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Article
'Fair Play Has Entirely Ceased and Law Has Taken Its Place': The Rise and Fall of the Squatter Republic in the West Branch Valley of the Susquehanna River, 1768-1800
The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography (2012)
  • Marcus Gallo, John Carroll University
Abstract
The article presents a history of land tenure in Pennsylvania, focusing on the squatter settlements established by Scots-Irish immigrants near the West Branch Valley of the Susquehanna River, known as the Fair Play region, from 1768 to 1800. The article details how the settlers established farms to lay claim to their lands, chronicles conflicts between squatters and Indians over land rights, and discusses how a tribunal known as the Fair Play Men were able to resolved disputes amongst settlers. Other topics include the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, a land sale negotiation between Pennsylvanians and members of the Haudenosaunee Indians, documents related to land ownership, and laws related to land rights following the conclusion of the American Revolution.
Disciplines
Publication Date
October, 2012
Citation Information
Marcus Gallo. "'Fair Play Has Entirely Ceased and Law Has Taken Its Place': The Rise and Fall of the Squatter Republic in the West Branch Valley of the Susquehanna River, 1768-1800" The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography Vol. 136 Iss. 4 (2012)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/marcus_gallo/1/