Signs in O'Hara Community Park called 'wonderful nod' to history after park name changed

Educational signs to be erected this spring in O’Hara Community Park will deliver bits of the township’s history, tracing back to its origins when Seneca Indian Chief Guyasuta trekked through green valleys and tree-covered hills to settle nearby and serve as an advisor to George Washington.

A small committee of historians, elected officials and Native Americans are crafting six displays that they said will represent an accurate timeline of the township.

“The signs reflect the history of the area from prehistoric times to the construction of the park in the 1960s,” Historian Tom Powers said.

The move comes five months after council voted to rename the park in response to angry petitions calling for the removal of the former title, Squaw Valley Park, saying the word “squaw” was a slur to Native American women.

“It’s hoped that these signs will give area residents a greater depth of history and encourage them to look deeper into their community’s heritage,” Powers said.

Consultants are working with the Heinz History Center and other groups on the text and images.

The project cost is about $4,800, Township Manger Julie Jakubec said.

Council’s decision to rename the park was met with backlash by some who said it was stripping the township’s history.

But the sign committee is working to demonstrate why that is flawed reasoning.

“It was an incredibly wonderful decision to not only change the name but to put up these signs that allow for education that is a true nod to history,” said Miguel Sague, a board member with the Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center (COTRAIC).

“Changing that horrible word was crucial, and it’s important to share this education to not only people in the area, but people in the greater region.”

Sague, who serves as COTRAIC’s spiritual leader and communications specialist, is also an artist who is helping devise the graphics for the story boards.

Powers, who wrote the 2008 book “Portrait of an American Community” on O’Hara’s early settlement, said the name “Squaw Run” has been used locally since at least 1822, when it first appeared on a state map from the Library of Congress.

He said the tale of Squaw Run is derived from an 1885 fleeing bride story which appears to be more legend than fact. He said suggestions that the park, opened in 1964, might have been named after Chief Guyasuta’s daughter are also unfounded.

Jakubec said drafts for the signs were reviewed by the township’s parks and recreation committee and then forwarded to the History Center for verification.

Changes and clarifications were made before the signs were submitted to the appropriate Native American Nations for review.

Jakubec said it is possible the sign program could extend to other township parks.

“The township has a rich history that we would love to share with all,” she said.