"...Even if it's as Big as a Mountain!"
The first railroad to circumvent the Allegheny Mountains, the Allegheny Portage Railroad was the finishing piece of the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal. "The Portage," opened in 1834, marking the first time that there was one, direct route between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. All things to all people, it served merchants, passengers, slaves in pursuit of freedom, and soldiers from the Mexican War.
Did You Know?
Blair Gap Run is a headwater mountain stream running in and out of Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site. Originating near Cresson, PA, it courses down the Allegheny Front eventually making its way to the Juniata and Susquehanna Rivers and the Chesapeake Bay.