Content deleted Content added
Rescuing 1 sources and tagging 0 as dead. #IABot (v1.3.2) (Feminist) |
Rescuing 1 sources and tagging 0 as dead.) #IABot (v2.0.9.5 |
||
| (29 intermediate revisions by 18 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{short description|State park in Pennsylvania, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
<!-- Note - the convention used for this article is that species names are capitalized, but other plant and animals are not: so "Cooper's Hawk", but just "hawks". -->
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Colton Point State Park
| iucn_category = III
|
<!-- images -->
|
| photo_caption = CCC-built overlook looking south into the Pine Creek Gorge in Colton Point State Park
<!-- map -->
|
| map_image =
| map_size = 300
|
|
<!--
| location = [[Shippen Township, Tioga County, Pennsylvania|Shippen]], [[Tioga County, Pennsylvania|Tioga]], Pennsylvania, United States
| nearest_city =
| nearest_town =
| coordinates = {{coord|41|41|59|N|77|27|53|W|display=inline,title}}
|
<!-- stats -->
|
|
| length_km =
|
|
| width_km =
|
| area_ref =
|
| elevation_avg =
|
| elevation_max =
|
|
<!-- dates & info -->
|
|
|
|
|
| visitation_num = 87,423
| visitation_year =
| visitation_ref = <ref name = "valley"/>
| governing_body = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
| administrator =
|
|
<!-- website, embedded -->
| website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20110927045153/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/coltonpoint/index.htm Colton Point State Park]
| embedded =
}}
'''Colton Point State Park''' is a {{convert|368|acre|ha|adj=mid}} [[List of Pennsylvania state parks|Pennsylvania state park]] in [[Tioga County, Pennsylvania|Tioga County]], [[Pennsylvania]], in the United States. It is on the west side of the [[Pine Creek Gorge]], also known as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, which is {{convert|800|ft|m}} deep and nearly {{convert|4000|ft|m}} across at this location. The park extends from the creek in the bottom of the gorge up to the rim and across part of the plateau to the west. Colton Point State Park is known for its views of the Pine Creek Gorge, and offers opportunities for picnicking, hiking, fishing and hunting, whitewater boating, and camping. Colton Point is surrounded by [[Tioga State Forest]] and its sister park, [[Leonard Harrison State Park]], on the east rim. The park is on a state forest road in [[Shippen Township, Tioga County, Pennsylvania|Shippen Township]] {{convert|5|mi|km|0}} south of [[U.S. Route 6 in Pennsylvania|U.S. Route 6]].
[[Pine Creek (Pennsylvania)|Pine Creek]] flows through the park and has carved the gorge through five major rock formations from the [[Devonian]] and [[Carboniferous]] periods. [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] once used the [[Pine Creek Path]] along the creek. The path was later used by lumbermen, and then became the course of a [[Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and Buffalo Railway|railroad]] from 1883 to 1988. Since 1996, the {{convert|62|mi|adj=on}} [[Pine Creek Rail Trail]] has followed the creek through the gorge. The Pine Creek Gorge was named a [[National Natural Landmark]] in 1968 and is also protected as a Pennsylvania State Natural Area and [[Important Bird Area]], while Pine Creek is a [[Pennsylvania Scenic Rivers|Pennsylvania Scenic and Wild River]]. The gorge is home to many species of plants and animals, some of which have been reintroduced to the area.
The park is named for Henry Colton, a [[Williamsport, Pennsylvania|Williamsport]] lumberman who cut timber there starting in 1879.
==History==
===Native Americans===
Humans have lived in what is now Pennsylvania since at least 10,000 BC. The first settlers were [[Paleo-Indians|Paleo-Indian]] [[nomad]]ic hunters known from their [[stone tool]]s.<ref name = "prehistory">{{cite book |title = Foundations of Pennsylvania Prehistory |
| last = Meginness
| first = John Franklin
Line 109 ⟶ 74:
| isbn = 0-7884-0428-8
| chapter = Chapter I. Aboriginal Occupation.
|
}} Retrieved on September 30, 2008. ''Note:'' ISBN refers to the Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the 1892 version with some [[Optical Character Recognition|OCR]] typos.</ref> The [[hunter-gatherer]]s of the [[Archaic period in North America|Archaic period]], which lasted locally from 7000 to 1000 BC, used a greater variety of more sophisticated stone artifacts. The [[Woodland period]] marked the gradual transition to semi-permanent villages and [[horticulture]], between 1000 BC and 1500 AD. Archeological evidence found in the state from this time includes a range of pottery types and styles, [[tumulus|burial mounds]], pipes, bows and arrows, and ornaments.<ref name = "prehistory"/>
Line 126 ⟶ 91:
}}</ref> Their numbers were greatly reduced by disease and warfare with the Five Nations of the [[Iroquois]], and by 1675 they had died out, moved away, or been [[cultural assimilation|assimilated]] into other tribes.<ref name = "indians"/><ref name = "donehoo"/>
After this, the lands of the West Branch Susquehanna River valley were under the nominal control of the Iroquois. The Iroquois lived in long houses, primarily in what is now [[New York (state)|New York]], and had a strong [[confederation|confederacy]] which gave them power beyond their numbers.<ref name = "indians"/> They and other tribes used the [[Pine Creek Path]] through the gorge, traveling between a path on the [[Genesee River]] in modern New York in the north, and the [[Great Shamokin Path]] along the West Branch Susquehanna River in the south. The [[Seneca people|Seneca]] tribe of the Iroquois believed that Pine Creek Gorge was sacred land and never established a permanent settlement there.<ref name="spotlight1">{{cite web | url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/res2005/05-0315-leonardharrisonsp.aspx | title = Park Spotlight: Leonard Harrison and Colton Point state parks |
| last = Wallace
| first = Paul A. W.
