The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1895-02-27
"REMINISCENCES OF OLD Settlers.
Incidents in Forest COunty's Early His
tery-By Local Writer.

PART /.
r MAY be an easy matter to compre-
hend the giant strides of thought of
the master minds that have achieved
such wonderful improvements dur
ing the past hundred years, but the
sands of our time are filled with their
footprints. The present century has be-
held a series of some of the most astonish-
ing discoveries and inventions, following
one upon another, in swift succession.
We wonder how our grandparents ever
| lived; they knew so little and were con-
fined to so narrow life. Why they
didn't even know how to make match
to light their fires with. Even our faith
ers and mothers, o. pioneer fame remem
| ber how they "borrowed fire. from their
nei- hbors, or a convenient brush-pile
and when matches were brought into the
! homes at the rate OF twenty-five cents
| per hundred, they were carefully pre-
served in case of an emergency. Chill
| dren learned to look on them as some
thing very dangerous, even as much so
as we did our own natural gas before we
saw it burned. We go not very far back
on the track of time to reach the age
when men did not know what it was
that slept in the storm-cloud and leaped
forth in binding stream 10 shatter and
kill all that lay in its fiery path. They
only knew to fear it and shun its force as
best they could. Before that strange
thing became our messenger to carry
thought around the world almost with
the speed of thought, debates on the tar
i'll grew old before they reached the col.
umns OF the rural newspaper.
The nineteenth century first beheld
this region a vast and mighty forest,
whose only inhabitant was the Seneca
Indian. During the earlier decades his
wigwam was supplanted by the cabin OF
the white man; and, as he padded his
light canoe northward, he bade, for the
last time, a sad farewell to the dying en-
bers of his council fire upon the shore.
For many years the Allegheny river
Afforded the only means of commerce
and communication between the outside
world and the inhabitants of this delight
iul little valley enoircled with hills. Al
the time when the paddle-wheels were
being propelled by steam power on the
Hudson, the energetic fathers of the Al
legheny were developing their muscle
"paddling their own canoe"
Few remain to tell the story, and il
seems fitting, not only as a just tribute
of renown TO their many brave and won
derful deeds, but as a debt OF gratitude
we owe them, that we rescue from obliv.
ion the memory Of their hardships ano
privations, not only for themselves, bu
for each succeeding generation.
We hope to speak of some Of the pio
neers OF this region, as we learn the story
from themselves.
Among the first questions we ask, ant
by no means the least interesting, is
GLOW did the early settlers ever get thei
supplies-their food, their clothing anC
all necessary articles for home life?'
: True, the surrounding forests could sup
ply great amount of food, but not all
1t could supply the lumber for the cab
in or cottage, but it could not provide tn
instruments with which to prepare th
{ lumber or TO build the house. We ar
told that these supplies were brough
from Pittsburg, the emporium of West
ern Pennsylvania, by keel boats. Thes
] were large, fat-bottomed freight boat