton, Lancaster, Ohio Indian scout looking at tracks at the edge of Lake Loretta in Alley Park during a performance of Frontier Spirit 1799 presented by the Frontier Players Associaton, Lancaster, Ohio Frontier Spirit celebrates it's 25 anniversary performance during Ohio's bi-centennial during 2003 at Alley Park, Lancaster, Ohio
Frontier Players Association presents Frontier Spirit 1799, Alley Park, Lancaster, Ohio last Sat. and Sun in September. Frontier Players Association presents Frontier Spirit 1799, Alley Park, Lancaster, Ohio last Sat. and Sun in September.


 

Tarhe “The Crane”: Noblest of All Indians

By Annetta Morse

 
Homepage of the Frontier Players Association, Lancaster, Ohio
General Information about the Frontier Players Association Living Drama Frontier Spirit 1799
Timeline 1785-1799
Ohio History in Fairfield County
Contact the Frontier Players Association


Indian Chief Tarhe 		Today there is a Tarhe trail that leads to the top of Mt. Pleasant. A 300-foot elevation in Rising Park, Lancaster, Ohio. The two-acre mountain top is noted to have been inhabited by American Indians and carries with it the spirit of those who lived there long ago. The Indian name for Mt. Pleasant was Standing Stone.

From this vantage point, Tarhetown could be seen in its entirety. Imagine the Chief of the Wyandots viewing his domain from this point. Tarhetown was watered by the Hockhocking River and was prized as a valuable hunting ground with an abundance of game and fur-bearing animals. The main part of Tarhetown stood along the margin of the prairie between what is now known as the south end of Broad Street and the lands south of South School on East Walnut Street. There were 100 lodges, approximately 200 families, and 500 warriors living in the town. Chief Tarhe’s lodge stood on the bank of the prairie, near where a spring of water flowed into the Hockhocking River. Also, there were other, smaller Wyandot villages located in the vicinity.

Prior to the signing of the Greenville Treaty in 1795, the Wyandot Indians were ferocious warriors striking white settlements along the Ohio River, killing and capturing settlers without regard to age, sex, or condition. War parties attacked flat boats descending the river, containing emigrants from the eastern states seeking homes in Kentucky. Sometimes whole families became victims of the warring Wyandots.

On such an occasion French Canadians had been captured, among them the wife and daughter of Chevalier LaDurante. The captives were eventually released, except Chavalier’s daughter. She was adopted into the Wyandot tribe. The ways of the Indians suited her. She grew to become a very beautiful woman, with creamy complexion, red hair, and a graceful body.




A Brief History: Early Settlement of Fairfield County
Tarhe “The Crane”: Noblest of All Indians
Captain Joseph Hunter

Frontier Spirit 1799 presented each year in Alley Park, Lancaster Ohio in September by the Frontier Players Association
  


Home | General Info | Timeline | Ohio History | Contact

Return to Top

* NOTE: Pictures show scenes from former "Frontier Spirit 1799 productions"
© 2003 -2010 Symbol of the Frontier Players AssociationFrontier Players Association, Lancaster, Ohio
Sponsored by Lancaster Parks and Recreation
Website Development by CKFS Web Page Design & Development