The Bald Eagle Creek Path (also one of several known as the Warriors Path) was a major Native American

trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. Th ...

in the

U.S. State In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

that ran from the Great Island (near modern-day

Lock Haven Lock Haven is the county seat of Clinton County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located near the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Creek, it is the principal city of the Lock Haven Micropolitan Statistical Area ...

) on the

West Branch Susquehanna River The West Branch Susquehanna River is one of the two principal branches, along with the North Branch, of the Susquehanna River in the Northeastern United States. The North Branch, which rises in upstate New York, is generally regarded as the exte ...

southwest to what is now the village of Frankstown on the

Frankstown Branch Juniata River The Frankstown Branch Juniata River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Juniata River in Blair and Huntingdon counties, Pennsylvania, i ...

. The path ran from

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

southwest through

Centre County Centre County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,172. Its county seat is Bellefonte. Centre County comprises the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The lands ...

and a small part of Blair County to its southern end in Blair County. It was part of a "Warriors Path", an important connector between paths leading to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and the Six Nations of the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

and the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

country in the north and west, and paths leading to what are now

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, and

the Carolinas The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east. Combining Nort ...

in the south.

Course

The Bald Eagle Creek Path started at the Great Island (today in the modern city of Lock Haven), which is in the West Branch Susquehanna River at the mouth of Bald Eagle Creek. The Great Island and surrounding area were home to several Native American villages, and were also at the intersection of multiple Native American paths. The

Great Island Path The Great Island Path was a major Native American trail in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that ran from the village of Shamokin (modern-day Sunbury) along the right bank of the West Branch Susquehanna River north and then west to the Great Isl ...

went east to the village of Shamokin (modern day Sunbury) at the confluence of the West and North Branches of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

, and the

Great Shamokin Path The Great Shamokin Path (also known as the "Shamokin Path") was a major Native American trail in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania that ran from the native village of Shamokin (modern-day Sunbury) along the left bank of the West Branch Susquehan ...

followed the West Branch to the same destination, connecting to a number of other paths leading north along the way. The Great Shamokin Path left the river and continued west from the Great Island; it led to Kittanning on the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...

. The

Sinnemahoning Path The Sinnemahoning Path is an ancient trail in Pennsylvania which passes through Keating on its way to the upper Alleghenies. The Sinnemahoning Path followed the West Branch of the Susquehanna from “the Great Island” at Lock Haven to the Sinnem ...

followed the West Branch west, then

Sinnemahoning Creek Sinnemahoning Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Cameron and Clinton counties, Pennsylvania, in ...

north to the Allegheny River and the Iroquois beyond. After leaving the Great Island, the path ran along the west side (

left bank In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography, as follows. In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrai ...

) of Bald Eagle Creek and soon crossed into what is now Centre County, where it passed through what is now

Bald Eagle State Park Bald Eagle State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Howard, Liberty, and Marion townships in Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park includes the Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir, formed by damming Bald Eagle Creek and ot ...

. Opposite the

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...

(or Delaware) village of Bald Eagle's Nest (modern Milesburg), the path crossed the creek and went through the

water gap A water gap is a gap that flowing water has carved through a mountain range or mountain ridge and that still carries water today. Such gaps that no longer carry water currents are called wind gaps. Water gaps and wind gaps often offer a prac ...

Bald Eagle Mountain Bald Eagle Mountain – once known locally as Muncy Mountain – is a stratigraphic ridge in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians of central Pennsylvania, United States, running east of the Allegheny Front and northwest of Mount Nittany. It lies alon ...

made by

Spring Creek A spring creek is a type of free flowing river whose name derives from its origin: an underground spring or set of springs which produces sufficient water to consistently feed a unique river. The water flowing in a spring creek may additionally be ...

. The path turned south again at the site of modern Bellefonte, and followed Buffalo Run along the eastern side of Bald Eagle Mountain as far as the modern village of Waddle. Continuing on a southwest course along the edge of Bald Eagle Mountain, the path left Centre County and crossed the extreme northwest corner of what is now Huntingdon County. There it passed the Native American village of Warriors Mark and followed Logan Spring Run into what is now Blair County. In Blair County, the path followed Logan Spring Run to the

Little Juniata River The Little Juniata River, sometimes called the "Little J," is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Juniata River in the Susquehanna River ...

