Juniata County, Pennsylvania

 http://www.co.juniata.pa.us/about.php

Located slightly southeast of the center of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Juniata County covers 394 square miles of farmland and forest. Beautiful scenery near the Juniata River shows the county to be sparsely populated with an average population of only 57 people per square mile. The number of chickens and diary cows far outweigh the number of people farming them - chicken hatcheries and grow out facilities are the main employers in Juniata County.
 
History of Juniata County
Juniata County, named for the river flowing through, was erected from Mifflin County in 1831. Juniata, a Seneca name, originally meant "standing stone"; but a later connotation favors "blue waters."
 
Mifflintown, the county seat, was laid out in 1791 on lands belonging to John Harris, and the town was named in honor of Governor Thomas Mifflin.
 
In 1752, a treaty with the Iroquois opened this land to Scot-Irish immigrants and these hearty pioneers began to make their way to this magnificent valley. German farmers arrived shortly thereafter and helped clear the land known today as Juniata and Mifflin Counties. When the Indians formed an alliance with the British during the Revolutionary War, loyal patriots guarded General Washington's flank against Indian attacks. Local militia had formed and the Logan Guards answered Washington's call. They made their way south to become a vital reinforcement to Washington's fort on the Potomac.
 
Juniata and Mifflin Counties had everything needed by the early settlers. Carving its way through the valley, the Juniata River offered an ideal source of water, food and transportation. A good hunter easily provided food for his family. Prior to the Civil War, lumbering was our first industry, leading to a number of iron producing furnaces. This magnificent valley became a beautiful and prosperous place to live.