Line 136 ⟶ 101:
| isbn = 0-89271-090-X
| pages = 66–72, 130–132
}} ''Note:'' ISBN refers to 1998 impression</ref> To fill the void left by the demise of the Susquehannocks, the Iroquois encouraged displaced tribes from the east to settle in the West Branch watershed, including the [[Shawnee]] and [[Lenape]] (or Delaware).<ref name = "indians"/><ref name="donehoo">{{cite book |last= Donehoo |first= Dr. George P. |title= A History of the Indian Villages and Place Names in Pennsylvania |
The [[French and Indian War]] (1754–63) led to the migration of many Native Americans westward to the Ohio River basin.<ref name = "indians"/> On November 5, 1768, the British acquired the [[New Purchase (1768)|New Purchase]] from the Iroquois in the [[Treaty of Fort Stanwix]], including what is now the Pine Creek Gorge east of the creek. The [[Purchase line]] established by this treaty was disputed, as it was unclear whether the border along "Tiadaghton Creek" referred to Pine Creek or to [[Lycoming Creek]], further to the east. As a result, the land between them was disputed territory until 1784 and the [[Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1784)|Second Treaty of Fort Stanwix]].<ref name="donehoo"/> After the [[American Revolutionary War]], Native Americans almost entirely left Pennsylvania;<ref name="indians"/> some isolated bands of natives remained in Pine Creek Gorge until the [[War of 1812]].<ref name="sexton">{{cite book | url = http://www.joycetice.com/1883/shippent.htm | title = History of Tioga County, Pennsylvania with Illustrations, Portraits and Sketches |chapter = Shippen Township | last = Sexton Jr. |first = John L. | publisher = W. W. Munsell & Co. | location = New York City | year = 1883 | pages = 313–326}} Retrieved on September 30, 2008.</ref>
===Lumber era===
Prior to the arrival of [[William Penn]] and his [[Quakers|Quaker]] [[Province of Pennsylvania|colonists]] in 1682, up to 90 percent of what is now Pennsylvania was covered with woods: more than {{convert|31000|sqmi}} of [[eastern white pine]], [[Tsuga canadensis|eastern hemlock]], and a mix of [[hardwood]]s.<ref name="timber">{{cite web |url = http://www.lumbermuseum.org/history.html |title = The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum – History |
[[File:Pine Creek Arks.jpg|thumb|left|Pine Creek lumber drive, with [[Ark (river boat)|arks]] for kitchen and dining (left), sleeping (center), and horses (right): the railroad is on the shore behind.]]
By the early 19th century the demand for lumber reached the Pine Creek Gorge, where the surrounding mountainsides were covered with eastern white pine {{convert|3|to|6|ft|0}} in diameter and {{convert|150|ft|m|-1}} or more tall, eastern hemlock {{convert|9|ft|m|0}} in circumference, and huge hardwoods.<ref name = "seasons ltw"/> Each {{nowrap|acre (0.4 ha)}} of these virgin forests produced {{convert|100000|board feet|sigfig=1|lk=in}} of white pine and {{convert|200000|board feet|sigfig=1}} of hemlock and hardwoods. For comparison, the same area of forest today produces a total of only {{convert|5000|board feet|sigfig=1}} on average. According to Steven E. Owlett, environmental lawyer and author, shipbuilders considered pine from Pine Creek the "best timber in the world for making fine ship masts",<ref name="seasons doaf">{{cite book | last = Owlett | first = Steven E. | title = Seasons Along The Tiadaghton: An Environmental History of the Pine Creek Gorge | year = 1993 | chapter = The Death of a Forest | pages = 53–62 | edition = 1st | publisher = Interprint | location = Petaluma, California | isbn = 0-9635905-0-2 }}</ref> so it was the first lumber to be harvested on a large scale. The original title to the land that became Colton Point State Park was sold to the Wilhelm Wilkins Company in 1792.<ref name = "seasons doaf"/> Pine Creek was declared a public highway by the [[Pennsylvania General Assembly]] on March 16, 1798,<ref name="seasons ltw"/> and rafts of spars were floated down the creek to the Susquehanna River, then to the [[Chesapeake Bay]] and the shipbuilders at [[Baltimore]].<ref name="seasons doaf"/>{{Ref label|B|b|none}} The lumbermen would then walk home, following the old Pine Creek Path at the end of their journey.<ref name="path"/>
As the 19th century progressed, fewer pines were left and more hemlocks and hardwoods were cut and processed locally.<ref name="seasons doaf"/> By 1810 there were 11 [[sawmill]]s in the Pine Creek watershed, and by 1840 there were 145, despite a flood in 1832 which wiped out nearly all the mills along the creek.<ref name="sexton"/><ref name="seasons doaf"/> Selective harvesting of pines was replaced by [[clearcutting]] of all lumber in a tract. The first lumbering activity close to what is now Colton Point was in 1838 when William Dodge and partners built a settlement at Big Meadows and formed the Pennsylvania Joint Land and Lumber Company. Dodge's company purchased thousands of acres of land in the area, including what is now Colton Point State Park.<ref name="spotlight1"/> In 1865 the last pine spar raft floated down the creek, and on March 28, 1871, the General Assembly passed a law which allowed construction of [[splash dam]]s and allowed creeks to be cleared to allow loose logs to float better. The earliest spring [[Log driving|log drives]] floated up to {{convert|20000000|board feet|sigfig=1}} of logs in Pine Creek at one time.<ref name="seasons doaf"/> These logs floated to the West Branch Susquehanna River and to sawmills near the [[Susquehanna Boom]] at Williamsport.<ref name="taber"/> Log drives could be dangerous: just north of the park is Barbour Rock, named for Samuel Barbour, who lost his life on Pine Creek there after breaking up a log jam.<ref name = "guide"/> Hemlock wood was not widely used until the advent of [[Nail (fastener)|wire nails]], but the bark was used to tan leather. After 1870 the largest tanneries in the world were in the Pine Creek watershed, and required {{convert|2000|lb|kg|sigfig=1}} of bark to produce {{convert|150|lb|kg|sigfig=1}} of quality sole leather.<ref name="seasons doaf"/>
[[File:Colton Point Locomotive.jpg|thumb|A [[Shay locomotive]] from the Leetonia lumber railroad and the nearly clearcut Pine Creek Gorge, at one of the lookouts in what is now the park.]]
