“Native Lands” Painting by Carol Oldenburg
Indigenous Names
Article by Alana Jajko, Susquehanna Greenway Partnership
The Susquehanna River has drawn people to its banks for thou- sands of years. Many of our Susquehanna Greenway River Towns were built where former Native American villages once main- tained extensive agricultural fields, towns, and roads along the easily navigable shores of the Susquehanna River. Acknowledg- ing the importance of Indigenous people in Pennsylvania’s past, present, and future is key to understanding and respecting the Susquehanna Greenway that we explore today. Many familiar names throughout the Susquehanna Greenway have their roots in Native languages. In the Northern regions of the Susquehanna River, most Indigenous people spoke varia- tions of the Haudenosaunee language – including Mohawk and Oneida – while those in the central and southern regions largely spoke Algonquian dialects. In this article, you’ll learn about just a few of these parks, trails, and landmarks with key ties to Indigenous history. Remember, many of the paths we walk today have been walked for thou- sands of years.
habited by Susquehannock people. The name Moshannon is de- rived from the Algonquian word “Mos’hanna’unk,” meaning “elk river place,” with “black” referring to the darkness of the water due to the plant tannins from the bog. Located within one of the most remote sections of the Susquehanna Greenway and the PA Wilds, it is also one of the few places you might see wild elk today. Chickies Rock (Lower Susquehanna): Chickies Rock, a stun- ning 400-foot overlook situated where Chiques Creek runs into the Lower Susquehanna, is a derivation of the Algonquian word “Chiquesalunga” meaning “place of the crayfish.” Many Indigenous names are written multiple ways, like “Chickies” and “Chiques;” since these words were not originally written using the English alphabet, accepted spelling often varies. Conestoga Trail (Lower Susquehanna): Conestoga, a name commonly found throughout south central PA, was the English name for the Susquehannock. The term is often used to refer to the smaller groups of Susquehannock that remained as their numbers dramatically decreased. The Conestoga Trail offers sev- eral scenic overlooks of the Susquehanna River along its 14.3-mile stretch.
Black Moshannon State Park (West Branch): Situated along Moshannon Creek, Black Moshannon State Park was initially in-
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