USA > Pennsylvania > A gazetteer of the state of Pennsylvania : a part first, contains a general description of the state, its situation and extent, general geological construction, canals, and rail-roads, bridges, revenue, expenditures, public debt, &c. &c. ; part second, embraces ample descriptions of its counties, towns, cities, villages, mountains, lakes, rivers, creeks, &c. alphabetically arranged > Part 2
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Like the Susquehannah and the Potomac, the Delaware receives nearly all its large tributary streams from the west. Of these, only two, the Lehigh and Schuylkill, are of considerable magnitude .*
* It is proposed to excavate a canal along the valley of this river to the State line. Sixty miles of this work, extending from Bristol to Easton, have been completed by the State.
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RIVERS.
From the position of their valleys as channels of intercommunication and from the mineral treasures found along their mountain sources, the Schuylkill and Lehigh have become of great importance. The Lehigh rises by various mountain branches in Northampton, Pike, Wayne and Luzerne counties ; uniting below Stoddartsville, and forming a small, but precipitous river current, pouring first to the south-west, it gradually turns south and south-east, passes Mauch Chunk vil- lage, and winding between mountain masses, finally breaks through the Kittatinny, and continuing to the south-east meets the north-west base of the Blue ridge at Allentown. Here it turns to the north-east along the base of the latter chain, and passing Bethlehem joins the Delaware at Easton. The Lehigh is truly a mountain torrent ; there is no other stream of equal length in the United States which presents greater difference of level between the points of source and discharge.
In a comparative 'course, it is about twenty-five miles from Stoddartsville to Mauch Chunk, and the fall in the intermediate distance 845 feet; ten miles in a direct line below Mauch Chunk, it passes the Kittatinny, and falls 245 feet in that short space. From the Lehigh Water Gap, or passage through the Kittatinny to its junction with the Delaware, it falls 205 feet in a comparative course of thirty- five miles The entire fall from Stoddartsville to Easton, 1210 feet; comparative course seventy miles. From the junction of its constituent branches below Stoddartsville to its extreme source is about fifteen or twenty miles, giving an entire length of near 100 miles. The fall above Stoddartsville, probably amounts to 500 feet ; and if so, this rapid river falls upwards of 1700 feet in 100 miles; and what may be considered in a peculiar manner remarkable, no actual cataract worthy of notice exists in all its course. Above the Water Gap, the bed of the Lehigh lies at the base of steep or precipitous mountains, rising in most places from the margin of the stream. The scenery is in a peculiar manner wild, bold, picturesque and romantic. Below the Kittatinny, the features of nature are less grand along the banks ; but still follow in a rich succession of strongly contrasted and elegant landscape. The varied character of its shores is preserved to its final egress into its recipient at Easton.
The Lehigh is now rendered navigable by dams and pools and connecting canals, for some distance above Mauch Chunk. This very useful and arduous work has been effected by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, under the direction of Messrs. White and Hazard, the superintending engineers. (See Mauch Chunk.)
The Schuylkill rises in and drains about five-eighths of Schuylkill county : formed by two branches, which unite immediately above, and pass through the Kittatinny mountain, seven miles south-east from Orwigsburg. Below the mountain it turns to nearly south, in which direction it continues through the Blue Ridge at Reading, after having received Maiden creek from the north- east, and the Tulpehocken above that town from the north-west. Below the Blue Ridge, the river again winds to south-east, passes the South-east mountain above Pottstown, and receiving the Perkiomen, and some lesser creeks from the. north, crosses the primitive ledge above, and joins the Delaware below Philadel- phia. Its entire length, by comparative courses, is about one hundred miles, twenty above and eighty below the Kittatinny mountains.
A strong resemblance is perceivable between the Schuylkill and the Lehigh, though the scenery along the former, is less rugged than that which skirts the latter stream.
The Schuylkill is now navigable by canals and locks to Port Carbon. The Union canal company have completed a connection between the Susquehannah and Schuylkill by the Swatara and Tulpehocken valleys.
The Susquehannah enters Pennsylvania by two great branches, the Susque- hannah proper, and the Chemung or Tioga. Below their junction at Tioga point, the united streams flow a little south of east, fifteen miles to the foot of the Appalachian system, south of Towanda. Leaving the secondary, and entering on the transition formation, it turns south-east and following that general course fifty miles, breaks through several chains and finally, at the mouth of the Lacka- wannock, nine miles above Wilkesbarre, enters the Wyoming valley and turns to south-west ; continuing the latter course near seventy miles down the mountain
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RIVERS.
valleys to Northumberland and Sunbury, and to the mouth of the West Branch. In the entire distance from Tioga Point to Sunbury, the Susquehannah receives no tributary stream of forty miles direct length ; the Towanda, Wyalusing, Tunkhannock, Lackawannock, Fishing Creek, and some lesser branches, are mere mountain creeks, rapid, but not more than from twenty-five to fifty-five miles in general course.
