292 THE INDIAN OCCUPANCY 



During' the Revolution about half of the Tuscaroras sided 

 with the British against the American Colonists. At that time 

 a Colonel Dalton estimated that 200 Tuscarora warriors served in 

 the war-parties sent out by the British. In 1779 General Sul- 

 livan's army devastated their country along the Unadilla River 

 and burned two of their towns, Iugaren and Shawhiangto. The 

 Tuscaroras, once more homeless, fled northward and scattered 

 amongst the other Iroquois. Many continued their flight to Fort 

 Niagara, where during the winter of 1779-80 they formed a small 

 settlement on Four Mile Creek. 



The settlement on the Mountain Ridge began the next year. 

 Two families followed the Niagara River up as far as Lewiston 

 and ascended the Ridge. So well were they satisfied with the 

 country on the summit that they wintered there. The next Spring 

 other families followed them and settled near the ' 'Old Saw Mill' ' . 

 The refugees from the old Unadilla settlements joined these and a 

 village grew up, known as "Go-o-no-geh". 



When in 1797 the Senecas conveyed to Robert Morris their 

 lands in Western New York, they reserved for themselves ten 

 parcels surrounding their settlements. The settlement at Gao- 

 no-geh was overlooked, no reservation was made for the Tusca- 

 roras and once more they found themselves homeless. The 

 Tuscarora chiefs promptly made a formal complaint in council 

 that the Senecas who in the beginning had adopted them, had 

 now abandoned them. The Senecas granted them a square 

 mile on the Mountain Ridge and Robert Morris, who wished to 

 avoid as far as possible any trouble over Indian lands, granted 

 them two square miles adjoining the Seneca tract. Written in- 

 dentures for these two parcels of land were executed by the 

 chiefs of the Tuscaroras for the nation and these were filed in 

 Lockport in 1810. 



One more acquisition completed the present "Tuscarora 

 Reservation". After the Tuscarora war in North Carolina, the 

 colonists made a treaty with that portion of the nation which 

 adhered to "King Tom Blunt" and granted to the Tuscaroras a 

 parcel of land on the Roanoke River. Those of the nation who 

 had gone to New York still claimed a portion of this land and in 

 1800 they sent two chiefs to see whether money could be raised 

 upon this share. They effected a lease of the entire grant and 

 persuaded the Tuscaroras there resident to join their New York 

 kindred. The money thus raised was applied through the War 



