The first permanent settlers to Clinton Township arrived just before the beginning of the American Revolution. They cleared the land that surrounds Black Hole Creek in the valley between Bald Eagle Mountain and Penny Hill. During the war, settlements throughout the Susquehanna valley were attacked by Loyalists and Native Americans allied with the British. After the Battle of Wyoming in the summer of 1778 (near what is now Wilkes-Barre) and smaller local attacks, the "Big Runaway" occurred throughout the West Branch Susquehanna valley. Settlers fled feared and actual attacks by the British and their allies. Homes and fields were abandoned, with livestock driven along and a few possessions floated on rafts on the river east to Muncy, then further south to Sunbury. The abandoned property was burnt by the attackers. Some settlers soon returned, only to flee again in the summer of 1779 in the "Little Runaway". Sullivan's Expedition helped stabilize the area and encouraged resettlement, which continued after the war.