Colton Point State Park - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Colton Point State ParkPennsylvania State Park

National Register of Historic PlacesPart of Pine Creek Gorge, a National Natural

Landmark

CCC-built overlook looking south into the Pine CreekGorge in Colton Point State Park

Named for: Henry Colton

Country United StatesState PennsylvaniaCounty TiogaTownship Shippen

Elevation 1,637 ft (499 m) [1]Coordinates 414159N 772753W

Area 368 acres (149 ha)

Founded 1936Management Pennsylvania Department of

Conservation and NaturalResources

Visitation 87,423 [2]

IUCN category V - ProtectedLandscape/Seascape

Added to NRHP February 12, 1987NRHP Ref# 87000112

Colton Point State ParkFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Colton Point State Park is a 367-acre (148 ha)Pennsylvania state park in Tioga County, Pennsylvania,in the United States Of North America. It is on the westside of the Pine Creek Gorge, also known as the GrandCanyon of Pennsylvania of America, which is 800 feet(240 m) deep and nearly 4,000 feet (1,200 m) across atthis location. The park extends from the creek in thebottom of the gorge up to the rim and across part of theplateau to the west. Colton Point State Park is knownfor its views of the Pine Creek Gorge, and offersopportunities for picnicking, hiking, fishing and hunting,whitewater boating, and camping. Colton Point issurrounded by Tioga State Forest and its sister park,Leonard Harrison State Park, on the east rim. The parkis on a state forest road in Shippen Township 5 miles(8 km) south of U.S. Route 6.

Pine Creek flows through the park and has carved thegorge through five major rock formations from theDevonian and Carboniferous periods. Native Americansonce used the Pine Creek Path along the creek. The pathwas later used by lumbermen, and then became thecourse of a railroad from 1883 to 1988. Since 1996, the63.4-mile (102.0 km) Pine Creek Rail Trail has followedthe creek through the gorge. The Pine Creek Gorge wasnamed a National Natural Landmark in 1968 and is alsoprotected as a Pennsylvania State Natural Area andImportant Bird Area, while Pine Creek is a PennsylvaniaScenic and Wild River. The gorge is home to manyspecies of plants and animals, some of which have beenreintroduced to the area.

The park is named for Henry Colton, a Williamsportlumberman who cut timber there starting in 1879.Although the Pine Creek Gorge was clearcut in the 19thand early 20th centuries, it is now covered by second-growth forest, thanks in part to the conservation effortsof the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s.The CCC built the facilities at Colton Point before andshortly after the park's 1936 opening. Most of theCCC-built facilities remain in use, and have led to thepark's listing as a historic district on the NationalRegister of Historic Places. Since a successful publicitycampaign in 1936, the park and gorge have been apopular tourist destination, attracting hundreds ofthousands of visitors each year. Colton Point State Parkwas chosen by the Pennsylvania Department ofConservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Bureau of

Coordinates: 414159N 772753W

Colton Point State Park - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colton_Point_State_Park&pr...

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Location of Colton Point State Park in Pennsylvania

Colton Point (ivory area left of Pine Creek) andLeonard Harrison (right) State Parks in Tioga County,

PA

Website: Colton Point State Park(http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark

/coltonpoint/index.htm)

Parks for its "Twenty Must-See Pennsylvania StateParks" list, which praised its "spectacular vistas and afabulous view of Pine Creek Gorge".[3]

Contents

1 History1.1 Native Americans1.2 Lumber era1.3 Conservation1.4 Modern era

2 Pine Creek Gorge3 Geology and climate4 Ecology

4.1 State Natural Area and wildlife4.2 Important Bird Area

5 Recreation5.1 Trails5.2 Camping and picnics5.3 Hunting, fishing, and whitewater

6 Nearby state parks7 Notes8 References9 External links

History

Native Americans

Humans have lived in what is now Pennsylvania since at least 10,000 BC. The first settlers were Paleo-Indian nomadic hunters known from their stone tools.[4][5] The hunter-gatherers of the Archaic period, whichlasted locally from 7000 to 1000 BC, used a greater variety of more sophisticated stone artifacts. TheWoodland period marked the gradual transition to semi-permanent villages and horticulture, between1000 BC and 1500 AD. Archeological evidence found in the state from this time includes a range of potterytypes and styles, burial mounds, pipes, bows and arrows, and ornaments.[4]

Colton Point State Park is in the West Branch Susquehanna River drainage basin, the earliest recordedinhabitants of which were the Iroquoian-speaking Susquehannocks.[a] They were a matriarchal society thatlived in stockaded villages of large long houses,[5] and "occasionally inhabited" the mountains surroundingthe Pine Creek Gorge.[6] Their numbers were greatly reduced by disease and warfare with the Five Nationsof the Iroquois, and by 1675 they had died out, moved away, or been assimilated into other tribes.[5][7]

After this, the lands of the West Branch Susquehanna River valley were under the nominal control of the


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Pine Creek lumber drive, witharks for kitchen and dining(left), sleeping (center), andhorses (right): the railroad is onthe shore behind.

