Dans Mountain State Park is a public recreation area located south of

Frostburg Frostburg is a city in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, and is at the head of the Georges Creek Valley. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. Located west of Cumberland, the town is one of the first cities ...

and to the east of the town of

Lonaconing Lonaconing is a town in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, located along the Georges Creek Valley. It is part of the Cumberland, MD- WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,214 at the 2010 census. History The first non- ...

in Allegany County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. The state park occupies on

Dans Mountain Dans Mountain is located in Allegany County, Maryland, USA between Georges Creek and the North Branch Potomac River. The highest point on Dans Mountain is called Dan's Rock which has an elevation of . The mountain rises above the town of LaVal ...

and is managed by the

Maryland Department of Natural Resources The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is a government agency in the state of Maryland charged with maintaining natural resources including state parks, public lands, state forests, state waterways, wildlife, and recreation areas. I ...

History

Dans Mountain was named after Daniel Cresap, the son of

Thomas Cresap Colonel Thomas Cresap (17021790) was an English-born settler and trader in the states of Maryland and Pennsylvania. Cresap served Lord Baltimore as an agent in the Maryland–Pennsylvania boundary dispute that became known as Cresap's War. Lat ...

and an early settler of Allegany County who fell from a tree on the mountain while hunting bear cubs. According to the legendary tale, Cresap's hunting companion, the Delaware Indian

Nemacolin Nemacolin (c. 1715 – c.1767) was a hereditary chief of the Delaware Nation who helped Thomas Cresap widen a Native American path across the Allegheny Mountains to the Ohio River Valley. Biography The son of Checochinican (Chickoconecon), chie ...

, found his unconscious body and using a horse and litter dragged him home to safety. The state park opened in 1952 and was developed in the 1970s. The

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presb ...

provided over $800,000 from 1973 to 1978 for the planning and construction of the park's swimming pool and other improvements.

Activities and amenities

In addition to wildlife, mountain streams, and scenic overlooks, the park features an Olympic-sized swimming pool with bathhouse, concession stands during warm weather months, and a fishing pond that is stocked annually.

Dan's Rock

Dan's Rock, the highest point in Allegany County at , sits about from the park at the northeast edge of

Dan's Mountain Wildlife Management Area Dan's Mountain Wildlife Management Area is a Wildlife Management Area in Allegany County, Maryland. The area covers forested mountainous terrain between altitudes of to above the North Branch of the Potomac River The Potomac River () drai ...

. It can be accessed from Old Dan's Rock Road in Midland. There is no direct access to Dan's Rock Overlook from Dan's Mountain State Park.

References

External links

Dan's Mountain State Park
Maryland Department of Natural Resources {{authority control State parks of Maryland State parks of the Appalachians Parks in Allegany County, Maryland Parks in Cumberland, MD-WV-PA 1952 establishments in Maryland Protected areas established in 1952