Kittanning Gap is a gap at the summit of Allegheny Ridge in central Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is located in Logan Township

Logan Township, Blair County, Pennsylvania

Logan Township is a township in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Altoona, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,925 at the 2000 census...

, approximately 5 mi (8 km) west of Altoona

Altoona, Pennsylvania

-History:A major railroad town, Altoona was founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 as the site for a shop complex. Altoona was incorporated as a borough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868...

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History

In the 18th century the Kittanning Path

Kittanning Path

The Kittanning Path was a major east-westNative American trail in western Pennsylvania used during the 18th century. It provided an overland route for the Lenape, Shawnee, and early European settlers across the Allegheny Mountains, terminating at its western end on the Allegheny River at the Native...

 passed through the gap, providing a route between central and western Pennsylvania for Native Americans

Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

 and early white settlers. It was later selected as the site for a railroad line across the Allegheny Mountains

Allegheny Mountains

The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...

. The challenge of constructing a railroad through the ridge led to the construction of the unique Horseshoe Curve

Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania)

Horseshoe Curve is a famous railroad horseshoe curve in central Pennsylvania, near Altoona in the United States. Called an "engineering marvel", it was completed in 1854 by the Pennsylvania Railroad...

 in 1854, now designated as a National Historic Landmark

National Historic Landmark

A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

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