Founded in 1804 as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, the City of Stow as it stands today, bears little resemblance to the township founded more than 195 years ago. Joshua Stow, commissary for the first expeditions, made his arrival in Conneaut Ohio on July 4th, 1796. Mr. Stow made 13 trips over the years from Connecticut to Ohio, but at no time did he himself become a resident.

Instead, William Wetmore served as agent, making his home in Stow township. Mr. Wetmore arrived in 1804 in a covered wagon after a journey from Connecticut of 42 days. The path this first party of settlers traveled brought them over the Great Indian Trail that today still weaves its way through the hills and across and around the rivers and lakes of our community.

Many of the earliest Stow families still have descendants living here. Their names are also preserved in such things as parks, streets, cemeteries and businesses. This first group of families began what you now see represented in this book, a growing vital community of the American Midwest.

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