Hemlock and the Tanning Industry The industrial revolution and the Civil War created a tremendous increase in the need leather for industrial belting and saddles, respectively. Animal hides had to be “tanned” to preserve the leather. Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) whose bark contained large amounts of “tannins” was abundant in the pre-European settlement forest of the Allegheny Plateau. As a result, the tanning industry grew tremendously in the area. Hemlock trees were cut and the bark was peeled off in the woods, usually in the spring because it was easier to remove. The bark was hauled to the tannery in sheets and stacked in “house-like” piles until the tannins were extracted.

The Sawmilling Industry In the mid-late 1800s, the supply of wood seemed inexhaustible. There were huge quantities first of white pine followed by hemlock and hardwoods. The development of the band saw greatly increased milling capacity.

The Wood Chemical Industry The tanning industry required many chemicals for the leather curing process. Many of these products were derived through destructive distillation of wood, including methanol (wood alcohol), acetate of lime and other products. A by-product of the process was charcoal, used to feed the iron furnaces of the day. The chemical wood process could use virtually any size wood of any species. In the woods, trees as small as 1-2 inches were taken. Thus, the cuts tended to be very clean. With few trees left standing, plenty of light and few deer, sun-requiring (shade intolerant) trees like black cherry increased greatly in abundance and size.

Logging Railroads and Locomotives In the early days of logging on the Allegheny Plateau, most of the logging occurred in the drainage areas adjacent to streams and rivers because the river was the only reliable means of transportation. About 1885, the geared logging locomotive was invented permitting locomotives to traverse steep grades, sharp curves and uneven track and enabling the railroads to reach the high plateau above the river. There were three designs of geared locomotives, The Climax, manufactured in nearby Corry, the Heisler, constructed in Erie and the Shay, made at several locations in the US.

Common Carrier Railroads

Deer and Pennsylvania Forests

Oil and Gas Discovery and Operations In 1859, “Colonel” Edwin Drake drilled the first successful well that was drilled for the sole purpose of finding oil in Titusville, PA. Known as the Drake Well after Colonel Drake, its inception spurred a rapid influx of speculators and oil drilling spread up the Allegheny River into Warren County. Warren alone had 13 refineries by the early 1900s. The impact of this industry on Warren is evident even today from the stately homes to the United Refining Company, one of the county’s largest employers.

The Allegheny River-A Species-rich Fresh Water Extension of the Mississippi River

Kinzua Valley and the Kinzua Dam Nearly 40 years ago the waters of the Allegheny River were bottled up by the Kinzua Dam, creating the Allegheny Reservoir. Twenty-five miles long with over 90 miles of shoreline, this man-made lake is one of the largest in the eastern United States. Its creation was highly controversial, flooding not only the town of Corydon and Kinzua Creek, but also the 9000 acre Cornplanter Tract, the last remaining Indian Tribal Lands in Pennsylvania. Today, the reservoir is the centerpiece of the Allegheny Region, providing abundant opportunities for fishing, swimming, boating and camping.

The History of the Seneca Nation by the Seneca

Fire, Rattlesnakes and Oak

The Allegheny River-A Waterway for Native American Commerce

Archeological Evidence of Native American Culture

Shakers and Movers of the 19th Century – Struthers, Gen. Kane

Black Americans and the CCC

The Underground Railroad In Northwestern Pennsylvania Warren county was an important stop on the Underground Railroad that took slaves from below the Confederate border all the way to freedom in Canada. The town of Sugar Grove was the center of the Underground Railroad. African-Americans who were seeking freedom often were granted haven in Sugar Grove homes and for a time many settled in the town. The 1854 Anti-Slavery Convention held in Sugar Grove drew the participation of several famous abolitionists, including Frederick Douglass and J. W. Loguen. This event was recreated for the 2004 Sugar Grove ‘Juneteenth’ celebration.

African-American Loggers of the Mid-19th Century

Theodora Cope - Naturalist

Ash Hough – Early Forest Scientist

Ted Grisez – Warren County Naturalist

Robert Olmsted

Teddy Collins

Jim Nelson (former State Forester) – Childhood in Ludlow

South meets North to create regional hotspot of biodiversity The upper Allegheny Region is a biological crossroads where typically southern species extend up the major valleys, and typically northern or boreal species extend southward on the plateaus. The combined effect creates a particularly rich biota. Examples with birds include the juxtaposition of the Yellow-throated Warbler near its northern limit along the region’s river valleys, and the related Blackburnian Warbler, more typical of boreal conifer forest, but abundant here in upland forests.

Allegheny River as a center of aquatic biodiversity The Allegheny River, as the northeastern-most extension of the great Mississippi watershed, supports an especially rich and diverse aquatic fauna far beyond what would be expected in a river of its size. Of particular note are a high diversity of native fishes, including the bizarre, primitive paddlefish, endemic to the Mississippi drainage, and a confusing array of freshwater mussels, the world’s most endangered taxon.

The Hellbender: Living Fossil The hellbender, the largest salamander species in the New World, looks as frightening as its name suggests. Ranging from 12 to 29 inches in length and up to 5 pounds in weight, these bizarre amphibians are completely aquatic throughout their life. During the day they hide under large flat rocks in cool, clear rivers and streams, and come out at night to hunt fish, crayfish, and other invertebrates. Though found throughout the Ohio River watershed as well as the Ozarks, its affinity for the Allegheny River is reflected in the scientific name, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis.

Loss of Native Mammals The region once supported healthy populations of a variety of large mammals typical of primeval forests, which have been lost with settlement. Predators such as wolf, cougar, and marten abounded, but were too great competition for game, or too valuable for fur, to survive. Elk too were almost as common as deer are now, but were hunted to extinction.

Loss of Passenger Pigeons Once the world’s most abundant bird, the highly social Passenger Pigeon once occurred here in the hundreds of millions. Some of the major historical nesting and roosting sites were located in Warren, Forest, McKean and Elk Counties. The region’s early settlers hunted the pigeon extensively, both for their own food and as a profitable export to coastal cities. At least one local railroad line of the 1870’s was dedicated to shipping harvested pigeons. Excessive hunting and habitat loss led to the species’ rapid extinction in the early 1900’s. Their legacy remains in the names of numerous local villages and landmarks called “Pigeon”.

Return of Native Birds Once locally extirpated along with the pigeons, wolves and cougars, Ospreys and Bald Eagles have benefited from legal protection, and have begun to return to the shores of the Allegheny River and Kinzua Reservoir. Other species have returned with a bit of human help: reintroduction has brought back Peregrine Falcons, otters, fishers, and elk to the area.

Invasion of the Aliens! Aliens have begun to invade the upper Allegheny region! – alien species, that is. Non-native invasive species are a global conservation problem. Plants such as garlic mustard, autumn olive, and purple loosestrife have begun to appear in the region, especially near human settlement, and often crowd out or outcompete more desirable native species. Alien pests such as the gypsy moth periodically devastate huge areas of forest. Fortunately, the upper Allegheny region still has less of a problem with these alien invaders than most regions of the country. However, new and potentially devastating alien pests, including the hemlock wooly adelgid, zebra mussel, and emerald ash tree borer, have encroached on neighboring regions and pose an imminent threat to the upper Allegheny region.

Roger Tory Peterson – Jamestown Native Naturalist, artist, educator, and photographer, Roger Tory Peterson has probably done more than any other individual to kindle the American public’s interest in the natural world through his field guides and artwork. Born and raised in Jamestown, NY, Peterson developed his passion for and knowledge of nature in the fields and forests of the upper Allegheny region.

Allegheny Plateau forests provide haven for forest songbirds