Three Brothers of Tioga
The below story was submitted by Jack Mitchell of Savannah, GA, originally of Elmira, NY. E-Mail Jack Mitchell
Richard Mitchell lived in a log Cabin in Tioga PA. He and his brother Thomas removed to Tioga by canoe about 1792. Brother Robert followed soon after.
In 1994 my wife and I were visiting her brother in Ocala, Florida. There was an Indian Pow Wow at Silver Springs and we went to check it out.
I met an indian chief from the Susquehanna River tribe and I told him the story. He nodded his head and said ,yes, it was true and his people gave my people the salt. I asked him to write me a letter about it as I surely couldn't remember the whole story. We exchanged addresses and about a week later I got this reply:
Received your letter and sure was glad to hear from you. Enclosed is the information you requested. To the best of knowledge from the elders. Although there were many trails to the salt area, the information you are interested in is or was as such. The area of Tioga was a hunting ground more then a\ living area for the indian people. The Susquehannanock indians were a very spread out nation. One such band were the Minquass that roamed these areas for hunting as well as a land of plenty to the needs of the people. But the ownership of the salt was a very high need and also a very high spiritual cosession.When these people would have some one do a good deed for them it was customary to give some thing of value in return. In this case the loan of a cooking vessel to them was a show of trust. and to an indian trust was some thing that was very hard to come by, so this is why the kettle when returned was filled with his most valued cosession, which was salt. You have to remember that in order to have this amount, how far the person would have to travel to obtain the salt, and what this gift would weigh him down on his long trip to get it.
His trail would take him by land north east to Seeley Creek, then to Alpine, over the mountain, to Ithaca, then along the east side of Cayuga Lake to what is known as Myers today. And then return the long trip home. At this time there were many tails to this place, one such trail was out of the east. The trail was from Owego on the Susquehanna River just east of Tioga. The people here would come up the river to Owego then follow the Owego Creek north to what is the Brown Settlement, which is now Newark Valley. There at the village of Browns settlement . Just to the south of the village they would camp. Now at this time a small deposit of silver was found by the indians, upon this a family by the name of Prentis lived on the land where the salt trail passed through. In fear that the white man would stop them from crossing his land, the indians traded the mine to Mr. Prentis for crossing rights for ever more.Well John I hope this will help you in your search into the past, as it is always a pleasure to save as much as our past as possible.
Chief Standing Bear
Published and © Copyrighted, August 29, 2000
by Betty Naff Mitchell - Editor & Web Mistress