Parker Dam State Park is a
Pennsylvania state park in
Huston Township,
Clearfield County
Clearfield County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,562. The county seat is Clearfield, and the largest city is DuBois. The county was created in 1804 and later organized in 1822.
...
,
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 surrounded by
Moshannon State Forest
Moshannon State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #9. The main offices are located in the unincorporated village of Penfield in Huston Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania in the United St ...
. Parker Dam State park is north of
Clearfield on
Pennsylvania Route 153
Pennsylvania Route 153 (PA 153) is a state highway located in Clearfield and Elk counties in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at PA 253/ PA 453 near Viola. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 219 (US 219) near Brockport.
Route des ...
just off exit 111 of
Interstate 80. The park was constructed during the
Great Depression 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 ...
; they built many of the facilities that are in use today at Parker Dam State Park.
History
The park takes its name from William Parker, who leased lumbering rights from John Otto. Parker built a splash dam on Laurel Run at the site of the present lake.
Lumbering
Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars.
Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...
began as early as 1794 in Clearfield County, harvesting the
white pine
''Pinus'', the pines, is a genus of approximately 111 extant tree and shrub species. The genus is currently split into two subgenera: subgenus ''Pinus'' (hard pines), and subgenus ''Strobus'' (soft pines). Each of the subgenera have been further ...
and
hemlock which covered the mountainsides. The tall white pines fetched a high price in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
for use as
masts. Logs were to Baltimore by way of the
Susquehanna River. Logging picked up in force during the 1850s when the
Susquehanna Boom was built across the
West Branch Susquehanna River
The West Branch Susquehanna River is one of the two principal branches, along with the North Branch, of the Susquehanna River in the Northeastern United States. The North Branch, which rises in upstate New York, is generally regarded as the exten ...
at
Williamsport. The boom stopped the floating logs for sorting and cutting at the
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
s. Later,
railroads
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
and roads were built by the lumber companies to harvest and distribute the timber. The railroads replaced the floating of the logs down the creeks and into the West Branch. The lumber boom era was not to last, and soon all the trees were gone. Once the trees disappeared, the people were soon to follow. The lumbermen left behind a barren landscape that was devastated by erosion, flooding and wildfires for twenty years. The
Commonwealth of 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, Ma ...
bought the thousands of acres of deforested and burned land. The state began the massive project of reforesting the land. The young men of 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 ...
led the reforestation effort. They also built miles of road, many bridges, cleared streams and built the facilities at Parker Dam State Park.
Ecology
Parker Dam State Park and the surrounding
Moshannon State Forest
Moshannon State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #9. The main offices are located in the unincorporated village of Penfield in Huston Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania in the United St ...
provides a habitat for a wide variety of wild creatures. There are many
warbler
Various Passeriformes (perching birds) are commonly referred to as warblers. They are not necessarily closely related to one another, but share some characteristics, such as being fairly small, vocal, and insectivorous.
Sylvioid warblers
Th ...
s and
ravens to be seen in the dark
coniferous forests. The rarely seen
ovenbird
The ovenbird (''Seiurus aurocapilla'') is a small songbird of the New World warbler family (Parulidae). This migratory bird breeds in eastern North America and winters in Central America, many Caribbean islands, Florida and northern Venezuela.
...
and
American redstart
The American redstart (''Setophaga ruticilla'') is a New World warbler. It is unrelated to the Old World (common) redstart.
Taxonomy
The American redstart was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the 10th edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' und ...
make their home in the
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
forest.
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
,
beaver,
white-tailed deer
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...
,
coyotes and
fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
es can be spotted along the ridges, in the hollows and in the fields of the park.
Bobcat,
porcupine and
elk
The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...
also make their home in the woods of Parker Dam State Park. Elk are rarely seen in Pennsylvania, but there is a large herd that has thrived in the most remote and wooded parts of Clearfield,
Cameron,
Elk
The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...
and
Clinton counties.
1985 Tornado
![VIS SAT 1985 MAY 31 sm](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/VIS_SAT_1985_MAY_31_sm.gif)
A
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
struck Clearfield County during the
1985 United States-Canada tornado outbreak
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
that occurred on May 31 of that year and destroyed a great portion of the forest in Parker Dam State Park. The tornado was rated F4 on the
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale (F-Scale; ), or Fujita–Pearson scale (FPP scale), is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is deter ...
with winds in the park of up to 260 M.P.H at the time, however with the newer
Enhanced Fujita scale
The Enhanced Fujita scale (abbreviated as EF-Scale) rates tornado intensity based on the severity of the damage they cause. It is used in some countries, including the United States, Canada, China, and Mongolia.
