Custaloga
Encyclopedia
Custaloga or Packanke was a member of the Wolf Clan of the Delaware (Lenape
) tribe. Captain Pipe
was his nephew.
and North Deer Creek in Mercer County, PA. This town, known as "Custaloga's Town" became his principal seat. He also started another village known as Cussewago, along French Creek, at the present site of Meadville in Crawford County, PA.
Custaloga's name first appeared in western Pennsylvania's history in "George Washington
's Journal of 1753". When the 21 year-old Washington arrived at Fort Machault
in the village of Venango (present Franklin, PA), Custaloga was in charge of the wampum of his nation under Chief Shingas
.
Since Custaloga had aided Pontiac
in his rebellion, the white settlers were wary of his actions and asked Guyasuta
of the Seneca to live among his people at Custaloga's Town to maintain a watchful eye on Custaloga's actions.
On November 29, 1778, Colonel James Smith led an expedition from Fort Pitt
to Custaloga's Town, but found the Indian town evacuated. After this date very little is recorded about Custaloga.
It appears that Custaloga removed to Ohio, then perhaps to the Kuskuskies Indian Town, on the Shenango River
(near New Castle, Pennsylvania
).
In January 1774, during a conference of the Six Indian Nations at Johnson Hall near present-day Albany, New York
, George Croghan
announced the deposition of Custaloga in which he would be succeeded by his nephew and famous war leader Captain Pipe. This would be the same chieftain who defeated the Crawford expedition
in 1782 and had the expedition's commander, Colonel William Crawford
, burned at the stake.
A Boy Scout camp, Custaloga Town Scout Reservation, is located at the former site of Custaloga's village along French Creek
in French Creek Township Pennsylvania.
Custaloga was a name given to a railroad station at the junction of the Lorain, Ashland & Southern Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroad in Wayne County, Ohio 1897-1925 (See The Rattlesnake and The Ramsey: The History of the Lorain, Ashland, & Southern Railroad by William S. Snyder)
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
) tribe. Captain Pipe
Captain Pipe
Captain Pipe , called Konieschquanoheel and also known as Hopocan, was an 18th-century chief of the Algonquian-speaking Lenape and a member of the Wolf Clan...
was his nephew.
Biography
Little is known of the early life of Custaloga. He arrived in western Pennsylvania in the mid 18th century and built a sizeable village at the confluence of French CreekFrench Creek (Allegheny River)
French Creek is a tributary of the Allegheny River in northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York in the United States.- Etymology :...
and North Deer Creek in Mercer County, PA. This town, known as "Custaloga's Town" became his principal seat. He also started another village known as Cussewago, along French Creek, at the present site of Meadville in Crawford County, PA.
Custaloga's name first appeared in western Pennsylvania's history in "George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's Journal of 1753". When the 21 year-old Washington arrived at Fort Machault
Fort Machault
Fort Machault was a fort built by the French in 1754 near the confluence of French Creek with the Allegheny River, at present-day Franklin, in northwest Pennsylvania. The fort was part of a line that included Fort Presque Isle, Fort Le Boeuf, and Fort Duquesne.- Description:The fort was built on a...
in the village of Venango (present Franklin, PA), Custaloga was in charge of the wampum of his nation under Chief Shingas
Shingas
Shingas , was a leader of the Delaware people in the Ohio Country and a noted American Indian warrior on the western frontier during the French and Indian War. Dubbed "Shingas the Terrible" by Anglo-Americans during the war, Shingas led devastating raids against white settlements...
.
Since Custaloga had aided Pontiac
Chief Pontiac
Pontiac or Obwandiyag , was an Ottawa leader who became famous for his role in Pontiac's Rebellion , an American Indian struggle against the British military occupation of the Great Lakes region following the British victory in the French and Indian War. Historians disagree about Pontiac's...
in his rebellion, the white settlers were wary of his actions and asked Guyasuta
Guyasuta
Guyasuta was an important leader of the Seneca people in the second half of the eighteenth century, playing a central role in the diplomacy and warfare of that era...
of the Seneca to live among his people at Custaloga's Town to maintain a watchful eye on Custaloga's actions.
On November 29, 1778, Colonel James Smith led an expedition from Fort Pitt
Fort Pitt (Pennsylvania)
Fort Pitt was a fort built at the location of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.-French and Indian War:The fort was built from 1759 to 1761 during the French and Indian War , next to the site of former Fort Duquesne, at the confluence the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River...
to Custaloga's Town, but found the Indian town evacuated. After this date very little is recorded about Custaloga.
It appears that Custaloga removed to Ohio, then perhaps to the Kuskuskies Indian Town, on the Shenango River
Shenango River
The Shenango River is a principal tributary of the Beaver River, approximately 100 mi long, in western Pennsylvania in the United States. It also briefly flows through small portions of northeastern Ohio...
(near New Castle, Pennsylvania
New Castle, Pennsylvania
New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Pittsburgh and near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border just east of Youngstown, Ohio; in 1910, the total population was 36,280; in 1920, 44,938; and in 1940, 47,638. The population has fallen to 26,309 according to the...
).
In January 1774, during a conference of the Six Indian Nations at Johnson Hall near present-day Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, George Croghan
George Croghan
George Croghan was an Irish-born Pennsylvania fur trader, Onondaga Council sachem, land speculator, British Indian agent in colonial America and, until accused of treason in 1777, Pittsburgh's president judge and Committee of Safety Chairman keeping the Ohio Indians neutral...
announced the deposition of Custaloga in which he would be succeeded by his nephew and famous war leader Captain Pipe. This would be the same chieftain who defeated the Crawford expedition
Crawford expedition
The Crawford expedition, also known as the Sandusky expedition and Crawford's Defeat, was a 1782 campaign on the western front of the American Revolutionary War, and one of the final operations of the conflict...
in 1782 and had the expedition's commander, Colonel William Crawford
William Crawford (soldier)
William Crawford was an American soldier and surveyor who worked as a western land agent for George Washington. Crawford fought in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War...
, burned at the stake.
A Boy Scout camp, Custaloga Town Scout Reservation, is located at the former site of Custaloga's village along French Creek
French Creek
-Communities:United States*French Creek, former name of Frenchtown, El Dorado County, California*French Creek Township, Allamakee County, Iowa*French Creek, New York*French Creek Township, Pennsylvania *French Creek, West Virginia...
in French Creek Township Pennsylvania.
Custaloga was a name given to a railroad station at the junction of the Lorain, Ashland & Southern Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroad in Wayne County, Ohio 1897-1925 (See The Rattlesnake and The Ramsey: The History of the Lorain, Ashland, & Southern Railroad by William S. Snyder)