History of Venango County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, including, Part 2

Author: Bell, Herbert C. (Herbert Charles), 1868-
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago : Brown, Runk & Co.
Number of Pages: 1323

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And the hills that skirt the Allegheny in Venango county, and above and below, stand among the first in their attractiveness. Among the larger trees are the oaks and chestnuts and maples, with their wonderful hues of brown and scarlet and yellow and red, while among the smaller are the

PHYSICAL FEATURES.

hickory, with its deep rich yellow; the sassafras, with its changing glints from scarlet to yellow; and the sumach, with its golden tints. Then there are the evergreen trees, with their undying green; the hemlock and pine, mingling their sober radiance with the more gaudy color of their neighbors, like dark shadows in the midst of the summer sunshine, forming a picture of wondrous beauty, and with the ravines and the changing course of the river making a constant variety in the landscape.

The Indian in his canoe and the Frenchman in his bateau, as they floated down the river with such a picture on either hand, must have been attracted by the view, and the latter might well call the stream La Belle Ohio. And although the canoe and the bateau, and even the steamer have ceased to glide over the river, other modes of travel still bring in the autumn time glimpses of scenery that are never forgotten.

These hills are not only clothed with the autumn foliage that is the pre- cursor of death, but with the rich spring flowers that are the adornment of life. In many places the wild honey suckle, whose flowers anticipate its leaves, deck the early spring months. The low laurel, as it is called, blooms in great profusion, and in many places the high laurel, an American Rho- dodendron, throws up its high spikes of flowers, with hues from pink to white in variety and magnificence such as the English Rhododendrons of Hyde Park and Warwick Castle never dreamed of.

To those who take a nearer view there are flowers of more modest pre- tensions, hiding away underneath the shrubbery, that are full of attraction. The ladies' slippers, with their hoods of pink and bright yellow and yellow- ish green leaves ridged and corrugated; the violet, the spring beauty, and above all, the trailing arbutus, first and foremost of all the flowers of the forest in delicacy of tint and fragrance that seems not distilled of earth, all * combine to make the landscape beautiful.

All this beauty must have clothed the hills as with a regal robe, as the Indians roamed the forest and the Frenchman indulged in dreams of empire in the newly discovered region of the West. And when it became the per- manent dwelling place of those who could see God in nature as well as in grace, and who could appreciate the beautiful things of earth as well as of the skies, these natural beauties were a strong attraction to the place. They linger among us still, the flowers on the hill sides, the fragrance they distill from earth and air and exhale upon the breath of the atmosphere as it is borne to our senses, and the feeling is one of thankfulness and trust.

The county is well watered. A singular feature is that fine springs are found at the tops of the highest hills and are perennial in their supplies.

The prevailing stone is sandstone, although limestone is found in the southern part. The hills rest on the old foundations, yet in many places they bear evidence of upheaval and the action of fire. Near the base of some of these hills the stone is of good quality for building, yet cracked and broken

HISTORY OF VENANGO COUNTY.

and seamed so as to be entirely worthless. Perhaps in the stratum under- lying this there are fine flag stones, bearing still on their faces the ripple marked rain pats of the primeval ages, when these rocks were but beds of sand. In other places the underlying rock seems to have been kneaded and pressed together when in a plastic form, until it is almost impossible to penetrate or quarry it, giving evidence of the action of great heat.

Iron ore is found in many parts of the county, not of such richness as is found in other states, but that will yield a good per centum of metal.

And as the earliest inhabitants of this region passed over its soil and pursued their game, or cultivated their favored spots in corn, there was a wealth all unseen or undreamed of beneath their feet that was to come forth in the latter days when civilization and refinement should require its aid. Great seas of oil and stores of gas were awaiting the time of need when wood should become scarce, and when the great industries of life should re- quire the aid of something more potent than the simple arrangements of savage life. In all these matters, Venango county has been highly favored.

