Early settler faced danger on way to Sidney

April 26, 2008 04:00 am

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Sometimes, you take risks when moving to a new location. When new opportunities present themselves and you decide to make the move to that new place, certainly you'd plan to check out the area before doing so.

Timothy Beach was from western Connecticut, and once the American Revolution had ended, he had an impulse that at the time pervaded so many others in New England "" to head west. Our region was considered the frontier at the time.

Beach sold his farm in preparation for the move. But he played it safe before moving the family by exploring the lands he sought "" the wild banks of the Susquehanna. That area turned out to be near today's Sidney.

Beach set out with his eldest son, age 12. They came to a place on the Hudson River we know today as Catskill, where a few people had settled. It was considered dangerous to proceed west of here without a guide. Beach wanted to get to a point called Wattles Ferry, or today's Unadilla, and proceed southwest on the Susquehanna. He met up with an American Indian who was willing to guide the journey.

On the first night, Beach and son, with their guide, made camp near the headwaters of the Schoharie Creek. The Indian had directed Beach to have his rifle ready. He needed it, because that night they had some run-ins with prowling, hungry panthers. This was only the beginning of the danger on this trip.

They reached Wattles Ferry and started their way on foot along the Susquehanna. The trio set up camp near today's Bainbridge. They were startled as they were settling down when a small bateau appeared, navigated by a man named Herrick, who had been down the river on an exploring tour. They made a trade of a horse for Herrick's long, light, flat-bottomed boat, as well some provisions. Those provisions ended up saving Beach's life.

The plan was for father and son to use the boat to travel along the Susquehanna, and the guide on the remaining horse. The guide was acting a bit shifty and not cooperating according to their agreement. It was said that this situation gave the elder Beach a dream in which his father kept saying to him, "Timothy, go back, go back!"

Beach asked his guide if he had seen any Indians, but the guide was surly and evasive. Beach detected trouble, and apparently the guide had learned from Beach's son that his father had a large sum of money in his possession, apparently from selling their farm.

The guide, at the request of Beach, hitched his horse to a tree to assist in pulling the bateau up a steep rift. They had reversed course. While struggling against the current, the guide gave a loud whoop, which Beach knew was a signal of some kind. Within a minute or two, no less than six Indians rushed from the woods with drawn knives, getting into the river and wading toward them.

The guide, pretending to be frightened, urged Beach to use his rifle, well knowing that one shot would not kill them all, and the survivors would capture Beach, and he could then take the money and escape.

Beach wasn't about to listen to his guide anymore. Among those provisions he'd purchased from Mr. Herrick was a keg of rum.

Beach showed them the rum and in the kindest words he could muster said, "The war is now over "" we will all be brothers "" we will not fight but be friends."

"So we will," yelled one of the Indians. Beach filled a tin tea-kettle with rum and said he'd set up camp and have a night of fun with them. The Indians helped Beach move the bateau further upstream, too. Beach's son had curled up in the bateau and stayed out of sight during all this.

With Beach on shore and drinking with the Indians, the guide felt his prize was safe. He appeared to go over to the boat to fasten it better, but instead gave a violent push into the river.

A thunderstorm had broken out at that time, so with the drunken party on shore and the thunder, the guide felt he wouldn't be noticed getting away.

How wrong he was, although he got a good head start. The rain that came with the storm made travel upstream impossible, so around Unadilla, the guide asked for help to get his boat out of the water at Wattles' Ferry.

Beach's son was unharmed. The guide never got away with the money, because between Mr. Wattles' recognizing him from his pass through Wattles Ferry a few days earlier, Beach in hot pursuit, as well as an attempted intervention by Richard and Daniel Ogden out on a tour of hunting and exploration, the guide just fled.

Despite all these never-a-dull-moment adventures, Beach was still determined to locate near Sidney and selected a site for his farm, later known as the Ketchum farm.

Beach and son returned to Connecticut, got the rest of the family and their belongings, and returned to Sidney in late 1784.

On Monday: A surge of growth begins in the 1960s at today's State University College of Technology at Delhi.

City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com.

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