"White Woman's Creek" and the Mitchell Map of 1755

Some believe the 1755 Map of the British and French Dominions in North America, created by John Mitchell, to be one of the most significant maps in American history. Negotiators at the 1783 Paris Peace Accords used this map to define the borders of the newly formed United States. States later relied on it to argue their boundaries with one another, and in the 1980s, the United States and Canada used the map again to resolve a dispute over fisheries.

Interestingly, Mitchell was not a trained mapmaker. He began this map in 1746 to document the lands belonging to Great Britain, driven by concerns about increasing French encroachment. He viewed the map as a propaganda tool to inform British citizens about the threats posed by France and to enhance their understanding of American geography.

To achieve this, Mitchell included legends and historical details on the map to help explain America to Britons. One notable feature we will highlight is “White Woman’s Creek and White Woman’s Town,” located in present-day Ohio.

Mitchell relied on earlier maps and surveys to create his own, and it is believed that the names of White Woman’s Creek and Town were taken from a previous French map of the area. But how did these locations come to be named this way?

The story dates back over 40 years earlier to the small New England settlement of Deerfield, Massachusetts. On a cold night in February 1704, a combined force of French and Native warriors attacked the village. The raiders struck quickly, catching the villagers by surprise, with many first alerted by the sound of raiders breaking into their homes. Approximately fifty English men, women, and children were killed, and over 100 residents were forced to march through heavy snow to Canada. Several captives never returned to the colony and instead lived with either their families in Canada or Native tribes.

Years later, during the winter of 1751, American frontiersman, land surveyor, and explorer Christopher Gist encountered a woman named Mary. He described her as being “upwards of fifty” and noted that she lived near the small town and creek called “White Woman’s.” Mary was living with her “Indian husband and several children.” She spoke to Gist about her struggles to reconcile her memories of life in Massachusetts with her later experiences. She recalled how, despite white men appearing very religious, their actions often seemed at odds with the values of their faith.

While it cannot be definitively proven, the story of "White Woman's Creek" is thought to reflect her experiences. It serves as a historical marker, highlighting a complex narrative of colonial expansion, cultural interaction, and the personal experiences of individuals caught in the tumult of early American history.1

[1] Darlington, William, Christopher Gist's Journals: With Historical, Geographical and Ethnological Notes and Biographies of His Contemporaries (Pittsburg: J. R. Weldin & Company, 1893), 41.