Allegheny River Headwaters Watershed Conservation Plan

Allegheny River Headwaters Conservation Plan
Chapter 5. Cultural Resources
In 1794, the Six Nations gave up their claim to the Ohio region when they signed the Treaty of
Canandaigua. This treaty provided the Seneca nation aboriginal lands in Cattaraugus County in
southwestern New York, where they established the “Allegany Indian Reservation” along the Allegheny
River north of Bradford, Pa.
European settlement in the region was slowed, not only by the resistance among Native Americans,
but also by contradicting land titles. Early land titles in some areas were issued for the same property to
different owners causing confusion and frustration among settlers, ultimately deterring settlement in the
project area.
In 1798, Francis King came to Ceres Township—which at one time covered the entire McKean
County territory—to survey the Keating Lands, ultimately
becoming the first settler to reside within the project area.
Along his journey, he and his men camped at the confluence
of Allegheny Portage Creek and the Allegheny River, where
they made dugout canoes to continue down the Allegheny
River. The location of their camp was given the name, “Canoe
Place,” which eventually became Port Allegany.
Historical marker in Port Allegany, PA
Settlement in Port Allegany began in 1815, when Samuel
Stanton purchased a track of land from the Keating Lands,
which he visited the next year. During his visit to his new
property, Mr. Stanton erected a cabin before returning to
Williamsport for his family.
Unfortunately, Mr. Stanton died on the return trip to his new homestead. As a result, Mr. Stanton’s
son-in-laws, Lordwick Lillibridge and Stanton Steele, and their families became Port Allegany’s first
settlers. They established the village, which they called Keating, in 1826. In 1838, the name was changed
to Port Allegheny. The spelling of the town’s name was changed to Port Allegany in 1840.
During its early days, Port Allegany prospered as a small lumbering town, containing several
businesses that supported the lumber industry, such as toothpick and butter dish manufacturing. The
town’s location at the confluence of Allegheny Portage Creek and the Allegheny River made it a
significant center of activity, especially during the railroad era.
Up the Allegheny River from Port Allegany, located in Potter County, is the small village of
Roulette. In 1831, a colony of Germans settled in the region, calling it Streetertown, named for the
number of streets in the village. The name Dutchtown was later adapted, honoring the German settlers
who lived there. Finally, it was renamed Roulette after John Roulette, who was a partner of John Keating.
The area remained fairly undeveloped until the railroad came in 1883. With access to the railroad,
numerous houses and businesses were established in the region, including a large sash and blind factory
and a steam mill. However, the village never formally organized as a borough, and it remains an
unincorporated village in Roulette Township.
Further upstream, the town of Coudersport formed where Obadiah Sartwell, Potter County’s first
settler and blacksmith, settled. He later moved to the mouth of Sartwell Creek—named after him—near
Burtville, west of Roulette Township. Growth within Coudersport was slow until the 1880s and the
establishment of the railroad. The railroad brought about a population boom and attracted manufacturing
jobs, such as the glass plant, hub factory, condensed milk company, and clothespin factory. The
population grew from 677 residents in 1880 to 3,200 residents in 1900.
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