Ohio Company

Ohio Company, name of two companies organized in the 18th century for the colonization of the Ohio country. The first company was organized in 1749. The British government granted the company 500,000 acres (about 200,000 hectares) of land around the forks of the Ohio River. The colonizing efforts of the company were seen by the French as a challenge to their claim on the region, and the rivalry helped to cause the French and Indian War. In 1770 the Ohio Company merged with the Vandalia Company.

The second company, the Ohio Company of Associates, was formed in 1786. In 1787 a large tract of land was purchased, and in the following year the city of Marietta was founded by colonists sent out by the company.