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Among the early settlers of this township were Daniel Snider and Lewis Snider, Jr., and Sebastian and Jacob
Snider, John Rorabaugh, Jr., William Ramsay, John Lees, Henry Ross, Jacob P. Lingafelter, John Smith, James McGhee,
Cyrus Thurstin, Elias Hurd, George Smith, Gilbert and Thomas Tozier, B. Tozier, David Rorabaugh, William Carson
and Salmon T. Tozier, Joseph Michael, Nathaniel N. Sabin and Christopher Rorabaugh.
Valuable timber was found by the early settlers, and upon a market being opened, the greater part of it was cut
and floated down to market. The settlers in Chest township mainly devoted their attention to farming, the growth
of the villages being "slow but sure."
The year 1887 saw the advent of the railroad, in the extension of Bell's Gap Railroad from Irvona, in Clearfield
county, to Punxalawney, in Jefferson county, by the Clearfield & Jefferson Railroad Company. A branch of the
Pennsylvania Railroad now traverses the western part of the township in an almost northerly and southerly direction.
From the southern boundary, through the whole length of the township, and to the northwestern corner, flows Chest
Creek, which has its source in Cambria county. Situated on this creek were some of the oldest lumber camps in the
township. The creek is usually tortuous, and the difficulties attendant upon the floating of rafts on its waters,
resulted in the sudren death of many an old time raftsman.
Upon the banks of Chest creek, near the northern boundary of the county, a settlement was made in early days which
was first called Hurd's Post office, deriving its name from the Hurd family which lived in the vicinity, and where
the first dwelling was erected by Henry Hurd. This town was incorporated in 1885 as Newburg borough, and further
notice of it may be found in the chapter on Boroughs, which follows the present chapter. In the same chapter may
also be found a notice of the other flourishing borough of Weasover.
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