The Wyalusing Path or

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. ...

was a historical trace that ran from what is now Wyalusing to the Native American village of Canaserage (now Muncy) in

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, ...

in the

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. Wyalusing is on the east bank of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River in Bradford County and Muncy is on the east 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 exten ...

Lycoming County Lycoming County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 114,188. Its county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. ...

, so the path provided a short cut between the two main branches of the Susquehanna River. The alternative and much longer route was to follow the North Branch south from Wyalusing to the confluence with the West Branch at the Native village of Shamokin (now

Sunbury, Pennsylvania Sunbury is a city and county seat of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in Central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna Valley on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, just downstream of the confluence of its main and west ...

), then north up the West Branch to Muncy. On leaving Wyalusing, the path went south a short distance, then

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

ed the Susquehanna River near the Moravian village of Friedenshütten. It followed Sugar Run Creek upstream, climbed Bartlett Mountain, and crossed into what is now Sullivan County near the modern-day village of Colley in Colley Township. The Wyalusing Path climbed Dutch Mountain (coming near or crossing into Wyoming County), then passed between the headwaters of

Loyalsock Creek Loyalsock 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 located chiefly in Sullivan and Lycoming counties in ...

and Mehoopany Creek in Sullivan County. The exact course of the path is less clear here, but it encountered

Muncy Creek Muncy Creek (also known as Big Muncy Creek) is a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Sullivan County and Lycoming County, at Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long. The watershed of the creek has an area of ...

near its source in Sullivan County and followed it to it mouth at Canaserage (Muncy). Much of what we know about the Wyalusing Path comes from travelers' accounts of it. In May 1772, Samuel Harris had to ford Muncy Creek twenty times following the path. In June 1772, Moravian

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

John Ettwein led a group of some 200 Lenape and

Mohican The Mohican ( or , alternate spelling: Mahican) are an Eastern Algonquian Native American tribe that historically spoke an Algonquian language. As part of the Eastern Algonquian family of tribes, they are related to the neighboring Lenape, who ...

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from their village of Friedenshütten (''Cabins of Peace'') west along the Wyalusing Path to Muncy, fording Muncy Creek thirty six times along the way. At Muncy they took 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 ...

and others to their new village of Friedensstadt (''City of Peace'') on the Beaver River in southwestern Pennsylvania. The trail crosses some of the roughest terrain in northeast

, but provided a major transit route for Native American populations.

References

{{coord missing, Pennsylvania Transportation in Bradford County, Pennsylvania Historic trails and roads in Pennsylvania Transportation in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Native American trails in the United States Transportation in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Native American history of Pennsylvania