The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-01-30
Highest of all in Leayenng PoweIaes u. S. Govt Report
R&aAl o! F:,xdsgI: BFsklIeg
ABSOLUTELY PURE
HOW PEOPLE LIVED IL THE OLD DAYS
Some History aad AneodOss Of a Part of
Somerset County.
From the Johnstown Tribune.

ing that place and its oldest family. We
print it rs being of interest, not only to
the people who now live in the region ot
which il speaks, but to any who may
chance to read:
We know that in ISIS, though Pennsyl-
vania had been settled to a certain extent,
there were We! vast stretches of unbroken
forest in many sections. One of these was
about what is now eastern Somerset
County, along the top of the Aileghenies,
| near Crumb, and contained about one
hundred square miles of territory. There
We're found plenty of wolves, deer, bear,
/ and other animals. liz 1873 William Old
ham moved into this wilderness and
/ commenced TO build home having sold
a farm fairly well under cultivation on
Chestnut Ridge. tie purchased about
eight hundred acres of land and paid for
il altogether by the revenue derived from
/ killing wolves, for the scalps ofwhich a
/ good round sum was paid by the State.
/ This was not 80 great 4 task as it would
seem, for wolves were plenty and land
was cheap, and could be readily purchas-
ed for twenty-five cents an acre. The
writer has been told by good authority
of four hundred acres of land in the vi
| cinity of Rummel that was purchased for
/ four sugar kettles.
Within few years the land was paid
I for. ON one occasion Mr.. Oldham discov-
cred II den of wolves on Ogle's Ridge
| His son William, who is still living, was
/ al 1.
with nine young wolves, which brought
in bounty of Sf5.
1t was very lonely place where Mr..
| Oldham tool, his family to live, in evil
/ dence of which We are told that they did
/ not see any outside their own little circle
! on one occasion from January lst 10 March
I 18th. The Oldham family were the only
: settlers here until lS}2, when Mr.. Felix,
father of Rev. Felix, came into the COM
munity. In 1888 Mr.. Oldham built saw
/ mill on Piney Run. The mill was built
/ of boards which had been hewn out with
| an AK; by running very steadily for u
whole day, it was possible to cut on it
about three hundred feet OF lumber.
/ Though the men of those days were
/ good marksmen, generally, they did not
always succeed in bagging their game
without trouble and dangerous expert
/ enccs. on one occasion Mr.. Oldham was
I out hunting along the loo; of the Ale
! ghenies, when he discovered n bear and
/ two cubs. He fired and wounded old
bTuin, who made of in as great haste as
her condition would permit. Thinking
he could capture one ofthe cubs, Mr.. Old
/ ham seized club and started after them /;
/ he had followed only a little way, when,
in raising his weapon to strike one ofJhe
cubs, he stepped into a hole and FELL dis
locating his ankle. His blow fell with
| precision and he killed the cab. but lac
! had other things to think of just then.
/ lie managed TO extricate himself. and.
! crawling to q tree, fastened his foot in q
crotch and pulled his ankle into place
| lie got to a cabin near by, where he slept
when On such expeditions, and remained
| there two days and two nights before he
was discovered.
ON another occasion Mr.. Oldham's son
I Nathan was hunting near the top of the
I mountain, when he wounded large buck.
/ His dog soon overlook the animal, and
was holding him at bay when Mr.. Old
I ham, Jr., came up. In his haste To reload
his gGn he had put in too heavy a charge.
and the result was a broken gan. with
| very little injury 10 the deer. Thinking
I he and his dog could manage the animal.
I he took hold, when, 10 his great regret.
| the dog gave up the fight, leaving him to
struggle with the wounded deer himself
This was anything bnt a pleasant situa-
/ ton, for every old hunter will testify that
a savage bear j. a cOmbaiant fully a.
agreeable ~ 4 wounded deer. But af.er
his body had been cut and was bleeding
freely, and his clothing was nearly all
torn off him, Mr.. Oldham managed o. put
an end to his antagonist with knife.
Among the hunters who used u come
TO the mountain in search Of game wa,
Henry Koontz, father ofWilliam Koou;z.
Of Geistown; and of John, George. and
Winfield Koontz, who are also great
hunters.
In 1896 road was opened from Fisher
town, Bedford County, to the saw-mill
owned by Mr.. Oldham. The surveyor
was William Potts John Potts, William
Mcdonald, and William Oldham were
viewers, and Nathan Oldham and VIII
liam Kirk were chain carriers.
Railroads were a novelty in those early
days, and Pennsylvania was almost des-
titute of them. \ certain Mr. Parks came
here from Philadelphia to see about land
owned by him. He and his wife came by
stage, but when ready 10 return he par
chased a horse, took his wife on behind
him, and relarneI thus to the Quaker
City.
The land which Mr.. Parks came to see
is known as the Hurricane" being
tract swept by the great hurricane that
Travelled almost from the Pacific to the
Atlantic in 1871. on Shade Creek, where
the forest was especially dense, trees and
brush were so matted and twisted togeth
to burn the mass. Fire was put in and
the ground was baked SO hard that little
or nothing will grow there since. and the
place is known as the ''Eircbrake"
In 1874 Mr.. oldham built grist miii
on Piney Run. This mill would grind
about ten bushels Of grain per day, Later
the interior was changed and the mill
was turned intoa factory for making chair
legs, table legs, etc, and later still ii was
converted into bowl factory.
Another farm was cleared ut last on the
side of the mountain, where Joseph Smita
now liyes-a distance OF abou. five miles
from this place. The Oldhauis and Fe-
likes then had neighboTs,
Prior TO lSlI the nearest sohoolhouse
was seven miles from here, In ls57-a
toacher-David Wilson-hrothev of {. O.
Wilson, of RoXbary. Cambria County,
was hired 10 teach in an old house. In
lSJ7 schoolhouse was built here. and we
have since been on the onward move.
We who live here, hope some time To see
this part of the Allegheny mountain
among the noted places of the earth.
Pine Grevo Items.