In 1879 Henry Colton, who worked for the Williamsport Lumber Company, supervised the cutting of white pine on the land owned by Silas Billings; this land would later become the park.<ref name = "seasons doaf"/>{{Ref label|C|c|none}} Colton gave his name to the Colton Point overlook on the west rim of the Pine Creek Gorge.<ref name = "cpsp"/><ref name = "seasons pco"/> Deadman Hollow Road in the park is named for a trapper whose decomposed body was found in his own [[animal trapping|bear trap]] there in the early 20th century. Fourmile Run flows through the park: its O'Connor Branch is named for the dead trapper's brothers, who were loggers in the area.<ref name = "guide"/>
In 1883 the [[Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and Buffalo Railway]] opened, following the creek through the gorge. The new railroad used the relatively level route along Pine Creek to link the [[New York Central Railroad]] (NYC) to the north with the [[Clearfield Coalfield]] to the southwest, and with NYC-allied lines in Williamsport to the southeast.<ref name="seasons doaf"/> By 1896 the rail line's daily traffic included three passenger trains and {{convert|7000000|ST}} of freight.<ref name = "cpsp"/> In the surrounding forests, log drives gave way to logging railroads, which transported lumber to local sawmills. There were 13 companies operating logging railroads along Pine Creek and its tributaries between 1886 and 1921, while the last log drive in the Pine Creek watershed started on Little Pine Creek in 1905.<ref name="seasons doaf"/> By 1900 the Leetonia logging railroad was extended to the headwaters of Fourmile Run, which has several high waterfalls that prevented logs from being floated down it. In 1903 the line reached Colton Point and Bear Run, which is the northern border of the park today. Lumber on Fourmile Run that had been previously inaccessible was harvested and transported by train, initially to [[Leonard Harrison (businessman)|Leonard Harrison]]'s mill at Tiadaghton. When that mill burned in 1905, the lumber went to the Leetonia mill on Cedar Run in [[Elk Township, Tioga County, Pennsylvania|Elk Township]].<ref name="seasons doaf"/>
The [[old-growth forest]]s were clearcut by the early 20th century and the gorge was stripped bare. Nothing was left except the dried-out tree tops, which became a fire hazard. As a result, much of the land burned and was left barren.<ref name="timber"/> On May 6, 1903, the Wellsboro newspaper had the headline "Wild Lands Aflame" and reported landslides through the gorge. The soil was depleted of nutrients, fires baked the ground hard, and jungles of blueberries, blackberries, and mountain laurel covered the clearcut land, which became known as the "Pennsylvania Desert". Floods swept the area periodically and much of the wildlife was wiped out.<ref name="seasons doaf"/>
Line 159 ⟶ 124:
[[George W. Sears|George Washington Sears]], an early [[Conservation ethic|conservationist]] who wrote under the pen name "Nessmuk", was one of the first to criticize the Pennsylvania lumber industry and its destruction of forests and creeks.<ref name = "dillon N">{{cite book | title = Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon: A Natural & Human History |last = Dillon | first = Chuck |edition = 2nd |publisher = Pine Creek Press |location = Wellsboro, Pennsylvania |year = 2006 | chapter = Nessmuk: The Voice for Conservation | pages = 31–32 }} (No ISBN)</ref> In his 1884 book ''Woodcraft'' he wrote of the Pine Creek watershed where <blockquote>A huge tannery ... poisons and blackens the stream with chemicals, bark and ooze. ... The once fine covers and thickets are converted into fields thickly dotted with blackened stumps. And, to crown the desolation, heavy laden trains of 'The Pine Creek and Jersey Shore R.R.' go thundering [by] almost hourly ... Of course, this is progress; but, whether backward or forward, had better be decided sixty years hence.<ref name = "woodcraft">{{cite book | title = Woodcraft | author = Nessmuk (Sears, George Washington) | chapter = CHAPTER VI Camp Cookery—How It Is Usually Done, With A Few Simple Hints On Plain Cooking—Cooking Fire And Outdoor Range | url = http://www.zianet.com/jgray/nessmuk/woodcraft/chapter06.html |publisher = Forest and Stream |location = New York |year = 1884 |edition = 1920 }} Retrieved on September 30, 2008.</ref></blockquote> Nessmuk's words went mostly unheeded in his lifetime and did not prevent the clearcutting of almost all the virgin forests in Pennsylvania.<ref name = "dillon N"/>
Sears lived in [[Wellsboro, Pennsylvania|Wellsboro]] from 1844 until his death in 1890, and was the first to describe the Pine Creek Gorge.<ref name = "nessmuk">{{cite web | url = http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pennsylvania_historical_marker_program/2539/search_for_historical_markers/300886 | title = PHMC: Historical Markers Program (Tioga County) | publisher = Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission |
| last = Owlett
| first = Steven E.
