 Sears lived in Wellsboro from 1844 until his death in 1890 , and was the first to describe the Pine Creek Gorge . He also described a trip to what became Leonard Harrison State Park : after a 6 @-@ mile ( 9 @.@ 7 km ) buggy ride , he then had to hike 7 miles ( 11 km ) through tangles of fallen trees and branches , down ravines , and over banks for five hours . At least he reached " The Point " , which he wrote was " the jutting terminus of a high ridge which not only commands a capital view of the opposite mountain , but also of the Pine Creek Valley , up and down for miles " . A Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission ( PHMC ) state historical marker commemorating Nessmuk was dedicated in the park in 1972 . 
