An Ancient Trail
Long before Europeans arrived, a well-worn trail threaded through the forests of what is now Cranberry Township. The Venango Path was a Native American route spanning from the Forks of the Ohio -- modern Pittsburgh -- to Presque Isle on Lake Erie. It served as a critical portage connecting two water routes and took its name from the Lenape village of Venango, located where French Creek met the Allegheny River, on the site of present-day Franklin. 1
A Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission marker at the intersection of Mars-Crider Road (Route 228) and Franklin Road reads: "A major Indian path between the Forks of the Ohio (now Pittsburgh) and the Seneca town of Venango (now Franklin) passed through here." 2 The Senecas were the principal occupants of this part of the state, though at the time European settlement began, several tribes claimed the country, including remnants of the Delawares, the Shawnees, the Munceys, and the Senecas. 3
The trail was no mere footpath. It was a corridor of commerce and diplomacy, traveled by hunting parties, war bands, and the raftsmen who worked the Allegheny River. In Cranberry Township, the route passed through the farms of "Olevidency, Lawhead, Greney and what is known as the Glover farm," where farmers plowing their fields still turned up flint arrowheads, remnants of the era "when they roamed the forests and held complete and undisputed dominion over them." 4
Washington's Mission
In the autumn of 1753, Virginia's Governor Dinwiddie confronted a crisis. The French had erected Fort Presque Isle on the site of Erie and Fort Le Boeuf on the site of Waterford, and had taken possession of a deserted trading post at the mouth of French Creek. 3 Dinwiddie needed someone to deliver a message demanding the French vacate territory claimed by Britain.
He chose a 21-year-old militia major named George Washington.
Washington departed Williamsburg in October 1753 with a small party that grew to include frontier guide Christopher Gist, French interpreter Jacob Vanbraam, and several Indian allies -- the "Half-King" Tanacharison, Jeskakake, White Thunder, and the Hunter (Guyasuta). 3 On November 30, they set out from Logstown for Venango and the French forts beyond.
Washington traveled the Venango Path through what is now Cranberry Township on or about December 27, 1753. 2 He had already delivered his message to the French commandant at Fort Le Boeuf, who politely but firmly refused to withdraw. Now Washington was racing south through the winter forest, desperate to report to his governor.
A Shot in the Dark
The return journey nearly killed him. After leaving Venango on December 26, Washington and Gist struck out on foot through the wilderness. On the 27th, they passed through what R.C. Brown's 1883 county history identifies as the area near Evans City, where "an Indian fired upon them at point-blank range; but the shot missed its mark and the Indian was made prisoner." 3 Rather than execute the would-be assassin, Washington ordered his release, and the two travelers walked all night without halting.
They continued to push forward rapidly, arriving at a point two miles above the Indian town of Shannopin before sundown on the 28th. The Allegheny River was only partially frozen, forcing them to build a raft. As they attempted to cross, the current swung the craft into the ice. Washington set his pole to push free, but the force "casting the unwary navigator into the cold, deep water." 3 He saved himself by grasping the raft, but neither man could make the far bank. They spent the night on a small island, where Gist's fingers and several of his toes froze. 3
Washington survived. He reported to Governor Dinwiddie on January 16, 1754. His account of French fortifications and hostile intentions helped precipitate the French and Indian War -- a conflict that would reshape North America.
From Trail to Road
The French improved the Venango Path into a military road connecting their four forts: Presque Isle, Le Boeuf, Machault (at Venango), and Duquesne (Pittsburgh). After Britain drove out the French in 1758, they rebuilt these forts. But the path's military era was brief. During Pontiac's War in 1763, Indigenous warriors burned three of the four forts, and after the British victory at Bushy Run, Native forces relocated westward. 1
In 1796 -- the same year the Graham brothers arrived in Cranberry Township -- the Franklin Road was opened as the first wagon road northward from Pittsburgh, following the ancient Venango Path route. 5 Alexander Ramsey's 1796 land agreement specifically references his tract as being "on the Venango Path." 4
Today, U.S. Route 19 follows the approximate course of this ancient trail through Cranberry Township. Drivers on the six-lane commercial corridor, passing Cranberry Commons and the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, travel a route first worn by Seneca hunters, then by a future president fleeing through the December forest with a bullet meant for his heart. 1 2