Savage Mountain is an

anticline In structural geology, an anticline is a type of fold that is an arch-like shape and has its oldest beds at its core, whereas a syncline is the inverse of an anticline. A typical anticline is convex up in which the hinge or crest is t ...

extending from

Bedford County, Pennsylvania Bedford County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,577. The county seat is Bedford. History In 1750 Robert MacRay, a Scots-Irish immigrant, opened the first trading post in Raystown ...

southwest into

Western Maryland upright=1.2, An enlargeable map of Maryland's 23 counties and one independent city Western Maryland, also known as the Maryland Panhandle, is the portion of the U.S. state of Maryland that typically consists of Washington, Allegany, and Garre ...

. Except when available at another wikiarticle or cited otherwise,

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets (Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...

is the source for coordinates in this article:Savage Mountain (MD)Savage Mountain (PA)Sand Patch TunnelLittle Savage Mountain
/ref> It is the western side of the

Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending ...

, and the eastern portion of the ridge forms the border of Garrett and Allegany Counties of

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 t ...

. The anti-cline includes two parallel component ridges: Little Savage Mountain to the west and

Big Savage Mountain The two Big Savage Mountain (Maryland and Pennsylvania) summits are part of Savage Mountain Savage Mountain is an anticline extending from Bedford County, Pennsylvania southwest into Western Maryland. Except when available at another wikiart ...

to the east. Little Savage Mountain becomes Allegheny Mountain to the north at a saddle near Meyersdale, while Big Savage Mountain becomes

Backbone Mountain Backbone Mountain is a ridge of the Allegheny Mountains of the central Appalachian Mountain Range. It is situated in the U.S. states of West Virginia and Maryland and forms a portion of the Eastern Continental Divide. In the state of Maryland, Ba ...

to the south at the Savage River Reservoir. Portions of Savage Mountain form the

Eastern Continental Divide The Eastern Continental Divide, Eastern Divide or Appalachian Divide is a hydrographic divide in eastern North America that separates the easterly Atlantic Seaboard watershed from the westerly Gulf of Mexico watershed. The divide nearly spans ...

, separating watersheds draining to the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of ...

and those draining to the Potomac. To the northwest of Savage Mountain, waters drain to the

Casselman River The Casselman River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 tributary of the Youghiogheny River in western Maryland and Pennsylvania in the United States.Ge ...

. 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, th ...

watershed encompasses the southwestern and eastern portions of the ridge.

History

After Nemacolin's Path and the first survey of the Potomac (1736-1737) had passed through the area, the Braddock Road over the ridge opened in 1757. By 1767, the

Mason–Dixon line The Mason–Dixon line, also called the Mason and Dixon line or Mason's and Dixon's line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (part of Virginia ...

survey had placed milestones across the ridge and the

National Road The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...

was completed through the area by 1818. In 1911, construction began on the Borden and Big Savage Tunnels for the

Connellsville Connellsville is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, southeast of Pittsburgh and away via the Youghiogheny River, a tributary of the Monongahela River. It is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 7,637 ...

subdivision of the

Western Maryland Railway The Western Maryland Railway was an American Class I railroad (1852–1983) which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It was primarily a coal hauling and freight railroad, with a small passenger train operation. The WM beca ...

. In the 1930s, the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, 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 ...

built a connection road that is now the 6.4 mile Monroe Run Trail. The Savage River Dam and

Reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...

were constructed just southwest of the ridge in 1952 to control flooding along the Savage River and

, as well as to supply water to nearby communities. On August 13, 1976, the freeway that would become

Interstate 68 Interstate 68 (I-68) is a Interstate Highway in the US states of West Virginia and Maryland, connecting I-79 in Morgantown, West Virginia, to I-70 in Hancock, Maryland. I-68 is also Corridor E of the Appalachian Development Highway ...

opened through the ridge. Due to severe fog conditions common along this stretch of highway, Maryland's first "fog warning system" was installed after a May 2003 crash that killed two and injured about 100 people. In 2001, the fire history and dendroecology of Savage Mountain oak stands were investigated. About 2,600 trees were later planted in the Savage Mountain Demonstration Plot #2 in 2007.

Wind power

In 2006, U.S. WindForce proposed a wind farm on Savage Mountain at a strip-mining site. A study for the Savage Mountain Transmission Main Project began in 2008.

History

Wind power

Notable points

References

See also