Great Island Path

Last updated January 21, 2022

Pennsylvania State Historical Marker north of the Great Island on Pennsylvania Route 150

Aerial photo of modern-day Lock Haven, Pennsylvania - the Great Island in the West Branch Susquehanna River is at lower center.

The Great Island Path was a major Native American trail in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that ran from the village of Shamokin (modern-day Sunbury) along the right bank of the West Branch Susquehanna River north and then west to the Great Island (near modern-day Lock Haven).^[1]

The village of Shamokin was just south of the "forks of the Susquehanna", the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River with the Susquehanna River (sometimes called the North Branch). According to Meginness (1892), the path crossed the river "...in shallow water on a ledge of rocks since destroyed by the erection of the dam at Sunbury..." to the west (right) bank at about the current location of Shamokin Dam in Snyder County. The path then continued "...up the ravine in Blue Hill and followed the present road for a few miles" along the ridge which is the border between Snyder and Union counties. The path then turned "...towards the river, passed over the hill and followed the river through Winfield and Lewisburg; thence to Buffalo Creek, which it crossed where the iron bridge now spans it. Then it curved to the river and passed through Shikellimy's town, which stood at the mouth of Sinking Run...".^[2] Today this is the site of Shikellamy State Park. This route along the west side of the river is where U.S. Route 15 runs today.

Next the path "...followed the river along the base of the hills into White Deer valley..." where it turned west at what is now the village of Allenwood, following White Deer Hole Creek into Lycoming County "...along the south branch of the creek, near where the village of Elimsport is located, and over the mountain [i.e. North White Deer Ridge] into Nippenose valley through which it passed to the head thereof."^[2] The stretch from the mouth of White Deer Hole Creek to the head of the Nippenose valley is the approximate route of Pennsylvania Route 44 today.^[1]

The path then crossed into Clinton County "...over the hills and through a ravine in Bald Eagle Mountain to the river, where there was a fording to Great Island".^[2] A small part of the crossing over the hills has been incorporated into the Mid State Trail. The ravine is formed by McElhattan Creek, and the Lock Haven Reservoir is located there now. The Great Island is just east of the present-day city of Lock Haven.^[1]

From the Great Island, the Great Shamokin Path, which followed the opposite bank of the river north from Shamokin village, continued further west to what are now the boroughs of Clearfield and finally Kittanning. Culbertson's Path left White Deer Hole Creek to follow Spring Creek north to modern Duboistown, where it crossed the river to the Sheshequin Path north.^[1]

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The Wyalusing Path or trail was a historical trace that ran from what is now Wyalusing to the Native American village of Canaserage in Pennsylvania in the United States. Wyalusing is on the east bank of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River in Bradford County and Muncy is on the east bank of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Lycoming County, so the path provided a short cut between the two main branches of the Susquehanna River. The alternative and much longer route was to follow the North Branch south from Wyalusing to the confluence with the West Branch at the Native village of Shamokin, then north up the West Branch to Muncy.

White Deer Hole Creek is a 20.5-mile (33.0 km) tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Clinton, Lycoming and Union counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A part of the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin, the White Deer Hole Creek watershed drains parts of ten townships. The creek flows east in a valley of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians, through sandstone, limestone, and shale from the Ordovician, Silurian, and Devonian periods.

The Union County Industrial Railroad is a short line railroad that operates on approximately 12 miles (20 km) of track in Union County in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania. It is part of the North Shore Railroad System.

The Shamokin Valley Railroad is a short line railroad that operates 27 miles of track in southern Northumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is part of the North Shore Railroad System.

The Great Shamokin Path was a major Native American trail in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania that ran from the native village of Shamokin along the left bank of the West Branch Susquehanna River north and then west to the Great Island. There it left the river and continued further west to Chinklacamoose and finally Kittanning on the Allegheny River.

Culbertson's Path was a Native American trail in north central Pennsylvania in the United States, which connected the Great Island Path with the Sheshequin Path. The eastern / southern end of the path was on the West Branch Susquehanna River at what is now the village of Allenwood in Gregg Township, Union County. The northern / western end was in Old Lycoming Township just north of what is now the city of Williamsport in Lycoming County.