Iroquois. The Iroquois lived in long houses, primarily in what is now New York, and had a strongconfederacy which gave them power beyond their numbers.[5] They and other tribes used the Pine CreekPath 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 tribe ofthe Iroquois believed that Pine Creek Gorge was sacred land and never established a permanent settlementthere.[8] They used the path through the gorge and had seasonal hunting camps along it, including one justnorth of the park near what would later be the village of Ansonia.[9][10] To fill the void left by the demise ofthe Susquehannocks, the Iroquois encouraged displaced tribes from the east to settle in the West Branchwatershed, including the Shawnee and Lenape (or Delaware).[5][7]

The French and Indian War (175463) led to the migration of many Native Americans westward to the OhioRiver basin.[5] On November 5, 1768, the British acquired the New Purchase from the Iroquois in the Treatyof Fort Stanwix, including what is now the Pine Creek Gorge east of the creek. The Purchase line establishedby this treaty was disputed, as it was unclear whether the border along "Tiadaghton Creek" referred to PineCreek or to Lycoming Creek, further to the east. As a result, the land between them was disputed territoryuntil 1784 and the Second Treaty of Fort Stanwix.[7] After the American Revolutionary War, NativeAmericans almost entirely left Pennsylvania;[5] some isolated bands of natives remained in Pine Creek Gorgeuntil the War of 1812.[11]

Lumber era

Prior to the arrival of William Penn and his Quaker colonists in 1682, up to 90 percent of what is nowPennsylvania was covered with woods: more than 31,000 square miles (80,000 km2) of eastern white pine,eastern hemlock, and a mix of hardwoods.[12] The forests near the three original counties, Philadelphia,Bucks, and Chester, were the first to be harvested, as the early settlers used the readily available timber andcleared land for agriculture. By the time of the American Revolution, logging had reached the interior andmountainous regions,[12][13] and became a leading industry in Pennsylvania.[12] Trees furnished fuel to heathomes, tannin for the state's many tanneries, and wood for construction, furniture, and barrel making. Largeareas of forest were harvested by colliers to fire iron furnaces. Rifle stocks and shingles were made fromPennsylvania timber, as were a wide variety of household utensils, and the first Conestoga wagons.[12]

By the early 19th century the demand for lumber reached the Pine CreekGorge, where the surrounding mountainsides were covered with easternwhite pine 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 m) in diameter and 150 feet (50 m) or moretall, eastern hemlock 9 feet (3 m) in circumference, and huge hardwoods.[6]Each acre (0.4 ha) of these virgin forests produced 100,000 board feet(200 m3) of white pine and 200,000 board feet (500 m3) of hemlock andhardwoods. For comparison, the same area of forest today produces a totalof only 5,000 board feet (10 m3) on average. According to Steven E.Owlett, environmental lawyer and author, shipbuilders considered pinefrom Pine Creek the "best timber in the world for making fine shipmasts",[14] so it was the first lumber to be harvested on a large scale. Theoriginal title to the land that became Colton Point State Park was sold to theWilhelm Wilkins Company in 1792.[14] Pine Creek was declared a public

highway by the Pennsylvania General Assembly on March 16, 1798,[6] and rafts of spars were floated downthe creek to the Susquehanna River, then to the Chesapeake Bay and the shipbuilders at Baltimore.[14][b]The lumbermen would then walk home, following the old Pine Creek Path at the end of their journey.[10]

As the 19th century progressed, fewer pines were left and more hemlocks and hardwoods were cut andprocessed locally.[14] By 1810 there were 11 sawmills in the Pine Creek watershed, and by 1840 there were145, despite a flood in 1832 which wiped out nearly all the mills along the creek.[11][14] Selective harvesting


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A Shay locomotive from theLeetonia lumber railroad andthe nearly clearcut Pine CreekGorge, at one of the lookoutsin what is now the park.

of pines was replaced by clearcutting of all lumber in a tract. The first lumbering activity close to what isnow Colton Point was in 1838 when William Dodge and partners built a settlement at Big Meadows andformed the Pennsylvania Joint Land and Lumber Company. Dodge's company purchased thousands of acresof land in the area, including what is now Colton Point State Park.[8] In 1865 the last pine spar raft floateddown the creek, and on March 28, 1871 the General Assembly passed a law which allowed construction ofsplash dams and allowed creeks to be cleared to allow loose logs to float better. The earliest spring log drivesfloated up to 20,000,000 board feet (50,000 m3) of logs in Pine Creek at one time.[14] These logs floated tothe West Branch Susquehanna River and to sawmills near the Susquehanna Boom at Williamsport.[13] Logdrives could be dangerous: just north of the park is Barbour Rock, named for Samuel Barbour, who lost hislife on Pine Creek there after breaking up a log jam.[15] Hemlock wood was not widely used until the adventof wire nails, but the bark was used to tan leather. After 1870 the largest tanneries in the world were in thePine Creek watershed, and required 2,000 pounds (900 kg) of bark to produce 150 pounds (70 kg) of qualitysole leather.[14]

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.[14][c] Colton gave his name to theColton Point overlook on the west rim of the Pine Creek Gorge.[9][16]Deadman Hollow Road in the park is named for a trapper whosedecomposed body was found in his own bear trap there in the early 20thcentury. Fourmile Run flows through the park: its O'Connor Branch isnamed for the dead trapper's brothers, who were loggers in the area.[15]

In 1883 the Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and Buffalo Railway opened,following the creek through the gorge. The new railroad used the relativelylevel route along Pine Creek to link the New York Central Railroad (NYC)to the north with the Clearfield Coalfield to the southwest, and withNYC-allied lines in Williamsport to the southeast.[14] By 1896 the rail line'sdaily traffic included three passenger trains and 7,000,000 short tons (6,400,000 t) of freight.[9] In thesurrounding 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 and1921, while the last log drive in the Pine Creek watershed started on Little Pine Creek in 1905.[14] By 1900the Leetonia logging railroad was extended to the headwaters of Fourmile Run, which has several highwaterfalls that prevented logs from being floated down it. In 1903 the line reached Colton Point and BearRun, which is the northern border of the park today. Lumber on Fourmile Run that had been previouslyinaccessible was harvested and transported by train, initially to Leonard Harrison's mill at Tiadaghton. Whenthat mill burned in 1905, the lumber went to the Leetonia mill on Cedar Run in Elk Township.[14]

