The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1876-07-24
Hackers Creek and Its
History.
Aa@4s93S oP
BAJ. .. 81. SMIgT,
At Jane Lew, July 4, 1876.

Mr.. President, Ladies' and Gentlemen
l am called upon to give history oil
this vicinity from lT70 down to the
present. Thisis what understood the
President to say. In responding to
the call, shall be like tho bog who,
to make good jump, went back some
ten steps, then ran to get good start.
60 | will begia ut 1854. Then this
country was che vast wilderness, where
vas to be beard the huot Ofthe owl, the
scream Of the panther aad yell Of the
savage. The Iudian vas "Icr5 Of all he
surveyed, his right none dare to dis.
pate"
The Grs! white men who vcntured
this side Of the Allegheny Mountains
vera named Files, who came in l754.
Eighteen years after this, their bones
were found near where tho town Of
Beverley now stuuls. \ creek run.
Mug through that town vas nauGd
Files Creek, after these men.
IL 1854, John and Samuel Prirglu,
With JObn Simpson, camr to and
crossed Cheat river, and there parted.
Simpson came on to the head Of a stream
his called Simpsol's Greek, aud thence
westward to II creel: be named Elk. AT
the mouth Of this excel: 10 erected
camp, and continued thcro alone for
several years-iuleed, till permanent
settlement was made and called CIarks.
burg. Tho Priagles kept up the Val.
ley river I'll! they discovered right
hand fork (Buctharnou) which they
assembled, and at the mouth of Turkey
run took up their abode in a hollow
Sycamore tree, in tko vicinity OF say,
age foe, whero the tomahuwk and
scaiping knife we:e ever present to
their imagination. In this situation
they remained until thcJ wore reduced
10 two loads Of powder. III the fall Of
1867, John left bis Sroihcr and started
TO the store for ammunition; but not as
We now go--out to tho store and back
in a few minutes but from where
BuckhaunOn now :s to the Shenandoah
Valley, several hundred miles through
a painless, trackless wilderness. 10
great dagger of being lost in the hills
in great danger Of being destroyed by
The rcrociIy of the wild beasts OF prey,
0: tho savage that roamed in the forest
LIN great danger Of being captured by
the regir'ent from which he had dc.
serted, and in great dagger Of falling
sick by tie waysidG, with mono to al.
minister TO his wants; bu! through in.
de!atigaLle oSer'iOnD he performed hi,
Journey and safely returned. The
Prinsles then left isir camp on re.
erpitiug expedition. IL this they were
successful.
IN tho fall o. l7G0, there oamo with
the priogles JOhd, G corgc aud Edward
jackson, John aud William Hacker,
Alexander aud Thomas Slecth Thomas
and Jesse Hughes, John aud William
IladcIiT and John Brown-l4 in mum
Der, who began to locate. john
Hacker chose u lot where enc Of tic
nEinglcs had chosen and 10 order to
prevent confusion, Hacker proposed
that if Pringle would clear as much
land on creek they had discovered
west of them, he would 60 there, which
was agreed TO. Land was easily got.
ten then. One could 60 to spriug
mark few t'ecs, cut down lew Of
them, AID then he owed certain
number Of acres around said spring
Hacker settled where i b. Swisher
7ow lives. john RudOljlF on the
Mitchell farm. William Raiclitf on
the William Powers farm. Soon after
this other cmigrnnts arrived, and com.
mcuccd clearing ; aud in the spring
following planted corn; but in tho fail
the bufaIOcs destroyed all the corn
The settlers raised corn the next year;
aud a, the close Of the working season,
in ITO, the men went to tho South
Branch, and in the winter they re.
turned, bringing their families. This
was the INTRODUCTION Of white women
this side tho Allegheny Mountains
Tho settlements. up to this date were,
in addition to the above: ReisiOur,
now brownsville. MOrgGntowu, Wheel.
Ing, Buffalo. Short Greek aud Grave
Greek.
In liz, settlements we're made on
the Valley River, and nearly all the
bottom land taken up. Prominent
among these settlers. were Tue names oil
lIaddcu, COnnely, Whiteman. War.
wick, Nelson, ltiflr. Stalnaker and
Westfall. Mr.. Wctzsl found aud ill.,
TERED tho remains Of the Files family.
Cheat river, too, on which no attempt
at settlement had been made but by the
unfortunate Eckatly. became oil object
Of attention. The Horses loo bottom
was located by James Parsons, Robert
Cunningham. Henry Fink, JOHN Goq
and john Minor. Durkard Bottom
was settled by lotcrt Butler, William
Morgan aud others. In tl,i,ye too,
settlements were mnde Oh Simpsons
Greek, tho Vest Fork river and Elk
creek. % Elk, and III the vicinity Of
ClArksLurg, settled Thomas Nutler,
Samrel Cot'riil, Arthur Hickman,
Samuel Beard, Andrew Cotttill, Dan
icI DAWSON, OLediAh DAVIDSON and
John Nu..cr; aGd ut this timc con-
siderable addition to tho settlements gu
Buckhaunon and Hackers Creek. So