Shikellamy State Park is a 132-acre (53 ha) Pennsylvania state park located at the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is divided into two sections. The older part, on a bluff on the western bank of the river, is the 78-acre (32 ha) Shikellamy overlook in Union Township, Union County. The newer part is the 54-acre (22 ha) marina on the southern end of Packer Island in Upper Augusta Township, Northumberland County. Packer's Island lies between the city of Sunbury and the borough of Northumberland at the confluence of the two branches of the river.

The West Branch Susquehanna Valley of central Pennsylvania, United States, in the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians, is the low-lying area draining into the West Branch Susquehanna River southeast of the Allegheny Front, northeast of the Bald Eagle Valley, southwest of the Wyoming Valley and north of the water gap formed between Shamokin Mountain and Montour Ridge.

The Sheshequin Path was a major Native American trail in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania that ran between two Native American villages: "French Margaret's Town" on the West Branch Susquehanna River and "Sheshequin" on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. The path ran north and east along Lycoming Creek in Lycoming County and followed much of Towanda Creek in Bradford County. It was a shortcut between the two main branches of the Susquehanna River and was used by early settlers as well as Native Americans.

This article details a history of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.

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Fort Antes was a stockade surrounding the home of Colonel John Henry Antes, built circa 1778 in Revolutionary Pennsylvania in the United States. The fort was built under the direction of Colonel Antes, who was a member of the Pennsylvania militia. It was on the east side of Antes Creek, overlooking and on the left bank of the West Branch Susquehanna River on a plateau in Nippenose Township south of modern day Jersey Shore in western Lycoming County. The local militia held the fort for a short period of time until it was ordered to abandon Fort Antes during the Big Runaway by Colonel Samuel Hunter. Despite being abandoned and attempts by the attacking British forces to burn it down, Fort Antes was one of only two structures in the valley to survive the Big Runaway.

The Pine Creek Path was a major Native American trail in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania that ran north along Pine Creek from the West Branch Susquehanna River near Long Island to the headwaters of the Genesee River.

The Bald Eagle Creek Path was a major Native American trail in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania that ran from the Great Island on the West Branch Susquehanna River southwest to what is now the village of Frankstown on the Frankstown Branch Juniata River. The path ran from Clinton County southwest through Centre County and a small part of Blair County to its southern end in Blair County. It was part of a "Warriors Path", an important connector between paths leading to New York and the Six Nations of the Iroquois and the Ohio River country in the north and west, and paths leading to what are now Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas in the south.

Black Hole Creek is a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River near Montgomery, in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 8 miles (13 km) long. The stream contains trout. It also is subject to significant increases in temperature downstream of a pond on the grounds of the Allenwood Federal Prison. However, the temperature decreases again after reaching the pond and is somewhat lower at the mouth, but the water at this point is still warmer than at the headwaters.

References

1 2 3 4 Wallace, Paul A.W. (1987). Indian Paths of Pennsylvania (Fourth Printing ed.). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. pp. 63–64. ISBN 0-89271-090-X. (Note: ISBN refers to 1998 impression.)
1 2 3 Meginness, John Franklin (1892). "Chapter II.". History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania: including its aboriginal history; the colonial and revolutionary periods; early settlement and subsequent growth; organization and civil administration; the legal and medical professions; internal improvement; past and present history of Williamsport; manufacturing and lumber interests; religious, educational, and social development; geology and agriculture; military record; sketches of boroughs, townships, and villages; portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, etc. etc (1st ed.). Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk & Co. ISBN 0-7884-0428-8 . Retrieved 2006-06-27. (Note: ISBN refers to Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the 1892 version with some OCR typos).

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[path-1] 1 2 3 4 Wallace, Paul A.W. (1987). Indian Paths of Pennsylvania (Fourth Printing ed.). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. pp. 63–64. ISBN 0-89271-090-X. (Note: ISBN refers to 1998 impression.)

[history-2] 1 2 3 Meginness, John Franklin (1892). "Chapter II.". History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania: including its aboriginal history; the colonial and revolutionary periods; early settlement and subsequent growth; organization and civil administration; the legal and medical professions; internal improvement; past and present history of Williamsport; manufacturing and lumber interests; religious, educational, and social development; geology and agriculture; military record; sketches of boroughs, townships, and villages; portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, etc. etc (1st ed.). Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk & Co. ISBN 0-7884-0428-8 . Retrieved 2006-06-27. (Note: ISBN refers to Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the 1892 version with some OCR typos).

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