Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-09-25
THE OLD sUsoUEHANNA TRAIL

|
distinctly marked automobile tour
routes If the Snyder County Historical
Socfety's movement to bring tho his
tortc lore of the Susquehanna Valley
into its own so that 1t may be properly
appreciated by motorists is successful
No stream so teens with Indian legend
as the Susquehanna; none is more
closely associated with the early settle
ment of the State, and none is more
picturesque. The route. or routes.
for there would be Of necessity several,
1t is proposed to call the Susquehanna
Trail.
In little circular published by the
society 1t Is set forth that the route
would start at Harrisburg and follow
the west bank of the Susquehanna
river through Marysville and Duncan
to Clarks Ferry bridge, a distance of
about two miles.
The course would be thence north
through Liverpool, McKee's Half Falls,
Port Trevorton, Selinsgrove, Shamo-
kin Dam, Northum berland. Danville,
Bloomsbury, Berwick. Shickshinny,
Nanticoke. Wilkes Barre and on to the
Lake Ostego, N. Y.
1t is pointed out that the trail could
be divided into three sections. The
north trail would be along the North
Branch, the west trail along the West
Branch and the main trail along the
river south of the confluence of the
branches at Northumberland.
The society suggests that as a dis
tinctive mark characterizes all the
highways and trails in the Common
wealth. 1t would be appropriate to in
dicate the proposed thoroughfare by
an Indian arrowhead, placed vertically
on white background and surrounded
by a circle of red, which would be
visible at great distances and very
significant of the vanished race that
formerly inhabited the picturesque
Susquehanna Valley.
The West Branch trail would nat
urally begin at Northumberland, ex-
tending through Milton, Watsontown,
Muncy, Montoursville, Williamsport,
Jersey Shore, Lock Haven and through
the northern tier counties, but would,
of course, have its southern terminus
in Harrisburg.
The Selinsgrove News, which is
heartily back of the movement, calls
attention to the fact that New York
and New England States have become
famous in the automobile tourist world
in large measure by reason of the
identification of routes. The scenery,
roads and public accommodations in
this valley compare favorably with
those of the famed sections, and 1t is
therefore believed by the community
historians the situation presents one
worthy of development" says the
News. "By appealingt to the historic and
perpetuating the names of the red men
and their lines of travel the nearby
state people have to-day tho Mohawk
Trail, the Seneca Trail, the Tuscarora
Trail. the Adirondack Trail and sew
eral others, and the circumstances are
no more worthy of recognition than
those the Snyder County Historical So
ciety proposes to put on the map"
Along the old Susquehanna Trail
flowed the traffic of the Indians and
the early settlers fringed its banks with
their cabins. Later the Conestoga
wagon and the stagecoach followed its
easy grades and touched upon its CEN
ters oil population. When the canal
period arrived the ditch diggers of
necessity could not venture far from
its source of water supply and its
levels. and finally the railroads came
and paralleled the line of the old canal.
Now we have reverted-or progressed
to the public highway again and the
old Susquchanna Trail comes into it's
own as a bidder for automobile travel.
Sister counties should go to the aid of
the Snyder county historians in their
effort to mark and advertise this
"a M Oua r0ad