Line 172 ⟶ 137:
}}</ref>
The land on which Colton Point State Park sits was sold to the Commonwealth in the late 19th century for {{
| last = Owlett
| first = Steven E.
Line 184 ⟶ 149:
| isbn = 0-9635905-0-2
}}</ref> As of 2015 the state forest encompasses {{convert|165052|acre}}, mostly in Tioga County, and surrounds Colton Point State Park to the north, west, and south. Leonard Harrison State Park is on the eastern border of Colton Point.<ref name = "rail trail map"/> In 1922, Wellsboro lumber baron Leonard Harrison donated his picnic grounds on the eastern rim of the gorge to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which named it "Leonard Harrison State Forest Park".<ref name="lhsp">{{cite web
| url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/leonardharrison/index.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111020161341/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/leonardharrison/index.htm| url-status = dead| archive-date = October 20, 2011| title = Leonard Harrison State Park
|
| publisher = [[Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources]] }}</ref><ref name="forrey"/>
Line 194 ⟶ 159:
The [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] (CCC) started work on the park in June 1935,<ref name = "milner"/> and it opened as "Colton Point State Forest Park" in 1936.<ref name = "forrey"/> The CCC, founded by United States President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] during the [[Great Depression]], created jobs for unemployed young men from throughout the United States. Much of the work of the CCC at Colton Point is still visible as of 2015, and is one of many examples of the work of the CCC throughout northcentral Pennsylvania.<ref name="cpspccc">{{cite web
| url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/thingstoknow/history/cccyears/index.htm
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121114031714/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/thingstoknow/history/cccyears/index.htm
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = November 14, 2012
| title = Pennsylvania State Parks: The CCC Years
|
| publisher = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources }}</ref><ref name="cupper">{{cite book |last= Cupper |first= Dan |title= Our Priceless Heritage:
In 1936, the year the park opened, Larry Woodin of Wellsboro and other Tioga County business owners began a tourism campaign to promote the Pine Creek Gorge as "The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania". [[Greyhound Bus Lines]] featured a view of the canyon from a Leonard Harrison lookout on the back cover of its Atlantic Coast timetable. The bus line's Chicago to New York City tour had an overnight stay in Wellsboro and a morning visit to the canyon for $3. More than 300,000 tourists visited the canyon by the autumn of 1936, and 15,000 visited Leonard Harrison over [[Memorial Day]] weekend in 1937.<ref name="seasons bpgc"/> That year more visitors came to the Pine Creek Gorge than to [[Yellowstone National Park]]. In response to the heavy use of the local roads, the CCC widened the highways in the area, and guides from the CCC gave tours of the canyon.<ref name="seasons bpgc"/><ref name="spotlight2"/>
Line 207 ⟶ 175:
| publisher = [[Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission]]
| format = Searchable database
|
}} ''Note:'' This includes {{cite web
| url = {{NRHP-PA|H088874_01D.pdf}}
| title = Pennsylvania Historic Resource Survey Form: Colton Point State Park
|
| author = John Milner Associates
| format = PDF
Line 218 ⟶ 186:
[[File:Colton Point State Park Drinking Fountain.jpg|thumb|left|upright|This water fountain was built by the CCC with native stone.]]
The Pennsylvania Geographic Board dropped the word "Forest" and officially named it "Colton Point State Park" on November 11, 1954.<ref name="forrey">{{cite book| title = History of Pennsylvania's State Parks | last = Forrey |first = William C. | year = 1984 |publisher = Bureau of State Parks, Office of Resources Management, Department of Environmental Resources, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |location = Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | pages = 14, 27, 90 |oclc = 17824084}}</ref> The first major change in the park was in 1970, when a camping area was established. That same decade saw the completion of a new water system in 1973, and a [[holding tank dump station]] was added to the camping area in 1977.<ref name = "spotlight2"/> A park office was built in 1983,<ref name = "milner"/> but as of 2009 the park headquarters are in the adjoining Leonard Harrison State Park and the Colton Point office does not appear on the official park map.<ref name = "park map"/> Pine Creek was named a state scenic river on December 4, 1992, which ensured further protection of Pine Creek Gorge in its natural state.<ref name="dillon pfpc"/> In 1997 the park's [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) was one of the first 73 IBAs established in Pennsylvania.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/res1997/97-0107-res.aspx#Aud | title = Audubon names 73 important bird areas in state | publisher = Resource: [[Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources]] |volume=1 | issue=3 | date = January 7, 1997 |
The second half of the 20th century also saw significant changes to the rail line through the Pine Creek Gorge. Regular passenger service on the canyon line ended after the Second World War, and in 1960 the second set of train tracks was removed.<ref name="seasons rtt">{{cite book | last = Owlett | first = Steven E. | title = Seasons Along The Tiadaghton: An Environmental History of the Pine Creek Gorge | year = 1993 | chapter = Rails to Trails | pages = 87, 88, 92, 94 | edition = 1st | publisher = Interprint | location = Petaluma, California | isbn = 0-9635905-0-2 }}</ref> Conrail abandoned the section of the railroad that passed through the gorge on September 21, 1988. The right-of-way eventually became the [[Pine Creek Rail Trail]], which follows the path of the former Pine Creek Path. The first section of the rail trail opened in 1996 and included the {{convert|1|mi|adj=on}} section in the park:<ref name="spotlight2">{{cite web | url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/res2005/05-0329-leonardharrisonsp.aspx | title = Park Spotlight: Leonard Harrison and Colton Point state parks (Part 2) |
