Open Road — Guides — Railroads — Canals — Bridges 



you the observations that occurred to me on the route. Even 1808 

 the designation of stages and the names of taverns, will not be 

 without their use to persons in this state, who have leisure and 

 curiosity to visit an object so remarkable as Niagara Falls. At 

 any rate, the following notes will form a tolerable register of the 

 present state of the country. I wish we had such, imperfect as it 

 is, of every part of the United States. 



T. C. 

 Itinerary. 



I set out from Williamsport on Saturday the sixth of May, 

 1 809, in the afternoon, and went to ( 1 4 miles) Reynold's, a 

 good tavern. Here the tolerable road ends. 



15 1 Sunday 7th, to Higley's at the block house, along a 

 villainous road, nearly impassable for a pleasure carriage. 



10 To B loss's at Peters's Camp: a very bad road through a 



very improvable country. Iron ore and bituminous coal found 



within a mile and a half of his house; the iron ore not rich, nor 



the vein of coal thick. A miserable habitation, but civil people. 



9 To Jenyns's : a house to bait at only. 



10 To widow Berry's: tolerable accommodation. The 

 bottom lands of the Tioga are almost all of them in the incipient 

 stage of improvement. They are as yet chiefly settled by half 

 share intruders, who are gradually becoming tired of their illegal 

 and precarious title. The flats are not wide, but the land is 

 very rich. 



8 Monday, may eighth, crossed the Tioga and the Canisteo 

 or Canister, to judge Linby's, about a mile over the state 

 line: at the state line the road, from being execrable through 

 Pennsylvania, from Reynolds's, (I may indeed say from Will- 

 iamsport, considering the frequent crossings of Lycoming Creek) 

 to the boundary line of the state, becomes suddenly pleasant and 

 good. I do not now recollect how many times a traveller has to 



1 The figures at the beginning of the paragraphs denote the number of 

 miles from the place mentioned in the preceding, to that in the paragraph at 

 which the figure is placed. 



1189 