The old-growth forests were clearcut by the early 20th century and the gorge was stripped bare. Nothing wasleft except the dried-out tree tops, which became a fire hazard. As a result, much of the land burned and wasleft barren.[12] On May 6, 1903, the Wellsboro newspaper had the headline "Wild Lands Aflame" andreported landslides through the gorge. The soil was depleted of nutrients, fires baked the ground hard, andjungles of blueberries, blackberries, and mountain laurel covered the clearcut land, which became known asthe "Pennsylvania Desert". Floods swept the area periodically and much of the wildlife was wiped out.[14]

Conservation

George Washington Sears, an early conservationist who wrote under the pen name "Nessmuk", was one ofthe first to criticize the Pennsylvania lumber industry and its destruction of forests and creeks.[17] In his 1884book Woodcraft he wrote of the Pine Creek watershed where


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The cabins on either side ofFourmile Run along PineCreek, as seen from LeonardHarrison State Park

CCC-built shelter 3 in the park

A huge tannery ... poisons and blackens the stream with chemicals,bark and ooze. ... The once fine covers and thickets are convertedinto fields thickly dotted with blackened stumps. And, to crown thedesolation, heavy laden trains of 'The Pine Creek and Jersey ShoreR.R.' go thundering [by] almost hourly ... Of course, this is progress;but, whether backward or forward, had better be decided sixty yearshence.[18]

Nessmuk's words went mostly unheeded in his lifetime and did not preventthe clearcutting of almost all the virgin forests in Pennsylvania.[17]

Sears lived in Wellsboro from 1844 until his death in 1890, and was the firstto describe the Pine Creek Gorge.[19] He also described a trip to what became Leonard Harrison State Parkand the view west across the gorge to what became Colton Point State Park: after a 6-mile (10 km) buggyride, he had to hike 7 miles (11 km) through tangles of fallen trees and branches, down ravines, and overbanks for five hours. At last he reached "The Point", which he wrote was "the jutting terminus of a highridge which not only commands a capital view of the opposite mountain, but also of the Pine Creek Valley,up and down for miles".[20]

The land on which Colton Point State Park sits was sold to the Commonwealth in the late 19th century for$2.50 per acre ($6.25 per ha) by the Pennsylvania Joint Land and Lumber Company, which had no furtheruse for it.[8][21] Elsewhere in the gorge the state bought land abandoned by lumber companies, sometimes forless than $2 per acre ($5 per ha).[14] These purchases became the Tioga State Forest, which was officiallyestablished in 1925.[22] As of 2015 the state forest encompasses 165,052 acres (66,794 ha), mostly in TiogaCounty, and surrounds Colton Point State Park to the north, west, and south. Leonard Harrison State Park ison the eastern border of Colton Point.[23] In 1922, Wellsboro lumber baron Leonard Harrison donated hispicnic grounds on the eastern rim of the gorge to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which named it"Leonard Harrison State Forest Park".[24][25]

Harrison also built two cabins, named "Wetumka" and "Osocosy", on the west side of Pine Creek, just northof the mouth of Fourmile Run. Sometime after 1903, former Pennsylvania Governor William A. Stone built acabin named "Heart's-ease" just south of the mouth of Fourmile Run.[14] In 1966 these cabins were stillstanding and were three of "only four man-made structures inside the canyon proper",[26] but by 1993 onlyStone's cabin and one of Harrison's cabins remained.[14] As of 2004, these properties were still owned by theStone family,[27] and are part of a small parcel of private land within the park.[28]

Modern era

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) started work on the park in June1935,[21] and it opened as "Colton Point State Forest Park" in 1936.[25] TheCCC, founded by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt during theGreat Depression, created jobs for unemployed young men from throughoutthe United States. Much of the work of the CCC at Colton Point is stillvisible as of 2015, and is one of many examples of the work of the CCCthroughout northcentral Pennsylvania.[29][30]

In 1936, the year the park opened, Larry Woodin of Wellsboro and otherTioga County business owners began a tourism campaign to promote thePine Creek Gorge as "The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania". Greyhound Bus Lines featured a view of thecanyon from a Leonard Harrison lookout on the back cover of its Atlantic Coast timetable. The bus line'sChicago to New York City tour had an overnight stay in Wellsboro and a morning visit to the canyon for $3.


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This water fountain wasbuilt by the CCC withnative stone.

