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Washington's Mission severity in his journal. his in severity repeated references to its its to references repeated LeBoeuf. Washington made made Washington LeBoeuf. timing of the trip to Fort Fort to trip the of timing influencing the route and and route the influencing snowy and rainy, often often rainy, and snowy 54 was exceptionally cold, cold, exceptionally was 54 The winter of 1753- of winter The Weather: Weather: conditions. It was difficult to cross streams, and the snow made travel more perilous. perilous. more travel made snow the and streams, cross to difficult was It conditions. through were quite marshy and wet—the weather contributed greatly to the the to greatly contributed weather wet—the and marshy quite were through much underbrush. Some parts of Western Pennsylvania that George traveled traveled George that Pennsylvania Western of parts Some underbrush. much canopy that cut out the light low to the ground. As a result, there was not not was there result, a As ground. the to low light the out cut that canopy Landscape: Landscape: Wilderness included large trees with a dense forest forest dense a with trees large included Wilderness salt and coffee. and salt meat, cornmeal, barley, barley, cornmeal, meat, for the horses, jerked jerked horses, the for pack saddles, food food saddles, pack included horses with with horses included the trip might have have might trip the Necessaries Necessaries for for the rivers with lead plates. lead with rivers the New France south along along south France New French territory from from territory French de Blainville marked marked Blainville de French Ensign Celeron Celeron Ensign French control of the sea. In 1749, 1749, In sea. the of control Rivers) because the British had had British the because Rivers) (via the Allegheny and Ohio Ohio and Allegheny the (via route down the Mississippi River River Mississippi the down route was important, as was the inland inland the was as important, was area (today New Orleans). The fur trade trade fur The Orleans). New (today area investments in the Mississippi River delta delta River Mississippi the in investments in connecting New France with their their with France New connecting in The Canadian French were interested interested were French Canadian The Why were the French here? here? French the were Why 082013 specials might be offered. be might specials to see what Washington commemorative commemorative Washington what see to reference and overnight stays. Stop in in Stop stays. overnight and reference "Washington at the Point" Point" the at "Washington Courtesy John Buxton. www.buxtonart.com Buxton. John Courtesy www.VisitButlerCounty.com places for shopping, dining, historical historical dining, shopping, for places 866.856.8444 Zelienople, PA 16063 PA Zelienople, County, PA. We feature a multitude of of multitude a feature We PA. County, 310 East Grandview Ave. Grandview East 310 Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau Convention & Tourism County Butler or driving through beautiful Butler Butler beautiful through driving or Create your Experience! your Create first military expedition by hiking, biking biking hiking, by expedition military first one of the path options of Washington’s Washington’s of options path the of one I-80 and Routes 422, 19 and 8. 8. and 19 422, Routes and I-80 Butler County is easily accessible via the PA Turnpike, I-79, I-79, Turnpike, PA the via accessible easily is County Butler his famous trip. We hope you will follow follow will you hope We trip. famous his places, and along several likely routes of of routes likely several along and places, Edited and Annotated by Kevin Patrick Kopper Patrick Kevin by Annotated and Edited Mission to Fort LeBoeuf 1753-1754 LeBoeuf Fort to Mission with Washington’s profile, visible in many many in visible profile, Washington’s with The Journals of George Washington and Christopher Gist: Gist: Christopher and Washington George of Journals The They have erected circular blue markers markers blue circular erected have They , Paul A.W. Wallace A.W. Paul , Pennsylvania of Paths Indian Brochure References Brochure raise public awareness of the mission. mission. the of awareness public raise Also visit: www.washingtonstrail.org visit: Also Commemoration Committee works to to works Committee Commemoration www.harmonymuseum.org Butler County’s Washington 1753 1753 Washington County’s Butler 724-452-7341 16037, PA Harmony, St., Mercer 218 and in keeping with that significance, significance, that with keeping in and mission. 