When the first pioneers came to Clearfield County early in the 19th century, they found an endless forest of white pine trees. After homesteads were established, much of the timber left standing was made into log rafts. In the spring floods, rafts were floated downriver past Harrisburg to places like Marietta, where the timber was cut into lumber for eastern markets. In 1871, Clearfield County floated 2,600 rafts to market. As sawmills were constructed upriver, the West Branch became the only river in Pennsylvania on which great log drives took place. Booms collected the logs and converted them to lumber at towns like Curwensville, Lock Haven, Jersey Shore, and Williamsport. Raftsmen objected to log drives because logjams prevented their progress downstream. The West Branch was divided into rafting divisions from the headwaters to Lock Haven, from Lock Haven to Marietta, and from Marietta to Port Deposit, Maryland.