History: Local: Lumbering in Cambria County: PA

Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Clark Creery with
permission of the Cambria County Historical Society


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LUMBERING IN CAMBRIA COUNTY

By:  R. Dudley Tonkin

Extracted from: The Cambria County Historical Society 
Sesquicentennial Handbook '54 with permission granted by Mr. 
Dave Huber of the society, 10 Jan 1998.

     Most timber cruisers and estimators want to know or at 
least have lines marked and the corners established on a 
property before they start to estimate the timber.

     The part of Penn's Woods (Pennsylvania) named Cambria 
County is no exception to this practice.  Under the Constitution 
of 1790 and the Law of the Commonwealth, one member of the 
Governor's cabinet held the office of Surveyor General.  The man 
holding this office was a land surveyor and the men working with 
him were termed artisans due to their skill in the art of 
surveying.  The office of the Surveyor General at this time was 
a busy place.  Among its many duties was to survey and mark the 
lines and corners of the new counties created by the Assembly.

      When the Governor sighed the Act of March 26, 1804, 
creating the new counties of Cambria and Clearfield, he ordered 
the Surveyor General to lay out these counties as outlined in 
the Act.

     One of the most historic landmarks in this part of 
Pennsylvania had been designated by the Assembly as the 
northwest corner of Cambria County.  Therefore, let us turn our 
thoughts backward and join the party assigned by the Surveyor 
General to locate the corners and run the lines.  We will follow 
them for many miles through the forest to where the leader of 
the party comes to a halt at a large wild black cherry standing 
on the west side of the Susquehanna River near the mouth of Cush 
Cushing Creek.  The compass man walks around to the down river 
side of the tree where he finds three small notches, made with 
an ax or tomahawk, breast high and about six inches apart.  The 
three notches tell our surveyor we are at the upriver corner of 
the tract of land purchased by William Penn's heirs from the 
Indian tribes by treaty-deed made and entered into at Fort 
Stanwix, New York, in 1768.

     These marks have been on the tree for about thirty-six 
years and show their age by being partly overgrown with bark.  
We walk around to the Southwest side of the tree and find 
similar marks except that they are new and bright.  Our leader 
tells us these new marks are the start of the Indiana-Cambria 
County line and were made about one-year earlier at the time
of the Indiana County survey.

     Our minds eye timber cruise in the early part of the 
nineteenth century will start from this well established corner 
among the tall pines where the under-story of hemlocks and 
hardwoods compete for the bit of sunshine breaking through the 
pine tops.

     This imaginary trip, going back to 1804, brings to mind a 
real survey party working on this line in the spring of 1894.  
An Act of the Pennsylvania Legislature of 1893 authorized the 
counties of Cambria, Clearfield and Indiana to have their county 
surveyors jointly locate and establish the site where the famous 
cherry tree stood.  To carry out this order, the three county 
surveyors met in the village of Cherry Tree to start the work.  
Cambria sent John Scanlan of Carrolltown, Clearfield sent Harry
Byers of New Washington.  The Indiana County man was John R. 
Caldwell of Indiana.  These men organized a surveying party and 
made John Scanlan, Esq., one of the grand old men of Cambria 
County, chief of the party.

     While this surveying party of 1894 was re-surveying the 
original line, Mr. Scanlan found evidence of very old line 
markings on a large oak.  He called Joe Wilson, the axman, to 
block the tree (cut two deep notches - one above the other below 
the mark on the bark - and split out the part between the 
notches).  When this was done the mark of the early survey of 
1804 could be seen.  A count of the annual ring growths 
confirmed the old county line survey.  The writer was front 
chain carrier and the only person living who helped to locate 
the William Penn Monument erected in the fall of 1894 to mark 
the Cherry Tree Corner.  Continuing our travels, we cross Peg 
Run near the present reservoir of the Cherry Tree Water Co. 
where tall white pine trees vied with each other for sunshine.  
Crossing a dividing ridge, we are in Douglas Hollow near the 
Village of Greenwich.  Large pine stumps tell us of the large 
timber that stood in this short valley.  From here we climb, 
with our imaginary party of 1804, to the plateau area that 
divides the Susquehanna and Allegheny River Watersheds.  Here we 
find the tall pines have given way to the hemlock and hardwoods.  
We are at the headwater streams and valleys of North Blacklick 
Creek.  Timber growing conditions, as set up by nature over this 
region, developed some of the most choice hemlock and hardwoods 
to be found in Pennsylvania.  Our line will lead us on the 
western side of the North Branch of Black Lick where it meets 
the South Branch.  From here our estimator found an almost 
unbroken oak forest, with yellow poplar in the coves and rich 
moist soils and massive chestnut on the more dry ridges.  
Crossing the Conemaugh, the oak hardwood forest continued along 
the Cambria-Westmoreland County line to the Southwest corner of
Cambria County.

