From Gay's Gazetteer [published by W. B. Gay & Co., Syracuse, NY; reprinted in 1978]

"The army of Gen. James Sullivan, which passed through the valley in the summer of 1779, was composed of officers and soldiers from New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. The officers of the expedition were astonished at the advance the Iroquois had made in agriculture. A letter of Gen. James Clinton states that the corn was 'the finest he had ever seen.' Another officer states that there were ears of corn that measured twenty-two inches in length. The broad valleys of the Susquehanna, Chenango and Chemung, with their rich fields of corn, and orchards of apple trees, must have presented to the soldiers an inviting and attractive appearance, as contrasted with the sandy soil of New Jersey, and the rocks and harder soil of Connecticut and Massachusetts. [pp. 27-28]

"The soil of this territory is principally clay--in the valley of East creek yellow loam, with clay underlying; on the east, gravelly loam. The valleys and west hills were timbered with beech, maple, and iron-wood, the east hills with pine and hemlock." [p. 113]

"The hills were originally mostly covered with hemlock and pine, and the valleys with heavy growths of pine, oak, beech and maple. In instances the pines have reached 175 feet in height and five feet in diameter, and immense quantities of lumber of fine quality have been manufactured and sent to market at an early day from this valley."

[p. 166]

"The valley of the East Owego Creek, with its natural beauty, and its advantages for the immediate support of human life, made it seem an earthly paradise in the estimation of the natives of the rocky hills of New England; and as the venerable and honorable David Williams, of Berkshire, feelingly said, on the ninetieth anniversary of his birth: "Every blow that has been struck by man in the valley has diminished its beauty, and every farm in the town, if restored to its primitive state, would be worth more today than with all the improvements that man has made here." [1865]

"Through the valley, from the south line of Newark Valley to the north line of Berkshire, the timber was mostly hardwood, as beech, birch and maple, with white pines of great size scattered singly and in groups, with so little undergrowth that very little preparation was needed to enable a team and sled or cart to pass from one end to the other, with a moderate load.

"Every pioneer was a hunter, and deer were so plenty that no one felt a lack of meat, while the streams were so full of trout and other fish that enough could be taken for a meal in a few minutes. Even shad were abundant in the Susquehanna river in May and June, till about 1830 (when the dams built by the State of Pennsylvania, at Shamokin and Nanticoke, barred their further passage and destroyed the fisheries), the only drawback to taking them being the clearness of the water, which enabled the fish to see and avoid the nets, unless the fishing were done in the night. Often a bear would be found and killed, so that the settlers could enjoy a change in their bill of fare.

"Wolves were the great enemy of the settlers, who had hard work to protect their sheep and lambs, and a lady who has but lately died, incidentally mentioned the fact that she remembered when the wolves came into the barn-yard of Enoch Slosson, on the present village green, and killed his lambs; and persons are yet living who remember seeing wolves brought into the valley by hunters who had shot them on the hills."

[pp. 201-02]

"At the end of this second summer he (Asa Bement) returned to Stockbridge, feeling that his new home was ready for his family, so after spending most of the winter enjoying the privileges of settled society, he bought of John Brown another lot of 'boards for a Sleigh box, 2s,' 4 Feb., 1794. The place on which he settled had natural beauties and advantages equal to any in the valley, and two of its beautiful maple groves yet grace the landscape." [p. 208]

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"It [home of Emanuel Coryell, built in 1791] stood near a fine 'Indian clearing' of some ten or twelve acres, about a mile above the first one, and here grew up Mr. Coryell's large family of sons and daughters.

"With the exception of lands lying continuous to the river, the country at that time was covered with forest, principally of white pine, a tree always indicating fine soil wherever it grows, but mingled with ash, maple, hickory and beech, and other valuable hard woods. These woods abound with game and the rivers with fish. The shad, that best of all river fish, came up in immense numbers every spring and were caught by the settlers in nets, the owners of the land along the river being entitled to a certain quantity for the 'land right.' These fish, salted down formed an important and very acceptable addition to the stores of the settlers. The climate was mild, though the winters were cold and invariably snowy, and there were no prevailing diseases except those caused by the malaria commonly found where forests are being cleared up." [p. 273]

"Among the poorer settlers in the town, Stephen Reynolds deserves mention. He came from eastern New York, and settled on the bank of the creek, on land belonging to Judge Coryell, where there was a 'sugar bush,' that is, a collection of maple trees, from which the maple sugar was made, which is now regarded as such an article of luxury. Mr. Reynolds was a cooper, and worked during the year from place to place at his trade, except a few weeks in the spring, when he and his family made sugar. . . . . The manufacture of sugar was, at that time, an industry of considerable importance in the country, the settlers depending on it almost entirely for their supply of that article. Parties of men would leave their homes, at the proper time in the spring, and go sometimes considerable distances into the woods, till they found a place for a 'sugar camp,' where they would stay during the sugar season, returning often with some hundreds of pounds of sugar, which they made a profitable article of merchandise."

