CHANGE: So why the change from Littleton to Bradford? No one knows for sure, but the 1901 book “Illustrated History of Bradford, McKean County, Pa.,” shared some theories.

“The Bradford Post, issued in 1896, in an interesting historical sketch has this to say on the subject. ‘The name of Bradford had been prominent in the affairs of Pennsylvania since the revolution. President Washington had appointed William Bradford, the first printer in Pennsylvania, to various responsible positions, and the name of Ontario county in 1812 had been changed to Bradford county in his honor. In 1828 that district, including warrant 3906 and site of the future village was designated Bradford. It is said that Daniel Kingsbury, jealous of the honor bestowed upon Col. Little was the person who caused the appellation to be changed.

Another story is that a project had been set on foot to build a railroad from Buffalo to Pittsburgh over nearly if not the same course of the present Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh system, which had been given the title of the Buffalo, Bradford and Pittsburgh Railroad, and that the wide attention that the scheme had received. However this may be, the name of Littleton was permuted for Bradford and when the Miner began publication in 1858, it had become well known as such.”

And more about the Miner. “That indispensable accompaniment of civilization, the newspaper, made its first appearance in Bradford in 1858, the initial number bearing the date March 12th of that year.” Its editor was Col. Crane, “a big whole souled man… (who) addressed himself vigorously to the task of molding public opinion.”

Its columns, the book reported, contained “numerous accounts of adventures with wild animals, thus indicating that they were not extinct even in those days.”

We’ll share more from the old book another day.