The Black Moose in PennsylvaniaShoemaker, Henry W. (Henry Wharton)
History
The Black Moose in Pennsylvania
Shoemaker, Henry W. (Henry Wharton)
Moose
If at one time they
"ranged all over New York State" it would be natural that they would
frequent the headwaters of the Allegheny River just across the line in
Pennsylvania. But as Western New York was opened to civilization they
withdrew to their hiding places in the North Woods, only venturing
South when driven by severe winters and then through the last unbroken
stretch of forest from the Adirondacks to the Catskills, and thence
into the wilds of Northeastern Pennsylvania--keeping close to the
Catskill-Allegheny Mountain backbone. Tales of the presence of the
Moose in the Keystone State will also be found in "More Pennsylvania
Mountain Stories," Chapter I (Reading, 1912), "The Indian Steps,"
Chapter I (Reading, 1912), and "Juniata Memories," Chapters IX, XXIV
and XXVI (Philadelphia, 1916), by the author of these pages. Other
mention of the Black Moose in Pennsylvania is occasionally made in
county histories, romances and poems of the Northern and Eastern parts
of the State. Careful research will undoubtedly bring further valuable
references to light. The Black Moose has left his name indelibly along
the entire route of his latterly migrations through Pennsylvania. There
is a Moose's Wood Pond in Kidder Township, Carbon County. There were
said to be Moose Ponds in Susquehanna, Wayne and Pike Counties. There
is a Moosehead (in Foster Township) and Moosic Mountain--"The Imperial
Moosic" of the Poet Caleb Earl Wright, in Luzerne County. In Lackawanna
County, in addition to the Moosic Mountain there are two Moosics, one
a town of four thousand inhabitants in Old Forge Township, the other
a hamlet in Newton Township, and a Moosic Lake in Jefferson Township.
There is a Moose Run in Centre County in Boggs Township; the Moshannon,
i. e., _Moose-hanne or Moose-stream_, forms the western boundary of
Centre County, dividing it from Clearfield County. The Black Moshannon,
or _Black Moose-stream_ is a creek in Centre County. In Clearfield
County is found a Moose Run in Huston Township, and Moose Run Station,
also Upper Moose Creek, (Lawrence Township), and Moose Creek (Girard
Township). Clearfield town, the seat of justice, was formerly called
Chickalacamoose. The Moshannon rises near the northern border of
Blair County, at the Three Springs. In the extreme southern limit of
the range there is said to be a Moose Creek in Somerset County. On
account of so many small lakes in Pennsylvania having been renamed with
fanciful names by influential summer colonists within the past twenty
years, the historic names have been discarded, but old settlers in
the neighborhoods can give the real names in every instance; in this
way it is thought that eventually some of the "moose" names will be
restored. In Sullivan County the beautiful and romantic Lewis' Lake was
rechristened "Eagles Mere" by summer boarding-house keepers. It is held
by some that Elk Lick, Somerset County, was named for the Moose, which
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