| Show CONQUEST OF THE NORTHWEST it IV a as acquire I 1 fro n tl e BrI by loree of arroe arms in 1776 when independence was de dared the united states included only the thirteen original states on the seaboard with the exception of a few hunters there were no white men west of the allegheny Alleg hany mountains and there was not even an american hunter la in the great country out of which we have f since made the states of illinois in diana ohio michigan and wisconsin a all this region north of the ohio river j then formed a part of 0 the province ot of is i s quebec it was a wilderness of forests and prairies teeming with game and inhabited by many warlike tribes of in deans here and there through it were dotted quaint little towns of french creoles the most important being de troit vincennes on the wabash ani kaskaskia and cahokia on the Illi noth these french villages were ruled by british officers commanding small bod les lea of regular soldiers or tory rangers and creole partisans the towns were completely in the power of the brit ish government none of the american states had actual possession of a toot foot of propel property ty in the northwestern teril tory the northwest was acquired at the time of the revolution only by armed conquest and if it had bad not been so ac j quiren it would have remained a part 3 of the british dominion of canada th man to whom this conquest was due was a famous backwoods leader a mighty hunter a noted indian fighter george rogers dark clark he ile was a very i strong man with light hair and blue eyes of a good virginian family who early in his youth embarked on the adventurous career of a backwoods sur beyor exactly as washington and so many other young virginians of spirit did at that period he traveled out to kentucky soon after it was opened up by boone and lived there for a year either at the stations or camping by himself in the woods surveying hunting and making war against the in deans like any other settler but all the time his mind was bent on vaster schemes than were dreamed of by the men around him he ile had his spies out in the northwestern territory and be bl came convinced that with a small force of resolute backwoodsmen he could con quer it for the united states when he went back to virginia gov patrick henry entered heartily into dark clarks s schemes and gave him authority to fit out a force tor for his purpose |