Including all its higher north-east branches, the Susquehannah is peculiar in the structure of its valleys. Wide bottoms of two and sometimes three stages spread along the convex side of the bends, whilst mountains of more or less elevation rise on both sides of these spreading vales. Exuberant fertility is at a single step, followed by rocky and sterile steeps. The natural timber of the bot- toms is in a great measure different from that on the mountains. In the former, sugar-maple, black walnut, elm, beach, and other trees, indicative of a productive soil, abound ; on the slope of the mountains, pine, oak, and chesnut, and above the Lackawannock, hemlock, are the prevalent timber trees. As a navigable stream, the Susquehannah is much less interrupted by rapids or dangerous shoals, than from the tortuous course it pursues through an extensive mountain system, could be expected. It is also remarkable, that where the various branches of this river pass the respective chains, rapids seldom, and perpendicular falls no where, exist. The Western branch is in all its extent, a river of Pennsylvania. Rising far within the secondary formation, its extreme western source in Indiana co., reaches within less than thirty-five miles of the Allegheny river at Kittanning. Flowing north-east about seventy miles across Clearfield, it receives the Sinnemahoning; from the north-west in the south-west angle of Lycoming. Below its junction with the Sinnemahoning it continues north-east fifteen miles, and thence south- east twenty miles to the mouth of Bald Eagle creek, in Centre County. Below the Bald Eagle, the course is a little north of east, thirty-five miles to Pennsborough or Muncy, receiving in the intermediate distance from the north, Pine creek, Lycoming, and Loyalsock. From Pennsborough the course is nearly south, twenty- five miles to the mouth of the North east branch, and thirty-five from thence to that of the Juniata. About eight miles below the entrance of Juniata, the Susquehannah, having again assumed a south-eastern course, passes the Kit- tatinny mountains ; and ten miles below that chain, the Blue Ridge. Main- taining the latter course sixty miles below the Ridge, this great river is lost in the tides of the Chesapeake bay .*
Juniata, the south-west branch of Susquehannah rises in, and drains the north- ern part of Bedford county. The sources of this stream are in the eastern slopes of the Allegheny chain, and flowing nearly twenty miles east, it passes Bedford, and breaking through several mountain chains, turns abruptly to a course a little east of north, forty miles, and receives the Frankstown branch below and near the borough of Huntingdon, in Huntington county. The general course of Frankstown branch is from north-west to south-east, and below their junction, the united streams follow that course fifteen miles breaking through Jack's mountain. Again inflected to north-east, the Juniata leaves Huntingdon and enters Mifflin county, and pursuing that direction near thirty miles, passes Lewistown, and again wind- ing south and south-east, breaks through Shade mountain into Tuscarora valley. Crossing that valley, in a course of ten miles, it reaches the north-west base of Tuscarora mountain down which it flows ten miles, where, near Millerstown, it pierces the latter in Perry county, over which it flows fifteen miles to the Susque- hannah River.
Like other branches of the Susquehannah, the Juniata, is as remarkable for its rapid course as for its exemption from perpendicular falls. Though originating in, and having its entire course amongst craggy mountains, it is navigable at high water to near Bedford.t
The Potomac derives but a small portion of its waters from Pennsylvania. It
* The State Canal follows the bed of the river along the main stem and North branch, 126 miles from Columbia to the dam at Nanticoke falls, and along the west branch about 60 miles from Northumberland to the mouth of the Bald Eagle River.
+ The State canal follows the valley of this river to Holidaysburg at the eastern base of the Allegheny mountain, where the rail road portage commences.
