Bendigo State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Jones Township, Elk County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in the United States. The park is in a

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

on the East Branch Clarion River. of the park are developed. The other are undeveloped woodlands of

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 ...

cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...

and

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...

History

Bendigo State Park is named for an Irish

tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that h ...

keeper, who lived in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, named William Thompson. Thompson was also a prizefighter of some renown.

Boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

for money was illegal at the time in England and Thompson was arrested 28 times for breaking the law. Legend holds that Thompson fled to America, to avoid prosecution, when an opponent died in the ring due to injuries sustained in the fight. He adopted the name Bendigo, a corruption of the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

name Abed-nego and moved to the frontier of northwestern Pennsylvania. The newly named, Bendigo, began serving as a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

evangelist Evangelist may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a c ...

while also working on the railroads. He was a very tall and strong man and soon became a favorite of his Italian co-workers. No records exist to support the claim that Thompson ever left the British Isles let alone lived in the area. The

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

industry was beginning to boom in northwestern Pennsylvania as Bendigo was making his rounds as an evangelist and a mill town in Elk County was named Bendigo in his honor. The lumber era was not to last forever. The forests were largely chopped down by the early 20th century and many of the mill towns, like Bendigo, were abandoned. The

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

of Johnsonburg acquired the land that is currently Bendigo State Park in the 1920s and established a community park. The

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

made many improvements to the park during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

Flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

ing on the East Branch of the Clarion River destroyed most of the works of the WPA in the 1940s, but a stone wall and dam on the river are still standing. Ownership of the park was transferred to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1949 and over the course of ten years improvements were made. Bendigo State Park was formally opened to the public on August 15, 1959. The park is at an elevation of .

Recreation

Bendigo State Park attracts families interested in using the swimming and picnicking facilities. The pool is opened daily from 11:00 am until 7:00 pm beginning Memorial Day weekend and ending

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

weekend. There are over 150 picnic tables in several

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

areas. The picnic areas have charcoal grills, drinking water,

horseshoe A horseshoe is a fabricated product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toen ...

pits and restrooms.

Nearby state parks

The following state parks are within of Bendigo State Park: *

Bucktail State Park Natural Area Bucktail State Park Natural Area is a List of Pennsylvania state parks, Pennsylvania state park in Cameron County, Pennsylvania, Cameron and Clinton County, Pennsylvania, Clinton Counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. The park follows Penn ...

(

Cameron Cameron may refer to: People * Clan Cameron, a Scottish clan * Cameron (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Cameron (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) ;Mononym * Cam'ron (born 197 ...

and Clinton Counties) *

Clear Creek State Park Clear Creek State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Barnett and Heath Townships, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Public campsites were first opened at the park in 1922. Many of the facilities seen today at the park were ...

( Jefferson County) * Elk State Park (Elk County) *

Kinzua Bridge State Park Kinzua Bridge State Park is a Pennsylvania state park near Mount Jewett, in Hamlin and Keating Townships, McKean County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park lies between U.S. Route 6 and Pennsylvania Route 59, along State Route 301 ...

(

McKean County McKean County is a rural county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,432. Its county seat is Smethport. The county was created in 1804 and organized in 1826. It was named in honor of former Pennsylv ...

) *

Parker Dam State Park Parker Dam State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Huston Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is surrounded by Moshannon State Forest. Parker Dam State park is north of Clearfield on Pennsylvania Route 1 ...

( Clearfield County) *

S. B. Elliott State Park Simon B. Elliott State Park is a List of Pennsylvania state parks, Pennsylvania state park located in Pine Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, Pine Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania in the United St ...

(Clearfield County) *

Sinnemahoning State Park Sinnemahoning State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Grove Township, Cameron County and Wharton Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The park is surrounded by Elk State Forest and is mountainous with deep valleys. ...

(Cameron and Potter Counties) *

Sizerville State Park Sizerville State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Portage Township, Cameron County and Portage Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is nearly surrounded by Elk State Forest making it part of one of the l ...

(Cameron and Potter Counties)

References

External links

* {{authority control State parks of Pennsylvania Protected areas established in 1959 Works Progress Administration in Pennsylvania Parks in Elk County, Pennsylvania 1959 establishments in Pennsylvania Protected areas of Elk County, Pennsylvania