Why is Potato creek in Mckean county pa called Potato creek?

Answer 1

According to the history of Elk, Cameron and McKean Counties, in 1816 early settlers in McKean County took canoes to Pittsburgh for supplies. Upon their return, one of the canoes, loaded with potatoes, capsized in the water. The name was given to the creek by local Indians after witnessing the incident. Further details explain that in 1815, Mt. Tambora, a volcano in Indonesia erupted. It is estimated that 82,000 people died as a result of the explosion and its year-long after effects. Probably as a result of the worldwide ash clouds, people in the earth's northern hemisphere suffered devastating frosts and early snows in 1816 -- known in the Northeastern United States as the "year without a summer." Crops also failed on the meager pioneer farms in McKean County. Isaac Burlingame and his father in law, Timothy Wolcott (the spelling of the name had actually been changed from Walcott) travelled by canoe to Pittsburgh taking six weeks to make the journey. They returned with desperately needed food supplies. Oral history recounts how one of their canoes tipped spilling potatoes into the creek. The local Seneca Indians noted this event with the word that these settlers recalled as "nunundah." The Seneca word for 'potato' is 'ononoda' -- with a pronunciation quite close to the word 'nunundah'. The creek was subsequently named "Nunundah Creek" (today it is just called "Potato Creek"), and the yearbook at nearby Smethport High School is named "Nunundah."