True Tales of Clarion River

Contributed by Pete Smith

Pete writes "the last essay was written by my Great Grandmothers sister Mrs Clinton Fitzgerald"

How Gravel Lick was Named

by Mrs. Clinton Fitzgerald of Marianville Pa.

I think I will comply with your wish and write a few lines . My grandfather David Watson, and Samuel Thompson  were pionbeers of Gravel Lick and Thompson's Eddy. D.B. Watson,my Father ,built boats at Gravel Lick. We lived 2 miles from the river. When I was 12 years old I helped my father to cook in his shanty.We wewnt to the river on Monday and came home on Saturday evening.

I was married to Clinton Fitzgearld when I was seventeen years old. We set housekeeping at Schotch Hill. Several years later we moved to Gravel Lick. Clinton built boats for Stiner and Bartlett. Peter Hefron had a mill  there. He wasn't married and we boarded his men. He got married later and went to housekeeping there. I think we lived at Gravel Lick six years.

Mr. Heffron and Clint bought some timber in Elk County and we moved to Wyncoop Run, now called Belltown. Cyrus Thompson lived across the river at Gravel Lick. Samuel Barr lived there with Robert Simpson and Samuel Simpson.

I meant to say in the start that my grandfather was a hunter. What is called Grvel Lick is where he had a deer lick. He scattered salt under a tree and got up in the tree and shot the deer when they came for the salt. I don't  suppose he shot more than one at a time.

Jim Wood , Al Cassett,and Jim and Charlie Moore live here and I don't know if there is any more of the old  timers here or not. Mike Harriger lived at Wyncoop .His son Wayne lives there now.John, Alex and Jim Mc Clelland  worked at Heffron's mill.I don't have any dates but I know it is more than a hundrewd years since my grandfather came to live at what is now Scotch Hill.

Ed was home . someone said he was the champion oakum spinner of Gravel Lick. He was running on the river since he was sixteen years old. I thought of some more names of men at Gravel Lick. Mike Brady, Jim Johnson, Dave Allison,Jim Patterson, Jim  and Sol Foy,Andy Kifer,Tom Huling ,Ed Stover ,andFrank Slocum.

Pete writes "this one was written by my Great Grand mother"

PIONEERS OF GRAVEL LICK

by Mrs. Levada Watson Kerr of Erie, Pa.

Being a lumberman's daughter and also a riverman's wife, I am interested in the book of river stories that is  being prepared.   My father,D.B. Watson, was one of the pioneers of the lumber business at Gravel Lick.When he built his boat yard there, Mr. Thompson was located at the mouth of Cathers Run. This was afterward the Barr yard. Mr. Watson started in the lumber business at Gravel Lick in 1849. Two years he bought the land built a boat  yard and a cabin. He continued to build boats until 1885.

In 1878 in connection with Daniel Stiener and Peter Heffron ,he put in a portable sawmill at Gravel Lick, which they operatedfor sawing material for flat boats. In 1878 he sold his boat yard to James Howe who continued to operate it for a number of years. However, he still operated the saw mill.

The Alsbaugh mill and yard were at the mouth of Henery run,and that of S.Barr Sr. was at Hemlock Island. When he sold there were seven yards on that side of the river. My husband , Ross P. Kerr worked for Peter Heffron on his saw mill at Gravel Lick.When Mr. Heffron went to  Wyncoop Run in Elk County to continue operations there,he went with him and helped to take out the timber and haul  it to the river. Later he built boats for Mr. Heffron.

He was a pilot and ran many boats and rafts out of the river.Our house was close to the river, so close that there was just room enough for the road between the house and the stream.When a real flood came the water would  come up over the road and under the house. There would not be much sleeping as long as the river was so high.

We later moved to Nebraska , Forest County,Where Mr. Kerr built boats for T.D. Collins Mr. Cook had the job of loading and running the boats to Pittsburg.Mr. Kerr made several trips down Tionesta Creek and the Allgheny  River.

