"This collection of primary source documents traces the evolution of Ohio's Western Reserve from the early days of exploration to the eve of the Civil War. The documents, which come from the archives of the Western Reserve Historical Society, encompass a range of voices belonging to the men, women, and children who explored, visited, or lived in northeastern Ohio before the Civil War.". "The documents range from an Indian captivity narrative to narratives of exploration to records left by a missionary to a young girl's remarkable record of growing up on the "frontier" to accounts by immigrants of life in a new world."--BOOK JACKET.