The Big Spring
Brady Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Former camping place at the junction of two Indian paths: the Great Shamokin, running from Sunbury to Kittanning; and the path to Venango, now Franklin. During War of 1812, Maj. McClelland's force camped here. Spring is 60 yards SW.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Where two great Indian paths met — the Great Shamokin running toward Kittanning and the trail to Venango, now Franklin — travelers found a reliable spring and a natural camping ground. Generations used this junction as a resting place in the deep forests of central Pennsylvania. During the War of 1812, Major McClelland's militia force also camped at this spot, following the same well-worn crossroads that Native peoples had long relied upon.
Why it matters
Springs and trail junctions like the Big Spring were the fixed points of a wilderness landscape, serving Native travelers and American soldiers alike across centuries.
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Related people
- · Maj. McClelland
Related events
- · War of 1812
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Old State Road (Milesburg to Waterford)
DuBois, PA · est. 1955
Opened to the Allegheny River in 1804, the Old State Road was the first route to Pennsylvania's northwestern frontier, and in this section it traced the course of the older Chinklacamoose Path used by Native travelers. During the War of 1812 it carried troops under Major McClellan toward the fighting at Erie. Where the modern highway crosses here, it meets the line of that pioneering road.
Great Shamokin Path
Bell Township, PA · est. 1950
The Great Shamokin Path was a major Indian thoroughfare linking the Susquehanna and Allegheny rivers, running near this spot long before European roads followed the same ground. Delaware and Shawnee people used it for hunting and trade, and warriors traveled it during the French and Indian War. In July 1772 the Moravian missionary Bishop John Ettwein led some 200 Native Americans and their cattle along this stretch as they migrated west to the settlement of Friedensstadt.
Chinklacamoose
Lawrence Township, PA · est. 1947
Before European settlement reshaped this country, an Indian village called Chinklacamoose stood along these creeks. In 1758 the Moravian emissary Christian Frederick Post passed through while carrying peace overtures to a Native council at Kuskuski, part of the delicate diplomacy of the era. The later town of Clearfield is said to take its name from open ground cleared by grazing bison along the nearby waters.
Olean Road
Corsica, PA · est. 1950
The Olean Road, an early route running from Olean to Kittanning, followed the older Catawba Path — a trail once used by Five Nations (Iroquois) war parties on their long raids against the Catawba people of South Carolina. Near this point it crossed another Native path linking Venango (present-day Franklin) with Chinklacamoose (present-day Clearfield). The layered names on the land record centuries of Indigenous travel and warfare before settlers ever arrived.