The Allegheny river has had several names. The Shawnese Indians called it Palawa-Thoriki; the Delawares named it Alligawi Sipu, after a race of Indians which they believed had once dwelt upon the stream. This tribe were called Alleghans by Colden in the London edition of his work, and Lewis Evans, on his map published in 1755, calls the river the Alleghan. The Senecas called it Ho-he-u, which name the French adopted, con- necting it with the Ohio as the same stream. In French documents it is called La Belle Rivière, Oheo or Ohio, meaning the beautiful river. It must have been a beautiful and majestic stream in the days. when the whole coun- try was covered with forests, and when there was consequently a calm regu- lar flow during the entire season without droughts or unusual overflows. It has a winding current, and whilst in this county its general course is south- erly, such is the devious course it runs amid the hills that in some parts of its progress it runs toward every point of the compass.

The hills on either side of the river rise up rather precipitously, perhaps to the height of five hundred feet. But they are never rugged or bare when in a state of nature. The greatest variety and luxuriance of vegetation are found everywhere. Lofty trees, both deciduous and evergreen, rise from the base to the lofty summit that is the general level of the country. So this great river is like a mighty rending furrow that has been cut through the primeval soil and rock, making a pathway for the waters and a compar- atively level thoroughfare for the exigencies of trade and travel.

French creek, the stream that winds its way through the county seat, is in these last days but an insignificant creek, without interest or attraction of any kind; yet when we trace its history backward one hundred and forty years we find it crowded with interest and full of romantic adventure. It has played no unimportant part in the struggle for empire, in which the

PHYSICAL FEATURES.

denizens of the forest, the crowns of France and England, as well as the people of the United States, have been engaged.

Taking its way through portions of but three counties, it has yet been the scene of active interest in the contest between England and France, between England and the Indians, and between England and the United States. It has been defended by more military works than any other stream of equal length in the United States. But in these later times it has sub- sided to quietness and peace,

"Like a warrior taking his rest,

With his martial cloak around him."

It takes its origin in Chautauqua county, New York, passes into Erie county, thence into Crawford, impinges on Mercer, and through Venango enters the Allegheny river. George Washington describes it as being "a crooked stream, but passing through much good land, embracing many rich meadows." The French used the strean as their highway to the Ohio, bring- ing their material of war down its channel.

It has had various names. The French called it Rivière aux Bœufs. This was the name Celoron gave it in 1749. In Coffin's narrative in 1754 it is called Le Bœuff, meaning Buffalo or Beef river. It was also called Venango river. But Washington, in his practical way, called it French creek, the name it still continues to bear.

In later days it was used by the settlers for boating purposes. In 1813 all the naval stores needed for the construction of Perry's fleet were brought from Pittsburgh to Franklin, and then up the creek to Waterford, and then by land to Erie. It was a source of wonder to the English where these stores came from, as they had possession of the lakes, and did not know of this internal system of navigation. Still later it was used to carry lumber and farm productions to the Pittsburgh and southern markets.

It is likely that when Washington navigated its waters in 1753, it was a broad, deep stream, keeping up its navigable qualities throughout the year. The whole country was covered with forests. The swamps kept up a con- stant supply by holding the rains in reserve. But the time of navigation has gone by, and its greatness is but a memory and a feature of its history. Yet the important part it played in the history of the country's struggles will always form an interesting page in the great volume that is to be made up in recounting the story of the past.

Oil creek had few elements of greatness until a comparatively late day. It comes into the county from Crawford and winds its way among the hills, with here and there a stretch of valley that in time afforded farms for the early settlers. The hills on either side are somewhat precipitous, increasing in altitude as they approach the banks of the Allegheny, into which they at length merge themselves. But this creek was to have a history that should be world-wide when the proper time should come.

HISTORY OF VENANGO COUNTY.

Sugar creek is a tributary of French creek, joining it about two miles above its mouth. It runs through a beautiful region of country with level ground and a good soil, and with delightful springs entering it from the neighboring hills. Some of the flats adjoining it must have been the favor- ite resorts of the Indians, as the evidence of their presence would indicate.

Farther up is Mill creek, coming in from the opposite side of French creek, and above this Deer creek. Then below French creek, on either side of the Allegheny, are the Sandy creeks. So popular was this name that it has been repeated no less than four times within the limit of a few miles. There are Big Sandy, Little Sandy, South Sandy and East Sandy. Still farther south are Scrubgrass and Little Scrubgrass. Above Oil creek are Horse creek and Hemlock creek, flowing into the Allegheny from the south, and Pithole creek on the north, while in every section of the county are small runs that materially assist in the drainage of its lands.

