“We had gone on about ten miles farther which brought us as low down as where Collier’s bridge now crosses the river.  Here we imagined that the Indians were possibly as cunning as ourselves, and would doubtless take the more obscure way and endeavor to meet us on the east side.  On which account we waded the stream and struck into the woods crossing the Indian path, toward a place now called Craft-town.” (Priest’s Collection of Stories of the Revolution, published in 1836.  “McKeon’s Scouts in Otsego County.”)

On the high ground, a little distance beyond the southern extremity of the Lower or Parish Bridge, there has been found within the past few years a large ring, which from the inscription traced upon it, is supposed to have belonged to one of Butler’s Rangers.  This ring is now in the possession of Dr. Meigs Case, and bears upon its outer side these words and letters:  “Georgius Rex; B.R.”  It is supposed that the letters “B.R.” are abbreviations for “Butler’s Rangers.”—­“George, the King; Butler’s Rangers.”

In 1683 two Cayuga Indians gave the following geographical information to the justices of Albany regarding the valley.  The quotation is from the Documentary History of New York, Vol.  I, page 393, etc.: 

“That it is one day’s journey from the Mohawk Castles to the lake whence the Susquehanna river rises, and then ten days’ journey from the river to the Susquehanna Castles—­in all eleven days.

“One day and a half’s journey by land from Oneida to the kill which falls into the Susquehanna river, and one day from the kill unto the Susquehanna river, and then seven days unto the Susquehanna Castle—­in all nine and a half days’ journey.”

“The Indians demand wherefore such particular information relative to the Susquehanna river is sought after from them, and whether people are about to come there?  The Indians are asked if it would be agreeable to them if folks should settle there?  The Indians answer that they would be very glad if people came to settle there, as it is nigher than this place and more convenient to transport themselves and packs by water, inasmuch as they must bring everything hither on their backs.  N.B.—­The ascending of the Susquehanna river is one week longer than the descending.”

In 1684, the Onondaga and Cayuga sachems made an oration before Lord Howard of Effingham at Albany, from which the following extracts are taken.  I have preserved the original spelling: 

“Wee have putt all our land and ourselfs under the Protection of the great Duke of York, the brother of your great Sachim.  We have given the Susquehanne River which we wonn with the sword to this Government and desire that it may be a branch of that great tree, Whose topp reaches to the Sunn, under whose branches we shall shelter our selves from the French, or any other people, and our fire burn in your houses and your fire burns with us, and we desire that it always may be so, and will not that any of your Penn’s people shall settle upon the Susquehanna River; for all our folks or soldiers are like Wolfs in the Woods, as you Sachim of Virginia know, we having no other land to leave to our wives and Children.”