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RIVERS.
has its sources in nearly the highest table land of the Appalachian system. The extreme western fountain, of the north branch, is in the south-east slopes of the Allegheny or Backbone chain, N. Lat. 39º 10'. Flowing north-east along the foot of the Allegheny to the mouth of Savage creek, or thirty-five miles south- east, through Will's mountain, into Cumberland valley, which it crosses about ten miles, it is again turned to north-east twenty miles, and continuing thus, it reaches the town of Cumberland. At the latter place, occurs another abrupt bend through a mountain pass into the South Branch valley. The latter stream is of much greater magnitude than the Potomac proper. Rising by numerous creeks in Pendleton county, Virginia, as far south as north Lat. 28º 20', in general comparative course of one hundred miles, the South branch becomes a fine navigable river. Below the mouth of the South branch, the Poto- mac gradually reassumes a north-east direction, which it preserves about thirty miles to Hancock's town, where it turns to the south-east, and pierces Sideling hill chain and in a few miles lower down, the Kittatinny, entering the Great Conecocheague valley. From Hancock's town the course of the Potomac is a little south of east, twenty-five miles. Afterwards, the river inclines to south-east by south, twenty-five miles to the north-west base of the Blue Ridge and mouth of Shenandoah. Rising in and draining Augusta county in Virginia, the South branch of Shenandoah rises below N. Lat. 38º. Augmented by innu- merable mountain streams, it flows from Augusta over Rockingham and Shenan- doah into Frederick county, where, joined by the North branch, and continuing a general course of north-east over Frederick and Jefferson counties, it unites with the Potomac at Harper's ferry, after a comparative course of about one hundred and fifty miles. At their junction, the volume of the Shenandoah yields very little in magnitude to that of the Potomac. The united waters immediately break through the Blue Ridge, and continuing south east about fifty miles, mingle with the Chesapeake tides at Georgetown, within the District of Columbia. The general comparative course of the Potomac above tide water, is by the south branch about two hundred ; by the Potomac proper, one hundred and fifty, and by the Shenandoah one hundred and sixty miles.
Like those of the Delaware and Susquehannah, the great confluents of the Potomac, are from the right bank.
Savage river and Will's creek from Allegheny, Conecocheague from Washing- ton, and Monocacy from Frederick county in Maryland, are comparatively trivial, when compared with the branches of Potomac derived from Virginia.
At Cumberland, the Potomac reaches within five, and at Hancock's town with- in two miles of the south boundary of Pennsylvania.
Leaving the Atlantic slope, we perceive a great river valley stretching from Pocahontas county, Virginia, over western Pennsylvania into New-York. This valley extends nearly due north and south at an angle of about forty-five degrees, to the range of the Appalachian mountains, and reaches from N. Lat. 38° 30' to N. Lat. 42º 20. The extremes giving sources to two rivers that of the north to the Allegheny, and that of the south to the Monongahela. These streams flow- ing directly towards each other nieet at Pittsburg very nearly at the middle point of the valley. Their united waters taking the name of Ohio turns to the west, or rather north-west, as far as the entrance of Big Beaver river. With a very partial exception, western Pennsylvania is drained by the Allegheny and Monongahela.
Having its source in Potter county in Pennsylvania, and interlocking with the head branches of the Susquehannah and Genessee, the Allegheny flows north- west about fifty miles into Catarangus county, New-York. Abruptly turning to south west and preserving that general course one hundred miles, and receiving French creek from the north-east, it thence bends to south-east forty miles, to the mouth of Mahoning. About the middle of the latter course, Clarion river and Red Bank creek, two large branches, enter from the north-east. From Mahoning to Pittsburg, the general course is again south-east about fifty miles .*
Kiskiminitas, a very considerable accessory stream of the Allegheny river,
* The state canal runs along the west bank of the river from opposite the mouth of the Kiskiminitas to Pittsburg, somewhat more than 30 miles.
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RIVERS.
rises in the mountain valley, between the Allegheny and Chesnut Ridge chains, and flowing north-west, breaks through Chesnut and Laurel Hill, and after a comparative course of seventy-five miles, unites with the Allegheny, near mid- way between the mouth of Mahoning and Pittsburg. From the mouth of this river, the state canal extends along its valley, and that of the Conemaugh (another name for the same stream) to Johnstown, a distance of about 70 miles.
Mahoning and Red Bank creeks have their sources in Chesnut Ridge, and with each a course of about thirty-five miles, the former north-west, and the latter, south-west, join the Allegheny in Armstrong county. Toby's Creek or Clarion river has interlocking sources with those of Sinnemahoning and the Allegheny river. The Red bank rises in the same region with Clarion river and Sinnema- honing ; and Mahoning with Red Bank, and the west branch of Susquehannah.
In point of surface drained, Kiskiminitas is the largest confluent of the Alle- gheny and it has interlocking sources with those of the west branch of Susque- hannah, Juniata, and Youghiogheny.