More than 300,000 tourists visited the canyon by the autumn of 1936, and 15,000 visited Leonard Harrisonover Memorial Day weekend in 1937.[22] That year more visitors came to the Pine Creek Gorge than toYellowstone National Park. In response to the heavy use of the local roads, the CCC widened the highwaysin the area, and guides from the CCC gave tours of the canyon.[22][27]

Colton Point originally opened with only "limited facilities",[27] but the success of the tourism campaign ledto the park's expansion by the CCC. New facilities were added in 1938, and included buildings such aspicnic pavilions, latrines, and a concession stand, as well as "stone cook stoves, tables, and developed trailsand overlooks ... an amazing amount of work in one year".[27] The CCC also built the road to the park andplanted stands of larch, spruce and white pine for reforestation. On February 12, 1987, the entire 368-acre(149 ha) park was listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), including "eight buildings andnine structures".[21]

The park has five CCC-built picnic shelters: pavilions 1, 3, and 4 are made of stone and timber with stonefireplaces, while pavilions 2 and 5 each has log columns that support a pyramidal roof. The CCC also builtsix rustic latrines with clapboard siding and gable roofs, and an underground reservoir that is covered with alow hipped roof. Additional structures constructed by the CCC include three overlooks and a rectangulargable-roofed maintenance building with wane edge siding and exposed rafters made of logs. The structuresbuilt by the CCC are noteworthy in that they exemplify the rustic style of construction that was prevalent atnational and state parks built during the Great Depression. Workers used locally found, natural materials inconstruction that blended with the natural surroundings.[9][21] Not all of the CCC's work has survived. Aconcession stand was built by the CCC and sold food and souvenirs from the late 1930s to at least 1953,[27]but was not listed on the 1986 NRHP nomination form. The CCC also built a brick and stone incinerator, butit is in ruins now.[21]

The Pennsylvania Geographic Board dropped the word "Forest" and officiallynamed it "Colton Point State Park" on November 11, 1954.[25] The first majorchange in the park was in 1970, when a camping area was established. That samedecade saw the completion of a new water system in 1973, and a holding tankdump station was added to the camping area in 1977.[27] A park office was builtin 1983,[21] but as of 2009 the park headquarters are in the adjoining LeonardHarrison State Park and the Colton Point office does not appear on the officialpark map.[28] Pine Creek was named a state scenic river on December 4, 1992,which ensured further protection of Pine Creek Gorge in its natural state.[31] In1997 the park's Important Bird Area (IBA) was one of the first 73 IBAsestablished in Pennsylvania.[32] In 2000 the park became part of the Hills CreekState Park complex, an administrative grouping of eight state parks in Potter andTioga counties.[33] As of 2004, the park does not have telephone or electricallines, although it uses solar cells for limited electricity needs.[27]

The second half of the 20th century also saw significant changes to the rail line through the Pine CreekGorge. Regular passenger service on the canyon line ended after the Second World War, and in 1960 thesecond set of train tracks was removed.[34] Conrail abandoned the section of the railroad that passed throughthe gorge on September 21, 1988. The right-of-way eventually became the Pine Creek Rail Trail, whichfollows the path of the former Pine Creek Path. The first section of the rail trail opened in 1996 and includedthe 1-mile (1.6 km) section in the park:[27][34] as of 2015 the Pine Creek Rail Trail is 62 miles (100 km)long.[23]

Colton Point State Park continued to attract national attention in the post-war era. The New York Timesfeatured the park and its "breath-taking views of the gorge" as well as its trails and location in the wilds ofthe state forest in a 1950 article,[35] and in 1966 praised the whitewater boating on Pine Creek and the park's"outstanding look-out points".[26] The Pine Creek Gorge, including Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State


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Map showing the park andimportant locations in itshistory in the Pine Creek Gorgeand Tioga and LycomingCounties

Parks and a 12-mile (19 km) section of Tioga State Forest, was named a National Natural Landmark (NNL)in April 1968.[36] A 1973 New York Times article on whitewater canoeing noted the damage along PineCreek done by Hurricane Agnes the year before.[37] Another Times story in 2002 noted the park for itsbeauty and wildlife, and cited it as a starting point for hiking the West Rim Trail.[38]

In the new millennium, the two state parks on either side of the Pine Creek Gorge are frequently treated asone. 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".[39] Colton Point andLeonard Harrison were each part of the twenty-one state parks chosen by the DCNR Pennsylvania Bureauof Parks for its "Twenty Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks" list. They are the only two parks treated as oneunit for the list. The DCNR describes the parks together, noting how they "offer spectacular vistas and afabulous view of Pine Creek Gorge, also known as Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon".[3] It goes on to praisetheir inclusion in a National Natural Landmark and State Park Natural Area, hiking and trails, and the PineCreek Rail Trail and bicycling.[3]

Pine Creek GorgeColton Point State Park lies on the west side of the Pine Creek Gorge, alsoknown as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. A sister park, LeonardHarrison State Park, is on the east side, and the two parks combined formessentially one large park that includes parts of the gorge and creek andparts of the plateau dissected by the gorge. Pine Creek has carved the gorgenearly 47 miles (76 km) through the dissected Allegheny Plateau innorthcentral Pennsylvania. The canyon begins in southwestern TiogaCounty, just south of the village of Ansonia, and continues south to near thevillage of Waterville in Lycoming County. The depth of the gorge in ColtonPoint State Park is about 800 feet (240 m) and it measures nearly 4,000 feet(1,200 m) across.[9][40]

The Pine Creek Gorge National Natural Landmark includes Colton Pointand Leonard Harrison State Parks and parts of the Tioga State Forest along12 miles (19 km) of Pine Creek between Ansonia and Blackwell. Thisfederal program does not provide any extra protection beyond that offeredby the land owner. The National Park Service's designation of the gorge as aNational 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 UnitedStates."[36]

