I62 REVOLUTION ON UPPER OHIO

to go long with them, this is the Early part of the Spring the year, 1763 [1775]. So we went to work to make preparations to Start and provides that who is to stay at home, with in a few Days was already and Several chiefs and warriors Started from Avone, and take westerly Course to strik[e] and Came into about Eight miles above the mouth of the Buffalo Creek into lake Erie and we travellerd on lake Shore and went on up as fars Erie village in Pennsylvania88 was then But a few house this village one or two Stores and a tavern and provision stores and thence from this place South and we Came into a stream 87 above now called midville and thence on Down french creek empdies to Allegany River, So on Down this stream Several Days traval before we Came out to the mouth of th s creek, there was But three or four log cabins of white people first settlers at the 8 8 mouth of this creek there we made a stop and Camp

86 Then known as Presqu'isle; see ante, p. 15I, note 64.-ED. 87Meadville, Pa., not then established; Blacksnake here speaks from later knowledge. The site of Meadville was an early fording-place on French Creek, and there are traditions of a French store-house at this place, but not a permanent fort. In i788 it was explored by the brothers Mead, and a block-house built, the nucleus of the present town.-ED. 88 The site of Franklin, at the junction of French Creek with Allegheny River, was first occupied by an Indian village wherein was built a trading-house by John Frazer, a Pennsyl- vania trader. When the French took possession of the coun- try in I753, they drove out Frazer, and raised the French flag over his place, as reported by Washington in his journal of that year. The following spring Fort Machault was built, and held a garrison until I759, when the capture of Fort Duquesne and the attack on Niagara forced the French to destroy their fort and retire. The next year (I76o) the English built Fort Venango, forty rods higher up, which was maintained until its complete destruction by the Seneca in Pontiac's conspiracy (I763). Fort Venango was not rebuilt during the Revolution.