The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-09-25
THE BEAUTIFUL RIVER.
Originally the Name Was BestOwe,
kTuOn the Allegheny.

Originally the Name Was Bestowed
Upon the Allegheny.
Captain Celeron was In many re-
spects a remarkable man. He was the
1rst white man to descend both the
Allegheny and Ohio rivers and take
possession Of the country in the mama
Of the king of France. Ten years be-
fore he penetrated the remote country
Of the Chickasaws at the head of a
small company and later commanded at
various times the French posts at De-
troit, Niagara and Lake Champlain.
When, toward the middle of the CEN
fury, it became apparent from the for
nation of the Ohio company, an or
ganization of English gentlemen which
included the names of Lawrence and
Augustine Washington, brothers of
George Washington, that some move
ment was to be made toward the oc-
cupation of the Ohio valley, the French
decided to take the initiative them
selves. Both parties claimed the terri
tory, the English by right of the dis
coveries of the Cabots and the French
on the explorations of La Sale, made
In 1882
Celeron was the man chosen by the
Marquis de la Galissoniere, then gov
ernor general OF Canada, for the difficult
task. His Instructions were to follow
the Ohio the Allegheny was then con-
sidered part of the former), deposit
ing leaden plates, claiming possession,
as he went
On the morning Of the oath of July,
1749, the party reached Conewango
creek, the little stream connecting
Lake Chatauqua with the Allegheny.
They had considerable difficulty with
the Indians, however, SO that 1t was
not until noon of the Doth that they
reached the Allegheny proper Right
near Warren Celeron buried the first
of the leaden plates, upon which was
engraved the following:
in the year 1749, in the reign of
Louis XIV, king of France, we,
Celeron, commander Of detachment
sent by NJ the Marquis de la Calls
soniere. governor general of New
France, to re-establish tranquility In
some Indian villages of these cantons,
have buried this plate of lead at the
confluence of the Ohio and Chautau-
qua, this Goth day Of July, near the
river Ohio, otherwise Belle riviere, as
a monument of the renewal of the pos,
session we have taken OF the said
river Ohio and OF all those which
empty into it, and of all the lands on
both Sides as far as the sources Of the
said rivers, as enjoyed or ought tC
have been enjoyed by the kings OF
France preceding, and as they have
there maintained themselves by arms
and by treaties, especially those OF
Ryswick, Utrecht and AK la Chapeile.'
1t will be observed that the stream
was then called Belle riviere" tht
beautiful river, because 1t was
thought to be part Of the Ohio
There are different explanations al
to how the stream became finally
known as the Allegheny. According
to Frederick Post, Allegheny was tbs
Delaware name for the Ohio There \
another theory that the name comes
| from Lne All0SeWl, al dACIcut luuldA
tribe that once fourished on the bank
of the Mississippi. Schoolcraft says
''The banks Of this stream were In an
cient times occupied by an importan
tribe, now unknown, who preceded tn
Iroquois and Delawares. They werl
called Alleghans by Golden in the Lon
don edition Of his work. and the rive
is named Allegan by Lewis Evans II
his celebrated map of 1855" Their
was also another name used by Evan
for the Allegheny. 1t was Palawa
Kunki and is derived from the nam
given the river by the Shawanese
Schoolcraft gives the name as Palawi
Thoriki.-Pittsburg Dispatch.