In the 1600s, the region now known as Clermont County, Ohio, was a landscape of dense hardwood forests and rolling hills, situated along the northern banks of the Ohio River. During this century, it became a focal point of intense geopolitical struggle as European powers and Indigenous nations vied for control of the lucrative fur trade and the strategic river valley.1
The Indigenous Landscape and the Beaver Wars
At the start of the 17th century, what is now south western Ohio was home to several stable Indigenous groups, most notably the Algonquian speaking Shawnee, and Miami. However, this stability was shattered by the Beaver Wars (1640s–1701).
The Conflict: The Iroquois Confederacy (based in modern-day New York) had over-hunted the beaver in their own lands.
3 Armed with firearms from Dutch and British traders, they launched a series of "mourning wars" and economic raids into the Ohio Country whipping out entire villages that did not possess firearms.4 The Displacement: By the mid-1600s, the Iroquois had largely dispersed or destroyed the local tribes.
5 The Shawnee were driven out of the Clermont area, fleeing as far south as Florida and west to Illinois.The "Empty" Land: For several decades in the late 1600s, the Clermont region was primarily used by the Iroquois as a hunting ground rather than a permanent settlement area, creating a "shatter zone" that European explorers would later perceive as uninhabited.
French Exploration and Trade
The French were the first Europeans to systematically explore and claim the region.
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
In 1669, La Salle is credited with being the first European to navigate the Ohio River.
The Trading Culture
Unlike the British, the French were not initially interested in settling or farming.
Goods Exchanged: The French traded metal kettles, wool blankets, and firearms for high-value beaver and deer pelts.
11 Diplomacy: French traders often integrated into Indigenous societies, marrying into tribes to secure trade alliances. This created a strong bond that would later lead many Ohio tribes to side with France against Britain.
British Encroachment and the Three-Way Struggle
As the 1600s drew to a close, the British began to challenge French dominance.
British Strategy: Operating from the colonies of Virginia and Pennsylvania, British traders (often called "Long Knives") offered higher-quality goods and more favorable exchange rates than the French.
13 Conflict of Interest: While the French wanted to keep the land as a pristine hunting ground for furs, the British eventually envisioned permanent agricultural settlements.
The Indigenous Return: By the 1690s, the Iroquois' power began to wane. Tribes like the Shawnee and Miami began migrating back to the Ohio Valley, often settling near the mouths of rivers like the Little Miami, which borders Clermont County.
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Summary of the 1600s Power Dynamics
| Player | Primary Goal | Relationship with the Land |
| Indigenous Tribes | Sovereignty & Survival | Ancestral home and seasonal hunting grounds. |
| Iroquois | Trade Monopoly | Used the region as a conquered resource for pelts. |
| French | Fur Exports | Strategic "highway" for trade; minimal settlement. |
| British | Expansion | Viewed the valley as the next frontier for colonization. |
By the end of the 17th century, the stage was set for the massive colonial wars of the 1700s.
While many tribes moved through the region, the Shawnee are most deeply tied to the Clermont and Little Miami River area. Mill's Archeological Atlas of Ohio (1914) shows many former village sites scattered throughout the County.
The Return: After being displaced by the Iroquois in the 1600s, the Shawnee began returning to their "homeland" in the early 1700s. They established semi-permanent villages along the Little Miami and East Fork Rivers.
The Social Structure: They lived in wigwam (wegiwa) and "longhouses" ,and were divided into five distinct septs (clans). The Clermont region was primarily a hunting and gathering ground, but it also served as a strategic corridor for their warriors moving between the Great Lakes and the Kentucky hunting grounds.
The "Middle Ground": For a time, the Shawnee successfully played the French and British against each other. They preferred French trade (which was less invasive) but often relied on British goods (which were cheaper).