Allegheny river receives but two considerable tributaries from the right, French, and Conewango creeks. The latter rises in Chatauque county, New-York, by three branches ; the Chatauque, Casadauga and Conewango, which unite in New-York, and forming a navigable stream, assume a south course, enter Warren county, Pennsylvania, and fall into the Allegheny, at the town of Warren after a comparative course of forty miles.
French creek has its source in the extreme south-west angle of New-York, and increased by numerous branches from Erie and Crawford counties, Pennsylvania, forms a navigable river at Meadville. Flowing to the south-east from Meadville twenty-five miles, it unites with the Allegheny river at Franklin, in Venango county. The entire comparative course of French creek is about eighty miles. Along this stream the state canal has been excavated 19} miles towards the mouth.
There is no other feature in the hydrography of the United States more remark- able than the country from which Chatauque and French creeks have their sources. The extreme north-west waters of the former flow from within three, and of the latter, from within five, miles of the margin of Lake Erie.
The Allegheny and its branches are the recipients of the northern part of the great western basin of Pennsylvania, and are but little impeded by falls though their current is rapid.
The Monongahela, formed by two branches, the Monongahela proper and Cheat river, which rise in Pocahontas, Randolph, Harrison, Lewis, Monongahela and Preston counties, of Virginia, and unite two miles within the south boundary of Pennsylvania. The general length above Pennsylvania, about one hundred miles nearly a north course. Preserving the latter direction sixty miles in Pennsylva- nia, and receiving the Youghiogheny from the south-east, the Monongahela mingles with the Allegheny at Pittsburg and forms the Ohio.
The various branches of the Monongahela which derive their sources from the western chains of the Appalachian system similar to the Potomac, claim a more than ordinary share of attention, as forming the proposed link in a great line of canal improvement. Cheat river flows from the north-western slope of the Alle- gheny mountain, and draining the eastern part of Randolph county, passes Chesnut Ridge, enters Preston county, and there a navigable stream, continues north, to within five miles of the south boundary of Pennsylvania. Turning to the west it crosses the south line of Pennsylvania and unites with the Mononga- hela.
Youghiogheny rises in the extreme south-western angle of Maryland, between the sources of Potomac and Cheat rivers. Pursuing a northern course into Penn- sylvania, and augmented by Castleman's river, its northern branch, it turns to north-west, and breaking through Chesnut Ridge and Laurel Hill, joins the Monongahela at M'Keesport, eighteen miles above Pittsburg. This is a fine mountain stream which, in all seasons except in periods of long drought, contains more than sufficient water for a supply of the most capacious canal ; general comparative course, about one hundred miles ; thirty in Maryland, and seventy in Pennsylvania. The Youghiogheny heads with the Cheat branch of Monongahela, with the north branch of Potomac, and by Castleman's river, with Juniata and
3
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Kıskiminitas. At Pittsburg, the Ohio is formed by the confluence of the Alle- gheny and Monongahela. The former is the principal stream. From Pittsburgh to Beaver river, the Ohio pursues a north-west course twenty-five miles; thence winding to the west twenty miles, in which it leaves Pennsylvania and enters into Ohio. Within the latter state, the Ohio river inflects to a course a little west of south, seventy miles ; reaching in that direction, nearly the same latitude with the south boundary of Pennsylvania. The peculiar courses of the Monongahela and Ohio, form one of the most remarkable intermediate peninsulas presented by the topography of the United States. The two streams flow in very nearly oppo- site directions, the intervening space being from thirty-five to forty miles wide with a mean length of sixty miles. Though hilly, rather than mountainous, this peninsula is elevated to from 600 to 1000 feet in the dividing line of its waters, above the adjacent rivers. A number of creeks, none of which can exceed a com- parative course of twenty-five miles, are poured from the interior spine into the respective recipients. The dividing ridge is evidently continued north of Ohio river, broken by that stream a few miles below Pittsburg. The northern exten- sion is continued, infecting between the western sources of Allegheny, and the eastern sources of Big Beaver river, and is finally lost on the south-eastern shores of Lake Erie; the southern, stretching between the confluents of Ohio and Monongahela rivers, mingles with the Appalachian chains between the sources of the latter and Little Kenhawa. This ridge is the western buttress of the upper basin of Ohio, and affords a very striking example of the real difference between a chain of hills and one of mountains. The ascent by the rivers to the Western ridge of Pennsylvania is so gradual, and the hills scattered in such promiscuous windings, through the sources of the streams, that an ascent of six or seven hun- dred feet, in a few miles, is imperceptible ; on the contrary, the mountain chains extend in regular lines uninfluenced in their direction, by the water courses and are abrupt and steep in their declivities. The mountain seems to have existed pre- vious to the rivers, whilst the hills appear to have been formed by the abrasion of water.
