The
Juniata River is a
tributaryA tributary is a stream or river which flows into a main stem river. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea. Tributaries and the mainstem river serve to drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater by leading the water out into an ocean or some other large body...
of the
Susquehanna RiverThe Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At approximately 444 mi long, it is the longest river on the American east coast, the 16th longest in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United States without commercial boat traffic...
, approximately 90 miles (145 km) long, in central
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The river is considered scenic along much of its route, having a broad and shallow course passing through several mountain ridges and steeply-lined
water gapA water gap is an opening or notch which flowing water has carved through a mountain range. Water gaps often offer a practical route for roads and railroads to cross a mountain ridge....
s. It formed an early 18th-century frontier region in Pennsylvania and was the site of
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
attacks against white settlements during the
French and Indian WarThe French and Indian War, also known as the War of the Conquest or referred as part of the larger conflict known as the Seven Years' War, was a war fought in North America between 1754 and 1763...
. The watershed of the river encompasses an area of approximately 3400 sq mi (8800 km²), approximately one-eighth of the drainage area of the Susquehanna. Approximately two-thirds of the watershed is
forestA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on the various criteria. These plant communities presently cover approximately 9.4% of the Earth's surface in many different regions and function as habitats for organisms, hydrologic flow modulators,...
ed. It is the second largest tributary of the Susquehanna after the
West Branch SusquehannaThe West Branch Susquehanna River is one of the two principal branches, along with the North Branch, of the Susquehanna River in the northeastern United States. The North Branch, which rises in upstate New York, is sometimes regarded as an extension of the main branch, with the shorter West Branch...
.
Description
It is formed in central
Huntingdon CountyHuntingdon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. In 2000, its population was 45,586.Huntingdon County was created on September 20, 1787, from part of Bedford County. Its county seat is Huntingdon.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, in the small village of
ArdenheimArdenheim is a village in Huntingdon County about 4 miles east of Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. This village is where the Raystown Branch and Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River meet. Ardenheim is located between the boroughs of Huntingdon and Mill Creek....
, 3 mi (5 km) southeast of
HuntingdonHuntingdon is a borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Huntingdon County. It is located along the Juniata River, 98 miles west of Harrisburg, in an agricultural and fruit-growing region, with valuable forests and deposits of iron, coal, fire clay, and limestone...
, by the confluence of the Little Juniata and the
Raystown BranchThe Raystown Branch Juniata River is the largest and longest tributary of the Juniata River in south west/south central Pennsylvania in the United States....
. The
Frankstown Branch Juniata RiverThe Frankstown Branch Juniata River is a tributary of the Juniata River in Blair County, Pennsylvania in the United States.The Frankstown Branch Juniata River is born on the slopes of the Allegheny Front south of Altoona, is joined by the tributary Clover Creek in Cove Forge, and Piney Creek near...
flows into the Little Juniata just upstream from the Raystown Branch. It flows southeast, through a gap in the
Jacks MountainJacks Mountain is a stratigraphic ridge in central Pennsylvania, United States, trending southeast of the Stone Mountain ridge and Jacks Mountain Anticline. The ridge line separates Kishacoquillas Valley from the Ferguson and Dry Valleys...
ridge. On the southeast side of the ridge it receives
Aughwick CreekAughwick Creek is a tributary of the Juniata River in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania in the United States.Aughwick Creek, born from the confluence of Little Aughwick Creek and Sideling Hill Creek near the community of Maddensville, joins the Juniata River a few miles below Mount Union.-External...
from the south, then flows northeast, along the eastern flank of the Jacks Mountain ridge to
LewistownLewistown is a borough in and the county seat of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies along the Juniata River, 61 miles northwest of Harrisburg. The number of people living in the borough in 1900 was 4,451; in 1910, 8,166; and in 1940, 13,017. The population was 8,998 at the...