The gorge is also protected by the state of Pennsylvania as the 12,163-acre (4,922 ha) Pine Creek GorgeNatural Area, which is the second largest State Natural Area in Pennsylvania.[41][42] Within this area, 699acres (283 ha) of Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks are designated a State Park NaturalArea.[43] The state Natural Area runs along Pine Creek from Darling Run in the north (just below Ansonia)to Jerry Run in the south (just above Blackwell). It is approximately 12 miles (19 km) long and 2 miles(3 km) wide, with state forest roads providing all of the western border and part of the eastern border.[44]

Within the park, Pine Creek and the walls of the gorge "visible from the opposite shoreline"[45] are alsoprotected by the state as a Pennsylvania Scenic River.[46] In 1968 Pine Creek was one of only 27 riversoriginally designated as eligible to be included in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and one ofonly eight specifically mentioned in the law establishing the program. Before Pine Creek could be includedin the federal program, the state enacted its State Scenic Rivers Act, then asked that Pine Creek bewithdrawn from the national designation. There was much local opposition to its inclusion, based at leastpartly on mistaken fears that protection would involve seizure of private property and restricted access.


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Looking north to Barbour Rock(left) and other rock outcropsin the Pine Creek Gorge

Eventually this opposition was overcome, but Pennsylvania did not officially include it as one of its ownstate Scenic and Wild Rivers until November 25, 1992. The state treated Pine Creek as a state scenic riverbetween 1968 and 1992. It protected the creek from dam-building and water withdrawals for power plants,and added public access points to reduce trespassing on private property by visitors to the creek.[31][45]

Geology and climateAlthough the rock formations exposed in Colton Point State Park and the Pine Creek Gorge are at least300 million years old, the gorge itself formed about 20,000 years ago, in the last ice age. Pine Creek hadflowed northeasterly until then, but was dammed by rocks, soil, ice, and other debris deposited by thereceding Laurentide Continental Glacier. The dammed creek formed a lake near what would later be thevillage of Ansonia, and the lake's glacial meltwater overflowed the debris dam, reversing the flow of PineCreek. The creek flooded to the south and quickly carved a deep channel on its way to the West BranchSusquehanna River.[40][47]

The park is at an elevation of 1,637 feet (499 m) on the AlleghenyPlateau,[1] which formed in the Alleghenian orogeny some 300 millionyears ago, when Gondwana (specifically what became Africa) and whatbecame North America collided, forming Pangaea.[48][49] Although thegorge and its surroundings seem to be mountainous, the area is a dissectedplateau. Years of erosion have cut away the soft rocks, forming the valleys,and left the hardest of the ancient rocks relatively untouched on the top ofsharp ridges, giving them the appearance of "mountains".[47]

The land on which Colton Point State Park sits was once part of thecoastline of a shallow sea that covered a great portion of what is now NorthAmerica. 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 rocksthat are found today in the Pine Creek drainage basin: sandstone, shale,

conglomerates, limestone, and coal.[47][50]

Five major rock formations present in Colton Point State Park are from the Devonian and Carboniferousperiods. The youngest of these, which forms the highest points in the park and along the gorge, is the earlyPennsylvanian Pottsville Formation, a gray conglomerate that may contain sandstone, siltstone, and shale, aswell as anthracite coal. Low-sulfur coal was once mined at three locations within the Pine Creek watershed.Below this is the late Mississippian Mauch Chunk Formation, which is formed with grayish-red shale,siltstone, sandstone, and conglomerate. Millstones were once carved from the exposed sections of thisconglomerate. Together the Pottsville and Mauch Chunk formations are some 300 feet (91 m) thick.[47][51][52]

Next below these is the late Devonian and early Mississippian Huntley Mountain Formation, which is madeof relatively soft grayish-red shale and olive-gray sandstone. This is relatively hard rock and forms many ofthe ridges. Below this is the red shale and siltstone of the Catskill Formation, about 760 feet (230 m) thickand some 375 million years old. This layer is relatively soft and easily eroded, which helped to form the PineCreek Gorge. Cliffs formed by the Huntley Mountain and Catskill formations are visible north of the park atBarbour Rock. The lowest and oldest layer is the Lock Haven Formation, which is gray to green-brownsiltstone and shale over 400 million years old. It forms the base of the gorge, contains marine fossils, and isup to 600 feet (180 m) thick.[47][48][51][52]

The Allegheny Plateau has a continental climate, with occasional severe low temperatures in winter andaverage daily temperature ranges of 20 F (11 C) in winter and 26 F (14 C) in summer.[53] The mean


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A log drive on Pine Creek.Clearcutting caused the"Pennsylvania Desert", localextinction of many species, andchanges in seasonal streamflow.

annual precipitation for the Pine Creek watershed is 36 to 42 inches (914 to 1,070 mm).[50] The highestrecorded temperature at the park was 104 F (40 C) in 1936, and the record low was 30 F (34 C) in1934.[54]

Climate data for Colton Point State ParkMonth Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year

Average highF (C)

30(1)

33(1)

41(5)

54(12)

65(18)

73(23)

77(25)

76(24)

68(20)

58(14)

45(7)

34(1)

54.5(12.4)

Average low F(C)

13(11)

15(9)

23(5)

33(1)

43(6)

52(11)

56(13)

54(12)

48(9)

38(3)

30(1)

19(7)

35.3(1.8)

Averageprecipitationinches (mm)

1.88(47.8)

1.72(43.7)

2.40(61)

2.52(64)

3.05(77.5)

4.56(115.8)

3.66(93)

2.92(74.2)

3.23(82)

2.60(66)

2.77(70.4)

2.12(53.8)

33.43(849.2)

Source: The Weather Channel[54]

