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Isaac Coates Journal of Journeys to the Indian Country

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of the meat tied up in it carrying about his neck in the manner of a knapsack. In riding six miles we came to the foot of the great Allegheny mountains where is some good land; buckwheat and oats about of an equal ripeness, both good, but the buckwheat extraordinary; as much so as I think I have ever seen. The ascent of this mountain better land than any of the others, being covered with lofty timber of divers sorts, and on the top of said mountain got some excellent water, being the first I have met with since I left home. After we got over the mountains the timber was very thick but much destroyed with fire. Two or three miles before we came to Berlin the land appeared to be excellent, covered with heavy timber, black oak, white oak, red oak, hickory, and sugar maple, grass and other vegetables very flourishing, it having been a wet growing season. This day's ride, thirty-six miles. 30th. Took an early set-off from Berlin, being a village of about 50 houses; passed through some very rough lands and roads on which I saw a rattlesnake about three feet long with ten rattles, lying in the road, appearing to have been just killed by a wagon-wheel running over it. Part of the way to this stage the land was covered with most beautiful lofty chest-nuts, and part of the way very thick set with white pine, being thirteen miles; [reached] a Dutch tavern where we thought best to breakfast on our own choco-late. From thence to George Bachelor's, fourteen miles in which we crossed what is called Laurel Hill, being one mountain after another for seven or eight miles of the way. The ascent of one of them ex-ceeded all for chestnut timber I ever saw; they stand so thick together and are so tall that I fully believe there are thousands of acres that would yield more than 10,000 rails to the acre. Almost all those moun-tains that go by the aforesaid name are the most fer-tile of any I have yet seen; the trees and vegetables of every kind are so luxuriant I could not help feel-ing some attachment to the place; but when I con-sidered the exceeding rough mountainous face of the surface and the intolerable road to and from the place, I am content if I should live to return to spend the remainder of my days in Chester County. Pro-ceeded to Connelstown, being a new settled place of about fifty houses on the Yoghagena [Youghiogheny] river. Lodged with our old friends, Thomas and Joshua Gibson, sixteen miles. Nothing very remark-able the last stage, except in one place about six miles back, we rose to or on an eminence where a grand prospect opened to view, to the east, the north, and the west, particularly to the west where we could see as far as the eye could reach-I suppose as far as the Ohio river. Here on the Yoghagena river the people were employed in building flat-bottomed boats, the stern of which they cover with thin boards for a shelter. Some of them are thirty, some forty, and some fifty feet long and twelve wide, in which they will carry 360 barrels of flour or iron or other pro-duce in proportion, to Kentucky or New Orleans. 31st. Crossed the Yoghogany, being a small river, perhaps hal fas large as Schuylkill above the Falls. About a mile from said river as we rode up a small stream large enough to turn a mill, we came to a curi-ous limestone rock lying horizontal, about three feet thick, forming a concave semi-circle of perhaps 300 feet, near the centre of which the water fell about twenty-eight feet there being a walk on another rock about twelve feet below the other, and near the same distance deep back behind the water where we might safely walk. Just at one side and near the centre ofthe semi-circle a spacious grist mill is built butting up against the rock. Then passed over many hills and valleys to Reese Cadwallader,s, twenty miles. Passed a new paper-mill occupied by Jonathan Sharpless, on Redstone creek; also Samuel Jackson's grist mill at the mouth of said creek, over which there is a large bridge, near thirty feet high, wide enough for a wagon to cross. We were expecting to find a road in pro-portion; but immediately after getting over we found ourselves on a narrow path perhaps not more than five feet wide, and a precipice on our left hand down to Redstone creek, and on our right hand down to the Monongahela river, each of them near perpen-dicular, which was near 200 feet, which to some of our company was truly alarming; and I believe would have been more so had it not been that a bulky woman rode on just before us seemingly with-out care or fear. Then rode up the last mentioned river through a beautiful town on the bank of the same, perhaps of forty or fifty houses. This river I think is larger than Schuylkill, running to the right. The land thus far through the Redstone settlement is very rough and mountainous, and appears to be very fertile, producing wheat, rye, oats, buckwheat, and grass in abundance even on the top of the hills, and abundance of lofty timber of many sorts, particularly sugar maple and white oak. But notwithstanding it hath been a very wet growing season and all kinds of grain in the ground and vegetables look luxuriant, yet the waters are very low, which induces me to believe that, when the land comes to be more gener-ally cleared and a dry season takes place (which I suppose frequently does), the inhabitants will suffer from lack of water. The reason in part as I take it, of the water's failing so much is a horizontal rock which lies a little underground, I believe, over much of the country. Ninth month 1st, being First-day, attended Red-stone meeting. In the afternoon crossed the Monon-gahela at Bridgetown, the banks of which, I am in-formed, will average forty feet. Rode five miles of the roughest road I have yet passed to Francis Town-send's. 2nd. Attended quarterly meeting at Westland, which notwithstanding some weaknesses [and] dis-order appeared in the conduct of the young people, was a comfortable, solid time, there being a number of well-concerned, valuable Friends engaged in con-ducting the business of this remote and newly es-tablished quarterly meeting. Here I met with a number of my former acquaintances who had re-moved to this country years past, divers of them in low or straightened circumstances, that now appeared to live in fullness and plenty; many of whom I hope are in a good measure thankful to their kind Bene-factor who hath spread them a table in the wilder-ness and provided a comfortable asylum in this