Wapakoneta: In the Beginning - The Early History of the Shawnee Village That Became the Birthplace of Neil Armstrong

This is the first book to tell the fascinating history of the region in western Ohio which became the city of Wapakoneta before it was settled by white settlers and became the birthplace of Neil Armstrong. It covers the time period from 300 million years ago when this site was on the equator to 1832 and 1833 when the Shawnee Indians who lived there were removed to the Indian lands west of the Mississippi River.

The book talks about the great river that flowed through that area before the mile-thick glaciers terraformed the landscape to what we see today. It then proceeds to provide the details of the earliest maps of the area made by the first explorers of European descent into the Ohio Country as well as the earliest French and British trading posts and forts in the Ohio Country. This includes information never published before about Fort Au Glaize built along the Auglaize River in 1748 in Wapakoneta.

It also provides details of the Ohio Indians focusing on the Shawnees and tracing their movements in Ohio up to the time they were placed on reservations. The Wapakoneta Shawnee Reserve was the site of two Shawnee council houses which are highlighted in the book.

Shawnees whose interesting exploits are covered include Black Hoof, Tecumseh and his brother, The Prophet, Logan and Blue Jacket. The book also provides some details of the lives of Francis Duchouquet, their interpreter, and John Johnston, their government agent.

To place all the events in perspective, 19 chronologies and timelines are provided. Throughout, the book reveals interesting and surprising connections between Neil Armstrong and the people, places and events in this very early history. The book is supplemented with 78 figures, 47 tables and 10 appendices.