Great Shamokin Path

{{Short description|Historic trail in Pennsylvania}} {{Use American English|date=April 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}} [[Image:Great Shamokin Path Historical Marker.JPG|thumb|250px|Great Shamokin Path Pennsylvania Historical Marker on [[Pennsylvania Route 150]] west of Lock Haven]]

'''The Great Shamokin Path''' (also known as the '''Shamokin Path''') was a major [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] trail in the [[U.S. State]] of [[Pennsylvania]] that ran from the native village of [[Shamokin (village)|Shamokin]] (modern-day [[Sunbury, Pennsylvania|Sunbury]]) along the left bank of the [[West Branch Susquehanna River]] north and then west to the Great Island (near modern-day [[Lock Haven, Pennsylvania|Lock Haven]]). There it left the river and continued further west to [[Chinklacamoose]] (what is now the borough of [[Clearfield, Pennsylvania|Clearfield]]) and finally [[Kittanning (village)|Kittanning]] on the [[Allegheny River]].

The Great Shamokin Path connected settlements along the [[Susquehanna River]] with those on the Allegheny River (and the [[Ohio River]] downstream of Kittanning). For several decades in the early 18th century, the villages of Shamokin and Kittanning were two of the most important Native American villages in Pennsylvania. The colonists recorded the path as used by [[Moravian Church|Moravian]] [[Bishop]] Ettwein and his group of some 200 [[Lenape]] and [[Mohican]] [[Christians]] in 1772. They traveled west along the path from their village of Friedenshütten (''Cabins of Peace'') near modern [[Wyalusing, Pennsylvania|Wyalusing]] on the North Branch of the Susquehanna to their new village of Friedensstadt (''City of Peace'') on the [[Beaver River (Pennsylvania)|Beaver River]] in southwestern Pennsylvania.

Today a {{convert|4|mi|adj=on}} long [[rail trail]] in [[Armstrong County, Pennsylvania|Armstrong County]] follows a short portion of the Great Shamokin Path, and the former course of the Rural Valley Railroad.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.armstrongcounty.com/hike.php?id=4| title=The Great Shamokin Path| publisher=Armstrong County, Pennsylvania| access-date=2008-08-02| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070502041428/http://www.armstrongcounty.com/hike.php?id=4| archive-date=2007-05-02| url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Susquehanna to the Allegheny== [[File:Bishop John Ettwein.png|upright|thumbnail|left|In 1772, John Ettwein<ref>{{cite web| url=http://bdhp.moravian.edu/personal_papers/memoirs/jettwein/jettwein.html| title=Appendix to the Report of the Gemeine in Bethlehem from the Month of January, 1802 containing the Lebenslauf of our late blessed beloved Brother Johannes Ettwein Bishop in the Church of the Brethren| website=Bethlehem Digital History Project| others=transcription & translation by Katherine E. Carté}}</ref> and his group of some 200 Christian [[Lenape]] and [[Mohican]] traveled west along The Great Shamokin Path from their village of Friedenshütten (''Cabins of Peace'') near modern [[Wyalusing, Pennsylvania|Wyalusing]] on the [[Susquehanna River|North Branch Susquehanna River]] to their new village of [http://trailofhopeblog.com/2011/04/878/ Friedensstadt (''City of Peace'')] on the [[Beaver River (Pennsylvania)|Beaver River]] in southwestern Pennsylvania.]]

The village of Shamokin was just south of the "forks of the Susquehanna", the [[confluence (geography)|confluence]] of the West Branch Susquehanna River with the Susquehanna River (also known as the North Branch). From there, the Great Shamokin Path headed north and [[ford (crossing)|forded]] the river (where current [[Northumberland, Pennsylvania|Northumberland]] developed), then went along the left (west) bank of the West Branch Susquehanna River to the [[Shawnee]] town of Chillisquaque on [[Chillisquaque Creek]]. The path continued north through what are now [[Milton, Pennsylvania|Milton]] and [[Watsontown, Pennsylvania|Watsontown]], where the path forked into two branches, both leading to Canaserage on [[Muncy Creek]] (today [[Muncy, Pennsylvania|Muncy]]).

