Rainbow Trout and Railroads- The Story of the Pennsylvania Fish Car

A bucket brigade stretching between a large truck and the streambank is a scene that has repeated itself for generations. For many sportsmen and women, it is a beloved tradition every spring and fall. The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, which traces its roots to 1866, has been the agency entrusted with raising, transporting, and delivering fish to stock the waterways of Penn's Woods. 

Howard Iron Works (Centre County)

 

 Pennsylvania's industrial history is a diverse and fascinating topic. For many of us, Pittsburgh and its "Rivers of Steel"  instantly come to mind. However Centre County has its own unique industrial heritage to celebrate. The county's "Valleys of Iron," fed the fires of nineteen iron furnaces and forges for well over a century. This contribution no doubt set the economic foundation that made the region what it is today. A remnant of this forgotten industrial past lies hidden, waiting to have its story told.

From Forest to Mill- The Lock Haven Paper Mill Splash Dam (Clinton County)

A log that once made up the dam still survives in the stream
The north abutment lies in the background
Author's Photo

 From sawmills to silk mills, clay mines to chemical plants, canal boats to airplanes; the industrial history of Lock Haven is quite diverse. While many of these industries have long since faded, one continues on as it did over a century ago, producing commodities for everyday use. Strangely enough, a connection to the history of this industry can be found forgotten in the wilds of Sproul State Forest. 

Paper manufacturing in Lock Haven has deep roots. In 1880, brothers L.D. and M.M Armstrong established the Pennsylvania Pulp & Paper Company. Lock Haven's location made it well suited as natural resources and transportation options were in close proximity. Fresh water was tapped from nearby Bald Eagle Creek. Large tracts of forests on the ridges around Lock Haven were a convenient source of pulpwood. Coal to power the plant's boilers came by rail from mines in Clearfield County.  Lime used in the pulping process came from kilns located in Bellefonte. The Pennsylvania Railroad whose tracks ran right beside the mill, delivered raw materials and transported finished products to their destinations. 

By 1881, the mill was in production with over 150 employees. Like with any industry of the era, a paper mill could be a dangerous place. The following newspaper articles give a glimpse into this danger :

The Centre Reporter 1902
Retrieved from: The Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive

 

The Centre Reporter 1919
Retrieved From: The Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive

 A claim to fame for the Lock Haven mill was that it was awarded, on numerus occasions, the contract to manufacture the paper for both postage and revenue stamps for the United States government. 

The Middleburgh Post 1898
Retrieved From: The Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive

The Democratic Watchman 1906
Retrieved From: The Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive

By the early 1900's, much of the forests around Lock Haven were quickly disappearing. A common practice for the mill was to purchase lands that had been previously logged by the larger lumber companies, as the smaller diameter trees that were left behind could be utilized for pulpwood. Operations at Gleasonton, on the former North Bend & Kettle Creek Railroad, and along the North Fork of Tangascootac Creek are two known examples of this practice. 

 By 1909 operations along the Tangascootac were winding down and the company was preparing to move to another tract along Big Run, a tributary of Beech Creek north of Orviston. The company had used logging railroads at both Gleasonton and Tangascootac and as the article below suggests, it was assumed a railroad would be used to access the timber along Big Run. 

The Democratic Watchman 1909
Retrieved From: The Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive

 In 1912, the Paper Trade Journal announced that the New York and Pennsylvania Company had a force of men along the West Branch of Big Run constructing a splash dam to float logs down to the mill, a deviation from their previous use of logging railroads. This was the company's first attempt at moving timber by water. An exact reason for not building a logging railroad is unknown, but given the rugged terrain around Big Run, increased construction costs may have been a decisive factor 

Up until the arrival of logging railroads in the 1880's, water had been the premier method of moving timber from the woods to the mills. Splash dams had played a key role during this era. In the early years of logging, the first timber cut was along major waterways. Logs were brought down the river bank to await the annual spring floods that would carry them to mills downstream. 

Cutting steadily progressed further away from these major waterways and into smaller tributaries. Ordinarily, many of these smaller creeks and streams did not have the capacity to float logs. The solution to this problem was to build splash dams whose purpose was to create an artificial flood capable of moving logs downstream. 

