They Came By The Thousands

From the tenth of October 1786, until the 12th of May 1787, 127 boats, 2,689 souls, 1,333 horses, 756 cattle and 102 wagons passed Muskingum bound for Limestone (Maysville, Ky.). An average of 3000 flatboats descended the Ohio River every year between 1810 and 1820 At Limestone the boats became so numerous that they frequently were set adrift in order to make room for others. During that 10 year period over 30,000 souls came through Limestone.