HISTORY OF STATE ROAD RIPPLE

by B.M. Davis of Clarion Pa.

State Road Ripple has a history perhaps distinct from all other places on the Clarion River. It was here that the largest of two Indian camps within the bounds of Highland Township were located. According to history this camp of Red Men were very pleasant nieghbors and at one time Betsey Harris witnessed a  wedding of Indians at State Roar Ripple. Soon after the coming of the white man to that section the Indians departed.

State Road was or is unique in that it is the wideest place on the Clarion River, a fact which annoyed many pilots when they steered thier boats over that part of the river. "Jams" and pile-ups were not unusal on the ripple in the early days of rafting. The ripple was different in other ways too,in that at one time eleven boat scaffolds were in operation there within the length of the settlement,a little more than one mile. At one time four scaffolds were taken out by the ice gorge. Only two of these were rebuilt. Of course ,boat building was the chief occupation of the men who lived there. However,at times two or three small sawmills were running .These were run by Wilsons and the Gilmores . The last of these earlier saw mills ceased to operate about 1895.Most of the boat materials were produced at places on the upper part of the river, from which it was  floated down the river to State Road Ripple. The places from which materials came were Millstone ,Clarington ,etc. Much of it came from Bradensmill near Clarington.

After the boats were built at State Road Ripple some were loaded with lumber, some with check posts, some with ore, and some with oil produced by the Black Diamond OIl Company . These loaded boats found thier way to Pittsburg and other larger cities where the loads were sold and where the boats were sold to coal companies for river transportation.The last boats built at State Road Ripple were turned about 1895 or 96. The last two scaffolds to operate were  known as the Mays scaffold and the Gilmore Scaffold.

Among the early settlers at State Road Ripple were the families of Raifsnyders, Boyds, Brennemans, Kerrs , Dixons, Sampsons ,Mays, Whitmores, Davis  Ritts, Springers, Porters, Youngs, Reeds, and simpsons. Other names have been forgotten.These families, from time to time, occupied the fifteen or eighteen houses that stood on the bank of the Clarion at Stat Road Ripplein those early days.Few folks that were numbered among the early settlers still remain.

James Kerr of Clarion was born at state Road Ripple in 1873 and John Dixon was born there in 1868. The families who lived at State Road Ripple as well as families at other settlments of that early time knew few luxuries of the present day. Homes were lighted with oil lamps or candles; few rugs or carpets covered the floors; all homes were heated by means of wood burned in large old stoves called "natives." Although they had not the many things that we now enjoy ,nevertheless the men worked for ninety cents a day and board, or a little more and boarded themselves ,and all were contented with thier lot.

Incidents are told of how high water carried away barns, houses,boats logs, lumber, etc. At one time a barn floated down the river and on top of the barn sat a roostercrowing. At another time the cattle strayed across the river and had to swim back becuase the river had risen. Many other incidents might be told of the early life at State Road Ripple but space does not permit.Suffice it to say the above facts and incidents substantiate the statement "State Road Ripple had a unique history among the early settlements along the Clarion River".

HISTORICAL FACTS OF BUCK RUN AND THE ORIGIN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE FIRST STANDARD CLARION RIVER BOAT

by A.C. Thompson of Waynesville ,Ohio

In the years 1830 to 1840 Jonathan Thompson ,a pioneer millwright and boat builder moved his family and possessions from Tyrone Forge, Huntington County,to the Clarion River section. At that time the Shippens and the Blacks were organizing for the manufacture of pig iron ,and to ship thier products to market by the water route. They then had thier furnaces located in the Shippenville district with the intention of making the mouth of Buck Run thier shipping point.This point was one and one half miles southwest of Clarion near the crossing of the river by the Lakes to Sea Highway of today.

Jonathan arranged with the furnace operators for the construction of a sawmill of the pioneer to be used to saw  lumber for thiere furnace operations and for building boats for the shipping of thier products to market. The location of the mill was at the mouth of Buck run.When it's construction was completed the building of  boats was considered. The boats then built on the Clarion were of a primitive type and did not have the capacity for shipping metal.

