Clearfield County PA
Miscellaneous News Paper Articles From the Past
Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
February 26 1833
Appointments by the Governor
Clearfield County
Joseph Boone, Prothonatary, Clerk of the several Courts and Register and Recorder
Thomas M. Pettit, to be Jedge of the District Court of the city and county of Philadelphia, in the room of Judge Hallowel, resigned.
Williram Frick and Frederick hambright, to be Aldermen of the city of Lancaster, in the place of Aldermen Light and Lightner, resigned.
Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
June 6, 1837
(During Pennsylvania Convention) Mr. Taggart presented a petition from the citizens of Clearfiled county, praying that the patronage of the Governor may be reduced, and that the people may be authorized to elect Justices of Peace, &c.
Star and Republican Banner (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
February 18, 1840
Mr. Geo. Leidy of Clinton county has been elected to the Legislature from the counties of Lycoming, Clinton and Clearfield, in the place of J. H. Laverty, who resigned without appearing to take his seat.
Indiana Progress (Indiana, Pennsylvania)
August 18 1871
The engine Vulcan on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, blew up at Coalport, killing the enginner, fireman, and four trainmen.
The Indiana Democrat (Indiana, Pennsylvania)
November 6 1879
We see it stated that the Bell's Gap Railroad, which has its present terminus at Lloydsville, Cambria Co., is to be extended at as early a date as possible to Coalport, Clearfield county, official announcement having made that the subscriptions of the land owners along the proposed route have been accepted, and that the road will be put through as rapidly as the weather will permit. The new terminus, as at present agreed upon, will be at Whitmer's Run, a tributary of Clearfield Creek. A large force of men will be employed on the grading, filling, etc., and things will be lively along the line in those sections of Cambria and Clearfield counties where the route has been surveyed.
The Indiana Democrat (Indiana Pennsylvania)
January 8, 1880
Work of the Bell's Gap Extension
Work is progressing favorably on the Bell's Gap railroad, which runs from Lloydville, Cambria county, to Whitmer's run in Clearfield county, about sixteen miles. One hundred and fifty men are engaged in its construction, and they are progressing rapidly. Already about a mile of the road has been graded on the Lloydville end and men are now grading near Coalport, on the other end. The road will probably not be completed before next fall.
The Keystone Courier (Connellsville, Pennsylvania)
April 1 1881
Cambria and Clearfield Coal
The Bell's Gap coal mines at Lloydsville, Cambria county, are being run to their full capacity, and the employees are getting all the cars they can load, at fair prices. Four miles further on, along the line of the extension of the Bell'' Gap Railroad, on the Edmiston farm, the Great Bend Coal Company are opening a drift, and expect to commence shipping within a month. A mile further the works of J. S. McCartney are progressing favorable, and practical miners says he is opening the best drift along the railroad. At Coalport fifteen miles from Lloydsville the present terminus of the Bell's Gap line, Messrs, Huff & Coulter, of Greensburg, has an opening and as soon as the weather will permit they will put up their chutes. They are at present shipping several car-loads per day from taken from the main entry of their works. The outlook along the dividing line between Cambria and Clearfield Counties, as far as the development of the coal industry, is concerned, is all that could be desired, and the prosperity of that section of country is assured. - Johnstown Tribune
The Indiana Weekly Progress (Indiana, Pennsylvania)
October 2 1884
It is estimated that the new town of Coalport, Clearfield county, now has a population of sixteen hundred.
Daily Gazette and Bulletin (Williamsport, Pennsylvania)
May 22 1884
Another Railroad - Efforts to Open the Largest Bituminous Field in the State
Another new railroad is now bieng permanently located from Bradley station, Ebensburg branch, to the mouth of Chest creek in Clearfield county, to lands of Baird & Patton, first developed by Scott, Kizer & Co. These parties own $10,000 acres of coal land in Cambria and Clearfield counties, and it is thought the efforts of Bard, Patton, Patchin, Dr. Hoyt and others that this road is being made.
Vigorous preparations are making toward grading a railroad from Cresson down Clearfield creek to Coalport. This enterprise, when completed, will practically open the largest bituminous coal field in Pennsylvania. Judge Dean in the prime mover in this enterprise, the line of road passing through lands of Dean & Caldwell, and near the newly developed coal in Dougherty section now owned by Messrs. McEnally & McCurdy and others. In that territory, the Moshannon vein is six feet in thickness and of good quantity, with other valuable veins above and below it.
Daily Gazette and Bulletin (Williamsport, Pennsylvania)
April 25 1893
New Millport people have been afflicted terribly with that dangerous disease, diphtheria, during the past few weeks. They have had one hundred cases of it, and about twenty have been fatal. There are now twenty-five cases of it there. The old as well as the young are attacked alike. A number of families have temporarily moved away from the place. New Millport is a small village about fifteen miles above Clearfield on the Beech Creek railroad.
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Logging in Clearfield County Pennsylvania
Cutting forests for lumber became a major industry in the 19th century; much of the lumber was transported down river to market in timber rafts. Below is an article written on the 1893 season of lumber rafting on Clearfield Creek.
Daily Gazette and Bulletin (Williamsport, Pennsylvania)
April 25 1893
Clearfield Letter
Matters of Much Interest of Members (…?…) A Raft (..?..) Sixty
Miles in One Day
Correspondence Gazette and Bulletin
Clearfield, April 24. Friday night raftmen from Clearfield creek reported very high water and difficult landing, and in consequence tied up for the night. Saturday morning pilots enjoyed high water on the river, and a number of (….?….) Lock Haven, which will reach there sometime today. The creek rafts are nearly all solid oak, and range from nine to eleven thousand feet per raft. Some of the sitcks are thirty inches square by sixty feet long, and are the largest oak sticks ever sent to market from Clearfield county. The log drive is fully forty miles below here today. The heavy rains of the past few days have done wonders for raftmen and log drivers. There is a fair rafting flood here this morning.
Isaac A. McKee, of Madera, on Clearfield creek, landed a big tall oak raft two miles below Clearfiled in the mount of the creek, late Friday night after an exciting run of about sixty miles that day. His raft was too wide to run through any of the chutes on that stream so that the raft with its complement of six men, ran over every dam in its course, without losing a stick of timber on the trip, although many bows and pins were drawn. This raft contained 9,000 feet of choice oak and had a number of sticks in it that were thirty inches square; this is very large oak timber.
Two more rafts were coming behind Pilot McKee that were of oak, and contained 10,000 and 10,800 feet respectively. Nothing like this has been witnessed along this river before in years if ever. This timber is owned by Mack Smith, of Coalport, this county.
During the high water of the past few days, not one log has passed town showing that Flynn's sixty log drivers scooped everything as they went. Even the town is dry, at least until another ca(..?..) comes in.
Alex Wallace who had charge of the ark belonging to Flynn's log drive was a very mad man abut the time the drive reached Clearfield. In running the ark to town he missed the chute and ran it over the dam, it went all right until the front end engaged with some red oak logs just under the dam, and the water poured into the ark at the rear end, and down to the bottom it settled. The drivers and spectators along the banks began yelling; everything they could think of at Alex., until one of them called him "coffee pot Wallce." Then Alex. Opened a broadside of choice (?) epithets, while standing waist deep in the water that would curdle milk. He wanted to fight; he invited any man who wanted to be translated, smothered, tortured, killed quick or by degrees to wade or swim out ot him, and they could be accommodated. The invitation was declined, and the ark was pulled out and put in running order by the drivers. If the down river people want to hear what Alex, knows of the various languages let them call him "Coffee Pot Wallace."
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