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BACKROADS • JULY 2022
Spring Break 2022 It’s a
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Spring Break 2022.1 rom its small and humble beginnings at the bottom of Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, New York, the Susquehanna River flows south along and through the valleys of the Alleghenies in a peaceful and picturesque manner, eventually flowing into The Bay. That’s the Chesapeake Bay for the uninitiated or newer readers of Backroads. At 444 miles it is the longest river along the east coast and one of the oldest rivers on the planet Earth.
As the Susquehanna runs through Pennsylvania, along its banks you will ride through dozens of small towns, many with a rich history – much of that due to the river and the power it could supply, but the town of Danville is famous for a few things that rise above the river. One is the stunning Basilica and the other is Danville’s contribution to the United States, the world’s railroad system. If not for Danville, we might still be importing our railroad rails from England. Well, to bloody hell with that. On October 8, 1845, the Montour Iron Works of Danville rolled the first iron T-rails in Pennsylvania, and perhaps the United States; accounts vary, because the Mount Savage works also may have produced T-rail in either 1844 or 1845. The iron T-rails produced by Montour Iron (and perhaps Mount Savage) were the pioneer American version of the T-rail shape that is used today on virtually all railroads throughout the world. Through the Montour and Mount Savage mills, the American railroad industry began to end its dependence on British imported iron rail. The town also is located at the epicenter of some of the most beautiful riding in the Keystone State; thus when we were out exploring this part of the state a year or so back we came across the Pine Barn Inn.
