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The first people to live in what's now West Virginia were the Paleo-Indians, who arrived around 10,500 B.C. Indians continued to live here until the 1600s, but by the time European settlers arrived, the region was mostly empty. This might have been due to tribal conflicts or diseases brought by Europeans. The Native villages along the Ohio, Kanawha, and Monongahela rivers were abandoned before settlers arrived.
The tribes most closely connected to this area were the Shawnee, Delaware, and Cherokee, along with some Iroquoian-speaking groups such as the Seneca and Mingo. Even though they didn't live here when European settlers arrived, Indians still used the land for hunting and travel, so they strongly resisted European settlement.
The League of the Iroquois, also known as the Longhouse or the Five Nations (later Six Nations with the Tuscaroras in 1722), was a powerful alliance of Native nations in upstate New York. Though they didn’t live in the Appalachian region, they inf...
The name "Seneca" comes from a Dutch word meaning "the ones who live farthest out," referencing their position in the Iroquois Confederacy. They called themselves "the people of the great hill," while the English later named them after a Roman phi...
The term "Mingo" comes from "Menkwa," used by the Algonquin to describe Iroquoian speakers. It later referred to Six Nations members living outside New York. Europeans adopted and spelled it "Mingo."Shikellamy, an Oneida, was sent by the Six Natio...
Before Europeans arrived, the Cherokee were one of the largest Indigenous groups in the Southeast, with about 20,000 people living in the southern Appalachians. They relied on local resources and were strong in trade, especially in pelts. Despite ...
The Shawnee were Algonquian-speaking people from the Ohio Valley who moved to places like Kentucky and Pennsylvania in the 1600s due to Iroquois attacks. They returned in the 1700s and took part in conflicts like the French and Indian War and Pont...
When Europeans arrived, they found a vast network of Native trails used for trade and communication, stretching from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes. Natives had traded items like marine shells and copper for thousands of years. Many of these tr...
The French and Indian War began in 1754 as part of a global conflict between Britain and France over control of the Ohio Valley. French forces, allied with many Indian tribes, fought against the British and colonial settlers. Young George Washingt...
Pontiac's Rebellion (1763–1766) was an Indian uprising led by Ottawa chief Pontiac against British settlers in the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes after the French and Indian War. Allied with other tribes and inspired by a Delaware prophet, Pontiac at...
From the 1750s to the 1790s, violent Indian resistance shaped West Virginia’s history. Major conflicts like the French and Indian War and Lord Dunmore's War, along with frequent raids and ambushes, defined this era of "border warfare" along the co...
Chief Logan, born around 1725 in Pennsylvania, was the son of Oneida chief Shikellamy. He became Cayuga chief in 1748 and worked to maintain peace with settlers. In the 1770s, he moved to the Ohio River Valley and joined the Mingoes.In 1774, after...
The Battle of Point Pleasant took place in October 1774 between Virginians, led by Andrew Lewis, and the Shawnee, led by Cornstalk. In response to attacks along the Ohio River, Virginia's Governor Lord Dunmore sent two armies to strike Shawnee vil...
Cornstalk was a Shawnee leader from southeastern Ohio who fought in the French and Indian War and Pontiac's Rebellion. In 1774, he led Shawnee forces at the Battle of Point Pleasant, where they were defeated by Virginia militia. He helped negotiat...
The Iroquois Six Nations, Shawnee, Cherokee, and other tribes gave up land claims in what is now West Virginia through various treaties, though not all tribal views were represented.In 1744, English representatives from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and...
During the Revolution, fighting in what is now West Virginia continued earlier frontier wars, like the French and Indian War, involving Indian raids on settlers with British support. The Shawnee were particularly active, attacking settlements and ...
The Battle of Fallen Timbers, fought near Toledo, Ohio, on August 20, 1794, ended a long period of conflict between Indians and settlers in the Ohio Valley. The region had been a battleground since the 1750s, with raids continuing even after the A...
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Early European-American Settlers
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