[pp. 276-77]

"Though his education was limited to a few quarters in the district schools, he [Sampson Howell] ranks high among the scientists of his day. He has lectured on geology, mineralogy, paleontology and the animal kingdom; and has contributed much that is valuable on the subject of agriculture, ornithology and on native forest trees." [p. 289]

"The clearing up of the forests had left the country covered with pine stumps. Tog get rid of these unsightly objects became a problem of no small magnitude. The stumps of other trees would soon decay and were easily removed, but the roots of the pine, which extended to an immense distance from the trunk and were filled with turpentine, it used to be said would last forever. Various attempts were made at a somewhat early period in the history of the village to invent some machine for pulling them; but without success. The science of mechanics was not perhaps well understood, as no one seemed able to hit upon any method by which sufficient power could be obtained to dislodge these 'old settlers'. It was finally reserved for Mr. Briggs, a blacksmith in the village of Nichols, about the year 1832, to invent such a machine. It consisted of a number of cogged wheels of iron of graduated sizes working into each other, the power being obtained by what is known in mechanics as the 'decrease of motion.' In this way he constructed a machine of immense power which worked by a single yoke of oxen, not only pulled up the stumps with their tremendous roots, but was also applied to the moving of houses. By the aid of this machine, which has since then been simplified and improved, but which, it is believed, was the first successful invention of the kind, the face of the country improved rapidly, and the value of the farms very much increased. The stumps being drawn, it then became a question as to what was to be done with them. It was almost an endless task to burn them, though that often had to be done. A few were thrown into the river, but the freshets instead of carrying them down to the sea, floated them up on the flats. At length some shrewd genius conceived the idea of making them into fences, which proved a great success. They were place side by side, the roots all the same way, and when placed along the highway these roots towering into the air sometimes ten or twelve feet presented a not unpicturesque appearance, and constituted a barrier which might almost have turned an invading army. This machine ought to have brought its inventor a fortune, but he left the town not long after its completion, and the writer has no knowledge of his subsequent history."

[pp. 302-3]

"The Susquehanna river though a beautiful stream, renowned in poetry and song, has yet been found by the dwellers on its banks, very often a troublesome neighbor. For many years its waters during the spring freshets through often overflowing its banks did no very great damage. But with the receding of the forests these became more sudden and violent, and frequently came into the streets in the lower part of the village. In 1865 it reached the point of inundation, invading the houses and causing general consternation and a good deal of damage. Since then it has twice been in the streets, the last time in seventy-two--since which a long succession of dry seasons has given us a rest from these afflictions. The Wappensening creek was, we are told at the first settlement of the country a narrow stream that was crossed by a fallen tree. The clearing up of the country has transformed it into a raging torrent coming down in the spring time with a fury that sweeps everything before it. [pp. 305-6]

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Owego as an Early Business Point.--Owego was the earliest settlement in this part of the state of New York, and, owing to its situation, became an important business point. The early settlers engaged in lumbering and shipping their product down the Susquehanna river in rafts, to a market. In 1808, the Owego and Ithaca turnpike was opened to travel. Then Owego became the outlet to a large section of the country. All the flour, grain, salt, plaster, etc., for the southern and eastern market, was brought down Cayuga lake by boat to Ithaca, and then to Owego by teams. The traffic was so great that from five hundred to eight hundred loaded wagons usually passed over the turnpike in a single day. From here it was sent in arks down the river. The cost of transporting a barrel of salt or flour form Ithaca to Baltimore, was one dollar and seventy-five cents. An ark cost seventy-five dollars, and would carry two hundred and fifty barrels. The trip from Owego to Baltimore occupied from eight to twelve days. At Baltimore the lumber in an ark would sell for about forty dollars. [p. 385]

"The chief pursuit of the inhabitants of the town now is agriculture. In former times lumbering was one of the great avocations; but the timber has been so nearly cut down and the lands so thoroughly cleared, that there remains at this day, only a vestige of the former extensive industry." [p. 459]

"Many Indian graves were also found near the bank of the river, a short distance below Cassel's cove. . . . At the time of the pioneer settlement of this town, the evenly-wooded hill, sloping southerly upon the homestead of Mr. John Dubois, was found entirely stripped of timber, bearing the appearance of having been burned over and thoroughly cleared. It was shrubless as well as denuded of its trees. The even and remarkably uniform 'second growth' which now covers it, clearly shows this to be a fact, and corroborates the account." p. 477 [as quoted from Judge Avery's "Susquehanna Valley" papers published 1853-54]