Colton Point State Park continued to attract national attention in the post-war era. ''[[The New York Times]]'' featured the park and its "breath-taking views of the gorge" as well as its trails and location
In the new millennium, the two state parks on either side of the Pine Creek Gorge are frequently treated as one. A 2002 ''New York Times'' article called Colton Point and Leonard Harrison state parks "Two State Parks, Divided by a Canyon" and noted their "overlooks offer the most spectacular views".<ref>{{cite news |title= If You Go: Two State Parks, Divided by a Canyon | work=The New York Times |date= November 22, 2002 |page= F4 }}</ref> Colton Point and Leonard Harrison were each included in the list of state parks chosen by the DCNR Pennsylvania Bureau of Parks for its "25 Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks" list. The DCNR describes how they "offer spectacular vistas and a fabulous view of Pine Creek Gorge, also known as Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon".<ref name = "must see"/> It goes on to praise their inclusion in a National Natural Landmark and State Park Natural Area, hiking and trails, and the Pine Creek Rail Trail and bicycling.<ref name = "must see"/>
Line 228 ⟶ 196:
==Pine Creek Gorge==
[[File:Colton Harrison locator map.PNG|thumb|alt=Map of Pine Creek flowing from north to south. Marsh Creek enters it in the north at Ansonia, the two parks are south of this, below is the village of Tiadaghton, and further south Babb Creek enters at Blackwell. Also in Tioga County are Wellsboro (east of the parks) and Leetonia (southwest of Tiadaghton). Lycoming County is further south and there Pine Creek receives Little Pine Creek at Waterville, and enters the West Branch Susquehanna River south of Jersey Shore. To the east is Lycoming Creek, which enters the river at Williamsport.|Map showing the park and important locations in its history in the Pine Creek Gorge and Tioga and Lycoming Counties]]
Colton Point State Park lies on the west side of the [[Pine Creek Gorge]], also known as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. A sister park, Leonard Harrison State Park, is on the east side, and the two parks combined form essentially one large park that includes parts of the gorge and creek and parts of the plateau dissected by the gorge. [[Pine Creek (Pennsylvania)|Pine Creek]] has carved the gorge nearly {{convert|47|mi}} through the [[dissected plateau|dissected]] [[Allegheny Plateau]] in northcentral Pennsylvania. The canyon begins in southwestern [[Tioga County, Pennsylvania|Tioga County]], just south of the village of Ansonia, and continues south to near the village of Waterville in [[Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|Lycoming County]]. The depth of the gorge in Colton Point State Park is about {{convert|800|ft}} and it measures nearly {{convert|4000|ft}} across.<ref name="cpsp">{{cite web | url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/coltonpoint/index.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110927045153/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/coltonpoint/index.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = September 27, 2011 | title = Colton Point State Park |
The Pine Creek Gorge [[National Natural Landmark]] includes Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks and parts of the [[Tioga State Forest]] along {{convert|12|mi}} of Pine Creek between Ansonia and Blackwell. This federal program does not provide any extra protection beyond that offered by the land owner. The [[National Park Service]]'s designation of the gorge as a National Natural Landmark notes that it "contains superlative scenery, geological and ecological value, and is one of the finest examples of a deep gorge in the eastern United States."<ref name = "nnl">{{cite web | url = http://www.nature.nps.gov/nnl/Registry/USA_Map/States/Pennsylvania/NNL/PCG/index.cfm |title = National Natural Landmark: Pine Creek Gorge |publisher = [[National Park Service]] |
The gorge is also protected by the state of Pennsylvania as the {{convert|12163|acre|adj=on}} Pine Creek Gorge Natural Area, which is the second largest State Natural Area in Pennsylvania.<ref name="pinecreekgorge">{{cite web | url = http://dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/oldgrowthforests/northarea/index.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130408044102/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/oldgrowthforests/northarea/index.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = April 8, 2013 | title = North Area: Pine Creek Gorge |
Within the park, Pine Creek and the walls of the gorge "visible from the opposite shoreline"<ref name = "seasons wasr"/> are also protected by the state as a [[Pennsylvania Scenic Rivers|Pennsylvania Scenic River]].<ref name = "scenic river">{{cite web| url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/brc/rivers/scenicrivers/locationmap.aspx | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20031219091857/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/brc/rivers/scenicrivers/locationmap.aspx | url-status = dead | archive-date = December 19, 2003 | title = Pennsylvania Scenic Rivers Program: Location Map |
==Geology and climate==
{{See also|Climate of Pennsylvania}}
Although the rock formations exposed in Colton Point State Park and the Pine Creek Gorge are at least 300 million years old, the gorge itself formed about 20,000 years ago, in the [[Last glacial period|last ice age]]. Pine Creek had flowed northeasterly until then, but was dammed by rocks, soil, ice, and other debris deposited by the receding [[Laurentide
[[File:CPSP Vertical.jpg|thumb|left|Looking north to Barbour Rock (left) and other rock outcrops in the Pine Creek Gorge]]
The park is at an elevation of {{convert|1637|ft}} on the [[Allegheny Plateau]],<ref name="gnis">{{cite web | url={{Gnis3|1172240}} | title=Colton Point State Park | date = August 2, 1979 | work=[[Geographic Names Information System]] | publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |
