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| The start of the Thousand Steps Author's Photo |
It's probably safe to say that some of us dread our commutes to work during the week. Though we all probably have our horror stories from our travels to and from the workplace, we sometimes fail to realize how easy we really have it here in the present. While many of us probably don't have a treacherous or arduous journeys to work, it was very much a reality for a past generation, especially those working on the craggy mountainside above Mount Union in Huntingdon County. So lets step back in time and explore what it was like working on that rugged mountainside. We’ve got quite the climb ahead of us. Try to keep up…..
The setting for our adventure is Jacks Mountain, a bouldered ridge overlooking Mount Union. West of town, is Jacks Narrows, a natural corridor carved through Jacks Mountain by the flow of the Juniata River. The "narrows" have been valuable for transportation for well over a century. Both the modern highway and the railroad follow its path. A transportation route was not the only contribution the river yielded. Produced by the same eroding power that had created the narrows, the river revealed large deposits of ganister rock, a resource that propelled Mount Union onto the world's industrial stage in the early 20th Century.
Harbison-Walker Refractories Company arrived in Mount Union in 1900 after purchasing a pre-existing brick works built a year prior. The company soon expanded the plant to increase capacity for manufacturing silica fire brick, a heat resistant brick used for lining furnaces, kilns, and other high temperature applications. The raw material for silica brick was ganister, a rock composed of quartzite and clays bonded together by lime. The brick works at Mount Union were the first in the United States built exclusively to produce this type of brick
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| Harbison-Walker's Mount Union works in 1938 Penn Pilot Photo |
Several factors enabled the business to thrive. The rich deposits of ganister rock atop Jacks Mountain provided a convenient source for raw materials. Mount Union’s railroad connections assisted as well. The Pennsylvania Railroad provided access to markets across the country. Coal for the plant’s kilns was supplied by the narrow-gauge East Broad Top Railroad. Combined, these assets earned Mount Union the title of “Silica Brick Capital of the World.” By 1910, Harbison-Walker’s brick works employed over 600 people and produced between 150,000 - 180,000 bricks daily.
To reach the ganister deposits on Jacks Mountain, narrow-gauge railroad tracks had to be laid from the brick works, across the Juniata River, and up to the mountaintop quarries. Cars were first taken from the brick works to the foot of the first of several inclines by small squat locomotives called "dinkies." Loaded cars then pulled empties to the top where "dinkies” hauled them to the quarries to be loaded. Once full, the dinkies then returned the cars to the top of the incline to be lowered and taken back to the plant.
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| Tracks fan out in all directions on Jacks Mountain in this 1938 photo. The long angled lines in the center are inclines. Penn Pilot Photo |
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| A discarded rail left behind on the mountain Author's Photo |
In March of 1936, a severe flood devastated much of the region; Mount Union was not spared from its destruction. The “dinkey” railroad bridge over the Juniata River was destroyed, forcing operations to grind to a halt. In the lull after the flood, the workmen set out to construct steps up Jacks Mountain to reach the job site. Employing their quarrying skills, the men cut the steps from the existing mountain rock. Building the steps was two-fold, it kept the men busy until production resumed and established a more direct route to reach the quarries rather than trudging up the steep inclines. When the men were finished, 1,043 steps had been laid into the steep mountainside.
Quarrying operations on the north side of Jack’s Mountain continued until the late 1940’s when quarrying was relocated to a new location on the south side of the narrows directly above the brick works. Ganister rock was then trucked to the plant.
At its peak, the Mount Union operation employed 2,000 people and produced 500,000 bricks a day, however by the 1980's, more stringent industry regulations coupled with the decline of the steel industry reduced the market for silica brick. Operations at Mount Union ceased in 1985; dismantlement of the plant commenced soon afterward.
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| The brick plant shorty before it was demolished Library of Congress Photo |
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| A view of the plant area now. Compare this view with the 1938 photo above. Image Retrieved From: Google Maps |
In 1996, organizations including the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy, Mount Union Historical Society, Keystone Trails, and numerous others formed a committee with the goal to preserve the steps and surrounding lands. This was brought about when plans to limit public access to the site were introduced. Their foresight saved this monument to Pennsylvania’s industrial past from being lost. Now under the supervision of the Pennsylvania Game Commission as part of State Game Lands 112, the Thousand Steps will continue to fascinate and challenge visitors well into the future.
The last intact building on the mountain is the engine repair shed. If minor repairs needed to be done on a “dinkey,” it could be carried out while up on the mountain rather than transporting the engine down the incline. Built from stone and steel rails, the shed is still in great shape.
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| Inside of the engine repair shed Author's Photo |
Visiting this area is highly recommended especially in the fall. The panoramic views from the trails and the amazing story this mountain tells are well worth the trip. Jack’s Mountain offers a unique glimpse into this once prosperous industry and the lives of the workers who made it possible with their backbreaking labor. As you climb or descend, you’ll probably find yourself relieved that your work commute woes are fairly inconsequential compared to what these workers faced on a daily basis. Sturdy shoes are recommended for the steep climb and as always, please respect the site.
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| One of the amazing views from the trail. The community of Mapleton lies in the distance. Author's Photo. |
Information Retrieved From:
Shedd, N. (1991). Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania: an inventory of historic engineering and industrial sites. Retrieved from https://www.dot7.state.pa.us/CRGIS_Attachments/Survey/1991-H001-061.pdf
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