The Enhanced Fujita scale repl ...
this tornado ranks as an EF5 today. At the time of the tornado, not many people were in the park, although a couple of campers and boy scouts were on hand to tell the story of survival. This tornado escaped the news, due to no loss of life and its location. It was the longest-lived tornado of the outbreak that day in the state, staying on the ground for 69 miles, and stretching across Clearfield,
Clinton, and
Centre
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
* Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...
counties, and was one of four F4 tornadoes to touch down in Pennsylvania that day. The state used this as an opportunity to teach about how forests will regrow if left untouched after a tornado. Mud Run Road dissects the tornado damaged area. The land to the west of the road was left untouched and many large and bare tree trunks are left standing. The fallen trees to the east of the road were salvaged for lumber. The forest is regrowing at different rates on either side of the road, providing a study of the effects of man on reforestation.
May 31, 2016 marks the 31st anniversary of the tornado event.
Recreation
![Phot parkerbeach2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Phot_parkerbeach2.jpg)
Parker Lake is a man made lake in Parker Dam State Park created by the damming of
Laurel Run. The camping and picnic areas are located on the shores of the lake. There is a sand beach at Parker Lake that is open from 8:00 am until
dusk
Dusk occurs at the darkest stage of twilight, or at the very end of astronomical twilight after sunset and just before nightfall.''The Random House College Dictionary'', "dusk". At predusk, during early to intermediate stages of twilight, enou ...
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 ...
until the end of September.
Beginning in 2008 lifeguards will not be posted at the beach.
Boating on Parker Lake is limited to non powered and electric powered boats. All boats must be properly registered with any state and have a launching or mooring permit from the
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is an independent state agency responsible for the regulation of all fishing and boating in the state of Pennsylvania within the United States of America. Unlike many U.S. states, Pennsylvania has a sepa ...
. The lake is a fishing destination for those in search of
largemouth bass
The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, bu ...
,
sunfish, and
brown bullhead
The brown bullhead (''Ameiurus nebulosus'') is a fish of the family Ictaluridae that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead (''Ameiurus melas'') and yellow bullhead (''Am ...
. When the lake freezes in winter it is open to
ice fishing
Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities.
Shelters
Longe ...
and
ice skating
Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be per ...
.
Hunting is permitted on about of Parker Dam State Park. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the
Pennsylvania Game Commission
The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) is the state agency responsible for wildlife conservation and management in Pennsylvania in the United States. It was originally founded years ago and currently utilizes more than 700 full-time employees and ...
. The common game species are
ruffed grouse
The ruffed grouse (''Bonasa umbellus'') is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is the most widely distributed game bird in North America. It is non-migratory. It is the only specie ...
,
squirrels
Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...
,
turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
,
white-tailed deer
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...
, and
rabbits. The hunting of
groundhog
The groundhog (''Marmota monax''), also known as a woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots.
The groundhog is a lowland creature of North America; it is found through mu ...
s is prohibited.
Parker Dam State Park is the western trailhead of the
Quehanna Trail. This trail is about long and meanders its way through the surrounding state forests. The Quehanna Trail connects with the
Susquehannock Trail near
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. ...
. Backpackers are not permitted to camp overnight at the park. The trails are open to
cross-country skiing during the winter months.
Educational Opportunities
Parker Dam State Park holds education workshops in several different fields of study. Environmental education opportunities are available year-round through hands-on activities, guided walks and evening programs and lectures. The park also holds educational programs for schools and teachers. Visitors can get a hands on opportunity to explore a
maple sugaring operation in March and an
apple cider
Apple cider (also called sweet cider, soft cider, or simply cider) is the name used in the United States and Canada for an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples. Though typically referred to simply as "cider" in the U ...
demonstration during October. The park also has a display about the life and times of the members of the Civilian Conservation Corps that did so much to help build Parker Dam State Park.
Nearby state parks
The following state parks are within of Parker Dam State Park:
[ ''Note: shows Parker Dam State Park'']
*
Bendigo State Park (
Elk County)
*
Black Moshannon State Park (
Centre County
Centre County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,172. Its county seat is Bellefonte. Centre County comprises the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The lands ...
)
*
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 and
Clinton Counties)
*
Elk State Park
Elk State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Jones Township, Elk County and Sergeant Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. East Branch Clarion River Lake is a man-made lake covering within the park. The lake and str ...
(Elk County)
*
S. B. Elliott State Park (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
A potter is someone who makes pottery.
Potter may also refer to:
Places United States
*Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US
* Potter, Arkansas
*Potter, Nebraska
* Potters, New Je ...
Counties)
References
External links
*
{{authority control
State parks of Pennsylvania
Protected areas established in 1936
Dams on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
Civilian Conservation Corps in Pennsylvania
Parks in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania
Campgrounds in Pennsylvania
National Register of Historic Places in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania
Protected areas of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania