Elk Landing was the home, trading post and base of operations of the Swedish-American trader, John Hansson Steelman (1655–1749) who occupied the site from 1693.

Steelman traded with the Indians of South Central Pennsylvania and Northern Maryland exchanging small items of housewares for animal pelts.

Steelman's establishment was a trading post until about 1739 when the Shawnee moved westward into the Ohio and Allegheny River Valleys.

Archeological excavations have discovered the remains of the original long house of John Hanson Steelman.

[3][4] The site of Elk Landing is significant for its association with trade between the Scandinavian settlers and the Susquehannock, as well as with the history of early Swedish settlement in Maryland.