The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1910-09-28

was born in Center county, Pa, and mi
grated when young man, about 1920, to
what is now Beaver township, Clarion
county. Here he cleared farm and
married Miss Susan Helpman. In 1926 q
survey was made of the Clarion river by
the state of Pennsylvania with the view
OF making canal for great highway
from the east to the west. This prospect
i've enterprise caused John Cook to care
fully explore the Clarion river region
above and below what is now Cooksburg.
After this thorough examination, he
selected the mouth of Toms run as q
suitable place for home an6 to erect a
sawmil. He purchased several hundred
acres of land, cleared some and erected
ON the east side of Toms run one story
cabin lSX20 feet, aud in 1898 he moved his
family to this wilderness. After resi-
dence of two years, Mrs. Cook died, in
1880. In 1882 John Cook married his Sec
ond wife, Miss Catherine Ritter, who
died in 1872. From these two unions
we're born seventeen children. The first
white man to pass through where Cooks
burg now is was Christian Frederick
Post, a morsyian missionary. Post was
on his way to visit the Indians OF the AL
legheny river. On August 5, l75S, Post
lost his pocketbook containing over three
burg. This book and money believe is
yet lost. Clarion river was then called
Tobec river or Tobey river by him, which
means Alder stream. In l749 this stream
was called by the French, Rive:e Au Fiel,
or river of hate. In 1902 it was called
Stump creek and was so designated on
some of the early maps and in 1919 we
had the first offirial mention of the river
as Clarion, The old settlers, including
myself, tenacously clung to the name
Toby's creek, until 1850. Toms run was
so named from Seneca Indian in pre-
historic days. His camp was still there
in 1887. Along this run was trail over
which the Seneca Indians came from the
Reservation in the north to hunt in JEFF
ferson county, AS many as sixty In
disns accompanied by few squaws,
have come over this trail in the fall and
by the same route returned in the winter;
these Indian hunts we're more or less con-
tinued until about 1912. l have seen
some of these Indian hunters myself, in
Brookville.
After Cook built his sswmill, he logged
with oxen for ten years and rated and
run his boards to Pittsburg markets.
About the late thirties he commenced
building flstboats. These flstbOsts were
made from the choicest pine trees, some
of which we're one hundred feet long and
he drew them to the river with six horses.
To turn boat over and into the river re-
quired 10 men and gallon of whiskey.
In 1887 he was sufficiently prosperous to
buy two gray horses which he called
Mike and Pete. l have seen this team
myself, very fine pair, in Brookville at
John Smiths tavern. The northwest was
then a Paradise for hunters. In addition
to being farmer, boat builder and lum-
herman, John Cook was a mighty hunter
and like all other Pioneer hunters, he
kept from five to six hounds. In the
twenties he carried lint lock gun; in the
late thirtes he secured heavy barrel
percussion rifle. In and around Cooks
burg there was over fifty four-footed wild
animals for Cook to trap and chase. How
many animals he killed in his lifetime l
do not know, but in one day, in 1880, he
killed six deer, one Panther, one bear,
one wolf and sixty wild turkeys. The
woods were full of wild bee trees and
honey was TO be had whenever needed.
The waters OF Pennsylvania including
Lake Erie then contained three hundred
and twenty-five species and sub-species
of fishes.
Cook caught in the Clarion river by
hook and line, many choice bass, club,
trout and shot many pike weighing each
from fifteen to thirty pounds. His saw
mill cost him about S3OO-S2OO for the la
bor and 500 tor the iron. In early days
his groceries and necessaries had to be
poled up the Clarion in canoe. The
great danger of the wilderness along the
water and in the woods, was the rattle
snake. There was a den at Troutman
run, one on the hill right back of where
Wayne Cooks residence now is and one
at Mount Misery. A air of rattlesnskes
have from five to twenty-five young each
year. These dens had to bs visited an
nuslly in April or May every spring, and
sometimes from one to two hundred
snakes were killed in day, at one or
each of these dens. The snakes we're in
the habit then in the spring of the year,
all through this wilderness, of coling
themselves into a great ball on some
large stone and the pioneer. knowing this
habit would visit the den at the right
time and shoot through the ball, killing
many of them. remember John Cook
well. Had many long talk with him in
John Smiths tavern. He was about 5
feet inches high, very heavy set and of
great muscular power. He prided him
self on his physical strength. John Cook
was remarkable man, man of brain
but with limited education. He was
honest, industrious and reliable, enter
prising, am bilious, a business man for
his day, and his word was as good as his
bond. The Cook brothers of to-day in
herit all their brawn, brain and extraor-
dinary business tact, abilities and sue
cessful incision from John Cook, the
pioneer. John Cook died in Cooksburg
in 1858, aged seventy years.
w. J. MCKNIGHT.
September II, 1910