MIFFLIN

county, central Pennsylvania, U.S., consisting of a mountainous region in the Appalachian Ridge and Valley physiographic province. The county is drained by the Juniata River and by Kishacoquillas and Jacks creeks; Honey Creek runs through Reeds Gap State Park. Lewistown, the county seat, was built in 1790 on the site of Ohesson, a Shawnee Indian village; nearby Fort Granville (1755) was destroyed in the French and Indian War (1756). The county was created in 1789 and named for Thomas Mifflin, first governor of Pennsylvania. Lewistown became an important station along the Pennsylvania Canal in 1829. The primary economic activity is manufacturing, especially steel, machinery, and textiles. Area 411 square miles (1,064 square km). Pop. (1990) 46,197; (1996 est.) 47,006.