The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-01-07


by "the river of the winding shore" shoulC
be to me the loveliest spot on earth anc
from which God grant that War, pestilence
| and famine be ever absent. And there is NJ
valley in the world which, for beauty o
scenery, fertility of soil, salubrity Of climat,
and facility of accession the minera
wealth of its hills the moral health, hospi
tality, and intelligence Of its inhabitants
surpassess that lying in the Forks of tht
Susquehanna, in the good old commonwealth
of Pennsylvania.
But it is not only for the things mentioned
that this valley is celebrated. Its historical
associations and recollections are fully worthy
of its high character in other respects
Within that territory lies the beautiful
Valley of Wyoming, the plain tale Of the
massacre of whose citizens brings tears tc
the eyes of the most careless reader, and
whose charms and horrors have been painted
but not heightend, by the magic pen ot
Campbell. Here, too, the celebrated Van
Campen followed the trail Of the Indians, OF
suffered as prisoner in their cruel hands q
narrative of whose adventures, some of them
occurring almost in sight of where write
would be more exciting than romance. In
this charmed region, Captain Samuel Brady
performed many of his famous exploits, and
made his harbreadth escapes. And no
greater name than his brightens the roll of
Indian fighters.
The celebrated Montour family, which has
left its name indelibly on one of our most
beautiful ranges of hills, lived, actel and
died, and are believed to be buried in the
Valley of the Susquehanna. Kate Montour,
the Queen Esther of our histories, dashed
cut the brains of the unhappy captiyes on
the bloody rock of Wyoming. And even
to this day the tint of the warm red blood
on the rough boulder remains to tell the
damning deed nor is there water enough
in the sweet heavens to wash it out
Here dwelt the Lenni Lenape, ''the origi-
nal people," and the council-fres of Tama-
mend, their most illustrious ch;eftain, were
kindled in its forests. For many years an
nually on the first of May throughout Penn
sylvania, his festival was celebrated. In
Philadelphia, the members of the "Tamma-
ny" society walked the streets in procession,
their hats decorated with bucks tails, and
upon reaching the wigwam, had talk,
smoked the "peace pipe and performed In
dian dances. From him also the celebrated
New York society took its name; and that an
cientWigwam ofthe unterriied yet blazes with
lights'to ceebrate..a victory; or if the gloom
of defeat hangs over its party, like the great
chiettain it honors, never surrenders Here.
too, in his early youth came Logan, the IA
nous chiettain and orator of the Iroquois.
He has left name that can never be forgot
ten while eloquence and pathos are admired.
"Who is there to mourn for Logan" "Not
one, sayest thou, 0 old man eloquent Thou
art mistaken, most disconsoate chieftain
Who has not read of thy beloved Alvaretta,
and shed tear over her sad and untimely
fate, adding to it a copious food for the great
grief that rent thy heart?
Would that had a pen that could ftly
narrate the story of the Forks of the Susque-
hanna. How could Cooper or an Irving
people its hills and valleys with everything
characters Not one of the localities made
everlastingly famous by those magic writer's
had half the natural beauties and adapta-
tions to romance and song, which lie uncel-
ebrated and almost unknown within the
winding of this exqusitely beautiful stream.
What witherng satire lies in the fights of
the Pennamites and Yankees over the Con-
necticut surveys! What tragedy in the his
tory of Kate Montour, the Canadian half
breed, literally educated, and mixing in the
best society of Philadelphia, and leading her
bloody warriors at the massacre of Wyom-
ing! What room tor incident and adven-
ture, not the imaginings of romance but the
narratives of sober truth, in the lives of Van
Campen and of Brady
For although thinly populated before the
Revolutionary war, that portion of the
Forks of the Susquehanna embraced within
the limits of Columbia county was by no
means destitute Of place in its history. 1t
had its Fort Rice, located near the head wa
ters of the Chillisquaque-Fort Bos!ey, To-
Gated at Washingtonville, on the Chillisqua-
fort, on the flats below
Bloomsbury, where Douglas Hughes now
lives-Fort Wheeler, three miles above
Bloomsbury, on Fishingcreek- Jenkins
near Briar creek, about Jacob HiPs present
residence. Fort Freeland on Warriors run,
--Boone's Mills about seven miles distant
from the last-and Fort Montgomery about
the Lycoming county line. Each of these
forts has its local history, which will be
spoken of in its order; and in the meantime
any information as to the present ownership
of their site, and of the incidents of their
will be received most gratefully.
The valley must have been very thickly
populated by the Indians, for many remains of
Indian towns are pointed out. Very extensive
burial grounds are known to exist at several
places within the Forks. Curiosties of various
kinds-mounds, excavations and fortifca-
tions,o undoubted Indian origin-are found
in large numbers. Through this valley ran
some of the most important and frequently
Travelled "war-paths" known in the history
OF the race. Shall trace them out for you
by existing roads and villages? The writer
has been over most Of them, and you can
put your finger on the "paths" on almost
any map.
"The Shamokin Path" began at the place
now called Sunbury, and continued up the
West Branch by the mouth of Warrior Rur
and an Indian town there located; theme,
through the gap in Muncy hills to the towr
of Muncy, where the public road now passes
"The Wyoming Path" left Muncy on th
West Branch ran up Glade Run, theme
through gap on the hills TO Fishing Greek
which empties into the North Branch a
Bloomsburg, twenty miles above the junction
crossed the creek, passed into now Luzern
county through the Nescopeck gap, aud u