The land on which Colton Point State Park sits was once part of the coastline of a shallow sea that covered a great portion of what is now [[North America]]. The high mountains to the east of the sea gradually eroded, causing a buildup of [[sediment]] made up primarily of [[clay]], [[sand]] and [[gravel]]. Tremendous pressure on the sediment caused the formation of the rocks that are found today in the Pine Creek drainage basin: [[sandstone]], [[shale]], [[conglomerate (geology)|conglomerates]], [[limestone]], and [[coal]].<ref name="seasons obag"/><ref name="Streams II">{{cite book | last = Shaw | first = Lewis C. | others = Prepared in Cooperation with the United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey | title = Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams Part II (Water Resources Bulletin No. 16) |date=June 1984 | edition = 1st | publisher = Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Environmental Resources | location = Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |page = 167 | oclc = 17150333}}</ref>
Line 247 ⟶ 215:
Five major rock formations present in Colton Point State Park are from the [[Devonian]] and [[Carboniferous]] periods. The youngest of these, which forms the highest points in the park and along the gorge, is the early [[Pennsylvanian (geology)|Pennsylvanian]] [[Pottsville Formation]], a gray conglomerate that may contain sandstone, [[siltstone]], and shale, as well as [[anthracite]] coal. Low-sulfur coal was once mined at three locations within the Pine Creek watershed. Below this is the late [[Mississippian (geology)|Mississippian]] [[Mauch Chunk Formation]], which is formed with grayish-red shale, siltstone, sandstone, and conglomerate. [[Millstone]]s were once carved from the exposed sections of this conglomerate. Together the Pottsville and Mauch Chunk formations are some {{convert|300|ft}} thick.<ref name="seasons obag"/><ref name="map 61"/><ref name="map 67"/>
Next below these is the late [[Devonian]] and early Mississippian [[Huntley Mountain Formation]], which is made of relatively soft grayish-red shale and olive-gray sandstone. This is relatively hard rock and forms many of the ridges. Below this is the red shale and siltstone of the [[Catskill Formation]], about {{convert|760|ft}} thick and some 375 million years old. This layer is relatively soft and easily eroded, which helped to form the Pine Creek Gorge. Cliffs formed by the Huntley Mountain and Catskill formations are visible north of the park at Barbour Rock. The lowest and oldest layer is the [[Lock Haven Formation]], which is gray to green-brown siltstone and shale over 400 million years old. It forms the base of the gorge, contains marine fossils, and is up to {{convert|600|ft}} thick.<ref name="seasons obag"/><ref name = "roadside">{{cite book |title= Roadside Geology of Pennsylvania |last= Van Diver |first= Bradford B. |year= 1990 |publisher= Mountain Press Publishing Company |location= Missoula, Montana |isbn= 0-87842-227-7 | pages = 31–35, 113–115}}</ref><ref name="map 61">{{cite web| url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/map61/tiadaghton.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030829152255/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/map61/tiadaghton.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-date = August 29, 2003 | title = Atlas of Preliminary Geologic Quadrangle Maps of Pennsylvania: Tiadaghton |
The Allegheny Plateau has a [[continental climate]], with occasional severe low temperatures in winter and average daily [[Diurnal temperature variation|temperature ranges]] of {{convert|20
{{Weather box
|location = Colton Point State Park
Line 289 ⟶ 257:
|Nov precipitation inch = 2.77
|Dec precipitation inch = 2.12
|source 1 = The Weather Channel<ref name="WeatherChannel">{{cite web|title=Monthly Averages for Colton Point State Park |url=http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/wxclimatology/monthly/PASPCP:13 |
|date=August 2010
}}
Line 300 ⟶ 268:
===State Natural Area and wildlife===
While Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks and parts of the surrounding Tioga State Forest are now the Pine Creek Gorge National Natural Landmark, it is their status as part of a Pennsylvania State Natural Area that provides the strongest protection for them.<ref name="pinecreekgorge"/> Within this Natural Area, logging, mining, and drilling for oil and gas are prohibited.
</blockquote>
[[File:Leonard Harrison SP from Colton Point SP.jpg|thumb|left|View southeast to the rock ledge and main overlook of Leonard Harrison State Park, another protected area in the Pine Creek Gorge.]]
Line 307 ⟶ 275:
The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania is known for its fall foliage, and Colton Point State Park is a popular place to observe the colors, with the first three weeks of October as the best time to see the leaves in their full color. Red leaves are found on [[Acer rubrum|red maple]], black cherry, and [[Erythrobalanus|red oak]], while orange and yellow leaves are on [[Juglans nigra|black walnut]], [[Acer saccharum|sugar maple]], [[Liriodendron tulipifera|tulip poplar]], [[chestnut oak]], [[aspen]] and [[birch]], and brown leaves are from [[beech]], [[white oak]], and [[eastern black oak]] trees.<ref name="cpsp"/> Despite the logging, there are some old-growth hardwoods and hemlocks on Fourmile Run.<ref name = "fergus"/> Plants of "special concern" in Pennsylvania that are found in the gorge include [[Polemonium|Jacob's ladder]], [[pea|wild pea]], and [[hemlock parsley]].<ref name = "dillon"/>
There are over 40 species of mammals in the Pine Creek Gorge.<ref name="dillon"/> Colton Point State Park's extensive forest cover makes it a [[habitat (ecology)|habitat]] for "big woods" wildlife, including [[white-tailed deer]], black bear, [[wild turkey]], [[American red squirrel|red]] and [[eastern gray squirrel|gray squirrels]]. Less common creatures include bobcats, [[coyote]], fishers, river otters, and [[
Several species have been reintroduced to the gorge. White-tailed deer were imported from [[Michigan]] and released throughout Pennsylvania to reestablish what had once been a thriving population. The current population of deer in Pennsylvania are descended from the original stock introduced since 1906, after the lumbermen had moved out of the area.<ref name="deer">{{cite web | url = http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=587767&mode=2 | title = Abbreviated History of
[[File:LHSP Pine Creek.JPG|thumb|upright|alt=A rock-strewn stream beneath a blue sky with some white clouds. On either side steep tree-covered slopes come down to near the water's edge.|Pine Creek and the wooded slopes of the gorge in the park are important habitats.]]