At Canaserage the river and path turned west. At least two other paths led northeast: the [[Wyalusing Path]] (along Muncy Creek to [[Wyalusing, Pennsylvania|Wyalusing]]); and the [https://books.google.com/books?id=WPFYoBL6bGsC&dq=towanda+path&pg=PA119 Towanda Path] (to [[Towanda, Pennsylvania|Towanda]]), both on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River.

The Great Shamokin Path led west to the village of Otstonwakin (now [[Montoursville, Pennsylvania|Montoursville]]) on [[Loyalsock Creek]] at the confluence with the West Branch of the Susquehanna, and upriver to French Margaret's Town (developed as western [[Williamsport, Pennsylvania|Williamsport]]) on [[Lycoming Creek]]. The [[Sheshequin Path]] led north along Lycoming Creek to Sheshequin (now [[Ulster, Pennsylvania|Ulster]]) on the North Branch Susquhehanna River. Further west the path went through the village of Quenashawakee, forded [[Larrys Creek]] and [[Pine Creek (Pennsylvania)|Pine Creek]] and came to the Great Island (now just east of [[Lock Haven, Pennsylvania|Lock Haven]]).[[File:The Big Spring.jpg|thumbnail|right|"[[Big Spring (Pennsylvania)|The Big Spring]]" in [[Brady Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania|Brady Township, Pennsylvania]], was an important junction connecting the Great Shamokin Path and [[Goschgoschink Path]].]]

The Great Island was an important crossroads with paths leading in many directions. The Great Shamokin Path left the river here (which turns north) to continue west along [[Bald Eagle Creek (West Branch Susquehanna River)|Bald Eagle Creek]], fording Beech Creek and following Marsh Creek and Little Marsh Creek to its end. Then it climbed the [[Allegheny Front]] to modern-day [[Snow Shoe, Pennsylvania|Snow Shoe]] and on to Moshannon, where there were two branches possible to Kylertown. The branches differed in their fords of [[Black Moshannon Creek]] and [[Moshannon Creek]], both of which were difficult to cross. From Kylertown the path continued west, fording [[Clearfield Creek]] before reaching Chinklacamoose (now [[Clearfield, Pennsylvania|Clearfield]]).

At Chinklacamoose the Great Shamokin Path rejoined the West Branch Susquehanna River and followed it west {{convert|7|mi|km|spell=in}} to [[Curwensville, Pennsylvania]] and [[Anderson Creek (Pennsylvania)|Anderson Creek]]. Several crossings of the Susquehanna were needed to avoid thickets of [[Kalmia latifolia|mountain laurel]] bushes here. The path followed [[Anderson Creek (Pennsylvania)|Anderson Creek Gorge]] a few miles, left it to go west to what is now Chestnut Grove, and then on to [[Big Spring (Pennsylvania)|The Big Spring]], near Luthersburg, [[Brady Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania]].

==Fort Augusta== [[Fort Augusta]] was a stronghold in [[Northumberland County, Pennsylvania]], in the upper [[Susquehanna Valley]] from the time of the [[French and Indian War]] to the close of the [[American Revolution]]. The fort was erected by Col. [[William Clapham]] in 1756 at a site now within the limits of the city of [[Sunbury, Pennsylvania|Sunbury]], in an area the Indians called "[[Shamokin (village)|Shamokin]]." It was first constructed as part of the British defense against the raids of the French and Indians from the upper Allegheny region. Later, it served as a rebel American fortress during the American Revolution to aid in protecting settlers of the upper Susquehanna from Britain's Indian allies to the north. Named for [[Augusta of Saxe-Gotha]], the mother of [[George III|King George III]], Fort Augusta was the largest of the Provincial forts. It was dismantled in 1794 after the United States gained independence.