, then followed that upstream to modern Tyrone. Between what is now Tyrone and Bellwood, the path briefly crossed the Little Juniata to the west (left) bank, then crossed back again to the east (right) bank. Continuing southwest, the path reached the current site of Altoona and left the Little Juniata, heading south to what is now

Hollidaysburg Hollidaysburg is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Blair County, Pennsylvania, Blair County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is located on the Juniata River, south of Altoona, Pennsylvania, Altoona and is part of ...

. There it followed the Beaverdam Branch Juniata River to the Frankstown Branch Juniata River at the modern village of Frankstown and the southern end of the path. Several paths met at the Native American village of Frankstown, including a Warriors Path that led south to Maryland, Virginia, and on to the

Catawba Catawba may refer to: *Catawba people, a Native American tribe in the Carolinas *Catawba language, a language in the Catawban languages family *Catawban languages Botany *Catalpa, a genus of trees, based on the name used by the Catawba and other N ...

and

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

peoples in

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. The

Kittanning Path The Kittanning Path was a major east-west Native American trail that crossed the Allegheny Mountains barrier ridge connecting the Susquehanna River valleys in the center of Pennsylvania to the highlands of the Appalachian Plateau and thence to ...

was one of a few that led west from Frankstown to the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers.

History

Bald Eagle or ''Woapalanee'' was a

chief whose village at modern Milesburg, Pennsylvania was known as Bald Eagle's Nest or ''Wapalanewachschiechey''. The identity of Bald Eagle is unclear though. One chief with that name, who was "friendly and respected" was murdered on the

Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in North Cen ...

in 1773. Another Bald Eagle, for whom the historic record is less clear, is traditionally supposed to have been the leader of raiding parties against white settlers on the West Branch Susquehanna River during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. He killed a brother of

Samuel Brady Captain Samuel Brady (1756–1795) was an Irish American Revolutionary War officer, frontier scout, notorious Indian fighter, and the subject of many legends, in the history of western Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio. He is best known for repo ...

near Williamsport in 1778 and Brady killed him on the Allegheny River in what is now

Clarion County Clarion County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,241. Its county seat is Clarion. The county was formed on March 11, 1839, from parts of Venango and Armstrong counties. Clarion Cou ...

the next year. In any case, Bald Eagle gave his name directly or indirectly to

, two Bald Eagle Creeks, the Bald Eagle Creek Path,

, the

Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad The Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad is a short line railroad that operates of track in Blair, Centre, and Clinton counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. It is part of the North Shore Railroad System. The line runs generally northea ...

, and Bald Eagle Township.Note: ISBN refers to Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the 1892 version with some OCR typos. In 1949, the

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage. The commission cares for ...

put up a historical marker on Pennsylvania Route 150 near the borough of

Howard Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

commemorating the path, which it called the "Warriors Path".{{cite web , url = http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pennsylvania_historical_marker_program/2539/search_for_historical_markers/300886 , title = Pennsylvania Historical Marker Program , work = searchable database , publisher = Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission , access-date = December 8, 2009 Wallace's book ''Indian Paths of Pennsylvania'', originally published in 1964 and since updated, noted that many north–south paths were called Warriors Path, and called this Bald Eagle Creek Path. While the path no longer exists, several highways approximate portions of its course. From Lock Haven to Milesburg to Bellefonte, Pennsylvania Route 150 follows the creek and general course of the path fairly closely. From Bellefonte to Tyrone, Pennsylvania Route 550 is a close approximation to the route of the path. From Tyrone to Hollidaysburg,

US Route 220 U.S. Route 220 (US 220) is a spur route of US 20. It runs in a north–south layout in the eastern United States, unlike its parent route as well as conventionally even-numbered highways which run east-west. US 220 extends for fr ...

and

Interstate 99 Interstate 99 (I-99) is an Interstate Highway in the United States with two segments: one located in central Pennsylvania, and the other in southern New York. The southern terminus of the route is near exit 146 of the Pennsylvania Turn ...

approximately follow the path, and

US Route 22 U.S. Route 22 (US 22) is a west–east route and is one of the original United States highways of 1926, running from Cincinnati, Ohio, at US 27, US 42, US 127, and US 52 to Newark, New Jersey, at U.S. Route 1/9 in the Newark Airport Interchange ...

is on the same general route from Hollidaysburg to Frankstown.

References

Transportation in Blair County, Pennsylvania Transportation in Centre County, Pennsylvania Transportation in Clinton County, Pennsylvania Transportation in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania Native American trails in the United States Historic trails and roads in Pennsylvania Native American history of Pennsylvania