Editing Bellefontaine, Ohio (section)

==History==
The name Bellefontaine means "beautiful spring" in [[French language|French]], and is purported to refer to several springs in the area.<ref>[http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1897 Ohio History Central]</ref> However, locally, the original French pronunciation is not used, and it is pronounced "bell fountain."

===Blue Jacket's Town===
Around 1777, the [[Shawnee (tribe)|Shawnee]] war chief [[Blue Jacket]] (''Weyapiersenwah'') built a settlement here, known as "Blue Jacket's Town". Blue Jacket and his band had previously occupied a village along the [[Scioto River]], but the [[American Revolutionary War]] had reached the [[Ohio Country]]. Blue Jacket and other [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indians]] who took up arms against the [[American Revolution|American revolutionaries]] relocated in order to be closer to their British allies at [[Detroit]].

After the United States gained independence, its forces continued warfare against former Indian allies of the British. Blue Jacket's Town was destroyed in [[Logan's Raid]], conducted by Kentucky militia in 1786 at the outset of the [[Northwest Indian War]]. The expedition was led by [[Benjamin Logan]], namesake of Logan County. Blue Jacket and his followers relocated further northwest to the [[Maumee River]].<ref name="OhioHistory">[http://publications.ohiohistory.org/ohstemplate.cfm?action=detail&Page=0012169.html&StartPage=167&EndPage=179&volume=12&newtitle=Volume%2012%20Page%20167 Ohio History, Vol. 12, pg 169] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429041622/http://publications.ohiohistory.org/ohstemplate.cfm?action=detail&Page=0012169.html&StartPage=167&EndPage=179&volume=12&newtitle=Volume%2012%20Page%20167 |date=2009-04-29 }}</ref>

Beginning in the 1800s, [[American Revolutionary War]] [[veterans]] and others from [[Virginia]] and elsewhere began settling in the area of Blue Jacket's Town. Bellefontaine is on or near the edge of the [[Virginia Military District]], where the cash-poor government granted tracts of land to veterans in payment for their services during the war. The [[Treaty of Greenville]] defined lands to be held by European Americans as separate from those to be held by natives but it was poorly administered in the area and whites frequently encroached on native lands.<ref name="OhioHistory" />

===Railroads===
Bellefontaine was [[plat]]ted by European Americans in 1820 and incorporated by the legislature in 1835.<ref>[http://www.ci.bellefontaine.oh.us/html/history_of_bellefontaine.html History of Bellefontaine] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041012030246/http://www.ci.bellefontaine.oh.us/html/history_of_bellefontaine.html |date=2004-10-12 }}, City of Bellefontaine.  Accessed 2009-10-31.</ref><ref>{{gnis|1064407}}</ref><ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Bellefontaine|volume=3}}</ref>
In 1837, the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad built the first railroad to Bellefontaine. This began its reputation as a railroading town. In the 1890s the [[Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway]] (also called the Big Four Railroad) built a main terminal in the city. This terminal boasted the largest [[Railway roundhouse|roundhouse]] between New York and [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Trostel |first=Scott D. |title=The Columbus Avenue Miracle: Bellefontaine, Ohio's WW II Serviceman's Free Canteen |year=2005 |publisher=Cam-Tech Publishing |isbn=0-925436-50-X }}</ref>

Though railroading hit hard times and the industry went through radical restructuring in the late 20th century, and the Big Four terminal ceased operations in 1983, Bellefontaine remains a landmark on America's railways. The city is now just a thoroughfare for CSX.

===Automotive transportation===
[[File:OldestConcreteStreet.JPG|thumb|right|Court Avenue, looking East from South Main St.]]
In 1891, Bellefontaine became the location of the first [[concrete]] street in America. [[George Bartholomew (inventor)|George Bartholomew]] invented a process for paving using [[Portland cement]], which until then had been used in stone construction. A small section of Main Street, on the west side of the [[Logan County Courthouse (Ohio)|Logan County Courthouse]], was the first to be paved using that process. When that proved successful, [[Court Avenue]], which runs along the south side of the courthouse, was paved with concrete. While Main Street is now paved with asphalt, Court Avenue has retained its original concrete pavement for more than 100 years. At its centennial, the street was closed to vehicular traffic and a statue of Bartholomew placed at its Main Street end; it became a pedestrian way. Since then one lane has been reopened for eastbound traffic.

In 1979, [[Honda]] began [[Marysville Motorcycle Plant|manufacturing motorcycles]] in the nearby city of [[Marysville, Ohio]]. Since that time, Honda's operations in the Bellefontaine area have greatly expanded. Bellefontaine is a central location among Honda operations in Marysville, [[East Liberty, Ohio|East Liberty]], [[Russells Point, Ohio|Russells Point]], [[Anna, Ohio|Anna]], and [[Troy, Ohio]]. Honda is Bellefontaine's largest employer in the early 21st century.