, where it collects the
Kishacoquillas CreekKishacoquillas Creek is a tributary of the Juniata River in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania in the United States.Kishacoquillas Creek drains the Kishacoquillas Valley, running along the foot of the Jacks Mountain ridge before passing through the Mann Narrows water gap to join the Juniata River at the...
. From Lewistown it flows southeast, in a winding course, receiving Tuscarora Creek from the south and passing through a gap in the
Tuscarora MountainTuscoarora Mountain is a mountain ridge of the Appalachian Mountains in the Ridge and Valley province in central Pennsylvania. It reaches its highest point on Big Mountain at 2,458 feet above sea level....
ridge. The Juniata River is joined by three creeks in Millerstown Pennsylvania. It receives the Cocolamous Creek southeast, the Raccoon Creek southeast, and the Wildcat Run Creek southeast of
Millerstown, PennsylvaniaMillerstown is a borough in Perry County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 679 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in northeast Perry County. It also receives
Buffalo Creek-Waterways:*Buffalo Creek *Buffalo River , called Buffalo Creek outside of Buffalo, New York.*Buffalo Creek , Pennsylvania*Buffalo Creek , Pennsylvania*Buffalo Creek , Pennsylvania...
northwest of
NewportNewport is a borough in Perry County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,506 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Newport is located at ....
and joins the Susquehanna 1 mile (1.6 km) northeast of
DuncannonDuncannon is a borough in Perry County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,508 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. The center of population of Pennsylvania is located in Duncannon...
, approximately 15 mi (24 km) northwest of
HarrisburgHarrisburg is the capital of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 48,950, making it the tenth largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Reading, Scranton, Bethlehem, Lancaster, and...
.
Etymology
The word 'Juniata' is thought to be a corruption of the Iroquoian word 'Onayutta,' meaning 'Standing Stone.' There was a large standing stone where the town of Huntingdon now stands. It was reportedly tall and contained carvings recording the history of the local Juniata Tribe. It disappeared in 1754, when the tribe left; tradition says they took it with them. A second stone was raised by the new settlers but destroyed in 1897. A two-foot (0.6 m) fragment of the second stone sits in the
Juniata CollegeJuniata College is a private liberal arts college located in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. It is named after the Juniata River — one of the principal tributaries of the Susquehanna River. In 1876 it became the first college founded by the Church of the Brethren and has been co-educational since...
's museum.
History
The first known inhabitants of the river valley were the
Onojutta-HagaThe Onojutta-Haga or Juniata people were natives of areas adjacent to the Juniata River and its tributaries in the southern part of what is now Pennsylvania.-History:...
Indians. The valley was later inhabited by the
LenapeThe "Lenape", pronounced IPA: , , or in English, means "the people." Sometimes the name is spelled Lenape or Lenapi. Also known as the Lenni Lenape, the "true people", or as the "Delaware Indians", they are organized bands of Native American peoples with shared cultural and linguistic...
until a treaty negotiated by
William PennWilliam Penn was an English founder and "Absolute Proprietor" of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future U.S. State of Pennsylvania. He was known as an early champion of democracy and religious freedom and famous for his good relations and his treaties with...
opened the land to east of the Allegheny Ridge to white settlement. In 1755-1756, as a result of Lenape anger over loss of their lands, the white settlement in the valley suffered fierce raids and abductions from
LenapeThe "Lenape", pronounced IPA: , , or in English, means "the people." Sometimes the name is spelled Lenape or Lenapi. Also known as the Lenni Lenape, the "true people", or as the "Delaware Indians", they are organized bands of Native American peoples with shared cultural and linguistic...
and
ShawneeThe Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are a people native to North America. They originally inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
at
KittanningKittanning was an 18th century Native American village in the Ohio Country, located on the Allegheny River at present-day Kittanning, Pennsylvania. The village was at the western terminus of the Kittanning Path, an Indian trail that provided a route across the Alleghenies between the Ohio and...
on the
Allegheny RiverThe Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania....
