Kooser State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Jefferson Township, Somerset 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, which borders

Forbes State Forest Forbes State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #4. The main offices are located in Laughlintown in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Mount Davis, the highest peak in Penn ...

, was built in the 1930s by the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

, who also built the Kooser Lake by damming Kooser Run. Kooser State Park is on

Pennsylvania Route 31 Pennsylvania Route 31 (PA 31) is a state highway located in Western Pennsylvania, paralleling U.S. Route 30 (US 30) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike for most of its length. The designation begins at PA 136 near West Newton and ends at US 30 near ...

a one-hour drive from

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

. The park is surrounded by

History

The earliest settlers to the Kooser Run area told of an American Indian battle that took place near Kooser Run. A large number of war arrows and spearheads have since been found in the area. The area was also crossed by participants in the

Whiskey Rebellion The Whiskey Rebellion (also known as the Whiskey Insurrection) was a violent tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax impo ...

. The park is named for John Kooser. He settled near Kooser Spring in what is now the western edge of Kooser State Park. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania purchased the land for Kooser State Park in 1922. The land had been stripped of its old-growth forest during the lumber era that swept through Pennsylvania during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The forests slowly grew back with the help of the

. The CCC established by President

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 ...

during the Great Depression built a camp on the western edge of Kooser State Park. The young men of the CCC built the dam on Kooser Run creating Kooser Lake. They also built roads,

outdoor fireplace Outdoor(s) may refer to: * Wilderness *Natural environment * Outdoor cooking * Outdoor education *Outdoor equipment *Outdoor fitness *Outdoor literature *Outdoor recreation *Outdoor Channel, an American pay television channel focused on the outdoo ...

s and cabins. Much of their work can still be seen today at Kooser State Park. They used the materials at hand to create the buildings and facilities of the park. The cabins are made from logs plucked from the nearby forests. They used native stone to create the fireplaces. All repairs made to the park facilities today are made with the rustic nature of the park in mind. Cross-Country Skiing at Kooser State Park

Cross-Country Skiing at Kooser State Park

The Kooser State Park Family Cabin District was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1987, as a national historic district. The district includes 13 contributing buildings. ''Note:'' This includes

Recreation

Cabins and camping

There are nine cabins built by the CCC available for rent year-round. The cabins are primarily used by

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...

ers after deer season until late March. The cabins are rustic. A modern showerhouse is nearby. All of the cabins are furnished with mattresses, chairs, table, stove, microwave, refrigerator, hot and cold running water, and electric lights. The campground at Kooser State Park is open the second Friday in April and closes in mid-October. There are 47 sites that are open to tents or campers. 14 of the campsites have electric hook ups.

Trails

The trails of Kooser State Park are used for

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

and cross-country skiing. Kooser Trail is . It is very popular with cross country skiers because of the heavy amounts of yearly snowfall. Kincora Trail is and is used by hikers and is named in honor of Father Kincora, a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...

is not permitted at Kooser State Park, but the trails are used by hunters who rent cabins at the park to reach the woods of

Kooser Lake

Kooser Lake is a man-made lake built during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc sh ...

is open from

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

weekend until the middle of September. There are no lifeguards. There is no swimming currently permitted in Kooser Lake. Boating is not permitted on Kooser Lake. It is open to

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

for

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

, bass and bluegill. Swimming has not been permitted at the lake since mid-2012 due to an unhealthful algae problem. The lake remains open for fishing. As of August 2016, according to a Park Ranger the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will work on the lake to deepen it in 2017.

Nearby state parks

The following state parks are within of Kooser State Park: ''Note: shows Kooser State Park'' * Casselman River Bridge State Park (

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 ...

) * Keystone State Park ( Westmoreland County) * Laurel Hill State Park (Somerset County) *

Laurel Mountain State Park Laurel Mountain State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Ligonier Township, Westmoreland County and Jenner Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Geography Laurel Mountain State Park is south of U.S. Route 30 near ...

(Westmoreland County) *

Laurel Ridge State Park Laurel Ridge State Park is a List of Pennsylvania state parks, Pennsylvania state park that passes through Cambria County, Pennsylvania, Cambria, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, Fayette, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, Somerset, and Westmoreland Co ...

(

Cambria Cambria is a name for Wales, being the Latinised form of the Welsh name for the country, . The term was not in use during the Roman period (when Wales had not come into existence as a distinct entity). It emerged later, in the medieval period, ...

, Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties) *

Laurel Summit State Park Laurel Summit State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Cook Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is also a picnic area with a scenic view of Linn Run on the summit of Laurel Mountain. The temperatures at Lau ...

(Westmoreland County) * Linn Run State Park (Westmoreland County) * New Germany State Park (Maryland) *

Ohiopyle State Park Ohiopyle State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Dunbar, Henry Clay and Stewart Townships, Fayette County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The focal point of the park is the more than of the Youghiogheny River Gorge that passes thro ...

(Fayette County)

References

External links

* {{authority control State parks of Pennsylvania Parks in Somerset County, Pennsylvania Laurel Highlands Historic districts in Somerset County, Pennsylvania Protected areas established in 1922 Civilian Conservation Corps in Pennsylvania Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Somerset County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Somerset County, Pennsylvania