1753 Washington's on exhibit permanent where you will find a a find will you where Museum Harmony the by Stop important part of our nation’s history history nation’s our of part important history, but Butler County, PA as well. as PA County, Butler but history, The French & Indian War is an an is War Indian & French The route will give you an interesting trip not only through through only not trip interesting an you give will route worth a drive via today’s roads, highways and sights. The The sights. and highways roads, today’s via drive a worth to debate. We hope you find it historically interesting and and interesting historically it find you hope We debate. to commemorative trail, as sections of the actual path are open open are path actual the of sections as trail, commemorative back to Virginia. Please note that the blue signs mark a a mark signs blue the that note Please Virginia. to back from Williamsburg, Virginia to Fort LeBoeuf, and then then and LeBoeuf, Fort to Virginia Williamsburg, from ® we can trace the path likely taken in 1753 1753 in taken likely path the trace can we journals, 1753 Through George Washington and Christopher Gist’s Gist’s Christopher and Washington George Through Welcome to Butler County, PA! County, Butler to Welcome W L A I S A H R I T N S G ’ T N O George’s October 31, 1753 Washington’s Mission: Qualifications: He Washington’s journey was young, ambitious, began in Williamsburg, In 1753, the English, French and Native Americans laid claim and volunteered for Virginia. He engaged to the Ohio Country (present-day Western Pennsylvania and the mission. He used his Jacob Vanbraam to surveying experience interpret Indian lan- eastern Ohio), all of which was wilderness and had been Native and his contacts guages for him, and with the influential American territory. Twenty-one-year old George Washington then proceeded to get Fairfax family was chosen to undertake a dangerous expedition into the and Lord Fairfax the “necessaries” for wilderness where the only villages were Indian, the roads (shareholders the trip. He traveled on were merely paths, the weather was unpredictable, and in the Ohio to Wills Creek (today Company, Cumberland, Maryland) where they arrived the 14th winter was just days away. Chosen for the journey by which exported of November. There he engaged four “servitors” and furs and was Christopher Gist to guide him. Pittsb Virginia’s governor, Robert Dinwiddie, Washington’s t in urg involved in h o assignment was to demand the French end their November 23 P in the fur e Im h a T g industry) as a As they followed the Monongahela e occupation of the region. c o reference. River northbound, Washington noted u r t e He would carry a letter to the commanding officer at Fort LeBoeuf s in his journal that the confluence y f o t demanding the French depart from the Ohio Country because “the Lands o of the Allegheny and Monongahela s e e k upon the River Ohio in the Western Parts of the Colony of Virginia are so e Rivers was “extremely well suited for r . c o notoriously known to be the Property of the Crown of Great George’s a Fort, as it has the m Britain.” Appearance: absolute Command France’s Celeron By this time in history, the French had already erected George was 6’ 3” of both Rivers.” (Today, de Blainville had marked Western three forts to reinforce their claim to the region as part of with red-ish hair. He we refer to the triangle of land where the Pennsylvania with lead New France: Presque Isle (Erie), LeBoeuf (Waterford) and was tall for that time two rivers converge as “The Point.”) plates as he determined Machault (Franklin). period and would an inland route to the have made a November 30 - December 1 Gulf of Mexico. commanding Murthering The group continued on to Logstown, near present figure. Town was also day Ambridge, to ask “advice and assistance,” procure referred to as provisions and help in safeguarding against French "Murdering Town" Indians (Natives allied with the French). By November 30th, they reached Murthering Town, approximately 15 miles northeast of Logstown. As their trek continued through Butler County, the group may have traveled through present-day Portersville, West Liberty, north to Harrisville, then beyond Butler County to Venango, the location of the French fort. Timeline: October 31 – December 1, 1753 October November November November/December 1 3 15 23 30-1 Young George Expedition enters the Washington arrives at the Party visits Murthering Washington departs forests of Southwestern confluence of three rivers, Town, a Deleware Indian from Williamsburg, Pennsylvania surveying the site for a future village near today's Harmony, Virginia English fort Pennsylvania 082013 specials might be offered. be might specials to see what Washington commemorative commemorative Washington what see to reference and overnight stays. Stop in in Stop stays. overnight and reference "Washington at the Point" Point" the at "Washington Courtesy John Buxton. www.buxtonart.com Buxton. John Courtesy www.VisitButlerCounty.com places for shopping, dining, historical historical dining, shopping, for places 866.856.8444 Zelienople, PA 16063 PA Zelienople, County, PA.
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