Gypsy Heart
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Duquesne's Gold Cache
A Short History of Duquesne, Pa. by Mary Zella Butler, September, 1959
"From the dense forest, intermingled here and there with swamp and thicket, has risen a municipality of stability and grandeur; a municipality whose praises are being sounded in the ears of the civilized world, "Duquesne". Its rise has not been characterised by the use of mushroom advertising of the schemes of land speculators. It has been a steady, even growth. The history of Duquesne is closely allied with that of Allegheny County and a review of its rise will necessarily contain much that had to do with the early development of the community about the junction of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers.
Among the aborigines Duquesne was probably that tribe of Indians known as the "Talligewe" who were succeeded by the "Lenni Lenape" or Delaware Indians. The latter were in turn succeeded by the "Five Nations", the strongest of the Indian tribes. Among the proofs of the existence of the aborigines in present city of Duquesne were tow mounds evidently built during the early part of the eighteenth century by the Mound Builders. They were located near the corner of River Avenue and Peach Alley and were about twelve feet high and about forty feet in diameter. The outline of the mounds could be seen until the town was well established and quite a number of Indian relics, such as bones and arrowheads, have been dug up at different times. Indian burying grounds were established near the north end of the Monongahela railway bridge over Oliver Hollow and on the McElheny Farm.
In stories of the early days, handed down by word of mouth through generations there is a tale that the Indians called the ground from the present McKeesport Bridge to the Homestead Junction "The Lodge" and gathered from far and near every summer to enjoy the cool breezes along the river. Another story goes on to relate that General Braddock, on the night before his defeat at the hands of the French and Indians, rowed across the river and buried a chest of gold pieces somewhere in the Duquesne area. The day of the Battle of Braddock was to have been payday for the English soldiers and Braddock feared that if they were paid before the battle the soldiers would find some whiskey and be in no condition for the coming skirmish. The chest was never found although people dug for it even as late as 1890.
A Short History of Duquesne, Pa. by Mary Zella Butler, September, 1959
"From the dense forest, intermingled here and there with swamp and thicket, has risen a municipality of stability and grandeur; a municipality whose praises are being sounded in the ears of the civilized world, "Duquesne". Its rise has not been characterised by the use of mushroom advertising of the schemes of land speculators. It has been a steady, even growth. The history of Duquesne is closely allied with that of Allegheny County and a review of its rise will necessarily contain much that had to do with the early development of the community about the junction of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers.
Among the aborigines Duquesne was probably that tribe of Indians known as the "Talligewe" who were succeeded by the "Lenni Lenape" or Delaware Indians. The latter were in turn succeeded by the "Five Nations", the strongest of the Indian tribes. Among the proofs of the existence of the aborigines in present city of Duquesne were tow mounds evidently built during the early part of the eighteenth century by the Mound Builders. They were located near the corner of River Avenue and Peach Alley and were about twelve feet high and about forty feet in diameter. The outline of the mounds could be seen until the town was well established and quite a number of Indian relics, such as bones and arrowheads, have been dug up at different times. Indian burying grounds were established near the north end of the Monongahela railway bridge over Oliver Hollow and on the McElheny Farm.
In stories of the early days, handed down by word of mouth through generations there is a tale that the Indians called the ground from the present McKeesport Bridge to the Homestead Junction "The Lodge" and gathered from far and near every summer to enjoy the cool breezes along the river. Another story goes on to relate that General Braddock, on the night before his defeat at the hands of the French and Indians, rowed across the river and buried a chest of gold pieces somewhere in the Duquesne area. The day of the Battle of Braddock was to have been payday for the English soldiers and Braddock feared that if they were paid before the battle the soldiers would find some whiskey and be in no condition for the coming skirmish. The chest was never found although people dug for it even as late as 1890.