"Major Ransom set out the first apple-tree, bringing it with him in a boat from Wyoming. He set out the first orchard on the west bank of the creek, and had the first nursery. George Tallcott, when on a exploring tour through the country, in 1790, says this was the first orchard he had seen between here and Albany." [p. 479]

"The standing timber in the town of Tioga, however, has been so depleted that the lumbering industry of the town is rapidly waning, and beyond doubt a few short years hence saw-mills in Tioga will be among the things of the past." [p. 483]

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"James Hanna's Encounter With the Last Wolf of the Plains"
from the Waverly Advocate

"In the early part of this country, or about sixty years ago, the fertile land of this valley which now yield such abundant harvest, and where now is situated the thriving towns of Waverly and its ambitious rival, Sayre, was covered with a dense forest of pine. This forest upon the Plain and upon the surrounding mountains, were the covert for deer and other game. In these forests also the cry of the catamount and the howl of the grey wolf were familiar sounds that none but an experienced hunter like James Hanna could hear without a shudder. Listening at night to these fearful cries and howls, mothers and children gathered in trembling circles at the fireside and awaited in agony the return of the husband and protector. But gradually, as the settlers cleared away the forest, these dreaded and destructive animals, like the natives of the country, fell back or were destroyed, until now no one remains in the Eastern and Middle States, except a few in Northern New York. It was found almost impossible to keep sheep in the sparse settlements; and bounties were offered of ten and twenty dollars a head for these destructive animals.

"In this valley the wolf found a formidable antagonist in the hunter, James Hanna, whose exploits in those days equaled anything we ever read, of the adventures of hunters and trappers in the Territories, except that James Hanna has no stain of human gore upon his garments and his trusty rifle was never used in wanton destruction of even animal life; but only to secure food for his family, or to rid the settlement of noxious birds and ravaging animals.

"About fifty years ago, and some time after the disappearance of the wolves from the valley, it was rumored that one bold fellow had returned and was committing ravages among the sheepfold. It was winter and the settlers had gathered their flocks near their homes, yet night after night some fold was invaded by the hungry and fearless wolf, and it was finally determined to rally a force of men and dogs and slay the savage brute. James Hanna was requested to join the party but declined, for James had a way of his own and did not approve of hunting in packs like wolves.

"A large number of men and dogs, however, set out upon a cold December morning. They had ascertained that the wolf had his lair in a windfall, at a spot quite near where now stands the fine mansion of Mr. Timothy Hireen, or the street leading from Waverly to Sayre, the only dwelling in that vicinity at that time being that of Mr. H. Murray. The party soon had their dogs upon the track of the wolf, and the whole day was spent in the pursuit. Now and again some dog would be met on the retreat, mangled and torn. At night the party returned from their fruitless pursuit, weary and hungry, leaving the wolf uninjured, far away upon the mountains, while almost every dog bore marks of the terrible fangs of the wolf. The next morning it was ascertained that the wolf undaunted by the persistent chase, had returned the same night, made a supper upon a fat weather [sic], and slept in his lair as if nothing had occurred to dispute his possession.

"The dogs used on the previous day, had been so roughly handled, that but few of them could be rallied for a second trial. A supply of fresh dogs, however, were found and another day's hunt was had with no better result, for the wolf, although driven miles away, was back to his lair the same night, making his supper this time, at the expense of his nearest neighbor, Mr. Murray. A third day with fresh dogs proved equally fruitless and disastrous; and in the three days hunt the wolf had placed at least twenty dogs hors du combat, eluded the sagacity of twenty men, and remained master of the situation. It was not until now, when the combined efforts of so many settlers had proved a failure, that James Hanna thought it worth his while to take a hand in the hunt; now, when men and dogs were out of the way and he could go about it in his own fashion.

"Hanna then possessed and still retains in his advanced years a genuine professional pride. He did not believe in taking any mean advantage even of a wolf and was waiting to meet his enemy on tolerably even footing, always making it certain, however, that his two trained dogs being guided by his great experience should win the battle. Accordingly calling to his assistance two trusty friends and with his two dogs, whose power and sagacity he had often tested, he was at the lair of the wolf by early dawn. An inch of snow had fallen during the night, which covering the tracks made the previous day, rendered it easy to trace the formidable enemy they were soon to encounter. On examining the lair, it was ascertained that the wolf had only left it as they come up.