     Here we turn almost east through hardwoods until near 
Stonycreek where we meet some hemlock.  Traveling up the stream 
we see a heavy stand of hardwood and turn east to near the 
present town of Scalp Level.  A heavy stand of hemlock greets us 
on each side of the line.  In some locations to the south, sugar 
maples take over.

     We travel eastward to the corner on the top of the mountain 
through a hemlock hardwood stand of timber.  Turning northeast 
at the top of the mountain on the Bedford-Cambria line, we 
travel through oak and chestnut. Looking westward, heavy stands 
of hemlock and hardwoods can be seen in the tributary valleys of 
the Upper Conemaugh River.  Looking east we see oak and 
hardwoods.  This type of forest continues along the Cambria-
Blair line on the high levels when we reach the northeast corner 
of the county where it joins with Clearfield.  It is interesting 
to note as we pass Tunnel Hill that the land elevations drop 
more or less to the north.  Looking west the hemlocks and pines 
come more near the top of the ridges.  Turning west at the 
northeast corner of Cambria we follow the Clearfield-Cambria 
line through an almost unbroken forest of pine and hemlock to 
the Cherry Tree corner.  After the long trek through the forest, 
with our mind's eye of 1804, over the boundary lines we are 
anxious to see the great stands of timber in the interior of the 
county.  The West Branch of the Susquehanna River, Chest and 
Clearfield Creeks head in Cambria County, flow northward and 
enter Clearfield on the North Cambria line.  Few, if any, 
valleys within the state contained such a large volume of virgin 
timber per mile of stream.  Clearfield Creek being the longest 
of these streams flowing to the Atlantic, heads in Munster 
Township among the highland hardwoods (beech, birch, cherry, 
chestnut, oak and poplar).  Gently flowing from this high 
elevation to the wide valley at the foot of Loretto Hill where 
the hemlocks compete with the hardwoods for control of the land.  
This stream valley and its branches was very well timbered in 
its course through the county.  A large percentage of the pine, 
poplar and hemlock was carried to market on its waters.  The 
uppermost point for floating logs appears to have been at a 
small up and down saw mill dam, equipped with lift gates, near 
where the Cresson-Loretto road crosses the creek.  Logs were 
floated from here to Williamsport.  Head of navigation for rafts 
100 to 120 feet long was the Gates Dam near Flinton.

     Chest Creek heads in Allegheny Township among the hemlocks 
and hardwoods.  This stream flows north to Bradley Junction 
where it becomes a navigable stream for logs.

     James Farabaugh of Loretto was the last man to put logs 
into Chest Creek at this point and drive (float) them to 
Eckenrode's Mill where others took over to keep the logs moving 
downstream and to market.

     Eckenrode's Mill was the upstream point in the Chest Creek 
valley for white pine timber.  This valley produced some of the 
largest timber within the state.  As we travel downstream to 
within about one mile of Patton, we find some very large white 
oak.  The king tree in this group was the finest white oak I 
have ever seen.  It stood on the Peter Strittmatter Farm, over
60 feet to the first limb, cut in the summer of 1949 and scaled 
4,300 board feet.

     The Susquehanna, being the third well timbered valley in 
the north end of the county, heads on the Strittmatter farm 
about one mile south of Carroltown.  Flowing northward through 
hemlocks and hardwoods by the present towns of Bakerton and 
Binder where it has grown large enough to carry saw logs on its 
waters.

     Thence on by Spangler where nature had scattered a few 
pines among the hemlocks.  Continuing downstream we come to a 
famous tract of pine (Whipporwill Tract) which was cut and put 
afloat near the present borough of Barnesboro.  The town of 
Emeligh took over some of the best pine land in Pennsylvania.  
Some very good ship spars were cut in Emeigh Run valley and
rafted in Kinports Dam, head of navigation for rafts.  From here 
to the county line (Cherry Tree Monument) was an unbroken stand 
of pine and hemlock.  Practically all this timber went to market 
on the river.  The timber resources of Cambria can be roughly 
divided into three groups as to species and locations.

     The northern third of the County can be termed the pine 
country.  Fifty percent or more of the timber was white pine.  
The other being equally divided between hemlock and hardwoods.

