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TheSymmes Purchase, also known as theMiami Purchase, was an area of land totaling roughly 311,682 acres (487.003 sq mi; 1,261.33 km2)[1] in what is nowHamilton,Butler, andWarren counties of southwesternOhio, purchased by JudgeJohn Cleves Symmes ofNew Jersey in 1788 from theContinental Congress.
In the 1780s,Benjamin Stites, a friend of Symmes, was visiting Limestone (nowMaysville, Kentucky) and lost some of his horses to theft byNative Americans. Pursuing them through the wilderness of southwestern Ohio, he travelled as far north asXenia, observing the fertility of the country in the process. He was so impressed with the region that he informed Symmes of its prospects upon his return. Symmes gathered a syndicate, known as theMiami Company, to buy the land.[2] The original contract was for 1,000,000 acres (4,000 km2), but the company couldn't afford to pay for the land, and paid for and received only 311,686 acres (1,261.35 km2) in the southwest portion of the original tract. The land was66+2⁄3¢ per acre.
The tract is bordered on the south by theOhio River, on the west by theGreat Miami River, and on the east by theLittle Miami River. The northern boundary runs through Butler and Warren Counties about 25 miles north of the Ohio River. Sections of Todhunter and Garver Roads inMonroe, Monroe Road inLebanon, and Oregonia Road inTurtlecreek Township run along the boundary.[3]
Deeds in this area will refer to the "Between the Miami Rivers Survey", "M.Rs." or "M.R.S." (M.R.S. is also used to describe the"Miami River Survey" a survey west of theGreat Miami River).
Unfortunately, Symmes' men committed many errors while performing the survey, including usingmagnetic north rather than correcting fortrue north. Further, Symmes sold much land that he did not own, some as far north asDayton, meaning that some early settlers found themselvessquatters on thepublic domain. Symmes also sold some land that he did own more than once.[4]
Three settlements grew up in the area in 1788, all near the Ohio River:Losantiville,North Bend, andColumbia. Losantiville was renamedCincinnati in 1789 byArthur St. Clair, governor of theNorthwest Territory. They were among the earliest settlements in Ohio and the Northwest Territory. In 1789,Fort Washington was built in the reserved portion of the Purchase to protect the fledgling settlements.