Dans Mountain is located 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 ...

, USA between

Georges Creek Georges Creek may refer to: Places Australia *Georges Creek (Armidale Dumaresq), a tributary of the Macleay River in New South Wales In the United States * Maryland: **George's Creek, Maryland, unincorporated community in Allegany County **Georges ...

and the

North Branch Potomac River The North Branch Potomac River flows from Fairfax Stone in West Virginia to its confluence with the South Branch Potomac River near Green Spring, West Virginia, where it turns into the Potomac River proper. Course From the Fairfax Stone, the ...

. The highest point on Dans Mountain is called Dan's Rock which has an elevation of . The mountain rises above the town of LaVale and the summit is the highest point in Allegany County. Although there are higher points in Maryland, Dans Mountain has the most impressive

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''escar ...

of Maryland's mountains. It is essentially continuous with the longer escarpment that continues both north (into

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, ...

) and south (into

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

) known as the

Allegheny Front The Allegheny Front is the major southeast- or east-facing escarpment in the Allegheny Mountains in southern Pennsylvania, western Maryland, eastern West Virginia, and western Virginia, USA. The Allegheny Front forms the boundary between the Rid ...

Dans Mountain State Park Dans Mountain State Park is a public recreation area located south of Frostburg and to the east of the town of Lonaconing in Allegany County, Maryland. The state park occupies on Dans Mountain and is managed by the Maryland Department of Na ...

is located along a stretch of the mountain, south of

Frostburg, Maryland 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 ...

. Dan's Rock Overlook is the highest scenic overlook in the park. The park also features a pond that is stocked annually, an Olympic-sized pool with a modern bathhouse, and concession stands. DansMtOverlook

Dans Mountain is named for 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 one of the first settlers in Allegany County. Cresap was known for being adventurous, often hunting with a

Delaware Indian The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory inclu ...

named

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 ...

. While pursuing a bear in a tree, Daniel fell and lay unconscious until Nemacolin found him, and dragged Daniel home to safety. Since that event, the mountain has been known as Dans Mountain.

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 ...

protects the mountain in an area covering 9,504 acres.

References

External links

* * * Landforms of Allegany County, Maryland Mountains of Maryland Allegheny Mountains {{AlleganyCountyMD-geo-stub