During the [[French and Indian War]] in 1757–1758, several hundred French and Indian troops traveled the Great Shamokin Path in an effort to destroy [[Fort Augusta]], the main stronghold of the English at the junction of the East and West branches of the Susquehanna River. This army was gathered from the French posts at [[Fort Duquesne|Duquesne]], [[Kittanning, Pennsylvania|Kittanning]], [[Fort Venango|Venango]] and [[Fort Le Boeuf|Le Boeuf]] and assembled at the mouth of [[Anderson Creek (Pennsylvania)|Anderson Creek]]. They constructed crude boats, rafts and [[bateau]] for passage down the Susquehanna River for the proposed attack. They dragged along with them two small brass cannon, but after reconnoitering, found the distance too great for the guns to shoot from the hill opposite the fort. The defense at Fort Augusta was strong enough to resist attack by storming or by siege, and the French attack was abandoned. A British defeat at Fort Augusta may have altered the history of the course of the [[French and Indian Wars|French and Indian War.]]<ref>{{cite book| first=M.I.| last=McCreight| title=Du Bois History| chapter=Memory Sketches of Du Bois, Pennsylvania: A History| year=1939| page=69}}</ref>

In the 21st century on the site of the old Fort, the Northumberland County Historical Society has its headquarters in the "Hunter House Museum." The museum contains historical and archaeological artifacts dealing with Fort Augusta and items of local history. It maintains a genealogical library of material on early families in Northumberland County and surrounding counties. The museum is located at 1150 North Front Street, [[Sunbury, Pennsylvania]]. Fort Augusta's underground powder magazine still exists.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px"> File:Ft. Augusta model.png|Model of Ft. Augusta, 1939 File:Washington Pennsylvania Mapb.jpg|[[George Washington]]'s map of French forts along the [[Allegheny River]]. French and Indian troops assembled at the mouth of [[Anderson Creek (Pennsylvania)|Anderson Creek]] before the assault on [[Fort Augusta]]. </gallery>

==Big Spring== [[File:Great Shamokin Path.jpg|thumbnail|right|Marker location U.S. 119, 4 miles NE of [[Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania|Punxsutawney]], [[Jefferson County, PA]]]]

[[Big Spring (Pennsylvania)|The Big Spring]] near Luthersburg, [[Brady Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania]], was an important camp site and trail hub. Here, the [[Goschgoschink Path]], later known as Mead's Path, turned northwest to the [[Venango Path]], [[Lake Erie]] and Canada. The Great Shamokin Path continued through Troutville and followed tributaries of [[Mahoning Creek (Allegheny River)|Mahoning Creek]] to [[Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania|Punxsutawney]]. From [[Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania|Punxsutawney]], the trail followed [[Cowanshannock Creek]] to Smicksburg, [[Rural Valley, Pennsylvania|Rural Valley]], [[Kittanning, Pennsylvania|Kittanning]] and the Allegheny River.<ref name="path">{{cite book| last=Wallace| first=Paul A.W.| title=Indian Paths of Pennsylvania| edition=fourth printing| orig-year=1987| publisher=Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission| location=Harrisburg, Pennsylvania| isbn=0-89271-090-X| year=1998| pages=66–72}}</ref> During the [[War of 1812]], Major William McCelland departed [[Fort Loudoun (Pennsylvania)|Fort Loudoun]], near [[Chambersburg, Pennsylvania]], on March 4, 1814, and marched a division of troops numbering 221 privates, three captains. five lieutenants and two ensigns along [[Anderson Creek (Pennsylvania)|Anderson Creek]] to meet the [[Goschgoschink Path]] at the Big Spring. McClelland's division relieved American forces at [[Lake Erie]] and later fought well at the [[Battle of Chippewa]] and [[Battle of Lundy's Lane]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Major Israel |last=McCreight |title=Memory Sketches of Du Bois, Pennsylvania, 1874–1938: A History |year=1939 |location=DuBois, PA |publisher=Gray Printing |pages=68–71 |oclc=28554939}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Wallace |first=Paul A.W. |url=http://noel.mcn.org/Westmoreland/MigrationTrails.htm| via=The Noel Genealogical Site |title=Indian Paths of Pennsylvania |year=1965 |location=Harrisburg, PA |publisher=Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission |page=61 |oclc=1078148}}</ref>

