Spotlight on:
Sugar Valley
LOGANTON’ S GRANDFATHER PINE by Lou Bernard
What if I told you there was an old legend in Loganton? A very tall tree, which the Native American tribes believed could take them to space?
This legend appears in the 1922 book“ Allegheny Episodes.” The book was written by Henry Wharton Shoemaker, a writer and folklorist who compiled a lot of our old stories and myths into his work. The legend says that a long time ago, far before any of the settlers came to present-day Clinton County, the Great Earth Spirit fell in love with the Evening Star. The Evening Star was so very far away, and the Great Earth Spirit decided to try to reach for it, growing a tall, giant tree in the star’ s direction.
This was on the mountain just north of present-day Loganton. The tree grew in the hopes of reaching the stars, and according to the measurements in the story, which may or may not be accurate, it was two hundred and seventy feet tall. It towered over the valley and Sulphur Spring nearby, and it became known as the Grandfather Pine.
Time went by. In the late 1700s, settlers came, and eventually began lumbering the place. The Native American tribes were worried about all the lumbering and mining, and decided to ask for help. And they remembered the Grandfather Pine.
They believed that they could climb the pine to the top, reach the stars, and find the spirits of their deceased warrior ancestors. A group of men was selected, and they began climbing to the top with the intent of bringing back their warriors to help conquer the intruders. And then the rest of the tribe waited.
In November of 1833, a meteor shower was seen across present-day Clinton County, known as the“ Rain Of Fire.” According to the story, it was believed to be the warriors returning.“ But not a single stellar ally reported for duty,” Shoemaker wrote.
In the early 1900s, lumbering moved into Sugar Valley, and the Grandfather Pine was chopped down. Shoemaker wrote that the giant stump was still visible in 1922, when the book was published. It’ s probably not still there, but Loganton has its own old legend, about how the Native Americans were able to get to space.
NEW ITEMS WEEKLY!
Hillside Variety
24 STOLTZFUS LANE, LOGANTON( 2 miles north of Loganton, off Rt. 477)
Browse through our treasures, old & new- there ' s always something different!
New & Used Housewares • Books • Antiques • Used Furniture Rada Knives • Glassware • Classic Children ' s Toys • & Much More!
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday 7-6, Friday 7-8, and Saturday 7-4.
10“ Good News”-- April-- www. bearcountrygoodnews. com