Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1860-08-16
The Susquehanna River.

than that where the men of PaXtO settled, we
have never seen it, From its source in Otse
go Lake, where the great American novelist
has described it in language that will never
cease to be read along by its oyely-windings
where the Chemung interSectS the North
| branch whose beuaties have been embalmed
by one of our most graceful poets; by the
! Valley of Wyoming, which lives forever in the
! imaginatons of Campbell, but which is farer
even than the Semtropcal fancy of which he
was enamored on by the bold scenery of the
meetings Of its waters at Northumberland, to
its broad glory, celebrated in the new Pastoral.
and its Magnificent union with the CheSa-
peake, every mile of the Snsquehanna is beat
! tful Other rivers have their points of love
illness or of grandeur, the Susquehanna has
every form of beauty or snblimity that belongs
30 rivers We have seen them all Connect
! icut, Hudson, Delaware, Ohio, Mississippi,
Missouri There is nothing like the susque-
! hanna on this continent It's peculiar charac-
! ter depends upon its origin in the New York
meadows its passage through the magnificent
/ Pennsylvania highlands, and the richness of
! the valleys that lie between the mountains
| Everywhere its cotrse is detected it begins
| wooded lake. it winds mpd brook by
meadows and over silver pebbles makes it
way through mountains it loiterS, restingy,
| by their basis it sweeps in broad courses by
! the valleys. It's vast width in its mad Spring
/ freshets, when swollen by the me!ted snews, it
/ .ushes from the hills with Irresistible force
sometimes causing frightful inundations, leaves,
with its falls island after Island in its mid
channel, of the richest green, and most sur
passing beauty while those passes through
( the mountains afford points of scenery far finer
than any one would believe them TO be from
any description, if he has MOI seen them,
The 6uSqnehauna makes the grandest of
these passages, just below the mouth of the
/ .Juniata It's coprse there is several miles kong
before it entirely diSe0ca@eS itself from the
rapids, called Hunters Falls, which are the
remains of the rocky barrier, which once re-
sisted its way Entirely at liberty it Dcurs its
stream, a mile vide, along channei some ff-
! ty or &ty feet beneath its eastern bank
About seven miles below the mountains at q
point where they look blue in the distance, a
shelterjng wall from the northern blasts flo IS
in little stream which the Indians called PeX-
/ etang, PaiXtaug o. Paxton. This mountain
is the northern boundary Of the great valley,
which, undcrIaid with blue limestone, covered
originally with the richest and uobIest forest
! growth and inc udiug within i The garden Of
all the Atlantic slope extends from EaSton,
on The Delaware, by Reading. Lebanon and
Lancaster, by Harrisburg, York and Carlisle
by Chamhersburg, Hagerstown and WncheS
ter, until it OoSeS itself in the North Carroll
ma hills. The point Of greatest beauty in all
that valley, is the spot where it is cloyen by
( the susauehanHd
4 hundred and forty years aeo, an cfyter-
prisiug young man, from Yorkshire in Eng
land, by descent, probably, of one Of those
Scandinavians, who, nnder the great Canute
I held possession Of the North CT England, and
gave its main character TO it, made his way to
I Philadelphia. He married here a lady who
came over with well known orkshire fami
IL OF this city Impclled by the same enter
prising spirit that broaght him from the old
world, and using the inevitable eye that was
characteristic Of him, he ~ent to the banks Of
the SnScneharna. Ee settled fcr a brief pc
rod at a point above Columbia, where the
village Of Bainbrdge now stands a place
mech frequented by the COnoy or EowanSe
/ Indlat!s. But he was ECt satisfied with this
location. Exploring upwards elCrg the east
ern bank Of the SuSGuehaana he advanced
until instead, of the Conewaga hills at his
back and en- the opposite side Of tbs river he
foend the entrance opposite 20 hirn Of that
most beautiful valley, already described, with
tive fine streams flowing into the rive" about
five miles apart, aud on the eastern side an
elevated plateau unsurpassed in loveliness in
the wide world, with the little Paxton flowing
at the base cf an ee9ated slepe or ridge Of
land Here he settled and the ferry across
the river to the entrance of the Cumberland
Valley was called after him. His son, the
first white child born west of the Conewaga
hills, subsequently laid out a town on the spot
and with singular forethogght set apart six
acres on a noble hil which rises on the north
west, which he conveyed to the State for pub
lie purposes. The Capitol OF Pennsylvania is
now built upon it, and the city of Harrisburg
bears ais name-Presbgterjan Quarterly Re
rJel0.
MO>-u,,- 4 for tbocn cuitC for