CHAPTER II.

MOUND BUILDERS AND INDIANS.

TRACES OF A MYSTERIOUS RACE-PREHISTORIC REMAINS AT FRANKLIN AND OIL CREEK-HISTORY RE-ENACTED-INDIAN OCCUPATION OF THIS COUNTY AT THE TIME OF THE FRENCH POSSESSION-TRIBAL CONNECTIONS-CUSTALOGA-GUYASUTHA-CORNPLANT- ER-TRADITIONS-INDIAN GOD ROCK.

W E can not go very far back in the history of Venango county. The sands of time have gathered upon the pathway of the past and ob- literated the foot-prints of the passing multitude. That this continent is ancient as any portion of the globe is evident from the geological records. There is some evidence that it was the first land to emerge from the chaotic mass of water. But of its earliest inhabitants we have no knowledge save from a few foot-prints that are well nigh obliterated. One or two such foot- prints of a mysterious race that once possessed this country we have very near to us.

Up on the bluff that overlooks Franklin was to be seen, up to a few years ago, an arrangement that had the appearance of an outlook over the river and creek. Its site is so located that it covers at a single glance the entire plot of the town, and at the same time the river nearly up to Oil City and as far down as the Cochran farm. Then there is in full view French 'creek from its mouth many miles up stream.

MOUND BUILDERS AND INDIANS.

The appearance of the point was peculiar. There was first a pit in form like an inverted cone, or like the den of the ant lion. It was regularly formed, some eight feet in diameter, and six to eight feet in depth, and lined with stones neatly laid, and forming a symmetrical wall. These stones were brought from a distance, and were nearly uniform in size. The point could not have been better chosen for an outlook on the river or creek.

By whom was this simple yet substantial work prepared ? Certainly not by the Indians. They never went to the trouble of doing any such work. A tree or a fallen log or rock afforded them sufficient shelter, without think- ing of anything more elaborate. It was perhaps the remains of a prehis- toric fortification, utilized by the French as a point of observation.

Again, the ancient oil pits reach far back of the historic period. They are found on Oil creek. These pits are very numerous and bear the mark of antiquity. They are generally oblong in form, about four by six feet, and from four to six feet in depth, notwithstanding the wear and tear of centuries. and the accumulation of extraneous matter. The deeper and larger ones have been cribbed with timber at the sides to preserve their form. This crib- bing was roughly done; the logs were split in halves, stripped of their bark, and safely adjusted at the corners. The walls seem to have been so thor- oughly saturated with oil as to be preserved almost entire to this day.

These pits are on the west side of Oil creek, about two miles below Titus- ville, and in this county. They cover perhaps five hundred acres of land, and there may be in all two thousand pits. In some cases large trees grow in the pits and on the septa that divide them, showing their antiquity.

Not far from the mouth of Oil creek there was another ancient discovery. In digging the tail-race for a saw mill there was brought to light what had evidently been a deep shaft with its sides lined with timbers set in endwise that still preserved the clear outlines of the shaft. All had been buried up in the mud and soil that had accumulated over it and where its presence might have remained unknown to the end of time, had it not been disturbed by the movements of business and American enterprise.

Again the question arises, By whom were these ancient works built? Certainly not by the Indians. They had no means of collecting oil on so large a scale. They never labored for any purpose, save on the hunt or the warpath. They could give no account of the work. Neither was it by the French. There is no mention of the business of collecting oil in any of their letters or journals. Besides, there is a growth of timber in these pits and on the septa that divide them that shows that they antedate the era of the French, if not even the coming of Columbus.

Undoubtedly there was a people on this continent that have left their foot-prints from New Mexico to the great lakes, of whom we are wholly ignorant. For want of a better' name we call them "Mound Builders." Although we have but dim traces of the existence of those early settlers of

HISTORY OF VENANGO COUNTY.

America in Venango county, what we have are but cumulative evidences of their presence and power in the land, and when added to still stronger evi- dences in the West and in Central America, they leave no doubt of their existence at some remote period of time.

