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Its channel, ripples, islands, sand bars, tributary waters, towns and distance from place to place. A description of the town, villages, harbors and Settlements. On shoving off, if the water should be high, your boat will require but little attention, otherwise than keeping her bow foremost and giving her headway by the application of the oars. But in low water, for which these directions are intended, it requires more circumspection, in the first place, to prevent the boat grounding on a large flat bar at the mouth of the Allegheny, nearly meeting the foot of the Monongahela bar.
We will skip directions to Hamilton's (Brunot's) Island which is 2 miles, from Pittsburgh, next is Irwin's (now Neville's) island which is 3 miles below Brunot's, then Dead-man's island which is a very small island, and during floods nothing is seen of it but the willows growing on it. The next site is Big Seweekly creek, right side. Opposite the mouth of this creek is a sand bar, therefore bear pretty close on the left shore. Here used to be an old French fishing basket. Logstown, right bank, Indian Logstown, left side. Here is a large sand bar running up from the left shore and approaches near the right, and between the head of it and the right shore are large logs, the first of which keep to the right, the second and third are opposite each other; you may go between these, and as soon as you are past them, incline to the middle of the river.
Legionville is just below Logstown, on the right side of the river. General Wayne made an encampment here in the year 1792, preparatory to his campaign against the northern Indians, which terminated in the total defeat of the latter, on the 20th August, 1794. Some of the old chimnies of the cabins built by General Wayne are still standing on the ground, which is an extensive flat, high and timberless, except a thick growth of young scrub oaks. On this flat there are considerable appearances of bog iron ore, as also in the banks of the small stream above the encampment, which you cross on the road from Pittsburgh to Beaver.
Crow's island, divided by a gut is 24 miles from Pittsburgh. Channel right side close to the island. A sand bar between the island and the right shore occasions a break int he water, called Walker's Ripple. Thence to Big Beaver you have deep and gentle water.
When about a mile above the mouth of Big Beaver incline towards the left shore, keeping about twothirds of the river on your right hand, in order to avoid two bars, the one made by the entrance of the creek, which runs down near the right side for a few rods below the lower warehouse, and the other, called Johnson's bar, a quarter of a mile below the first, and also near the right shore. Below this last bar and opposite the town of Beaver, the right shore is shoal, and affords no landing place until you get down to Carr's ferry, three miles below the creek. If you want to land at the town of Beaver, you must pull in just below the Beaver bar, where you will fall into an eddy, which will take you up a few rods to the Harmony warehouse,
where is a good landing place. Oncoming out from the warehouse it requires care to clear Johnson's bar, which lies just below the Beaver bar; keep it well to your right and pull pretty well out into the river and there is no other impediment until you get down to Carr's ripple, which is made on the left side by the entrance of Raccoon creek, where the channel is nearest the right shore. Niblow's ferry is opposite Harmony warehouse, and Lawrence's ferry opposite Beavertown. Two-mile Run puts in on the right side two miles below the town.
Big Beaver is a large and valuable stream, 60 or 70 yards wide at its mouth, and three times that breadth at the falls, four miles from its junction with the Ohio above which its navigation commences for keels and small craft, which ascent to Youngstown, thence to Warren, seat of justice for Trumbull Co. Ohio, 50 miles by land from its mouth.
The falls of Big Beaver are a singular, and at the same time a valuable construction of nature. The ground on the east side of the creek is so situated that a canal commencing at the head of the falls could be constructed and convey water enough at all seasons, with sufficient fall, to drive many mills, forges, furnaces, etc., as could stand crowded together for the distance of four miles, nay, 20 miles, if the canal was that long, and it could be carried up the Ohio that far and still have fall enough. The falls are three miles in length, and have on them at present 4 grist and two saw mills, a forge, its furnace, an oil and fulling mill, a wool and cotton carding machine, and other works of utility. This place was purchased some years ago and settled by Quakers, who had views of making extensive manufacturing establishments. It will require an immense capital, however, to do as much as ought to be done here. One million of dollars well applied at this spot, would yield an interest, superior, I am of opinion, to any banking institution in the United States and much more to the general benefit of the community.
