Structure

David McCullough’s nonfiction book is divided into ten chapters, each of which focuses on a brief time period or theme in the development of the town of Marietta. For example, a chapter may provide a brief look at several years’ worth of development and the accompanying challenges, the way “Adversities Aplenty” does, or it may recount more generally the opinions of famous people regarding Ohio and American customs in the west, the way “The Travelers” does. The title of each chapter therefore helps the reader pinpoint a central theme in the ensuing pages.

The overall flow of the book is consistent and smooth since McCullough follows events from the passing of the Northwest Ordinance to the mid-nineteenth century when Marietta is already a bustling place of activity. In chronological order, he introduces key figures who propel those events and draws upon primary sources in order to...