Fishers, medium-sized [[Mustelidae|weasels]], were reintroduced to Pine Creek Gorge as part of an effort to establish a healthy population of fishers in Pennsylvania.<ref name="audubon"/> Prior to the lumber era, fishers were numerous throughout the forests of Pennsylvania.<ref name="wildlife notes">{{cite web | url = http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/lib/pgc/wildlife/notes/pdf/fisher.pdf | title = Fisher |
===Important Bird Area===
Colton Point State Park is part of [[Important Bird Area]] #28, which encompasses {{convert|31790|acre}} of both publicly and private held land. State managed acreage accounts for 68 percent of the total area and includes Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks and the surrounding Tioga State Forest lands. The Pennsylvania [[Audubon Society]] has designated all {{convert|368|acre}} of Colton Point State Park as part of the IBA, which is an area designated as a globally important [[habitat (ecology)|habitat]] for the conservation of bird populations.<ref name="IBA28">{{cite web|url=http://pa.audubon.org/IBA_Consplans/IBA28.pdf |title=Pennsylvania Important Bird Area #28 |author=Doug Kibbe |date=May 2004 |
[[Ornithologist]]s and bird watchers have recorded a total of 128 species of birds in the IBA. Several factors contribute to the high total of bird species observed: there is a large area of forest in the IBA, as well as great habitat diversity, with {{convert|343|acre}} of open water that is used by many of the birds, especially [[bald eagle]]s. The location of the IBA along the Pine Creek Gorge also contributes to the diverse bird populations.<ref name="IBA28"/>
Line 321 ⟶ 289:
In addition to bald eagles, which live in the IBA year round and have successfully established a breeding population there,<ref name = "dillon"/><ref name="IBA28"/> the IBA is home to [[belted kingfisher]]s, [[scarlet tanager]]s, [[black-throated blue warbler]]s, [[common merganser]]s, [[Great blue heron|blue]] and [[green heron]]s, [[hermit thrush]]es, and [[wood duck]]s. Large numbers of [[osprey]]s use the gorge during spring and fall migration periods. The woodlands are inhabited by wild turkeys and Pennsylvania's state bird the [[ruffed grouse]]. [[Swainson's thrush]] breeds in the IBA and the [[Northern harrier]] breeds and overwinters in Pine Creek Gorge.<ref name="IBA28"/>
A variety of [[New World warbler|warblers]] is found in Colton Point State Park. The Pennsylvania Audubon Society states that Pine Creek Gorge is "especially rich in warbler species, including [[pine warbler|Pine]], Black-throated blue, [[Black-throated green warbler|Black-throated green]], [[Blackburnian warbler|Blackburnian]], and [[Black-and-white warbler|Black-and-white]]."<ref name="audubon">{{cite book |author1= Audubon Pennsylvania |
==Recreation==
Line 327 ⟶ 295:
===Trails===
[[File:Colton Point State Park Rim Trail.jpg|thumb|The Rim Trail follows the western edge of the Pine Creek Gorge through the park, linking overlooks and picnic shelters.]]
Colton Point State Park has some challenging hikes in and around the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, with {{convert|4.0|mi}} of trails that feature very rugged terrain, pass close to steep cliffs, and can be very slick in some areas.<ref name="cpsp"/><ref name="hike"/> [[List of Governors of Pennsylvania|Governor]] [[Robert P. Casey]] took a hiking tour of the park in July 1990,<ref name="cupper"/> and in 2003 the DCNR reported that 18,239 people used the trails in the park.<ref name = "valley">{{cite web| url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_001685.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160117064308/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_001685.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-date = January 17, 2016 | title = Pine Creek Valley Early Action Recommendations | publisher = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources | author = Fermata Inc. of Austin, Texas
* '''Rim Trail''' (yellow trail markers) is a relatively flat {{convert|1|mi|adj=on}} loop trail, which follows the perimeter of Colton Point and links all of the canyon viewing areas.<ref name="cpsp"/>
* '''Turkey Path''' (blue trail markers) is a difficult trail,<ref name="hike">{{cite book | last = Bleech | first = Mike | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Ng7_WyPj81gC&pg=PA67 | title = Hiking Pennsylvania | year = 2000 | chapter = Leonard Harrison & Colton Point State Parks | publisher = Human Kinetics | location = Champaign, Illinois | isbn = 0-7360-0166-2 | page = 67}}</ref> {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} long (down and back within the park), that follows Four Mile Run down the side of the canyon, descending over {{convert|800|ft}} to Pine Creek and the rail trail at the bottom of the gorge.<ref name="cpsp"/> It was originally a mule drag used to haul timber to the creek.<ref name="seasons pco">
{{cite book
| last = Owlett
Line 342 ⟶ 310:
| isbn = 0-9635905-0-2
}}</ref> There is a {{convert|70|ft||adj=mid|-tall}} cascading waterfall about {{convert|0.5|mi}} down the trail. The park website classifies it as a "down and back trail" since there is no bridge across Pine Creek.<ref name="cpsp"/> The Turkey Path continues in Leonard Harrison State Park, going from a point on Pine Creek just downstream of the end of the trail in Colton Point up to the Leoanrd Harrison overlook on the east rim of the gorge. According to Owlett, the creek can be forded with care when the water is low, and the Turkey Path connects the two parks.<ref name="seasons pco"/><ref name = "park map"/><ref name="fergus"/>
* '''[[Pine Creek Rail Trail]]''' is a {{convert|62|mi||adj=mid|-long}} [[rail trail]] from Wellsboro Junction, just north of [[Wellsboro, Pennsylvania|Wellsboro]], south through the Pine Creek Gorge to [[Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania|Jersey Shore]]: {{convert|1|mi|km|1}} of this trail is in Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks.<ref name="cpsp"/><ref name = "rail trail map">{{cite map |title = A Public Use Map For Pine Creek Rail Trail | publisher = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |location = Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |date = October 2012 | url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_20029283.pdf |
