Washington spent time observing the Indians and recorded some interesting entries in his journal of local interest.   “The Indians are very dexterous, even their women, in the management of canoes, have their hunting camps and cabins all along the river for the convenience off transporting their skins to market.  In the fall, as soon as the hunting season comes on, they set out with their families for this purpose; and in hunting will move their camps from place to place, till by the spring they get two or three hundred or more miles from their towns, then catch beaver on their way up, which frequently brings them into the month of May, when the women are employed in planting. The men are at market and in idleness till the autumn again, when they pursue the same course.”

Mingo Indian

Washington returned to Fort Pitt by crossing the Ohio River opposite present day Cross Creek just south of today’s Follansbee. He proceeded over land on trails now known as the “Washington Trail.” A historic marker indicating where he crossed the river is located south of the Wabash Bridge near Cross Creek.

• The Diaries of George Washington, Vol. 2, 1776-70, Ed., Donald Jackson, (University Press of Virginia, 1976), pp. 316 & 321.
•  http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=33913

In November 1770, George Washington came down the Ohio River from Fort Pitt (earlier know as Fort Duquesne -Pittsburgh) for the purpose of inspecting the lands and making claims.  He surveyed the land from Brown’s Island to Cross Creek just below present day Follansbee and Mingo. He described the Mingo Indian village, which had moved to the west side of the river, as having 20 cabins and about 70 inhabitants.

On his return up the river on November 17th, he stopped again at the Mingo Town to wait the arrival of a runner sent ahead to bring back horses from Fort Pitt.  “Freshets had made the traveling difficult, and the runner did not return until November 20th.”

Washington Crossing – road marker.

The next important stage for the English settlers and Indians occurred in 1768 when a treaty was made between six Indian nations and the British.  To the dismay of the Mingo Indians, the treaty gave all territory east of the Ohio River, including present day West Virginia, to the English settlers. The Mingo Indians living at Old Mingo Bottom (Follansbee) were forced to move across the river to what is now Mingo Junction. The river became the boundary between the settlers and Indians. Yet Indian artifacts suggest that these Indians lived on both sides of the river over many generations. It was easy for them to walk across or canoe from shore to shore. Indian camps existed south of Follansbee in the bottoms at the old Boyd farm where Cross Creek empties into the Ohio River. Indian resistance continued after 1768 as British settlers pushed westward. Realizing the potential of the Ohio Valley, George Washington began inspecting the region and making claims in 1770.

While the French were first to trade in the area and claim the Ohio valley, the British also made claims for the rich valley lands. By 1750, both sides denied the other access to the region. The French captured British trading posts and built Fort Duquesne (modern-day Pittsburgh) to defend their trading territory. The rival claims quickly led to violence.  The Mingo Indians sided with the French in hopes of protecting their vast hunting grounds.  The few English settlers who had braved the frontier to settle in the area prior to the war were forced to evacuate the region. The Ohio River Valley, including the area that is now Follansbee, experienced very little development until the war ended. Even though the British were victorious, the Indians continued to occupy the region until 1768.

British march against Indians in the forest.   

The story of Follansbee begins with the first French explorers who claimed the Ohio River valley and developed trade with the Indians. They made alliances with many tribes including the Mingo Indians who occupied a small village known as the “Old Mingo Bottom” located on the land where Follansbee is today. The Mingo Indians had large fields of maize and the surrounding hills on both sides of the river were their hunting grounds. The Mingo Indians are the first well documented link to the region which is today’s Follansbee.