Immigration and Settlement

Ohio's early pioneers settled in a land rich with vegetation. They built their first homes of logs from the hardwoods that covered 90 percent of the state. These crude houses typically provided shelter just until families had prospered and could move into more elaborate and permanent residences. The primary concern of these families was survival, and they planted mostly crops and vegetables. However, they also had a desire for beautiful plants and enhanced their home grounds with wildflowers from the forests, cuttings and seeds brought from their original homelands, and even exotic plants obtained from plant explorers.

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