An example of a splash dam in Pennsylvania

A typical splash dam was a rudimentary timber frame structure filled with earth with a large central gate. After a suitable rain brought the creeks up, the gate would be closed to impound water behind the dam. Logs would then be dragged down to the stream bank or dumped into the pond behind the dam. At a pre-determined time, the gate would be released, sending a surge of water that would flush the logs downstream until they reached a deeper waterway that could float the logs to their destination. 

By 1912, use of splash dams was limited in Pennsylvania. Specially designed steam locomotives, like the Shay, enabled loggers to reach previously inaccessible timber by rail. Unlike splash dams, logging railroads were not weather dependent and could be built, disassembled, and reassembled wherever the timber was. 

A Shay locomotive with a log train

When complete, the Big Run splash dam stood 20 feet high and 130 feet long. Logs flushed downstream from the dam would then have to travel the five or so miles to reach Beech Creek. From there, the logs would float into Bald Eagle Creek where a boom at Flemingont would divert the logs into the old Bald Eagle Crosscut Canal that fed the mill pond. 

How successful the splash dam operation was is not known. No other mentions of the Big Run dam or any other company built dams could be found. By 1914, the company had purchased or had rights to 83,000 acres across Pennsylvania to supply its mills, an area roughly equivalent to the size of Philadelphia. Additional timber was secured in Maine, Washington, and Canada. In 1920 a second facility, called the Castanea Mill was added on the south side of the railroad tracks.  

A photo of the log yard at the mill circa 1917
Image Retrieved From: The Independent

Major change came in 1950 when the company became a division of Curtis Publishing. This would be the first of several corporate successions. Hammermill Paper Company assumed operations in 1965. International Paper took over Hammermill in 1986. International Paper continued to operate the plant until October 2000 when it announced that it would close the Lock Haven facility. 

The Lock Haven and Castanea mills in 1938
Image Retrieved From: Pennsylvania Imagery Navigator

Three years later, First Quality Tissue, a manufacturer of tissue paper and paper towels, purchased the mill. Over the span of five years, the century old mill was demolished and a two-million square foot modern facility constructed. Presently, the facility employs over 500 people.

Paper manufacturing continues to an important industry for Lock Haven as it was over a century ago. Much of that history is not readily apparent, much like the old splash dam. Erosion over the last century  has reduced the dam to its earthen and stone abutments. Several logs that once made up the cribbing and chute are still buried in the streambank. 

A log from the dam lies in the creek in the foreground.
The southern abutment sits in the background
Author's Photo

The northern stone abutment 
Author's Photo

Looking upstream where the chute and flood gate would have been
Author's Photo

Information Retrieved From:        

Allen, Bob. (2007). Lock haven, u.s.a. Dreams Deferred. Retrieved from: http://www.dreamsdeferred.org/lockhaven/nestled_in_Pa.html  

Evans and Brown Company. (1926). Shipper and Carrier (7) Retrieved from: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Shipper_and_Carrier/6os7AAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=Bellefonte%20%2B%20%22New%20York%20and%20Pennsylvania%20company%22%20%2B%20lime

First Quality. (2016). First Quality to expand manufacturing capacity for its ultra-premium towel and tissue products as part of long-term growth plan. Retrieved from: https://www.firstquality.com/content/press-releases/first-quality-to-expand-manufacturing-capacity

Furey, J. (1892). Historical and biographical work: or, past and present of Clinton County. Pennsylvania Grit Printing House. Retrieved from:  https://books.google.com/books?id=6D0uAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA187&dq=Pennsylvania+Pulp+and+Paper+Co+Lock+Haven.&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwii66Kn5Y-DAxWJEVkFHYEqD98Q6AF6BAgGEAI#v=onepage&q=Pennsylvania%20Pulp%20and%20Paper%20Co%20Lock%20Haven.&f=false

Hull, G. (1915). Commonwealth v. standard underground cable co. Pennsylvania Corporation Reporter. Retrieved from: https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Pennsylvania_Corporation_Reporter/AEYOAAAAYAAJhl=en&gbpv=1&dq=new+york+and+pennsylvania++%2B+83,000+acres&pg=PA245&printsec=frontcover

