June 21, 1834
Pleasant in the morning, cool; splendid forested hills on each side of the canal. First [we saw] tall sugar maples, [and] then a magnificent beech forest appeared, in which we saw the Baltimore bird (Icterus baltimore) flying. We cut through a beautiful woodland, [with] forests all around [us]; here and there [were] small log houses in [the forest], built [near] the canal. Sambucus as well as a kind of Cornus bloomed on the banks. The sky was overcast and made our trip pleasant. On many places on the neighboring elevations, the mandrake (Podophyllum) grew in numbers; other [places] were covered with an understory of Annona glabra (pawpaw tree). In many locations, dense graywacke lay on top.
The village of Waverly, a small, insignificant place, is located near a lock on the right bank. An hour from there we reached, on the right bank, a hilly, fertile plain, or ground, called Big Bottom, completely flat [but] with a background of forest and forested hills. The soil here is excellently fertile for corn. A boat with many German emigrants went past us.
Our hunters shot the kingfisher that is numerous here and [also] a kind of songbird, or a similar bird ([——]).
In the afternoon we reached the three combined locks shown in the sketch:
About an hour and a half from Chillicothe (after passing Indian Creek, which flows in from the left side; [this is] where the Indians mostly lived), the canal crosses over Paint Creek. We followed the Scioto valley yesterday and all forenoon day long [today] and frequently saw the river close beside the canal. [But] before we reached the aqueduct, the canal turned away from the Scioto and flowed across the picturesquely beautiful Paint Creek. The aqueduct is wide, [with] three arches and two stone piers, over which the canal flows. [There] is a path on each side of [the aqueduct] equipped with railings for the draft horses and pedestrians.
Near six o’clock we caught sight of the town of Chillicothe lying before us in the flat area of the broad valley. The canal passes partly through the town. Chillicothe is a sizeable [place] (currently 2,000 to 3,000 inhabitants) in a very nice, fertile area. [It] seemed to be experiencing significant growth. Approximately 150 Germans are here; [they] are generally praised. The area exports livestock, especially cattle and hogs, [and recently] a little wheat also.
Two Indian nations lived here when the town was being laid out: the Shawnees (as the Americans call them, or Chavanas, as the French call them) and the Wyandots —the latter had been driven here from the north. Several old Indian mounds were located where the town is now. One of them was as tall as a house, and when it was dug up, [it] contained bones, beads made of hard wood, and potsherds. Another one, its top [covered] with stones, held bones and two copper bracelets that had been flattened or hammered, not cast. A third mound, which still exists, is situated on a rather high, forested hilltop. This one was opened, too. There was gravel on [its] top, overgrown with trees, [and] opening it up was difficult. Then they hit a layer of clay, and below that they found ashes and bones that [also] appeared burned—and what had looked [intact] disintegrated after half an hour in the air.
A German, a certain Baumann, [joined] us and did us many favors. He had an inn in Chillicothe, where we visited him and found only Germans in his house. Another German innkeeper, who had lived here for a long time, visited us on the boat. We had a long stopover until dusk. The evening was calm, warm, and fair. When we departed, a dreadful band of German emigrants showed up on deck and tortured us with their dissonant [music]. At nine o’clock Mr. Baumann took leave of us, [and] we left the town. We had not traveled far when a severe thunderstorm arose, a real downpour; the water even ran into our cabin.