{{Unreferenced, date=December 2009
Mad River Road was the first overland route between
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...
and
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...
. It was cut by
Daniel C. Cooper
Daniel C. Cooper (November 21, 1773 — July 13, 1818) was an American surveyor, farmer, miller and political leader.
Biography
He was born in the Passaic Valley at Long Hill, Morris County, New Jersey, the son of wealthy farmer Georg ...
in 1795 to provide access to the new town of Dayton and the "Mad River Country" northeast and north of Dayton. It was located at the mouth of the
Mad River in the
Symmes Purchase. The survey, entered into the record by Cooper and
Dr. John Hole, extended Harmer's Trace north from near Cunningham's Station on the Mill Creek to the mouth of the Mad River, establishing the earliest road between Cincinnati and Dayton. Cooper, a surveyor and miller, was instrumental in the early settlement of Dayton, and Dr. Hole, the first physician in
Montgomery County, established his cabin in 1796 near the now-extinct town of Woodburne on Mad River Road.
"Be it remembered that pursuant to an order of Court to Daniel Cooper, Daniel Griffing and John Hole on a petition of more than twelve citizens of the County aforesaid, the following survey of a road in the said County was made and reported, to wit: Beginning at Cunningham's Station, thence along the old road four miles and a half, thence North eleven miles, thence North twenty-five degrees East thirteen miles; thence North forty degrees East three miles and a quarter, thence North three miles and a half, thence North ten degrees West one mile and a quarter to the road leading from
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
to Dayton town, at the mouth of Mad river, the whole distance being thirty eight miles and three fourths of a mile." (1797 Survey for part of Mad River Road recorded in the
Hamilton County, Ohio, Road Book B-1.)
The five-mile segment between David Road in
Kettering, Ohio and
State Route 725 in
Centerville, Ohio
Centerville is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. A core suburb of Metro Dayton, its population was 24,240 as of the 2020 census.
Geography
Centerville is located at (39.638709, -84.148087). Although the city is located primari ...
that runs through
Washington Township is the last remaining traceable portion retaining the original name and following the original route. It is still in daily use more than 200 years later.
Pre-statehood history of Ohio
Transportation in Montgomery County, Ohio