The Great Island Path was a major Native American trail in the U.S. state of

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 village of Shamokin (modern-day Sunbury) along the right bank of 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 ...

north and then west to the Great Island (near modern-day Lock Haven). The village of Shamokin was just south of the "forks of the Susquehanna", the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

of the West Branch Susquehanna River with 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 ...

(sometimes called the North Branch). According to Meginness (1892), the path crossed the river "...in shallow water on a ledge of rocks since destroyed by the erection of the dam at Sunbury..." to the west (right) bank at about the current location of

Shamokin Dam Shamokin Dam is a borough in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,647 at the 2020 census. "Shamokin" , or "Shahëmokink" in the Delaware language, and Schahamokink in another Algonquian language, means "place of e ...

Snyder County Snyder County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,736. The county seat is Middleburg. Snyder County was formed in 1855 from parts of Union County. Snyder County comprises the Selins ...

. The path then continued "...up the ravine in Blue Hill and followed the present road for a few miles" along the ridge which is the border between Snyder and

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

counties. The path then turned "...towards the river, passed over the hill and followed the river through Winfield and Lewisburg; thence to Buffalo Creek, which it crossed where the iron bridge now spans it. Then it curved to the river and passed through Shikellimy's town, which stood at the mouth of Sinking Run...".{{cite book , last = Meginness , first = John Franklin , title = History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania: including its aboriginal history; the colonial and revolutionary periods; early settlement and subsequent growth; organization and civil administration; the legal and medical professions; internal improvement; past and present history of Williamsport; manufacturing and lumber interests; religious, educational, and social development; geology and agriculture; military record; sketches of boroughs, townships, and villages; portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, etc. etc. , year = 1892 , url = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/lyco-history-01.html , access-date = 2006-06-27 , edition = 1st , publisher = Brown, Runk & Co. , location = Chicago, IL , isbn = 0-7884-0428-8 , chapter = Chapter II. , chapter-url = http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-02.html , quote = (Note: ISBN refers to Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the 1892 version with some OCR typos). Today this is the site of

Shikellamy State Park Shikellamy State Park is a Pennsylvania state park located at the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. The park is divided into two sections. The older part, on a bluff on the western bank of th ...

. This route along the west side of the river is where

U.S. Route 15 U.S. Route 15 (US 15) is a -long United States highway, designated along South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The route is signed north–south, from U.S. Route 17 Alternate in Walterboro, South Caro ...

runs today. Next the path "...followed the river along the base of the hills into White Deer valley..." where it turned west at what is now the village of Allenwood, following

White Deer Hole Creek White Deer Hole Creek is a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Clinton, Lycoming and Union counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A part of the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin, the White Deer Hole Creek watershed drains part ...

into Lycoming County "...along the south branch of the creek, near where the village of Elimsport is located, and over the mountain .e. North White Deer Ridgeinto Nippenose valley through which it passed to the head thereof." The stretch from the mouth of White Deer Hole Creek to the head of the Nippenose valley is the approximate route of

Pennsylvania Route 44 Pennsylvania Route 44 (PA 44) is a -long state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The route, which is signed north-south, is designated from Interstate 80 (I-80) and PA 42 in Buckhorn northwest to the New York state line near New York S ...

today. The path then crossed into

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, s ...

"...over the hills and through a ravine in

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 ...

to the river, where there was a fording to Great Island". A small part of the crossing over the hills has been incorporated into the Mid State Trail. The ravine is formed by McElhattan Creek, and the Lock Haven Reservoir is located there now. The Great Island is just east of the present-day city of Lock Haven. From the Great Island, 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 ...

, which followed the opposite bank of the river north from Shamokin village, continued further west to what are now the boroughs of Clearfield and finally Kittanning. Culbertson's Path left White Deer Hole Creek to follow Spring Creek north to modern Duboistown, where it crossed the river to the

Sheshequin Path The Sheshequin Path was a major Native American trail in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania that ran between two Native American villages: "French Margaret's Town" on the West Branch Susquehanna River (part of modern-day Williamsport in Lycoming Coun ...

north.

References

Transportation in Clinton County, Pennsylvania Transportation in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Native American trails in the United States Historic trails and roads in Pennsylvania Transportation in Snyder County, Pennsylvania Transportation in Union County, Pennsylvania Native American history of Pennsylvania