It is no objection to the facts of history written all over the continent, that they must have been overcome and destroyed by the Indians, an inferior and savage race. The same thing has occurred again and again in recorded history. Two thousand years ago Greece fell from the very summit of civil- ization and art and letters, before an inferior people. Rome, while con- sidered the "Mistress of the World," and powerful above any nation that had ever risen in the history of time, in the arts of war and of peace, fell before the barbarous Goths and Vandals and Huns, and even to-day much of her glory lies buried in the dust of the ages.

So with these early settlers on American soil. We call them "Mound Builders," but their structures of stone in towns and cities show that they had cultivation and art and skill far in advance of the Indians who succeeded them; yet, in some remarkable way, they were overcome and supplanted in their possessions, and so utterly ruined that not even their name or the manner of their fate has come down to our day-an impressive lesson of the vanity of earthly fame and the uncertainty of human glory.

At the time the Indians became known to us through the French, they were numerous and powerful. There were certain favorite localities where they settled down in nomadic style, yet always ready to remove and seek new locations as the exigencies of the seasons or the encroachment of other tribes might demand. They had their hunting grounds and their corn fields, the former where the men spent their time, and the latter where the women sought to eke out a scanty or a full living, as circumstances might determine.

There is reason to think that Franklin was a favorite resort. Indeed, it was an old Indian town when the French first took possession. An early. writer says that there was an old Indian town called Weningo, on the Ohio (Allegheny), before the French came to erect their fortifications. It was fav- orable to their modes of life. The land was level and the soil rich and adapted to their meager kind of cultivation. In many parts of what is now- the city of Franklin quantities of bones have been disinterred in excavating for cellars; the common stone arrowhead and tomahawks of the same ma- terial have been found in abundance, denoting the age before association with white men; while quantities of rude glass beads have shown that it was their home after the days of presents and barter had commenced with civilized men. Its proximity to the river and creek made this a desirable point for fishing, and for passing easily from place to place in their bark canoes.

Two Mile run, above Franklin, was also a great resort; there temporary homes were erected and the rich flats cultivated in corn. This is true also of

MOUND BUILDERS AND INDIANS.

many other points along the river as level portions of land were developed, and the ground subdued to the mode of cultivation that was common among them.

But while the Senecas or Six Nations held such iron sway in this region, they were not by any means independent of other tribes. Indeed, there was at times, if not always, a confederation that bound all these tribes together for the common purposes of defense against enemies from without. This is clearly shown in the great struggle with the English, after the French had withdrawn from the country, in the days of the great Pontiac.

When the French appeared upon the scene, there were first the Jesuit and Franciscan priests, bearing the olive branch of peace and good-will, preaching the gospel to the Indians, and exploring the country with great assiduity and perseverance. Then came the mission of Gallissoniere, under the leadership of Celoron, soon followed by the expedition that was to build forts for the defense of the country, both as against the Indians and the English. But all this was with the largest professions of friendship to the best interests of the Indians. They promised to build trading houses and establish places of exchange that would be to the mutual advantage of both parties.

The English government made no such pretensions, but, while not un- willing to trade with the Indians, always acted on the characteristic pre- sumption that the country belonged to them. It is not strange, then, that during all the strife between the French and English the Indians were on the side of the former, and fought with them in the strife that commenced on the river below.

These people made a brave defense for what they called their homes, yet is there more of sentiment than reason in the notion that they were driven from them and deprived of their rights by the invading white population. No doubt many cases of wrong and injustice and inexcusable violence occurred in the struggle between barbarism and civilization, between heath- enism and Christianity; but " manifest destiny " was proclaiming that this continent was not designed as a hunting ground for a few painted savages, but the home of a great nation that was to subdue it and exert an influence for good upon all the nations of the earth. And so the Indians gave way and moved westward, and lands were cultivated; towns and cities were builded; the worship of the living God was permanently established; Chris- tian churches pointed their spires heavenward; the arts and sciences were cultivated, and prosperity everywhere abounded.

Where were those Indians from? Who were they? How did they gain possession of this great continent? The whole question is one involved in mystery that we have not the light to solve. We have but the fact of their -existence and meager traces of their history.

