Evening star., 1938-08-28

by the dosen, and thousands OF freight
cars laden with Pennsylvania Hope
Diamond" |
A T PrTTsTON, not far from scran-
ton the traveller enters the pic
turesQue and now peaceful Wyoming
Valley. From . scenic standpoint, no
more beautiful valley can be conceived.
and the drive through it Is unforget-
table. This fact, with its fertile soil,
made 1t . rich prize over which rival
claimants in the early history OF our
country fought and shed much blood.
The Wyoming Valley was the scene
Of the Yankee-Pennamite Wars, which
began in 1862, and lasted over period
of 40 years The warning factions were
Connecticut residents who settled In
the valley on land claimed by both
Connecticut and Pennsylvania, with
the latter finally wrestling it from the
New Englanders.
Undoubtedly the most tragic events
in this valley. during the Revolution,
were the wyoming Battle and the
massacre which followed. Within the
borough OF Wyoming stands the
Wyoming Monument, commemorative
of these events. and not far away. is
the rock on which Queen Esther"
half-breed Seneca, called the Bloody
Queen" sacrificed early settlers.
In the early days, As now, this beau-
tiful and historic valley has attracted
visitors from various parts Of the world.
and has been the inspiration Tor In
Vulnerable lyrics, epics and poems,
such As the Englishman, Thomas
Campbells Gertrude OF wyoming"
The story OF Frances Slocum, often
called the Lost Child OF Wyoming" is
. true and pathetic one. and is vitally
associated with the history Of the
wyoming Valley.
WnKEs-BARRE. the oldest COM
w munity Of Northeastern Penn
sylvania, together with its environs. is
the original wyoming" Post ONCE
records indicate that one State. IS
counties. and some "a lesser munich
palities have been given that name in
commemoration of the peculiar history
OF . community which has no parallel
in the annals OF America.
Places of interest in Wilkes-Barre
include the Wyoming Historical So
ciety the Municipal Conservatory, and
the Fell Tavern. where Judge Fell
successfully burned anthracite In an
open crate without q forced draft
Northwest Of Wilkes-Barre. over
route lis, is Harveys Lake, a summer
resort, and to the west of Harveys
Lake, along Kitchen Creek, through
. rugged ravine. is one Of the most
attractive waterfall regions in the
United States. For a distance Of
about miles there are 80 tumbling
waterfalls, several over 100 feet high.
II your time is limited. even q s.
minute stop on the highway. near the
concrete bridge, will reveal many wa
terfalls and glacial pot holes, such
as are found in Switzerland
From Wilkes-Barre to Sunbury. the
motorist hugs close the north branch
Of the Susquenhanna. The river is 50
broad in some places that 1t seems
like lake dotted over with pretty.
well-wooded islands, once the favorite
fishing and hunting grounds of the
Indians. of whom one is reminded by
the names of several of the towns
passed, such as Shickshinny and Man.
ticoke.
pICTURESQUE as the susquehan-
ma is in many places, it seems
more beautiful than ever at Sunbury
and Northumberland, for here the tri-
butaries of the great river meet.
Sunbury was the site of Fort Au-
gusta, erected in 1859. and an i'm
portant fort in the French and Indian
wars Thomas Edison conducted ex-
periments in Sunbury, and the old
hotel, destroyed by fire in 1914, but
since rebuilt, was the first building
in the world to be electrically lighted.
Northumberland WAS the home Of JOS
eph Priestly. discoverer Of oxygen.
His home Is now museum.
The drive down the river from Sun
bury to Harrisburg, in the opinion Of
many, Is the most beautiful along the
| Susquehanna Trail. There are sew
eral water gaps in this section. and
the mountains on either side, rising
like great cathedral spires in the dis
tance, with the river gracefully wind
ing its way through the valley, makes
an unforgettable drive.
Harrisburg, the capital Of the State,
u = typical Pennsylvania city. Points
Of interest include the State Capitol,
with many notable features such as
the murals by Violet Oakley; the Edu-
cation Building and the Pennsylvania
State Museum.
The next town Of any size is York.
center Of fertile farmland, which
served as the Capital of the Nation
during the blackest period OF the
Revolution, when the British occu-
pied Philadelphia. Here at York, Con-
gress passed the Articles Of Confeder-
alton, received word Of Burgoyne's
surrender. and issued the first Thanks
giving proclamation. Interesting
places to visit are the old Quaker
Meeting House and York Furnace.
It IS impossible to give here all
the points Of interest on this tour, but
having been initiated into the wonders
of Penn's Land, one can readily make
further plans for investigating the
scenic beauties, historic attractions.
and man-made miracles Of this land
Of adventure and romance.