b'Along the Ohio TrailCome to Ohio the most salubrious [good for your health], the most advantageous,the most fertile land known to any people in Europe The garden of the universe, the center of wealth, a place destined to be the heart of a great Empire. Thats what the Scioto Companys sales pitch said. The French people who came to Ohio were not prepared for life onthe frontier. Most of them were lawyers, doctors, watchmakers,goldsmiths, shop owners, and noblemen. This upper class of people was themost in danger in France during the French Revolution. Few of them hadfarmed or built a home. During the first two years in Gallipolis, they nearlystarved to death because they did not know how to farm. Instead ofgrowing useful plants like corn and beans, they planted rice, almond trees,and artichokesnot the best food for a long winter. Some men were evenkilled when trees they were cutting down fell on them. Malaria took thelives of some, as well. Their choices were few: leave, die, or learn tosurvive.So they survived. These French settlers were determined, strong-minded, and optimistic (having a positive outlook). Though many eventuallymoved back East, those who remained helped build a city that becameknown for its craftsmen. Stone carvers, watch makers, and other artisansbuilt business and a good reputation for their work. The French, who have alove for wine, learned to make new varieties from grapes they grew, as wellas peach and apple brandy.These brave people (who, in the end, paid twice for their landonceto the Scioto Company and secondly to the Ohio Land Company) helpedestablish a city that still exists today. page 52'