Watershed History

Following the Revolutionary War and early lumbering period, settlers moved into Mosquito Valley in the mid-1800s and transformed the valley into a thriving community with farms, sawmills, stone quarries, orchards, and vineyards. By the late 1800s, the need for a clean and plentiful public water supply for the Williamsport area led the Citizens Gas and Water Company to purchase much of the Mosquito Creek watershed. By about 1910 most of the properties had been acquired and its inhabitants removed. The watershed fell silent and reverted back to the beautiful forested area you see today. Fortunately, there are a number of sources of historical information about this valley including Eugene P. Bertin’s chronicles in the Muncy Historical Society’s magazine Now and Then (1960s-1970s), Early History of Mosquito Valley by John H. McMinn (1886), Pomeroy’s Atlas of Lycoming County (1873), and History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania by John F. Meginness (1892) which can shine a light on its past. Please see below for historical literature on the Watershed.

As you travel through the old roads and trails of the Mosquito Creek Watershed, you are encouraged to stop and read the signs that have been placed at some of the sites of landmarks from the valley’s history which can give a flavor of what this area was like many years ago.