Birth of the Bald Eagles
- by Lou Bernard
- September 27, 2022
- Share:
When I was asked to write about some folklore from the Pennsylvania Wilds, the first place my mind went to was Clinton County, in the I-80 Frontier. Specifically, the works of Henry Wharton Shoemaker, who lived there.
When it comes to local Pennsylvania folklore, nobody beats Shoemaker. The man was very prolific, writing down many of the legends he heard over the years. One of my favorites is “Birth of the Bald Eagles” from his 1915 book “Tales of the Bald Eagle Mountains,” in which he explains how the Bald Eagle Mountain Range was believed to be created.
Far back in the days before recorded history, according to the story, Central Pennsylvania was said to be a “flat and fertile plain.” Native American tribes lived all across the land, in peace and harmony. There was no conflict, which was good, but it also had a detrimental effect: Without any conflict, the local people had not learned courage.
In order to teach them courage, their deity released a creature. The deity, known as the Great Spirit, sent a “giant monster of the underworld,” called a Machtando, to test them. It began in present-day Centre County, burrowing underground and digging its way roughly northeast, and as it dug through the ground, it churned up the earth, leaving behind mountain ranges across the land.
Word of the Machtando reached the tribe in present-day Lycoming County, and they gathered with the Wise Man to discuss what to do about it. The Wise Man explained that they had not been tested before, and therefore had never learned to be brave, but now was their chance.
He instructed them to build a spear, but not just any spear. As the Machtando was a gigantic creature, they would need to build an especially large one. They shaped a giant rock by the river into a spear point, covered it with poisons from the forest, and attached it to a shaft made from “many tree trunks.” This they placed on large wheels made from logs, as the whole thing was too heavy to carry without assistance.
And then they waited.
“When they heard the ripping of roots, the cracking of boulders, and the bursting of soil, denoting the appearance of the menace, they would get ready to set the instrument of defense into motion,” the story said.
Finally, after a wait of several days, the ground began to shake, and the monster came up from the soil. “Soon the vast horned-head of the Machtando, or demon, did emerge,” said the legend, “shooting forth gaseous vapors so foul that it sickened many of the defenders.”
The people all joined at the giant spear, ramming it forward in their attack. They drove it directly into the Machtando’s roaring mouth, killing it immediately. It left behind the mountains that it had created in its journey, now known as the Bald Eagles.
The wise man said, “Let none of you forget the spear,” a phrase that was to remind them of their courage on that day. And that, it is said, was how the mountains were created across the I-80 Frontier.
Today, the Bald Eagle Mountains are a good place for hiking and camping, where tourists arrive routinely. It’s good to get out there and experience what the area has to offer. And don’t forget the spear.
