HISTORY OF
MONTOUR COUNTY CH A PTER I E A R L Y H IS T O R Y —C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N . E T C . Montour is among th« yoongi;st and small e st of the sisterhood o f counties in the State o f Pennsylvania. It is named in honor of M adam e Montour, a character o f whom little is known and yet one whose name, in this locality, in the early days, .seems to have been a favorite. She is said to have been a white wom an by birth and an Indian by adoption and choice. H er maiden name is not d vcn . S h e seems to have acquired the name o f Mon tou r from her Indian husband. Roland Mon tour. who must have received it from the Fren ch settlers in Canada, as his Indian name is unknown. T h e Madame was ever friendly to the whites, especially in the meetings of the whites an d Indians in forming treaties. T he esteem w ith which in her day she was regarded may Ijc inferred somewhat from the verbal mess.tgc sent by (iovem or Gordon by his deputy. He s a i d : "G iv e kindest regards lo Madame Mon tou r and to her estimable husband, and speak to them to the same purpose.” Count Zinzcndorf speaks in terms o f great praise o f her in his account of the Indian troubles in the Wyoming. She took an active part in the T reaty o f Lancaster in Ju ly . 1774. T his was a very important agreement with the S ix Nations, and it is proper to concede more to Madame Montour in bringing the Indians to agree to it than to anyone else. In the general history of the two. counties. Columbia and Montour fO iapters I, II, I l l j . we have given the early Indian history o f this section, as well as the topography and geology
1 1
o f (he same. The two parts o f this history must necessarily overlap m some s l i ^ t degree in covering the stoiy* o f two separate counties that once were on e; but we shall avoid repe tition as fa r as it may be possible. On March 22. 18 13, Columbia county was created out of the territory o f Northumber land county and the county seat was fixed at Danville. There w as some contention about the location of the county seat, as Danville was said to be in an inconvenient place fo r the m ajority of the people of the new county, who lived in the north and northeast portions. Tlte West Branch of the Susquehanna was the original western boundary line between Co lumbia and Northumberland counties. This incluilcd Turbot and Chillisquaque townships, and putting these townships into the new county made it possible to name Danville as the county scat with fairness, as to the acces sibility in the lay of the territor)' to the county town. .Afterwards, however, these two lown.shi)>s were reamiexed to Northumberland county, leaving Danville considerably to tbe west of the center of the county. Then at once commenced the agitation by the people of the northern and eastern portions, for the rentoval of the county scat from Danville to Blooimburg. T he large bulk of the voters lay in the part of the county opposed to Danville. T hey could outratc the friends o f Danville. T hey would regularly elect the county offi cers, running the elections almost solely on this issue. But Danville had able and a.stute
273
D igitized by
>O ^Ic