Big Beaver, the first river which enters the Ohio, pours its current from the north, and falls into its recipient, twenty-five miles below the confluence of the Alle- gheny and Monongahela : Big Beaver is formed by the Mahoning, Shenango, Neshannock and Conequenessing creeks. The Shenango rises in Ashtabula county, of Ohio, and Crawford of Pennsylvania, within twelve miles of the south-east shore of Lake Erie, interlocking sources with those of Grand river, Conneaut, and French creek, and pursuing a nearly south course of Mercer, re- ceives the Conequenessing from the north-east and entering Beaver county, unites with the Mahoning and forms Big Beaver. The Mahoning is, in reality, the main branch ; rising in Columbiana, Stark, Trumbull and Portage counties, Ohio ; its course is first nearly north, thirty miles to near Warren of Trumbull. Winding to south east, it pursues that course thirty-five miles, entering Pennsyl- vania in the south-west angle of Mercer and joining the Shenango at N. Lat. 41°, about two miles within Beaver county. Below the junction of the Mahoning and Shenango, Big Beaver flows a little east of south, twenty miles into Ohio river. Conequenessing is the eastern constituent stream of Beaver, draining the peninsula between the Allegheny, Ohio, Big Beaver and Shenango rivers. The State Canal follows this stream to the town of Newcastle 24; miles from its mouth.
The valley of Big Beaver is nearly circular and about seventy miles diameter ; area 5850 square miles. It is worthy of remark, that the general courses are nearly on a direct north-west line ; of the Youghiogheny below the mouth of Cas- tleman's river, Monongahela and Ohio from the mouth of Youghiogheny to that of Big Beaver, and the latter, and Mahoning, to about three miles above Warren. This range of navigable water is from one hundred and eighty to two hundred miles, following the sinuosities of the streams.
The sources of the Mahoning interlock with those of the Tuscarawas branch of Muskingum, and Cuyahoga and Grand river of Lake Erie.
GEOLOGY .- The Geologists have divided the State of Pennsylvania, as the United States, into three great sections ; the boundaries of which are irregular and very in-
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GEOLOGY.
accurately defined, viz. : the Primitive, Transition and Secondary. But neither of these divisions, though composed, chiefly, of the rocks which characterize it, is unmixed with the strata, which pertain to some one of the other divisions. The secondary perhaps is the most uniform, The following abstract is drawn from the memoir of Mr. W. Maclure, published in the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 1. New Series, 1818. Subsequent and more minute explorations of the land, may have already detected some errors in the views of this gentleman ; and more, perhaps, will yet be discovered, but we know of no general description entitled to greater consideration. The observations of Mr. Maclure, he assures us, " are the result of many former excursions in the United States, and the knowledge lately acquired by crossing the dividing line of the principal formations, in twenty-five or thirty different places, from the Hudson to the Flint River ; as well as from intelligent men whose situation and experience made the nature of the places near which they lived, familiar to them ; nor has the information which could be acquired by specimens where the locality was accurately marked, or the remarks of judicious travellers, been neglected."
The South-eastern portion of the state is classed with the primitive formation ; to which classification the small portion of alluvial, overlaying the primi- tive rock, should not be deemed an exception. "The Northwestern boundary of this formation, is marked by a line running fifteen to twenty miles East of Lake Champlain ; twelve miles East of Middlebury, State of Vermont; west of Ben- nington, twelve to fifteen miles ; East of Hudson, along the westward of Stock- bridge; twelve miles southeast of Poughkeepsie, skirting the Highlands; it crosses the Hudson River, at Phillipstown, by Sparta, about ten or fifteen miles East of Easton, on the Delaware, and terminates in a point a few miles North of Bethlehem, recovering, fifteen miles west of Trenton. On the south side of the river, it passes about the same distance west of Philadelphia, eight miles East of Downingstown, terminates East of York, by Petersberg, crosses the Sus- quehannah twenty-two miles west of Washington; and joins the Blue Ridge, along the top of which is the dividing line between the primitive, and transition, to Magotty Gap, from thence to four miles East of the lead mines at Austinville, and following a southwestern direction, by the stony and iron mountains, six miles southeast of the warm springs in Buncomb county, in North Carolina, to the east- ward of Hightown on the Coresee River ; and a little to the westward of the Tal- apoosee river, it meets the alluvial near to the Alabama, which runs into the bay of Mexico .*
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