EcologyDescriptions from early explorers and settlers give some idea of what thePine Creek Gorge was like before it was clearcut. The forest was up to85 percent hemlock and white pine; hardwoods made up the rest of theforest.[55] The area was inhabited by a large number of animal species,many of which have vanished by the end of the 20th century. A herd of12,000 American bison migrated along the West Branch Susquehanna Riverin 1773. Pine Creek was home to large predators such as wolves, lynx,wolverines, panthers, fishers, bobcats and foxes; all are locally extinctexcept for the last three as of 2007. The area had herds of elk and deer, andlarge numbers of black bears, river otters, and beavers. In 1794, two of theearliest white explorers to travel up Pine Creek found so many rattlesnakeson its banks that they had to sleep in their canoe. Further upstream, insectsforced them to do the same.[6]

The virgin forests cooled the land and streams. The creeks and runs flowed more evenly year-round, sincecenturies of accumulated organic matter in the forest soil caused slow percolation of rainfall into them.[55][56]Pine Creek was home to large numbers of fish, including trout, but dams downstream on the SusquehannaRiver have eliminated the shad, salmon,[d] and eels once found here by blocking their migrations.[6] Habitatfor land animals was destroyed by the clearcutting of forests, but there was also a great deal of hunting, withbounties paid for large predators.[6]

State Natural Area and wildlife

While Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks and parts of the surrounding Tioga State Forest arenow the Pine Creek Gorge National Natural Landmark, it is their status as part of a Pennsylvania StateNatural Area that provides the strongest protection for them.[41] Within this Natural Area, logging, mining,and drilling for oil and gas are prohibited. Furthermore, only foot trail access is allowed.[57] In 1988 thePennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, precursor to the DCNR, described it as

about 95% State owned, unroaded, and designated the Pine Creek Gorge Natural Area. It is aplace of unique geologic history and contains some rare plant communities, an old growthhemlock stand, ... active bald eagle nest[s] ... and is a major site of river otter reintroduction.Departmental policy is protection of the natural values of the Canyon from development andoveruse, and restoration of the area to as near a natural condition as possible.[34]


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View southeast to the rockledge and main overlook ofLeonard Harrison State Park,another protected area in thePine Creek Gorge.

Pine Creek and thewooded slopes of thegorge in the park areimportant habitats.

The gorge has over 225 species of wildflowers, plants and trees,[58] withscattered stands of old growth forest on some of its steepest walls. The restof the gorge is covered with thriving second growth forest that can be overone hundred years old.[14] Since clearcutting, nearly 90 percent of theforest land has burnt at least once. Typical south-facing slopes here havemountain laurel below oak and hickory trees, while north-facing slopes tendto have ferns below hemlocks and hardwoods. Large chestnuts and blackcherry can also be found.[58]

The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania is known for its fall foliage, and ColtonPoint State Park is a popular place to observe the colors, with the first threeweeks of October as the best time to see the leaves in their full color. Redleaves are found on red maple, black cherry, and red oak, while orange andyellow leaves are on black walnut, sugar maple, tulip poplar, chestnut oak,

aspen and birch, and brown leaves are from beech, white oak, and eastern black oak trees.[9] Despite thelogging, there are some old-growth hardwoods and hemlocks on Fourmile Run.[42] Plants of "specialconcern" in Pennsylvania that are found in the gorge include Jacob's ladder, wild pea, and hemlockparsley.[58]

There are over 40 species of mammals in the Pine Creek Gorge.[58] Colton Point State Park's extensiveforest cover makes it a habitat for "big woods" wildlife, including white-tailed deer, black bear, wild turkey,red and gray squirrels. Less common creatures include bobcats, coyote, fishers, river otters, and timberrattlesnakes.[59] There are over 26 species of fish in Pine Creek, including trout, suckers, fallfish, and rockbass. Other aquatic species include crayfish and frogs.[58]

Several species have been reintroduced to the gorge. White-tailed deer were imported from Michigan andreleased throughout Pennsylvania to reestablish what had once been a thriving population. The currentpopulation of deer in Pennsylvania are descended from the original stock introduced since 1906, after thelumberman had moved out of the area.[60] The deer population has grown so much that today they exceedtheir carrying capacity in many areas. River otters were successfully reintroduced in 1983 and now breed inthe gorge. Despite the otters' diet of 5 percent trout, some anglers fear the animals would deplete the gamefish in the gorge.[58]

Fishers, medium-sized weasels, were reintroduced to Pine Creek Gorge as part ofan effort to establish a healthy population of fishers in Pennsylvania.[59] Prior tothe lumber era, fishers were numerous throughout the forests of Pennsylvania.[61]They are generalized predators and will hunt any smaller creatures in theirterritory, including porcupines.[58][62] Elk have been reintroduced west of thegorge in Clinton County and occasionally wander near the west rim of thecanyon. Coyotes have come back on their own.[58] Invasive insect species in thegorge include gypsy moth larvae, which eat all the leaves off trees, especiallyoaks,[58] and hemlock woolly adelgids, which weaken and kill hemlocks. Invasiveplant species include purple loosestrife and Japanese knotweed.[56]

Important Bird Area

Colton Point State Park is part of Important Bird Area #28, which encompasses31,790 acres (12,860 ha) of both publicly and private held land. State managedacreage accounts for 68 percent of the total area and includes Colton Point andLeonard Harrison State Parks and the surrounding Tioga State Forest lands. ThePennsylvania Audubon Society has designated all 368 acres (149 ha) of Colton Point State Park as part ofthe IBA, which is an area designated as a globally important habitat for the conservation of bird