* '''[[West Rim Trail]]''' is a {{convert|30.5|mi||adj=mid|-long}} hiking trail that runs along the west rim of the Pine Creek Gorge from near the village of Ansonia in the north to Rattlesnake Rock near the village of Blackwell in the south. It is mostly on Tioga State Forest land, but passes through the extreme north of the park and then forms the western border of the park in the south.<ref name = "park map">{{cite map | publisher = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |title = Leonard Harrison & Colton Point State Parks |url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_003758.pdf |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130616211853/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_003758.pdf |url-status = dead |archive-date = June 16, 2013 | format=PDF | date=January 2008|scale = 1" = 800 feet }} Retrieved on April 23, 2015.</ref> When the West Rim Trail opened in 1982, it was {{convert|21|mi}} long and ended just south of the park, but it was extended {{convert|9|mi|km|0}} north in 1985, passing through Colton Point.<ref name = "guide">{{cite book | title = Guide to the West Rim Trail |edition= 3rd |author = Chuck Dillon | year = 1999 | publisher = Pine Creek Outfitters |location = Ansonia, Pennsylvania |pages = 8, 24–26}} (No ISBN)</ref> It was chosen by ''Outside Magazine'' as its "Best Hike in Pennsylvania" in April 1996.<ref name="wellsboro">{{cite web|url=http://www.wellsboropa.com/pages/welcome/pa_grand_canyon.php |title=The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania |publisher=Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce |
===Camping and picnics===
Line 370 ⟶ 338:
|scale=1:65,000
|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division
|url=
|format=PDF
|title=2007 General Highway Map Tioga County Pennsylvania
| last = Michels
| first = Chris
Line 380 ⟶ 348:
| title = Latitude/Longitude Distance Calculation
| publisher = Northern Arizona University
|
| archive-date = April 11, 2008
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080411174434/http://www.nau.edu/~cvm/latlongdist.html
| url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/where/index.htm
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110924171030/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/where/index.htm
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = September 24, 2011
| title = Find a Park by Region (interactive map)
|
| publisher = [[Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources]] }}</ref>
{|
Line 408 ⟶ 382:
{{Panorama
|image = File:2022-06-14 16 38 21 Panoramic view across Pine Creek Gorge from an overlook within Colton Point
|caption = Panoramic view of the Pine Creek Gorge with the Pine Creek Rail Trail, Pine Creek and Leonard Harrison State Park, looking north (
|height = 110
}}
Line 417 ⟶ 391:
:'''a.''' {{Note label|A|a|none}} The earliest written record of contact with the Susquehannocks comes from Captain [[John Smith of Jamestown]], who met members of the tribe near the mouth of the Susquehanna River on Chesapeake Bay in 1608. The tribe controlled the Susquehanna drainage basin and are believed to have lived there for at least a few centuries prior to this contact.<ref name="donehoo"/>
:'''b.''' {{Note label|B|b|none}} A spar sold for one dollar and three spars up to {{convert|90|ft}} long were lashed together to make a ship's [[Mast (sailing)|mast]]. The largest spar produced on Pine Creek was {{convert|43|in|cm}} in diameter {{convert|12|ft}} above the base, {{convert|93|ft}} long, and {{convert|33|in|cm}} in diameter at the top. By 1840, Tioga County alone produced over 452 such spar rafts with more than {{convert|22000000|board feet|sigfig=1|lk=in}} of lumber.<ref name="seasons doaf"/>
:'''c.''' {{Note label|C|c|none}} [[United States Census]] records show that Henry Colton was born about 1819 in [[Massachusetts]] and was a lumberman who lived in [[Williamsport, Pennsylvania]] in 1860, 1870, and 1880. Colton's wife Elizabeth was born about 1830 in Maine, and their sons Henry Mead and George were born in Pennsylvania about 1863 and 1868, respectively. Colton owned real estate valued at $7,800 and personal property valued at $3,000
| last = Meginness
| first = John Franklin
Line 427 ⟶ 401:
| isbn = 0-7884-0428-8
| chapter = Chapter XXVI. Military Record in the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Rebellion.
|
}} Retrieved on September 30, 2008. ''Note:'' ISBN refers to the Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the 1892 version with some [[Optical Character Recognition|OCR]] typos.</ref> Colton died in Williamsport on August 9, 1880 at the age of 59.<ref>{{cite news | title = Obituary | work=The Wellsboro Agitator |date= August 24, 1880 |url = http://www.joycetice.com/clippings/wag1880c.htm }} Retrieved on October 4, 2008.</ref>
:'''d.''' {{Note label|D|d|none}} Early accounts of "salmon" in Pine Creek may have been referring to [[shad]].<ref name = "seasons ltw"/>
Line 438 ⟶ 412:
{{Portal|Pennsylvania}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{cite web|url= http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd1/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_003758.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120813060131/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd1/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_003758.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= August 13, 2012 |title=Colton Point State Park official map }} {{small|(656 KB)}}
* {{cite web|url= http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd2/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_004784.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160117064308/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd2/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_004784.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= January 17, 2016 |title=Colton Point State Park official campground map }} {{small|(481 KB)}}
{{Protected areas of Pennsylvania}}
Line 445 ⟶ 419:
{{Featured article}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:State parks of Pennsylvania]]
Line 455 ⟶ 431:
[[Category:Civilian Conservation Corps in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:1936 establishments in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Tioga County, Pennsylvania]]
| |||