Lake Rose is a dry
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
in
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Luzerne County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeastern Pennsylvania's second-largest county by total area. As of ...
, in the United States. It has a surface area of approximately , and is situated in
Fairmount Township.
Lake Rose is mostly dry and closely resembles a swamp. Its main inflow is the
spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...
from Lake Jean. Lake Rose was originally constructed by a squatter named Jesse Dodson. Wildlife, including birds, butterflies, and dragonflies, has been observed near the lake. A number of
hiking trail
A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...
s are also in its vicinity.
Geography
The main outflow of Lake Rose is an unnamed tributary of
Kitchen Creek.
One of its main inflows is the
spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...
from
Lake Jean
Lake Jean is a lake in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Luzerne County and Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, Sullivan County, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. It has a surface area of approximately and is situated in Colley Township, Sullivan Coun ...
.
The lake has an elevation of above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
.
Lake Rose is entirely within the
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
quadrangle of Red Rock.
It has an area of .
Lake Rose is mostly dry, but there is a small pool of water in it.
It more closely resembles a
swamp
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
than it does a lake. In 1990, ''Northeastern Geology'' stated that Lake Rose "appears on the map but not in reality".
Lake Rose was undeveloped in the early 1960s.
History and recreation
Lake Rose was entered into the
Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...
on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1185462.
Lake Rose was built by Jesse Dodson, a squatter who made bedsteads out of
cherry tree
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 ...
s, and built the lake as a log splash pond.
In 1905, Colonel
R. Bruce Ricketts
Robert Bruce Ricketts (April 29, 1839 – November 13, 1918) distinguished himself as an artillery officer in the American Civil War.Lindbuchler, Ryan L. (2001) ''Gone But Not Forgotten: Civil War Veterans of Northeastern Pennsylvania.'' Wilkes-B ...
reinforced the Lake Rose dam. However, due to the dam's poor construction, the lake could not be used for
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
power. In the middle of the 20th century, the state of Pennsylvania condemned the dam and drained the lake.
In 1950, some studies were being done by the Division of Dams on dams or dam repairs at Lake Rose.
The Ganoga Glen Trail in
Ricketts Glen State Park
Ricketts Glen State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 13,193 acres (5,280 ha) in Columbia, Luzerne, and Sullivan counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. Ricketts Glen is a National Natural Landmark known for its old-growth fore ...
passes near Lake Rose, as does the Highland Trail.
Biology
A ''
Menziesia pilosa
''Menziesia'' was a genus of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae. More recently it has been reclassified within the genus ''Rhododendron''. it was formally transferred in 2011.
Species
* ''Menziesia ciliicalyx'' (Miq.) Maxim. = ''Rhododendro ...
'' shrub was once observed in the vicinity of Lake Rose.
Highbrush blueberry also occurs in the vicinity of the lake.
Certain types of wildlife can occur in the vicinity of Lake Rose, depending on the time of year. Birds in this area include
white-throated sparrow
The white-throated sparrow (''Zonotrichia albicollis'') is a passerine bird of the New World sparrow family Passerellidae.
Etymology
The genus name ''Zonotrichia'' is from Ancient Greek (, ) and (, ). The specific ''albicollis'' is from Lati ...
s,
mallard
The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...
ducks, and
evening grosbeak
The evening grosbeak (''Hesperiphona vespertina'') is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae found in North America.
Taxonomy
The IOC checklist and the ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'' place the evening grosbeak and the closel ...
s. Insect species include
monarch butterflies
The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (''Danaus plexippus'') is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names, depending on region, include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black-veined brown. It ...
,
sulfur butterflies, and various species of
dragonfly
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...
.
The lake was
stocked with fish as late as 1980.
See also
*
List of lakes in Pennsylvania
This is a list of lakes and reservoirs in the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Swimming, fishing, and/or boating are permitted in some of these lakes, but not all.
Lakes
* Allegheny Reservoir (also known as Kinzua Lake)
* Antietam La ...
References
External links
USGS 01538908 Lake Rose, PA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose
Lakes of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Lakes of Pennsylvania