Most of the early pioneers who came to the Miami Valley trekked westward over the rough mountain trails to Pittsburgh and then sailed down the Ohio River. A few more hardy souls came overland all the way. These settlers were attracted to the Valley by descriptions of this “fabulous” land where the earth needed “only to be tickled with the hoe to laugh with the harvest.” The trip westward was both expensive and uncomfortable. Household goods and supplies were loaded in “road wagons” and the wife and children clambered on top of the load. The man of the family and the larger boys usually rode horses. As many as six horses were used to pull the lumbering wagons over the steep mountain trails, and often it was necessary to stop during the ascent to rest the horses. At these times large rocks were placed behind the wheels to keep the wagons from rolling backward. The deep mud of the valleys was almost as difficult to overcome. It was a relief indeed when the Alleghenies had been crossed and the family safely transferred to the “broad horn” river boat. The journey downstream was more serene, but was long and tiring. However, there was always something new to be seen around the next bend of the river and always stories to listen to ... stories of singing fish, of wild Indian raids, and of the fine town of Losantiville, the early name for Cincinnati. The entire journey from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati required about six weeks. The trip from Cincinnati to Dayton was usually made by wagon, although some boats were “poled” up the Miami River at a speed of about eight miles a day. [Illustration: Essential to the pioneer of the early American frontier was a dependable rifle to provide food and protection for his family. This “Kentucky Rifle,” a muzzle loader which used percussion caps, was fashioned about 1830 by a Pennsylvania gunsmith for Jacob Deeds, great-grandfather of Colonel E. A. Deeds whose grandfather, Andrew Deeds, brought it to Ohio in 1850. This rifle is a later version of the flintlock rifle which made possible settlement of the dark, lonely and often dangerous forests that once covered most of Ohio. It now is mounted on the wall of the Pioneer Home.] It was in February, 1796, that the first surveying party came to what is now Washington Township—the township in which the old stone house was located. That was less than a year after Daniel Cooper came from Cincinnati and laid out the town of Dayton. The surveying group was made up of Aaron Nutt, Benjamin Robbins, and Benjamin Archer. They pitched camp near what is now Centerville, but were quick to move a couple of miles northeast when they discovered signs of recent occupation of the site by Indians. Although there were a few Indian raids in Montgomery County during its earliest years, most of the Indians were peaceful except when drunk. The major losses caused by them were through thievery of horses and other livestock.