Jonathan was sent to Pittsburg with the intention of arranging with the steam boat men and coal dealers on a plan of a boat that would meet with thier requirements in shipping thier products to the lower river markets. He had a confrence with the operators and drew up a plan for a boat that would be a suitable one for the shipping of metal and other products on the Clarion and Allegheny rivers.It was to be a large flatbottom intended to float a heavy load and still have a shallow draft, suitable for use on the rock bottom of ths Clarion.

The plan of this boat and the construction thereof was suitable with the Pittsburgers but was too shallow for use on the Ohio as the big waves from the steam boats would swamp it. So a compromise was made, Jonathan agreed to furnish a set of white oak studding, eight feet in length , to be set upright on the gunwales. A set of  these studding was to furnished with each boat.

An agreement was made by which the Pittsburgers were to pay a certain price for each boat. The boats were to be delivered to them according to specifications and they were to pay the price agreed upon for each one . This price was double what Jonathan had expected.

Jonathan went homne with the plans of the boat and began the construction of the scaffold with the tilting  top and thus the great boat building industrey of the Clarion River came into being. The dimensions of the boats were 170 feet in length and 26 feet in width. They were built of large timber andheavy plank. They were constructed on a huge scaffold with the bottom upward and were turned over into the water after they were finished.

This scaffold was built on the bank of the river.The front end of the scaffold was evelated fourteen feet  above the bank of the river.Eleven large oak timbers crossed over the top of the scaffold .These timber were spaced sixteen feet apart and extendewd sixteen out over the water. They were elvated sixteen feet above low water and were called tilts.. They were pivioted in the center on a heavy iron shaft and were placed level for boat construction.

In the framing of the boat the timbers on the top of these tilts ,the bottoms upward,and the frame was securly bolted, pinned, and spiked together.The bottom was constructed of heavy pklanks and the seams were calked with oakum.With all these operations done the boat was ready for turning. Turning was done with the use of eleven heavy cables. One of these cables was tied around the out end of each tilt. The cables were then taken back over the bottom of the boat to the inner end of the tilt then taken around the out end of each tilt. The cables were then taken back over the bottom to the inner end of the tilt then taken around a snubber.A man was assigned to each snubber,the key in the inner ends of the tilts,which were there for purpose of preventing a premature turning,were knocked out, and over would go the boat. Each man would hold his slack even and the boat would drop down gradually until the tilts were perpendicular with the boat standing edge up. The cables wuold then be slacked and the boat would be dropped forward gradually until it lay level on the water all finished and ready for the oars.

These boats and scaffolds with the tilting top were typical of the Clarion riverand were adopted as standard equipment .They were careried through to the end of the industry by all boat builder on the Clkarion river.

ON THE BANKS OF THE BEAUTIFUL CLARION

by Irene Furman Rodgers

In my last lone days I shall feel at rest,

If I can only go where I love best,

Where the tall trees stand like a sentinel,

And the fragrant pines whisper. "All is well,"

On the banks of the beautiful Clarion.

Where the great cathedral of earth and sky

Is fill'd with praises of God, on high

As the pine- tree organ pipes it's notes,

And the music of rippling water floats,

On the banks of the beautiful Clarion

Where the sand-springs bubble, spurt,and run

To cool the thirst of a weary one;

Where the pine-needle carpet is soft and sweet,

To cool the ache of returning feet,

On the banks of the beautiful Clarion

Where the ruff'd grouse,and the deer ,and bear

Abide in peace in thier forest lair

'Mid the mossy rocks which the Lord hath made

To pillow the dreamer's aching head.

On the banks of the beautiful Clarion

My heart shall rest when the day is done.

And I'll welcome the time of my setting sun,

If I only can that woodland goal

Where the fragrance of pine is good for the soul

On the banks of the beautiful Clarion

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