On July 22, 1847, Hopper documented the story of Henry Long, a native of Hamilton County Ohio, a region with an extensive and significant history. 

Hamilton County, Ohio, founded on January 2, 1790, was the second county formed in the Northwestern territory of the United States. The early years of the county were marked by lawlessness, drunkenness, and constant conflict with Natives. Nevertheless, settlers continued to arrive at the first village of Cincinnati, which was strategically located along the Ohio River. Over time, the village’s location and the formation of Fort Washington led to an influx of thousands of settlers and by 1795, Cincinnati had businesses ranging from spinning wheel and chair manufactures, to brewers and butchers.[1]

The nineteenth century saw a rise in both population and economic prosperity in Hamilton County, and Cincinnati in particular. For instance, in 1803 there were 1,000 documented settlers in Cincinnati, but in 1820 there were 10,000 settlers. Along with the rise in the population, the city’s location along the river resulted in the formation of new businesses, especially meat packing.[2] While meat packing began as a trade in Hamilton County in the early years of the nineteenth-century, it was not until the completion of the railroad in the 1830s and early 1840s and the implementation of the Miami and Erie Canal in 1845, that meat packing became a prosperous industry. Meat packing then became an essential component of the Ohioan economy, second in revenue contribution only behind the Iron industry.[3]

In the period where Hopper wrote the diary, Hamilton county experienced an economic boom as a result of the meat packing industry, causing the city to adopt the nickname, “Porkopolis.”[4] An advertisement published in the January 10, 1845 reading

‘Miller & Brown – Pork Packers and Commission Merchants, Corner of Sycamore and Court sts., Cincinnati, Ohio”[5]

demonstrates the importance of the trade and the growing need for meat packers. In 1887, the pork packaging industry contributed $23.5 million in revenue and approximately 6,000 jobs for those living in Hamilton County Ohio.[6] In all, Hamilton County, Ohio was an important place in the 1840s and remains one of the most heavily populated regions in Ohio to-date.

[1] “Hamilton County.” Hamilton County – Ohio History Central. Accessed March 31, 2019 from http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Hamilton_County

[2] “Hamilton County…”

[3] “Miami and Erie Canal.” Hamilton County – Ohio History Central. Accessed March 31, 2019 from http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Miami_and_Erie_Canal

[4] “Meatpacking.” Hamilton County – Ohio History Central. Accessed March 31, 2019 from http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Meatpacking

[5] Cincinnati Daily Gazette (Cincinnati, Ohio) XVIII, no. 5421, January 10, 1845: [1]. Readex: America's Historical Newspapers. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/readex/doc?p=EANX&docref=image/v2:11A…@.

[6] “Meatpacking …”