==Amish country along the Great Shamokin Path== [[File:Lancaster County Amish 03.jpg|thumbnail|Amish buggy]]

An [[Amish]] heritage corridor extends generally along the Great Shamokin Path through [[Clearfield County, Pennsylvania|Clearfield]], [[Jefferson County, West Virginia|Jefferson]], [[Indiana County, Pennsylvania|Indiana]] and [[Armstrong County, Pennsylvania|Armstrong]] counties, beginning at [[Big Spring (Pennsylvania)|Big Spring]] near Luthersburg, Clearfield County, and ending in [[Rural Valley, Pennsylvania|Rural Valley]] in Armstrong County. The corridor winds through Amish settlements near the villages of [[Troutville, Pennsylvania|Troutville]] in Clearfield County; [[Big Run, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania|Big Run]], Cloe and [[Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania|Punxsutawney]] in Jefferson County; [[Smicksburg, Pennsylvania|Smicksburg]] in Indiana County; and Rural Valley in Armstrong County. [[Amish buggies]] co-mingle with automobiles through the corridor. The Troutville Amish settlement in [[Brady Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania|Brady Township, Clearfield County]], is good-sized and has eight congregations. The settlement has farms, trades and small shops. Troutville was named for Jacob Trautwien who settled the area in 1832.<ref>{{cite book| first1=Ben A.| last1=Hershberger| first2=Orpha| last2=Hershberger| title=Troutville Directory: Migrations and History of Troutville, PA, 1971 to 2004| edition=third print| location=Punxsutawney, PA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://amishamerica.com/pennsylvania-amish/| title=Amish Trail| website=Amish America}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| website=Clearfield County PA — Backwoods, Backroads, Backwaters 2012| url=http://clearfield.lunarcow.com/article/Amish+Trail/913122/91829/article.html| title=Amish Trail}}</ref>

The Smicksburg Amish settlement is centered on the borough of Smicksburg, [[Indiana County, Pennsylvania|Indiana County]], about 10 miles southwest of Punxsutawney. The Smicksburg settlement is the third-largest Amish settlement in Pennsylvania, and the eleventh largest in the U.S. The Smicksburg settlement has 18 church districts and was founded in 1962. Amish here drive Midwestern-style black buggies. Smicksburg was founded in 1827 by the Reverend J. George Schmick, and most of the citizens are Amish. The population was 46 at the 2010 census, and is one of the smallest incorporated boroughs in Pennsylvania. The Smicksburg settlement has specialty shops with Amish wares of handcrafts, quilts, furniture, foods and eating establishments.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://smicksburg.net/| title=(home)| website=Smickburg}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://amishamerica.com/groundhog-day-brain-dump-punxsutawney-amish-seeing-shadows-and-the-miracle-heater-in-court/?cid=14170| title=Groundhog Day Brain Dump: Punxsutawney Amish, "Grundsow Lodges", and the Miracle Heater in court?| website=Amish America| date=February 2, 2011}}</ref>

[[Rural Valley, Pennsylvania|Rural Valley]] is a borough in [[Armstrong County, Pennsylvania|Armstrong County]], [[Pennsylvania]], where the [[Cowanshannock Creek]] flows west leading to the [[Allegheny River]]. The population was 876 at the [[United States Census 2010|2010 census]].<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US4266720| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212201911/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US4266720| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Rural Valley borough, Pennsylvania| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=July 31, 2013}}</ref> The regional high school, [[West Shamokin High School]], bears the name of the historic Great Shamokin Path. {{Clear}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * Maps of the [http://www.explorepahistory.com/displayimage.php?imgId=2603 western] and [http://www.explorepahistory.com/displayimage.php?imgId=2604 eastern] portions of the Path from [http://www.explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=739 ExplorePAHistory.com]

[[Category:Historic trails and roads in Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Native American trails in the United States]] [[Category:Native American history of Pennsylvania]]