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The Rim Trail follows thewestern edge of the Pine CreekGorge through the park, linkingoverlooks and picnic shelters.

populations.[63]

Ornithologists and bird watchers have recorded a total of 128 species of birds in the IBA. Several factorscontribute to the high total of bird species observed: there is a large area of forest in the IBA, as well as greathabitat diversity, with 343 acres (139 ha) of open water that is used by many of the birds, especially baldeagles. The location of the IBA along the Pine Creek Gorge also contributes to the diverse birdpopulations.[63]

In addition to bald eagles, which live in the IBA year round and have successfully established a breedingpopulation there,[58][63] the IBA is home to belted kingfishers, scarlet tanagers, black-throated blue warblers,common mergansers, blue and green herons, hermit thrushes, and wood ducks. Large numbers of ospreysuse the gorge during spring and fall migration periods. The woodlands are inhabited by wild turkeys andPennsylvania's state bird the ruffed grouse. Swainson's thrush breeds in the IBA and the Northern harrierbreeds and overwinters in Pine Creek Gorge.[63]

A variety of warblers is found in Colton Point State Park. The Pennsylvania Audubon Society states thatPine Creek Gorge is "especially rich in warbler species, including Pine, Black-throated blue, Black-throatedgreen, Blackburnian, and Black-and-white."[59] Many of these smaller birds are more often heard than seenas they keep away from the trails and overlooks.[59]

Recreation

Trails

Colton Point State Park has some challenging hikes in and around theGrand Canyon of Pennsylvania, with 4.0 miles (6.4 km) of trails thatfeature very rugged terrain, pass close to steep cliffs, and can be very slickin some areas.[9][64] Governor Robert P. Casey took a hiking tour of thepark in July 1990,[30] and in 2003 the DCNR reported that 18,239 peopleused the trails in the park.[2]

Rim Trail is a relatively flat 1-mile (1.6 km) loop trail, which followsthe perimeter of Colton Point and links all of the canyon viewingareas.[9]

Turkey Path is a difficult trail,[64] 3 miles (5 km) long (down andback within the park), that follows Four Mile Run down the side of the canyon, descending over 800feet (240 m) to Pine Creek and the rail trail at the bottom of the gorge.[9] It was originally a mule dragused to haul timber to the creek.[16] There is a 70-foot-tall (21 m) cascading waterfall about 0.5 miles(0.80 km) down the trail. The park website classifies it as a "down and back trail" since there is nobridge across Pine Creek.[9] The Turkey Path continues in Leonard Harrison State Park, going from apoint on Pine Creek just downstream of the end of the trail in Colton Point up to the Leoanrd Harrisonoverlook on the east rim of the gorge. According to Owlett, the creek can be forded with care whenthe water is low, and the Turkey Path connects the two parks.[16][28][42]

Pine Creek Rail Trail is a 62-mile-long (100 km) rail trail from Wellsboro Junction, just north ofWellsboro, south through the Pine Creek Gorge to Jersey Shore: 1 mile (1.6 km) of this trail is in


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Picnic shelter 2 was built by theCCC and is one of five at thepark listed on the NRHP.

Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks.[9][23] A 2001 article in USA Today said the scenicbeauty of the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania made the trail one of "10 great places to take a biketour" in the world.[65][66]

West Rim Trail is a 30.5-mile-long (49.1 km) hiking trail that runs along the west rim of the PineCreek Gorge from near the village of Ansonia in the north to Rattlesnake Rock near the village ofBlackwell in the south. It is mostly on Tioga State Forest land, but passes through the extreme north ofthe park and then forms the western border of the park in the south.[28] When the West Rim Trailopened in 1982, it was 21 miles (34 km) long and ended just south of the park, but it was extended 9miles (14 km) north in 1985, passing through Colton Point.[15] It was chosen by Outside Magazine asits "Best Hike in Pennsylvania" in April 1996.[67]

Camping and picnics

Camping is a popular pastime at Colton Point State Park; 1,989 personshave used the camping facilities in 2003.[2] With no modern amenities likeflush toilets or showers, the campsites take on a rustic nature. There areouthouses, fire rings, a sanitary dump station and picnic tables at thecampground. An Organized Group Tenting area, intended for organizedyouth or adult groups, can accommodate up to 90 campers. 1,490 campersused the area in 2003.[2][9] The park also has approximately 100 picnictables and five CCC-built picnic shelters which can be reserved. Thesefacilities were used by 15,379 picnickers in 2003.[2]

Hunting, fishing, and whitewater

Hunting is permitted in 100 acres (40 ha) of Colton Point State Park. Hunters are expected to follow therules and regulations of the Pennsylvania State Game Commission. The common game species are ruffedgrouse, eastern gray squirrels, wild turkey, white-tailed deer, and black bears. The hunting of groundhogs isprohibited. More acres of forested woodlands are available for hunting on the grounds of the adjacent TiogaState Forest.[9]

Fishing is permitted at Colton Point State Park. Anglers must descend the Turkey Path to reach Pine Creek.The species of fish found in Pine Creek are trout, smallmouth bass, and some panfish. There are severalsmall trout streams that are accessible from within the park.[9] Historically, the stretch of Pine Creek in thepark has been fished by notable anglers, including President Theodore Roosevelt and PennsylvaniaGovernor William A. Stone.[30]