Slossen, E. (1917). Creative chemistry. The Independent. Retrieved from: https://books.google.com/books?id=5A_mAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA477&dq=lock+haven+paper+mill+%2B+acres&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiPxae66qGDAxXiEVkFHejqAmMQ6AF6BAgMEAI#v=onepage&q=lock%20haven%20paper%20mill%20%2B%20acres&f=false

The German 77: Bellefonte's Lost WWI Memorial

The German 77 at the Bellefonte Courthouse and W. Harrison Walker
Photo Retrieved From: Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive

    After four horrific years, the "War to End All Wars"  ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 1918. The Great War, as it came to be known, introduced the world to a level of death and destruction previously unknown. Approximately 16 million lives had been lost during the conflict, almost 2% of the world's population at that time. The United States, who had only joined the war in 1917, saw 205,690 service members returning home with wounds of various degrees. Another 116,708 never came home.

    The following year, Armistice Day was established by President Woodrow Wilson as a day to celebrate the peace that followed the end of the war and honor those who had served. As part of this remembrance, monuments and statues were erected in towns and cities across the country. Some of these dedications were comprised of military equipment captured from the enemy on the battlefields of Europe. 

Halloween Series: The Man in Black (Austin, Potter County)

The ruins of the infamous dam that caused the Austin Flood

The town of Austin in wonderfully rugged Potter County is known for dam that almost wiped it off the map over a century ago. The Austin Dam Disaster still stands as the second worst dam failure in Pennsylvania's history and the sixth deadliest dam disaster in the United States. Even before the dam completely failed, it exhibited several warnings that disaster was unavoidable. Sadly, all of these warnings went unheeded by the town and the paper company responsible for its construction. However, it appears that while the dam was sending signals of impending disaster, a gentleman in black appeared out of nowhere to offer a warning from beyond the grave...

Halloween Series: Cry Me a Squonk- A Pennsylvania Cryptid

 

North-central Pennsylvania is a haven for all sorts of wildlife, from the majestic bull elk bugling from the hollows to the shy songbirds that call from the tree tops. Few places can top such diversity and natural beauty. However, there is one species that few people, save the most seasoned sportsmen, have probably seen. More elusive than an old whitetail buck or cagey fisher, this animal has never been successfully captured  and probably never will....

Castanea Brick & Tile Co. (Clinton County)

This small locomotive, often called a dinkey,
is hauling clay from the mines to the Castanea brick works

    Castanea is the Latin name for chestnut. The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was once a hearty tree that thrived across Central Pennsylvania, especially on the steep rocky ridges of Bald Eagle Mountain. In 1871, the village of Castenea was established across Bald Eagle Creek from the city of Lock Haven. The story of Castanea, like many small communities throughout the region, mirrors that of the ill-fated chestnut tree, as in both cases there are few reminders of what once was.     

Central PA's Forgotten State Forests

Since November is Native American Heritage Month, I thought it would be interesting to explore the Native American influences within out state forests. For anyone that has spent time wandering these forests, their natural beauty and recreational opportunities make them a true gem. The state forest system in Pennsylvania is comprised of 20 forests that cover 2.2 million acres and span 50 of the state's 67 counties. 

Lost To The Depths: The Story of the Frank H. Goodyear (PA Wilds)

 

The Frank H. Goodyear

        Sinnemahoning is a name synonymous with the PA Wilds region of Pennsylvania. The name’s origin lies with the Lenni Lenape word "Achsinnimahoni" meaning  at the stony lick. You would think that such a unique name could be found no where else. Yet, there is another Sinnemahoning hundreds of miles away and 300 feet below the surface of Lake Huron. How it arrived there can be tied back to one man and the empire he built in the rugged Pennsylvania wilderness.

The Watchman Printing House (Centre County)

 

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! Bellefonte was once the home of several news periodicals. Some of the names that once graced the headlines included, American Patriot, Daily News, True Democrat, Centre Farmer, Bellefonte National, Centre Democrat, and the Centre Magnet. What were once frontline newspapers are now relegated to the archives. Analyzing these periodicals and their content gives us a cross-section of what society was like at the time. Today's scoop focuses on one such paper and its editor who became a target of the United States government.     