. Over 3,000 white settlers were killed in the raids. The burning of Fort Granville at present-day Lewistown in 1756 prompted Pennsylvania governor
John PennJohn Penn was the last governor of colonial Pennsylvania, serving in that office from 1763 to 1771 and from 1773 to 1776...
to launch a reprisal against the Lenape and Shawnee led by Lt. Col. John Armstrong, who burned Kittanning in September 1756.
During the 19th century, the river was paralleled by the
Juniata Division CanalThe Main Line of Public Works was a railroad and canal system built by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the 19th century. It ran from Philadelphia west through Harrisburg and across the state to Pittsburgh and connected with other divisions of the Pennsylvania Canal...
, part of the canal system of Pennsylvania and a rival to the
Erie CanalThe Erie Canal is a man-made waterway in New York that runs about 363 miles from Albany on the Hudson River to Buffalo at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes...
. The state sold the canal to the
Pennsylvania RailroadThe Pennsylvania Railroad was an American railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, which abandoned the canal in 1889 after severe
floodA flood is an overflow or accumulation of an expanse of water that submerges land. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide....
ing. Parts of the original locks from the canal, as well as remnants of a dam approximately 1 mile (2 km) south of
MillerstownMillerstown is the name of some places in the United States:*Millerstown, Ohio*Millerstown, Pennsylvania*Macungie, Pennsylvania, which was known as Millerstown until officially renamed in 1875...
, are still visible today.
The river is a popular destination for recreational
canoeA canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes usually are pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over .In its human-powered form, the canoe is propelled by the use of...
ing and
fly fishingFly fishing is a distinct and ancient angling method, most renowned as a method for catching trout and salmon, but employed today for a wide variety of species including pike, bass, panfish, grayling and carp, as well as marine species, such as redfish, snook, tarpon, bonefish and striped bass...
, in particular for
smallmouth bassThe smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
and
channel catfishChannel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8 million...
suited to river's gentle course. The
muskellungeA muskellunge , also known as a muskelunge, muscallonge, milliganong, or maskinonge , is a large, relatively uncommon freshwater fish of North America. Muskellunge are the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae...
was introduced as predatory sport fish and is now a prized catch. Attempts are underway by the state to reintroduce the once-prevalent
American shadThe American shad or Atlantic shad, Alosa sapidissima, is a species of anadromous fish in family Clupeidae of order Clupeiformes. It is not closely related to the other North American shads...
, which went into decline largely because of dams on the river.
WalleyeWalleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
is another game fish prevalent in the Juniata River.
The National Book Award and Pulitzer prize-winning poet Galway Kinnell wrote of the river in a section of
The Book of Nightmares, (1971), entitled "Dear Stranger, Extant in Memory by the Blue Juniata".
The river cuts through several southwest-to-northeast ridges, largely of
sandstoneSandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains. Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any color, but the most common colors are tan, brown, yellow,...
between
limestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geologic record...
valley floors. Several of the river's tributaries, including
Kishacoquillas CreekKishacoquillas Creek is a tributary of the Juniata River in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania in the United States.Kishacoquillas Creek drains the Kishacoquillas Valley, running along the foot of the Jacks Mountain ridge before passing through the Mann Narrows water gap to join the Juniata River at the...
, are degraded by
pollutionPollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms . Pollution can take the form of chemical substances, or energy, such as noise, heat, or light...
, but the main stem of the river is considered fairly clean by regional standards. Only two towns with approximately 10,000 people or more, namely
AltoonaAltoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the principal city of the Altoona, PA MSA. The population was 49,523 at the 2000 census, making it the ninth most populous city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Reading, Scranton, Bethlehem and...
and
LewistownLewistown is a borough in and the county seat of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies along the Juniata River, 61 miles northwest of Harrisburg. The number of people living in the borough in 1900 was 4,451; in 1910, 8,166; and in 1940, 13,017. The population was 8,998 at the...
, lie within the watershed of the river. Steep slopes along much of the river's course have largely discouraged widespread development.
Pictures
External links