America Illustrated is a book published in 1883 by J. David Williams. He prefaced its contents by saying, “The purpose of this work is to make the people acquainted with the superb creations of Nature that distinguish our country above all others.” Williams added he, “…endeavored in all cases to select as the subject of our illustrations those landscapes whose names have for years been familiar as household words, but of whose sublime beauty and magnificence, nevertheless, the great mass of our population have had no adequate conception.”

Several areas of Pennsylvania are the focus of his remarks and illustrations, including the Susquehanna Valley’s neighbor, the Juniata Valley. Uriah J. Jones wrote about the history of the Juniata Valley in 1850. His work was reprinted in later editions and updated in 1940.

J.D. Williams had his description of the area in his 1883 book, and in this edited account calls inhabitants of the region “stolid old Pennsylvania farmers.”.

“Through the wildest region of Pennsylvania flows as lovely a river as there is in the country. Rising in the Alleghany mountains, the Juniata winds its devious way eastward through a hundred and fifty miles of mountain scenery to the Susquehanna, into which it empties. Thirty years ago, travelers crossing the mountains to the Ohio River were accustomed to making the journey driving slowly in huge wagons along the banks of this river; today the same route is still taken, but it is on the Pennsylvania railroad; and a canal and telegraph line Peace and Plenty bear the railway track company. With this exception in the manner of transportation, the spirit of progress has made no material change in the Juniata valley. The inhabitants are mainly stolid old Pennsylvania farmers, who entertain con tempt for anything new, and to this day prefer the good old-fashioned way of traveling to the "whizz and spit railroads " For the most part of German descent, they lead a life remarkable for its industry, sim plicity, and thrift, and most of them are wealthy. At its junction with the Susquehanna, the banks of the Juniata command beautiful prospects, whichever way the eye turns. Northward can be traced the placid course of the former river, with its green islands and long, low sandbars. Southward, fertile pastures and staid old farmhouses rise in view, while here and there groups of lazy cattle are feeding on the green grass; and westward its own blue waters flow with their treasures of surrounding scenery. Newport is a little town ten miles up the river. In its neighborhood are fine mountain views and pretty wooded walks along the banks of the canal, and numerous romantic brooks and charming forest nooks and glens. In the vicinity of Millerstown, Mifflintown, and Lewistown—thriving villages situated a little farther up the river- numerous picturesque rivulets and some more pretentious streams come flowing into the valleys. In most of them, trout may be captured in abundance, and in the forests, an occasional deer may be seen. At Lewistown, there is a stream that is even exceptionally remarkable for the beauty of its surroundings. The path along its banks is shaded by overhanging trees and leads past little cascades and several charming old mills and cottages, and occasionally an old log-dwelling, with the remains of a capacious fireplace, calling to memory the hardy pioneers who first entered the wilderness of Pennsylvania in dangerous times long ago. And if the tourist be of a romantic nature, he may gather from the old inhabitants rich pages of Indian history and legendary lore.

Immediately east of the town of Lewistown, the Pennsylvania Railroad passes through Lewistown Narrows. The mountains rise abruptly from the river to a height in many places of more than a thousand feet, and their sides are covered generally with a dense forest growth, Lewistown Narrows on the Juniata. giving an appearance of gloom to the gorge. The water flows peacefully through the channel, it has curved, reflecting in its bosom the shadows of the parts it conquered in forming a passage.

The J.D. Williams book also includes illustrations on the Horseshoe Curve at Altoona, Lumbering on the Susquehanna, and the Erie Canal. 

Credits: America Illustrated; J. David Williams, (1883) Pages 77-81; ‘Lewistown Narrows on the Juniata' Page 78 From America Illustrated, edited by J. David Williams [DeWolfe, Fiske & Company, Boston, 1883]