[[U.S. Route 68]] intersects with State Routes [[Ohio State Route 47|47]] and [[Ohio State Route 540|540]] in Bellefontaine. [[U.S. Route 33]], a [[freeway]] that has [[interchange (road)|interchanges]] with US 68 and SR 540, skirts the northern edge of the city.

===Campbell Hill===
[[File:Bellefontaine Summit.jpg|thumb|right|View westward from the [[U.S. Route 68]] bridge over [[U.S. Route 33]] on the north side of the city, near Campbell Hill.]]
To European settlers, [[Campbell Hill (Ohio)|Campbell Hill]] was first known as Hogue's Hill, perhaps a misspelling of Solomon Hoge's surname, the person who first deeded the land in 1830. In 1898, the land was sold to Charles D. Campbell, in whose name Campbell Hill is now known. Campbell sold the hill and surrounding land to August Wagner.

In 1950, the family of August Wagner deeded Campbell Hill and the surrounding 57.5 [[acres]] to the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. government]]. The government stationed the 664th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron on the hill in 1951. This military unit was responsible for monitoring for possible [[aerospace]] attacks from the [[Soviet Union]] during the [[Cold War]]. The 664th AC&WS and similar military units were eventually superseded by the [[North American Aerospace Defense Command]] (or NORAD). The base in Bellefontaine was closed in 1969.

The Ohio Hi-Point Vocational-Technical District opened a school atop the hill in 1974. The school is now known as the [[Ohio Hi-Point Career Center]].

=== Revitalization ===
In 2012 local real estate developer Small Nation purchased and renovated the former J.C. Penney building. Since then, the organization invested over $33 million in renovating over 56 downtown buildings and attracting new businesses to the area.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Downtown Bellefontaine nominated for HGTV series|url=http://www.peakofohio.com/news/details.cfm?id=298829|access-date=2020-10-21|website=Peak of Ohio}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=STAFF|first=BELLEFONTAINE EXAMINER|title=Thinking small yields big downtown expansion|date=February 29, 2020 |url=https://www.examiner.org/thinking-small-yields-big-downtown-expansion/|access-date=2020-10-21|language=en-US}}</ref> The investment into the properties created roughly 200 jobs in the city.<ref name=":0" /> In 2018, Bellefontaine was classified as an [[Opportunity zone|Opportunity Zone]] to further attract investors to the area.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Opportunity Zone {{!}} Logan County Chamber of Commerce|url=https://www.logancountyohio.com/ed-oz.html|access-date=2020-10-21|website=www.logancountyohio.com}}</ref> Neighboring areas have begun using Bellefontaine as a model to attract more investment in their own towns.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sanctis|first=Matt|title=Urbana looks to Bellefontaine as model of redevelopment|url=https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/local/urbana-looks-bellefontaine-model-redevelopment/9VvjkEM3eoLEKZF3iVFAPO/|access-date=2020-10-21|website=springfield-news-sun|language=en}}</ref>

In 2022, Bellefontaine was named one of Ohio's Best Hometowns by Ohio Magazine for its downtown redevelopment efforts, thriving sense of community and appreciation for preserving local history.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shiffler |first=Matt |title=Best Hometowns 2022: Bellefontaine |url=https://www.ohiomagazine.com/ohio-life/best-hometowns/article/best-hometowns-2022-bellefontaine |access-date=2023-08-14 |website=www.ohiomagazine.com |language=en}}</ref>

In 2022, Bellefontaine's Christmas parade included a [[drag queen]] and over 60 residents opposed their appearance at a City Council meeting,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-24 |title=Christmas parade dominates public comments |url=https://www.peakofohio.com/local-news/christmas-parade-dominates-public-comments |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=Peak of Ohio |language=en-US|author-first1=Kris|author-last1=Allen}}</ref> prompting drag queens and supporters attending a later council meeting in support.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schneck |first=Ken |date=2023-01-25 |title=Ohioans show up in force to address city council to argue for drag queen, inclusion in holiday parade |url=https://thebuckeyeflame.com/2023/01/25/ohioans-show-up-in-force-to-address-city-council/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=The Buckeye Flame |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2023, the opposing residents began pushing for a city ordinance that would classify drag performances as ‘adult entertainment,' making it one of the first municipalities in Ohio to do so.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kendall |first=Crawford |date=2023-06-14 |title=Bellefontaine's debate around drag queens |url=https://news.wosu.org/2023-06-14/one-ohio-rural-communitys-debate-around-drag-queens |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=WOSU News |language=en}}</ref> The Ohio Supreme Court unanimously ruled to remove the measure from the ballot when petitioners changed the ballot language after circulating petitions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Election 2023: Ohio Supreme Court scraps proposed drag show ban from city's ballot |url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/politics/2023/10/09/ohio-supreme-court-scraps-proposed-drag-ban-from-bellefontaine-ballot/71117704007/ |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=The Columbus Dispatch |language=en-US}}</ref>