On the morning of July 22, 1796, Moses Cleaveland arrived at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River in what today would be northeastern Ohio. Cleaveland had been commissioned as an agent to map all the land which had been claimed by the Connecticut Land Company. He quickly began drawing out plans and setting his men to work. He even paced out an entire nine-acre block of land set aside for a public square similar to those appearing in New England. After his ambitious start, Cleaveland's men decided on the name Cleaveland for the newly mapped land. Due to a spelling error on the original map, the town was officially christened as Cleveland.

In October 1796, Cleaveland returned to New England. He continued his vigorous political, military and legal pursuit towards the establishment of his namesake land. However, Cleaveland never actually returned to the land that bore his name. It wasn't until May 2, 1797, that the first permanent settler, Lorenzo Carter, arrived at the original town site. Carter quickly built a log cabin on the East Bank of the Cuyahoga River. The cabin would also later serve as the village's jail and inn.

In 1800 the population of the settlement consisted of seven people. That same year the first distillery was opened. In 1802 a government census showed 76 free males over the age of 21 living in the settlement. A few years later, Lorenzo Carter built the "Zephyr," the first ship to be launched from Cleveland. Despite the changes in town, an 1810 census showed the population had dipped to 57. However, just four years later in 1814, Cleveland was officially recognized as a village and Lorenzo Carter its first citizen.

Cleveland suffered through hard times early on. The bitterly cold winters and surrounding lowland swamps didn't encourage a large number of settlers to move into the area. The city's expansion didn't really begin to take off until the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canals in 1832. This turned the city into a major port connecting the Ohio River with the Great Lakes. Shortly after the canals were finished, the railroads came to town. This new accessibility brought great change.

During the 1830s, in a plan to solidify Cleveland's downtown economy, two-term mayor John W. Willey, along with other business partners, built a bridge to alter traffic patterns to direct traffic away from Cleveland's rival Ohio City. This greatly angered the citizens of Ohio City. Their protest cry was, "Two bridges or none!" and they were so passionate, a group from Ohio City bombed the western side of the bridge. The blast did little damage and a mob of about 1,000 people from Ohio City began digging ditches on either side. They also brandished guns, knives, axes and other weapons at potential bridge crossers. This mob was met by Willey himself with his own armed group. A short fight ensued, leaving two men seriously wounded. The county sheriff finally arrived and arrested several people, effectively ending the battle. Tension between the two cities remained high until Ohio City was absorbed into Cleveland in 1854.

In recent decades, Cleveland has struggled with some governmental problems. In the late 1970s, it became the first major American City to default on its financial obligations since the Great Depression. The city quickly rebounded, and by 1986, had fully recovered financially and was named an "All American City." Scandals continued to plague the city through the late 1980s and 1990s, however. Claims of bribery were alleged against different city officials. In addition, a bill was passed which no longer made it a requirement for city workers to live within the city limits.

While it remains unclear whether the initial suburban migration and urban sprawl will continue in the future, certain areas in the city have experienced recent renovations, and attractions such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has pushed Cleveland toward a successful present.

Cleveland History at a Glance

• Cleveland boasts America's first traffic light. It began on Aug. 5, 1914.
• On July 1, 1863, Cleveland's first home mail delivery took place, and the first mailman's uniform was created by Joseph Briggs.
• In 1967, Carl B. Stokes was elected mayor of Cleveland. He was the first African-American mayor of a major U.S. city.
• Oberlin College in Cleveland was the first to admit students regardless of race, sex, creed or color.
• The term "Rock 'n Roll" was first coined in Cleveland by disc jockey Alan Freed in 1952.
• In 1970, the first NFL "Monday Night Football" game was played at Cleveland Municipal Stadium with the Cleveland Browns defeating the New York Jets, 31-20.
• In 1994, Cleveland became the first city to be awarded five All-American City Awards (1949, 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1994) by the National Civic League
• Several movies were shot in Cleveland including The Deer Hunter, A Christmas Story, Light of Day, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Major League, Shawshank Redemption, Men In Black, Air Force One, Proximity, Welcome to Collinwood and Spiderman 3
• Cleveland's downtown population is the fastest growing of any city in the Midwest and seventh in the entire country.
• Debris from the former Cleveland football stadium was submerged in Lake Erie and serves today as an artificial reef.

Cleveland Creations

The padded bicycle seat, whole body scanner and x-ray machine, the modern golf ball, gas mask, automatic windshield wiper, and the Superman character were all born in the city of Cleveland.

Famous Clevelanders

Cleveland is known as a progressive city. It also has a storied past in the areas of music and football. Therefore, it is not surprising that numerous talented leaders, legends and other famous people have called Cleveland home.

• Dorothy Dandridge was the first African-American woman to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
• Actress/Producer Halle Berry won a Golden Globe, Emmy, SAG and NAACP Image Award for her portrayal of the famous Cleveland actress in "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge." Berry is also the first African-American actress to win the Oscar for Best Actress. It was for the film Monster's Ball.
• Drew Carey, the creator/producer and star of ABC TV's The Drew Carey Show, features Cleveland prominently in the series. The theme song to the show is even "Cleveland Rocks."
• Former talk show host Phil Donahue has won 19 Daytime Emmys.
• Arsenio Hall was the first African-American host of a nationally televised late-night talk show.
• Legendary actor and comedian Bob Hope was born in England, but after age four he spent the rest of his youth in Cleveland. He is the winner of five Special and Honorary Oscars.
• African-American author Toni Morrison was the winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize for literature.
• Legendary NFL fullback Jim Brown set several NFL records for the Cleveland Browns and was recently ranked #1 in the book The Greatest Athletes of All Time.
• Singer/songwriter Traci Chapman calls Cleveland home.
• The 20th United States President, James A. Garfield, was born and buried in Cleveland.
• Steve Harvey, the comedian, actor and one time host of "Late Night at the Apollo," hails from Cleveland.
• Famous poet Langston Hughes was best known for his ability to eloquently capture the African-American experience in his poetry.
• John D. Rockefeller first hit it big in Cleveland with his company Standard Oil.
• Don Shula is the only person to ever coach an NFL team to an undefeated season (Miami Dolphins, 1972).
• Clevelanders John Heisman and Cy Young had the awards for excellence in college football and major league pitching named after them, respectively.

Sources:

http://www.clevelandmemory.org/

http://ech.case.edu/

http://www.city.cleveland.oh.us/