     Three-fourths of this timber was carried to market on the 
waters of the Susquehanna River in the form of rafts of ship 
spars, booms, square timber, together with logs being 
transported by a system of floating, called log driving.  This 
was big business for many years.

     The central third of the county, known as the hardwood-
hemlock district, partly drained by Blacklick Creek, contained 
very fine hardwoods which came into the market before the 
hemlock had any commercial value.  Cherry was the first and most 
valuable timber of the early days.  One of the pioneers, Thomas 
Griffith, Sr., was king of the cherry lumber trade in 
Pennsylvania.  He started sawing cherry on a little old up and 
down water power saw mill on Howells Run, just south of 
Ebensburg.  That town being a trading center, he established a 
lumber yard where he purchased cherry trees from the small mill 
men within teaming distance.  He was very successful and 
established a yard in Philadelphia where he specialized in 
cherry lumber but handled some yellow poplar.  His business 
increased to such an extent that he reached to the north tier 
counties of McKean and Potter for more cherry.  His success can 
be attributed to being a good judge of timber, honesty, the
ability to pay spot cash for lumber delivered to his yards and a 
reputation among the lumber trade of the East of handling only 
lumber of full or extra thickness.  The trade term being "cut 
strong."  Thin cut lumber was an abomination to this 
Congregational deacon.

     Another man made early lumbering history in Cambria County.  
A Maine Yankee by the name of A.A. Barker settled in Carrolltown 
at an early date and started to manufacture and deal in shook.  
The material to make barrels to hold liquids in first quality 
white oak.  It was called "Tight Cooperage Shook."  He set up 
shook mills at many places where there was a good supply of 
white oak.  At first the shook was hauled by wagon or sled to 
the canal.  When the railroad was built to Ebensburg this shook 
dealer moved there.  He worked hard - early and late - and 
developed a very large business as manufacturer and dealer in 
both tight and loose (dry) shook.  He specialized in the raw 
materials (shook) used in hogsheads - barrels, kegs and buckets
as they were used as containers for many different things in 
pioneer days.  Like most articles of that day, they were made of 
the most plentiful and practical thing at hand, i.e., oak.  
Hoops were made by splitting a small slim sapling, called a 
hoop-pole, and the ends fastened together in a very ingenious 
manner to make a barrel hoop.  No iron or steel hoops at that 
day.

     Tight cooperage (barrels) were used in the molasses, 
whiskey, oil and salt (brine) meat trade.  Slack or dry 
cooperage was used in the flour, sugar and salt trade.

     It is told that Mr. Barker would walk to Winterset, load a 
car with shook and walk home in time for the evening meal, after 
which he would attend to the business of the day at his store 
office.  He operated the mills, store and farms, made 
prohibition speeches, operated a station on the Underground 
Railroad, and left his mark for the betterment of Cambria 
County.

     The Southern third of the County carried a high percentage 
of oak and hardwoods with the exception of South Fork valley of 
the Conemaugh River and the up-land swamp of that area.  One of 
the largest saw mills within the county operated for many years 
at Sidman, cutting hemlock and hardwoods for the Williamsport 
firm of Pearley and Crocket.  Kuntz and Goodwin operated a band 
mill for several years at Dunlo.

     In this section of the county sugar maple came into its own 
in the sweets trade as well as quality lumber.  Cambria County 
has been outdistanced by her neighbor on the south, in maple 
sugar products, due to the early cutting of her maple trees.

     The Vintondale Lumber Company of Clearfield operated a 
mill, cutting about 100,000 board feet per day just over the 
Indiana County line with timber cut on the Blacklick Creek water 
shed in Cambria.  In other words, Cambria timber was sawed in 
Indiana County.

     Barker Brothers operated mills at many points - the largest 
being on the Blacklick.  Webster Griffith, son of the cherry 
tree king, operated a band mill for many years, cutting about 
35,000 feet per day at Cardiff, Cambria County.  Small mills 
powered with water or steam have been cutting over the county 
for the last hundred years.  Their combined total output
exceeds all other methods.

     The tract of land on which we started to follow the 
surveyors by turning the clock back to the year 1804, contains 
435,840 acres.

     We find it to have been well timbered and on a very 
conservative estimate it would have cut 8,716,800,000 board feet 
of lumber.

     One-half of this volume has throughout the years been more 
or less destroyed in various ways or lost by forest fires.

     Small mills are estimated to account for 2,000,000,000 
board feet.

     Large mills in and bordering the County, 1,000,000,000 
board feet.

     With proper fire protection and care, the 200,000 acres or 
more of forest lands within the county will keep their renewable 
natural resources green to help make Cambria County a good place 
to live.