Rocks and Rapids vs. Steam and Steel: The Story of Steamboats on the Susquehanna River

The Rumsey Monument overlooking the Potomac River
Author's Photo

Standing high above the Potomac River in Shepardstown, West Virginia sits a monument to a man and his machine. While the invention would eventually revolutionize transportation, the inventor has largely faded from public recognition. When his machine made its way to the Central Pennsylvania, it would usher in a new era of transportation. 

The Lost Elk of Centre County

A Rocky Mountain Bull Elk
Photo Retrieved From:https://www.fws.gov/

    Elk Creek, Elk Gap, and Elk Street are all locations that can be found amongst the ridges and valleys of southern Centre County. These names are remnants of an era long since passed, when the magnificent bugle of a bull elk could be heard echoing across the ridges. According to some sources, it was here that 140 years ago that the last native elk was killed and a species that had once prospered across the state was gone forever. Following their demise, it was thought that their absence would be permanent. However, an effort in the early 20th Century found elk once again roaming the region. Sadly, their return would only be temporary as they would disappear once again even quicker than the first time.

Now You See It, Now You Don't: The Death of the American Chestnut in Central Pennsylvania

A century old chestnut stump
Author's Photo

    "Now you see it, now you don't!" is a phrase that often accompanies a stage magician's vanishing act. A card or coin is visible one moment and if by magic, disappears the next. At the end of the act, the object reappears much to the amusement and disbelief of the crowd. However, no magician could match the vanishing act that occurred in the early 20th Century. Instead of a coin or card, a much beloved symbol of the forests and landscape, the American chestnut, vanished and no amount of magic could bring it back.

Miller's Spring Trestle Disaster (Centre County)

Looking across what remains of Miller's Spring Trestle

Safety and progress are forever in a race against each other. However, when progress outdistances safety, only disaster awaits at the finish line. On June 11, 1878, that is exactly what awaited a train bound for Bellefonte.       

Bombs and Broken Promises: The Tragic Story of Alvira (Union/Lycoming Counties)

Welcome to Alvira: Population 0
Author's Photo

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    Bizarre concrete domes and crumbling foundations stand as monuments to the sacrifices made by an entire town and a broken promise that erased it forever.

Danger On The Rails: The Axemann Curve (Centre County)

The 1908 Wreck

    The completion of the Lewisburg & Tyrone Railroad from Bellefonte to Lewisburg in 1885 was a monumental transportation achievement for the region. Passengers and freight could now move faster than the steep and winding turnpikes had allowed them previously. The age of the iron horse had arrived. However, this new age would not come without dangers.

Revelton Ghost Town (Clinton County)

 

    

Revelton Iron Furnace
Author's Photo

    Hidden behind a curtain of hemlock and pine lies a portal to the past, a time when Central Pennsylvania’s vast industrial potential was being realized. During that era, much of the region was still relatively untamed. Extracting these sought after resources would require the determination and expertise of a unique breed of men. In the wilds of Clinton County, a short broad gentleman known as “The General” would exhibit all of those qualities, along with many more colorful ones, while taming this rugged country.

The Wreck of the Red Arrow (Blair County)

 

The jumbled wreckage of the Red Arrow
Image Retrieved From: https://www.gendisasters.com/

    Unsolved disasters are a subject that continues to captivate us decades and even centuries after they occur. Seventy-nine years ago today, high in the Allegheny Mountains, minutes were ticking away for the 238 passengers and crew of the Red Arrow, a crack passenger train of the Pennsylvania Railroad. When the clock ran out, a mystery that still confounds us to this day was found amongst the twisted steel and mangled bodies of the Red Arrow. 

Howard Brick Works (Centre County)

    It's remarkable how something so unassuming like an old worn brick could tell such a fascinating story. Many of these bricks show a great deal of character, much like the community that is stamped upon them. 

The Queen of Speed-Engine #999

Engine #999 in its as built appearance
Image Retrieved From: wikipedia.org

    Engine #999 has a special place in the history of land transportation. Once the pinnacle of locomotive development of its era, it became world famous when it reached a speed that had never been achieved on the face of the Earth. However, the years after this magnificent feat saw #999 fade from the limelight. Like a retired racehorse, the engine lived out its twilight years plodding through the mountains of central Pennsylvania. Though outclassed by modern locomotives, the #999 still had the heart of a speedster when it was recalled for one last glamorous run down the high iron. This is the fascinating story of Engine #999.