1747
Wealthy Virginia planters form Ohio Company to buy land west of Appalachian Mountains, believing that value of land will increase with time. In 1749, Virginia's government, with approval of Great Britain, grants Ohio Company 200,000 acres west of Monongahela River, to encourage settlement (Carruth, 82).
1750-1752
Christopher Gist explores and documents upper Ohio River for Ohio Company (Carruth, 66).
1752
November 19
George Rogers Clark is born in Albemarle County, Virginia. His education includes mathematics and surveying (English, 53, 59).
1754-1763
French and Indian War. French fight British for power and land possession in North America; British win (Carruth, 68).
1763
February 10
Treaty of Paris. From France Britain gains Canada and all lands east of Mississippi River except port of New Orleans. British also obtain Florida from Spain, which had sided with French during the war (Carruth, 72).
1763
May 7
Pontiac, an Ottawa chief unhappy with British rule, organizes attack on Detroit. Other tribes then join in, attacking other British forts in the West (Carruth, 72).
1763
Royal Proclamation of 1763. George Grenville, British colonial minister, forbids colonial settlements west of Appalachian Mountains and orders settlers already there to return (Carruth, 72).
1765-1767
Britain passes tax acts which anger American colonists (Carruth, 74-76).
1765-1768
An estimated 30,000 people settle west of the Appalachian Mountains (Bakeless, 22).
1768
October 1
British troops land in Boston (Carruth, 78).
1770
March 5
Boston Massacre. Five colonists killed by British troops (Carruth, 78).
1771-1774
George Rogers Clark explores Ohio River Valley and surveys land, some for himself. He settles in Grave Creek township, approximately 25 miles below Wheeling, Virginia (English, 59, 60, 62, 63).
1773
December 16
Boston Tea Party (Carruth, 80).
1774
Spring
In Ohio River Valley, atrocities by Indians and whites against each other escalate (English, 64).
1774
March 31
In retaliation for Boston Tea Party, British Parliament passes first of Intolerable Acts, which further limit rights and liberties of the Americans (Carruth, 80).
1774
Summer
Royal Governor of Virginia raises 3,000 Virginia troops to attack Indian villages as far as Ohio River Valley. Clark receives his first military commission, "Captain of the Militia of Pittsburgh and its Dependencies" (English, 64).
1774
September 5-October 26
First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia to resist growing British tyranny (Carruth, 78).
1775
Daniel Boone blazes Wilderness Road and establishes Boonesborough, Kentucky (Carruth, 75, 85).
1775
April 7
Henry Hamilton appointed British lieutenant governor of Detroit (Barnhart, 15).
1775
April 19
Battles of Lexington and Concord (Carruth, 84).
1775
Spring
Clark is a deputy surveyor for Ohio Company to survey what is now Kentucky. His salary is 80 British pounds a year and his choice of land (English, 65-66).
1775
June 17
Battle of Bunker Hill (Carruth, 86).
1775
Clark visits western settlements organizing and commanding a small militia. He returns to Virginia in fall of 1775 to put his affairs in order, planning to return permanently to Kentucky in the spring of 1776 (English, 68-69).
1775
November 9
Henry Hamilton arrives at Detroit (Barnhart, 15).
1776
July 4
Continental Congress approves Declaration of Independence; signed by members August 2 (Carruth, 88).
1776
Clark returns to Kentucky and becomes a military and political leader (English, 69-75).
1777
June
Hamilton, at Detroit, receives orders to entice pro-British Indians to fight American frontier settlements (Bakeless, 42).
1777
Indian attacks on Kentucky settlers increase. Clark plans expedition into the Illinois country. Sends spies to British forts (English, 82, 85-87, 466-467).
1777
September 19
Continental Congress flees Philadelphia, which is occupied by British forces on September 26 (Carruth, 92).
1777
October 1
Clark leaves for Virginia to ask for permission and help in his western expedition (English, 87, 468).
1777
November 15
Articles of Confederation adopted by Continential Congress (Carruth, 92).
1777
December 10
Clark presents his plan to Virginia Governor Patrick Henry (English, 88, 468).
1778
January 2
Clark receives permission from Virginia Legislature and financial support for his western expedition. Patrick Henry gives Clark public instructions and private instructions known as "secret orders" (English, 91, 93, 468).
1778
May 4
Continential Congress ratifies Treaty of Alliance with France (Carruth, 94).
1778
Late May
Clark's troops arrive at an island at the Falls of the Ohio River which he names Corn Island (English, 131, 471).
1778
June 24
Clark's troops leave Corn Island to begin Illinois campaign to take Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes. (English, 158, 163, 473-474).
1778
July 4
Clark takes Kaskaskia without firing a shot. Joseph Bowman is sent to take Cahokia, which he captures on July 6 (English, 192-193, 476, 481-482).
1778
July
Father Gibault goes to Vincennes, convinces French inhabitants to surrender to Clark. Arrives back at Kaskaskia first of August, informs Clark that Vincennes is his. Clark sends Leonard Helm to command Vincennes (English, 487-488, 490).
1778
October 7
Hamilton leaves Detroit to march on Vincennes (Barnhart, 95, 106).
1778
December 17
Hamilton arrives at Vincennes, retakes fort from Helm (Barnhart, 149).
1779
February 5
Clark leaves Kaskaskia to retake Vincennes (English, 520, 521).
1779
February 22
Clark arrives at Vincennes. On February 24, Hamilton surrenders to Clark (English, 391, 524-528).
1779
March 7 or 8
Hamilton is sent to Virginia as a prisoner-of-war (English, 607, 608-9).
1779
End of summer
Clark returns to the Falls of the Ohio (English, 663).
1779
September 23
John Paul Jones, commander of Bonhomme Richard, defeats and captures Serapis, a British man-of war. During this battle he states, "I have not yet begun to fight" (Carruth, 96).
1779-1782
Clark builds forts and leads military expeditions to defend Kentucky settlements against Indian attacks (English, 748-760).
1781
January 2
Virginia gives up claims to all lands northwest of the Ohio River and stops support for Clark's militia and forts (English, 779-783).
1781
March 4
Hamilton is released from prison and sails for England May 27 (English, 658).
1781
October 19
British general Charles Cornwallis and his men are defeated at Yorktown, Virginia (Carruth, 96, 98).
1783
July 2
Virginia's resources exhausted, Clark is relieved of his military command (English, 783).
1783
Virginia's General Assembly passes act which gives 150,000 acres of land to Clark, his officers, and his soldiers (English, 826).
1783
September 3
Treaty of Paris is signed which officially ends war and recognizes American independence from Great Britain (Carruth, 100).
1783-1784
Winter
Clark is with his family in Caroline County, Virginia (Bakeless, 312).
1784
August 3-4
Board of Commissioners meets in Louisville to settle claims by Clark, his officers, and soldiers for grant lands. Plans for locating, surveying Clarksville also adopted (English, 827, 833, 861).
1784-1785
November 14-August 13
Hamilton is lieutenant-governor of Quebec; he later serves in Bermuda (1788) and Dominica (1794) (English, 660).
1785
Clark's father and mother arrive to establish the family home, Mulberry Hill, Louisville (Bakeless, 313).
1794-1818
Clark divides his time between Louisville and Clarksville. In 1803, he builds his own log cabin on Clark Point, Clarksville, overlooking the Falls of the Ohio (Bakeless, 353).
1796
September
Hamilton dies in Antigua (English, 660).
1818
February 13
Clark, paralyzed from a stroke, dies at his sister's home, Locust Grove, near Louisville (English, 887).