At the first this region was peopled by the Cat Indians, or Eries, a mild,

HISTORY OF VENANGO COUNTY.

peaceable race of people that extended from Lake Ontario along the south- ern shore of Lake Erie. Tradition states-this tribe was, at one time, ruled by a queen named, Ya-go-wan-rea, who, like the queen of Palmyra, after ruling with dignity and justice, at length fell a victim to the jealously and intolerance of the surrounding tribes.

Schoolcraft relates that the Eries being pressed by their enemies, grad- ually moved toward the Ohio (Allegheny) river, where their council fires were soon after put out, and they ceased to be known as a tribe. The date of this extinction is 1653.

That terrible confederacy of the Indian tribes, known first as the Five, and afterward as the Six Nations, was formed and extended its sway far and wide. From the Mohawk river, they extended their conquests west- ward like the occan tide, sweeping everything from their pathway until they reached the Mississippi, kindling their council fires throughout the whole northern portion of the Allegheny valley. The Eries, as a nation, were exterminated in this path of conquest, and their broken fragments- absorbed by these "Romans of America."

At the beginning of the historic period the Six Nations, or Iroquois, were in possession of the country, and with them we have to deal in the early history of the county. They were first with the French, then with the English, seeking what seemed to be their own interests and guided by that principle alone.

There were probably heroic souls among these Indians from the first. But they had no historians to hand down their deeds to posterity. In the many terrible wars that were sometimes waged almost to extermination, there must have been leaders equal in many respects to any of those found in the historic nations. Savage life and savage virtues did not quench the fires of genius, or bring all men down to a common level. Without the knowledge. of civilized men there were Indian chiefs that were the peers of the heroes- of ancient Rome. Pontiac was a great man in his day, though overpow- ered by the scientific warfare of his civilized foes.

As among other people, there were men of influence and authority among- the Indians. They rose by natural talent, assisted by circumstances and confirmed by actual experience. There were men among these people who would have figured grandly in ancient Rome by far-seeing power, by the art- of combination, by their magnetic influence over men, and by their magnifi- cent bravery on the field of strife. Sometimes their great chiefs wielded power over special tribes and sometimes they were the acknowledged leaders. over many tribes combined. It seems fitting, then, to sketch a few of the mighty chiefs who were associated with Venango county, and whose ashes. rest near to us, in the common sleep of savage and civilized men.

Custaloga was a famous man in his day. He was the chief of the Dela- wares in this part of the country. Although the territory belonged to-

MOUND BUILDERS AND INDIANS.

the Senecas, with their permission he had a town on French creek, some twelve miles above its mouth and near the mouth of Deer creek, that was known as Custaloga's Town. Custaloga is spoken of by Washington in his journal. A friend and ally of the French, he was at the battle of Great Meadows and at Braddock's defeat in 1755. He was a man of great ability, and seemed endowed with a greater foresight than most of the Indian chiefs; perceiving the coming downfall of the French, he was one of the first to form an alliance with the English. In the peace treaties that followed in subsequent years, we find him an ardent friend to peace with the white people. We do not know when or where he died, but the natural suppo- sition is that in his old age he would seek the quiet of his own village on French creek. There were several prominent Indian graves at this place, the remains of which are seen to this day, and we may well conclude that in one of these grass-grown mounds the old chief sleeps his last sleep.

Guyasutha was one of the most prominent of all the Indian sachems on the Allegheny. He was a man of great ability and good judgment, an im- placable enemy, and a firm friend. In his youth he accompanied Wash- ington in his trip to Venango, and is probably known in his journal as "the . Hunter." We find him on all occasions and in all places, in times of peace, and in times of war. He was equally at home in pursuing the red deer in the forest, and on the warpath with his paint and feathers. Neville B. Craig, of " The Olden Time," had seen him and speaks of him as an ubiquitous character, who long acted a conspicuous part near the Ohio. He had been the great leader in the burning of Hannastown, and in other operations at that time.

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History of Venango County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, including, Part 2

Author: Bell, Herbert C. (Herbert Charles), 1868- Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago : Brown, Runk & Co. Number of Pages: 1323

Author: Bell, Herbert C. (Herbert Charles), 1868-
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago : Brown, Runk & Co.
Number of Pages: 1323