In an earlier blog, Old-Growth Forests, we described how an unbroken forest stretched across eastern North America from Canada to Florida and west to the Great Plains before America was settled by Europeans in the 1600s. In that forest, the predominant tree was the American Chestnut, Castanea dentata, dominating vast portions of the eastern U.S.Continue reading “American Chestnut”
Tag Archives: Franklin Township
The Invisible Lines of the Early Surveys through the Wilderness
As mentioned in our previous blog post “History of Franklin Township”, the layout of Franklin township was almost predetermined by The Purchase of 1784. A huge tract of newly purchased land, originally named the County of Alleghany, was divided into two great sections by a due east-and-west line running from Mahoning Creek, near Kittanning onContinue reading “The Invisible Lines of the Early Surveys through the Wilderness”
Jake Weiggel and the Legend of the Counterfeit $20s
As we continue to tell the history of Howard Falls, there are stories outside the Howard family we feel are equally important to share – stories about families who were also stewards of the Falls Run Gorge. One such family was the Weiggels, who owned a portion of the Falls Run Gorge property to theContinue reading “Jake Weiggel and the Legend of the Counterfeit $20s”
Old-Growth Forests
Have you ever walked in an old-growth forest? Probably not, as in the Eastern United States, almost all of that majestic forest was clear-cut by 1920. However, before Europeans arrived in North America that old growth forest stretched totally unbroken, from Florida to Maine and west to the Great Plains, as the virgin forest mapContinue reading “Old-Growth Forests”
History of Franklin Township
While most history of the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania starts with settlers coming across a remote, untraveled forest, in reality, this land may have once been the ancestral home to indigenous people and the original stewards of what we now call Howard Falls. In the coming years, we hope to explore and research the indigenousContinue reading “History of Franklin Township”
Howard Falls vs Suburban Sprawl
As mentioned in a previous blog (Early Scientific Research at Howard Falls) the remoteness of Franklin Township delayed its settlement compared to other areas of Erie County. In the 1820’s the area was still very sparsely settled. There were no bridges over Elk Creek, none of the roads present today even existed, and the only roadContinue reading “Howard Falls vs Suburban Sprawl”
Formation of the Falls Run Gorge
Waterfalls, such as Howard Falls, are dynamic formations but can maintain their vertical faces over long periods of time. A classic example of such a waterfall is Niagara Falls, where over 100,000 cubic feet of water flow over the escarpment every second, yet the waterfall remains vertical because of a hard sandstone layer at theContinue reading “Formation of the Falls Run Gorge”
Falls Run Name Correction
Falls Run is an ecologically important tributary of Elk Creek, located in Erie County, Pennsylvania. This stream has its origins near the St Lawrence Divide as it crosses Franklin Township in Erie County, PA. Flowing northerly toward its confluence with Elk Creek, it passes through three Pennsylvania Natural Heritage areas, namely Falls Run-Shenango Creek HeadwatersContinue reading “Falls Run Name Correction”