The roads of Sunbury, Pennsylvania has been walked for multiple centuries. Specifically, the land was owned by the Susquehannock Natives, who rushed down to the mouth of the Susquehanna River to trade with the north-traveling Europeans.
“The Susquehannocks were able to trade things they had never seen before” said the head historian, “they often traded furs and corn for items such as mirrors and guns.” It was not until the Shawnee people arrived in the early 1700s when havoc began.
The Shawnee did not like the Europeans or other Natives. Originally guests of Iroquois, the Shawnee caused many local wars. The act of scalping was often performed on fallen Natives or Europeans, held as proof of battle.
The Iroquois sent down Chief Shikellamy to resolve the ongoing issues in 1728. While in the Sunbury area, Shikellamy’s descendants married members of other Native nations and even Europeans. The Shawnee people soon moved out to Ohio, which settled down tensions.
One day, Shikellamy was hiking by foot up to New York state with Conrad Weiser, an interpreter and diplomat between colonists and Natives. Shikellamy fell off the edge of a mountain cliff, but his backpack caught a branch on the way down. Chief Shikellamy took this as a sign that he was meant to make a difference with Weiser, proving himself right as they would soon stop the war in the LongHouse nation.
Chief Shikellamy once dealt with a white man who murdered members of the Iroquois nation. Shikellamy sent the murderer to the Philadelphia courts, where he was given punishment. This was one of the few times a crime dealing with Natives became a part of European record.
Rejoicing in the alliance, the Iroquois feasted on bear and made multiple speeches. Sunbury held a major moment between Natives and Europeans, and Chief Shikellamy was a major proponent in the process.
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