Editing Plains Township, Pennsylvania (section)

==History==
[[File:Teedyuscung Mohegan leader plaque in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania.jpg|thumb|left|A plaque marking the approximate location of [[Teedyuscung]]'s death]]

===Settlement===
Modern-day Plains Township was originally owned and occupied by the Wanami tribe of the [[Lenape|Delaware]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]]. [[Captain Jacobs|Jacob]] was the tribe’s leader; he lived on level ground adjacent to the [[Susquehanna River]] (near the modern-day City of [[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|Wilkes-Barre]]). Early white settlers named the locality “Jacob’s Plains.” As time progressed, the settlers simply referred to it as “Plains.”<ref name="pagenweb1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.pagenweb.org/~luzerne/patk/plainstwp.htm|title=PLAINS TOWNSHIP|website=www.pagenweb.org}}</ref>

Roughly two hundred settlers from the Susquehanna Company of [[Colony of Connecticut|Connecticut]] arrived in Plains in August 1762; they established a small village of cabins just above the mouth of [[Mill Creek (Susquehanna River tributary)|Mill Creek]]. They returned to [[New England]] in November after planting a few acres of [[wheat]]. The Susquehanna Company returned with their families, [[livestock]], and provisions in the spring of 1763.<ref name="pagenweb1"/>

===Massacre of 1763===
During the summer of 1763, the [[Iroquois]] and Delaware came together in an attempt to form a relationship. This resulted in a deadly fire which claimed the life of the Delaware chieftain ([[Teedyuscung]]). The Iroquois charged the colonists with the crime, and the aggrieved Delaware were determined to resolve the matter. On October 15, 1763, the unsuspecting pioneers were attacked by the Delaware. Twenty or thirty were killed, several were taken prisoner, and those who were not captured fled to the mountains; they had no other choice but to return to New England. The Native Americans finally burned what was left of the English settlement.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.joycetice.com/articles/massacre.htm|title = The Massacre of Wyoming - Pennamite War}}</ref><ref name="pagenweb1"/>

===Pennamite-Yankee Wars===
{{main|Pennamite-Yankee Wars}}
In January 1769, a group of Pennamites (who represented [[Province of Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]]) took possession of the land once occupied by the Susquehanna Land Company of Connecticut. They were known as the Ogden party; they established a fort in the region. The Connecticut settlers, who learned of the Pennamite occupation of the area, returned in the spring of 1769. This resulted in the [[Pennamite-Yankee Wars]] — a struggle between the Pennamites and the Yankees (from Connecticut). After a series of minor skirmishes, the conflict ended with the land being granted to Pennsylvania.<ref name="pagenweb1"/>

===Township status===
[[File:Mohegan Poconos hotelLuzCo PA.jpg|thumb|right|The [[casino]]’s [[hotel]]]]
Large amounts of [[anthracite coal]] rested underneath Plains. In 1808, Henry Stark of Plains succeeded in burning anthracite coal in a grate. This was the second successful attempt in the region (after Judge [[Jesse Fell]]). This resulted in the widespread use of anthracite coal as a fuel source. Throughout the 1800s, [[canals]] and [[railroads]] were constructed to aid in the [[coal mining|mining]] and transportation of coal. The mining industry in Luzerne County boomed. [[Farming]] was a major way of life in Plains prior to the mining industry. Farmland was replaced by great collieries, [[coal breaker|breakers]], canals, and railroads.<ref name="pagenweb1"/>

As a result of the growing population in Plains, it was officially made a [[Township (Pennsylvania)|township]] on November 10, 1851. Plains Township was formed from sections of [[Wilkes-Barre Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Wilkes-Barre Township]] and [[Pittston Township, Pennsylvania|Pittston Township]].<ref name="pagenweb1"/>

At the beginning of the 20th century, Luzerne County was in the midst of an economic boom. Industry, which included [[manufacturing]] and coal mining, drew thousands of [[immigrants]] (mostly from [[Europe]]) to the region. By the mid-20th century, anthracite production was declining at a fairly steady rate. Consumers were gradually switching from coal to other forms of energy (e.g., oil, gas, and electricity). The [[Knox Mine Disaster]] was the final blow to the industry. On January 22, 1959, the Susquehanna River broke through the River Slope Mine in [[Port Griffith, Pennsylvania|Port Griffith]], [[Jenkins Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Jenkins Township]] (just north of Plains Township). The incident claimed twelve lives. In the following months, two of the area's largest coal companies announced a full withdrawal from the anthracite business. Thousands of jobs were lost and the mining industry never recovered in Luzerne County.

In the early 21st century, [[Mohegan Pennsylvania]] (along [[Pennsylvania Route 315|PA 315]]) became one of Pennsylvania's first [[casino]]s. The casino features over 2,300 [[slot machine|slots]], and live tables for [[blackjack]], [[roulette]], and [[poker]]. The casino opened in November 2006. In November 2013, Mohegan Sun opened a hotel (which is connected to the casino floor).