At Kishkuskes, 16 miles up, Big Beaver forks into two branches, one interlocks with French creek and Cherage, the other with Muskingum and Cuyahoga; on this last branch 35 miles above the forks are several salt springs. On a north-eastern branch of Beaver 8 miles above the falls, is the town and settlement of Harmony and Zelienople. Harmony, from the rapid manner in which it has sprung out of the forest, and from the singular union of its worthy inhabitants (all German) it has become a very interesting place, and much importance in manufactures and agriculture.
Beaver, is situated three quarters of a mile below the mouth of Big Beaver, on a high stony plain, where the old Fort M'Intosh stood, about 200 feet above the level of the river. The plain is amazingly full of pebble stones, whose surfaces would lead to an opinion that they had been rounded by the friction of the waters of the Ohio, to have performed which, the bed of that river must have been two hundred feet higher than it is at present. Many other appearances in this quarter of the country go to justify this hypothesis. Beaver was laid out on a large scale in 1797-8, and established the seat of justice for Beaver County, Penna. It has a courthouse, a jail, a market-house, a post and printing office, about 40 or 50 houses a good deal scattered, a number of mercantile stores and public inns. The inhabitants experienced at first much inconvenience in getting a supply of water, which, for several years was conveyed through pipes from a spring at the base of a hill half a mile back of the town. after several unsuccessful attempts, a well at length was sunk, which gives a supply. It is upwards of 100 feet in depth, and the water is drawn by a windlass. There has been lately established in Beaver, an extensive brewery, by Mr. George Grier, whose beer is esteemed at Natchez and New Orleans. Beaver has nothing in it to invite settlers, but a due attention to manufactures as living is cheap, may increase the growth of the town to some importance.
One mile below the town keep between some large breakers and the left shore.
This creek makes a ripple -- channel nearest right shore. The first island below Beaver is 1/2 mile long, Channel left side, middle of the river. The second island is about one mile long. Channel right side, pretty close to the right bank at the head is a smart chute. The third island half a mile long, channel left side, close to the island, it lies rather nearest the right shore.
Georgetown, a village of Beaver County, situated on the left bank of the river, on a plain similar in height and formation to the one at Beavertown. It contains one store, a post office, a tavern or two and a few other scattered buildings, apparently on the decline. A few yards from the opposite shore a little above the town, a spring rises from the bed of the river, throwing out a bituminous oil similar to what is called seneca oil, supposed to proceed from a bed of mineral coal embowelled beneath the river. In a low state of the water the smell of the oil is sensibly felt on crossing at Georgetown.
This is a creek of Columbiana County, Ohio a valuable stream for water works, affording water at all seasons of the year, and a fine fall for seats. Near the mouth are two grist and one saw mill, and a mile above these is an extensive paper mill, erected in 1807-8 by Messrs. Coulter, Beaver and Bowman. Three miles above this last, is the Franklin paper mill, just got into operation, erected and owned by Cramer, Spear and Echbaum & Co. Here also is a sawmill, tanyard, blacksmith shop, and the company purpose making several other useful manufacturing establishments, for which the seat and water is admirably calculated. Above this establishment area number of saw and grist mills, furnaces and forges, and on the west fork, is a cotton carding, spinning and weaving establishment by Mr. Corke, from Manchester, England, and others: for carding wool and cotton. At the upper grist mill near the mouth of the creek is a handsome arched bridge, substantially made, and well covered in, adding great facility to emigrants and travellers passing into the state of Ohio from this quarter.
New Lisbon, the seat of justice for Columbiana County, Ohio, a thriving village is finely situated on the north-eastern branch of Little Beaver; and above it is the village of Salem, in the same County. On the eastern branch, near the head of the creek, Greersburg is situated, in Beaver County, Pa. 12 miles north of the town of Beaver. This last town has a handsome stone academy, and is on the road from Beaver to Warren.
Mill creek, left side, Here the state line between Pennsylvania and Virginia on the one side, and Ohio and Pennsylvania on the other, crosses the river, running a due north and south direction.