"Hanna slipped the leash from his dogs and in a moment he heard the jaws of the wolf snap like the closing of a bear-trap. Alternate growls and snaps and yelps! One of the brave dogs received a terrible wound and retreated. On coming up, Hanna found the other dog had closed upon the monster and had him fast by the cheek. The rapid movement of the animals, whirling among the young bush-pines, rendered the use of the rifle impossible, without endangering the dog. The wounded dog could not be induced just then to again enter the fight. The wolf being unable to get his jaws upon his adroit antagonist, suddenly gathered his feet under him for a might effort and rising suddenly threw the dog ten feet into the air and instantly was hidden from Hanna in the thick bush.

"The dog, however, soon closed upon him and this time caught him by the ham. Another scene of rapid whirlings ensued and another break. By no effort was Hanna able to get a shot. Again the dog had the wolf by the ham, and fortunately in a clear open space. The wounded dog now joined in the fray. With that instinct which 'teaches' animals the vital parts of the body, both dogs fastened their jaws upon the wolf's throat. Hanna seeing his opportunity, aimed his rifle to give the brute the coup de grace; but in that dire emergency, that rifle, that never before had failed the hunter, failed him now! A loaded rifle is not a safe weapon to use as a club in a melee like this, even were there not other considerations such as injury to so precious a thing as a rifle, tried and trusted.

"In such moments, thought is quick, as in the act of dreaming. Close at hand stood a hard-pine sapling--a girdle--a snap--a few dexterous strokes of the hunter's knife, and a formidable weapon is ready. Crash came the blow upon the head of the wolf. Instantly the powerful muscles of the limbs and body relaxed. The wolf lay prone and helpless. The knife is thrust as near the jugular as the jaws of the dogs would permit. The dogs now drawn off, lay quivering and panting. In this moment of triumph, the vigilance of the man relaxed, but not that of the dogs. The wolf recovering from the shock given by the club, once more gathered all his force and with one might effort sprang away from his foes. It was a fruitless effort; not for one instant had the dogs turned their eyes from the powerful brute, and were again upon him long before their master and his assistants could collect their energies.

"Then for the first time the animal gave forth that call by which his fellows are summoned in case of distress. No fellow however was within hearing of that cry. Like some Indian who seeks his early hunting and camping ground, this old wolf had returned alone, to the scenes of his younger days. Formerly, that cry which might have been heard a mile and more, would have assembled a multitude of his fellows. Hanna had known the time when it would have been unsafe to remain long in the locality of that cry of distress. Now, however, there was nothing to fear. This time, the knife did its work effectively and the lifeless body of the last wolf of the plains lay at the feet of the hunter, while men and dogs and the snow for a wide space around were crimsoned with his blood.

"At the place where this memorable contest occurred, we may no longer hear the howl of the wolf; but instead of that the Pan-like screech and bellow of a hundred engines, while sixty years ago, if heard in this quiet valley, would have frightened, not only wolves, but even settlers out of the valley. Upon or near the spot of that wolf's lair, now stands an elegant dwelling. There are not many survivors among the hardy race of men who leveled the forests of this valley, yet two of the three men, engaged in the adventure we have related, still survive vigorous, hearty, venerable and venerated men. Under favorable circumstances, James Hanna might have become as celebrated as Joseph Jefferson or John Owen. Now, at the age of 76 years, he betrays a tragic and comic way, which renders the narrative of his adventures as interesting as an acted drama."

W. F. W.

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Waverly, Feb. 9, 1875

 "Forest and Trees"

"....The forest no longer exists in the county. Every farmer seeks, however, to retain as much wood-land as will be needful to supply material for fuel, fencing and building. It is with some feelings of sadness we recall the splendid forests of pine and oak that, within the memory of many yet living, could be seen every where upon the hillsides of the valley. Where once they waved in somber majesty, now wave the simple fields of grain. One is almost tempted into the composition of a dirge to the memory of the departed forests.

Like the pioneer, they have disappeared and are mingled with the earth which once proudly bore them. With them have also disappeared the savage beast and the more savage man that for ages were their occupants, and who were mutual enemies. All - man, beast, and their sheltering forests - have been sacrificed to the necessities of civilization, which in many aspects is a tyrant in the exercise of merciless power. In the greed for extending the area of land for cultivation, and to procure timber for the markets and the enormous supplies needed by railroads, there is some danger that we have already gone too far. The streams, from this cause have dwindled to half their former volume, and wells and springs fail of their usual and necessary supply, and still the work of denudation goes forward, all over the land, and there seems to be no power to arrest the entire destruction of the noble forests of the country.

William Fiske Warner

Owego Gazette, 1876

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