CRANBERRY TWP — George Washington famously trekked through the wilderness of Western Pennsylvania in 1753 on a diplomatic mission.

But what route did Washington actually take and where was the site of his nearly-fatal encounter with an American Indian guide?

Historian Carl Robertson of Jackson Township has been researching these topics and plans to publish two books with his insights into this period of history.

Robertson shared some of his findings Tuesday during a lecture at the Cranberry Public Library.

One of his books will detail Washington’s diplomatic mission and one will specifically outline where Washington actually rode, or walked, when he went through the region.

Washington, on behalf of the governor of Virginia, traveled from Richmond, Va., to Fort LeBoeuf near Lake Erie to deliver a message to the French troops who were occupying disputed territory there. Among his party was guide Christopher Gist, who kept a journal of the events.

Robertson said one key to understanding the route they probably took, called the Venango Path, is studying American Indian maps and culture.

The way the natives traveled and behaved was often dictated by their religious beliefs, he said.

“Everything has a living supernatural being in it, and you wanted to make sure that you had shown gratitude to these spirits,” he said.

Natives had been living in the area for hundreds of years and had created many paths to travel between villages, none of which correspond to current roads such as routes 19, 68 and 528.

“It wasn’t Washington’s path, it was his route. This was an Indian path. These paths had been around a long time,” he said.

Robertson also studied the journals of both Washington and Gist and looked at a map made by Washington, which is one of the earliest maps made of the area by a colonist.

Robertson said he believes Washington’s group traveled north from the forks of the Ohio River along the Beaver River through modern-day Beaver County.

From the Baden area, they went through what now is Zelienople. Their route was not far from the Connoquenessing Creek and may have been close to the current railroad tracks that go along Front Street and cross West New Castle Street in the borough.

Robertson said he believes they went through Harmony, Jackson Township and into Forward Township.

He believes Murdering Town, an American Indian village mentioned in journals, was in a wooded area near the intersection of Hartmann Road and Prospect Road.

Though they are on private property, some segments of the Venango Path still exist today and Robertson said he has worked with archaeologists who have agreed that the paths date back to prehistoric times.

“Very few people even know about these places, not many have seen them,” he said.

On their return trip, Gist and Washington left the Venango Path in favor of a more direct southern route, but they ran into a treacherous native who tried to kill them in a spot not far from Murdering Town.

Washington was a surveyor and the attention to detail required for that job came to his aid in 1753.

Robertson said Washington was able to foil the assassination plot by paying close attention to the behavior of the man who had agreed to guide them to the Allegheny River.

“Washington was a man of details, he was watching this guy’s every move,” he said.

After that encounter, they went south through Adams Township by following a ravine made by Breakneck Creek and later followed Pine Creek south to Etna and the Allegheny River.

Robertson said that there aren’t any scholarly books published that delve in detail into the specific period and events he has been researching.

He said he disagrees with the claims of some other historians, like those who believe that Washington traveled north from Harmony along a similar path as Route 19.