land "beginning at Owegy, in New York, and running southwest along the easterly side of the Susquehanna river till it comes opposite the mouth of a creek called by the Indians Awandac (Towanda) * * * thence to the head of a creek which runs into the west branch of the Susquehanna, which creek is called by the Indians Tiadaghton, and down the said creek on the south side thereof to the said west branch of the Susquehanna; then crossing the said river and running up the same on the south side thereof, to the fork of the same river which lies nearest to a place on the river Ohio, called the Kittanning, " * * *
This deed includes all the land south of the Kittanning trail in Western Pennsylvania, and was one of the largest purchases made by the Penns. "Canoe Place," or Cherry Tree, is the northerly boundary line of this sale in this county. This is the purchase known in our county as the "Canoe," or the Cherry Tree sale. Tradition tells us that the land was measured by the Indians agreeing that Penn should have all on the west branch of the Susquehanna river and west of it from a point where there was not sufficient water to float a canoe. There is no good authority for this as it will appear in the Fort Stanwix deed that the Indians sold everything south of the Kittanning trail.
Prior to this purchase the provincial authorities endeavored to keep the white man from making a settlement on the land west of the Allegheny mountains, but now, having full title to it, the council of the province directed that on and after April 3, 1769, the territory mentioned should be open to persons desiring to settle upon it, or to purchase it. On that day, the very first day it could lawfully be acquired, Charles Campbell took out a warrant for two hundred and forty-nine acres on the Little Conemaugh and the Stoneycreek rivers, which includes the First, Second, Third, Fourth and parts of the Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth and Thirteenth wards of the city of Johnstown.
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