Edward Gertler writes in Keystone Canoeing that Pine Creek "is possibly Pennsylvania's most famous canoestream" and attributes this partly to the thousands who decide to boat on it after they "peer into Pine Creek'sspectacular abyss from the overlooks of Leonard Harrison and Colton Point state parks".[68] The parkcontains 1 mile (1.6 km) of Pine Creek, which is classified as Class 1 to Class 2 whitewater. Boaters do notnormally start or end their run in the park: it is part of the 16.8-mile (27.0 km) trip from Ansonia (MarshCreek) south to Blackwell (Babb Creek).[68]

Nearby state parksColton Point State Park is in Shippen Township, and is 5 miles (8 km) south of U.S. Route 6 and the village


12 od 19 24/04/2015 15:53

of Ansonia on Colton Road.[28] The following state parks are within 30 miles (50 km) of Colton Point StatePark:[69][70][71]

Bucktail State Park Natural Area (Cameron andClinton Counties)Cherry Springs State Park (Potter County)Denton Hill State Park (Potter County)Hyner Run State Park (Clinton County)Hyner View State Park (Clinton County)Hills Creek State Park (Tioga County)Leonard Harrison State Park (Tioga County)

Little Pine State Park (LycomingCounty)Lyman Run State Park (Potter County)Ole Bull State Park (Potter County)Patterson State Park (Potter County)Pinnacle State Park and Golf Course(New York)Prouty Place State Park (Potter County)Upper Pine Bottom State Park(Lycoming County)

Panoramic view of the Pine Creek Gorge with the Pine Creek Rail Trail, Pine Creek and Leonard Harrison State Park,looking north (right), east (center), and south (left) from the second of the five overlooks in Colton Point State Park

Notes

a. ^ The earliest written record of contact with the Susquehannocks comes from Captain John Smith ofJamestown, who met members of the tribe near the mouth of the Susquehanna River on Chesapeake Bay in1608. The tribe controlled the Susquehanna drainage basin and are believed to have lived there for at least afew centuries prior to this contact.[7]

b. ^ A spar sold for one dollar and three spars up to 90 feet (27 m) long were lashed together to make a ship'smast. The largest spar produced on Pine Creek was 43 inches (110 cm) in diameter 12 feet (3.7 m) above thebase, 93 feet (28 m) long, and 33 inches (84 cm) in diameter at the top. By 1840, Tioga County alone producedover 452 such spar rafts with more than 22,000,000 board feet (50,000 m3) of lumber.[14]c. ^ United States Census records show that Henry Colton was born about 1819 in Massachusetts and was alumberman who lived in Williamsport, Pennsylvania in 1860, 1870, and 1880. Colton's wife Elizabeth was bornabout 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 in 1860. By1870, his real estate was valued at $37,000 and his personal property at $64,000. In 1880 he lived at 318 WestFourth Street in Williamsport.[72] West Fourth Street was known as "Millionaires' Row" for the many opulentmansions of lumber barons and other wealthy residents found there.[73] He may have served in the AmericanCivil War as a private.[74] Colton died in Williamsport on August 9, 1880 at the age of 59.[75]

d. ^ Early accounts of "salmon" in Pine Creek may have been referring to shad.[6]


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"Colton Point State Park" (http://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1172240). GeographicNames Information System. United States Geological Survey. August 2, 1979. Retrieved September 30, 2008.

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Fermata Inc. of Austin, Texas (August 2005). "Pine Creek Valley Early Action Recommendations"(http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_001685.pdf) (PDF). PennsylvaniaDepartment of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

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"Find a Park: Twenty Must-see Parks" (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/index.htm).Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved November 26, 2011. Note:Despite the title, there are twenty-one parks in the list, with Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parkstreated as one.

3.

Kent, Barry C.; Smith III, Ira F.; McCann, Catherine (Editors) (1971). Foundations of Pennsylvania Prehistory.Anthropological Series of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission 1. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania:Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. pp. 4, 711, 8596,195201. OCLC 2696039 (https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2696039).

4.

Wallace, Paul A. W. (2000) [1961]. Indians in Pennsylvania. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Commonwealth ofPennsylvania, The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. pp. 412, 8489, 99105, 145148,157164. ISBN 978-0-89271-017-1.Note: For a general overview of Native American History in the West Branch Susquehanna watershed, seeMeginness, John Franklin (1892). "Chapter I. Aboriginal Occupation." (http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-01.html). History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania: including its aboriginalhistory; the colonial and revolutionary periods; early settlement and subsequent growth; organization andcivil administration; the legal and medical professions; internal improvement; past and present history ofWilliamsport; manufacturing and lumber interests; religious, educational, and social development; geologyand agriculture; military record; sketches of boroughs, townships, and villages and cities; portraits andbiographies of pioneers and representative citizens, etc. etc. (http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/lyco-history-01.html) (1st ed.). Chicago: Brown, Runk & Co. ISBN 0-7884-0428-8. Retrieved onSeptember 30, 2008. Note: ISBN refers to the Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the1892 version with some OCR typos.

5.

Owlett, Steven E. (1993). "The Land That Was". Seasons Along The Tiadaghton: An Environmental History ofthe Pine Creek Gorge (1st ed.). Petaluma, California: Interprint. pp. 39, 40, 43, 46, 49, 50.ISBN 0-9635905-0-2.

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Donehoo, Dr. George P. (1999) [1928]. A History of the Indian Villages and Place Names in Pennsylvania(http://www.srbc.net/pubinfo/techdocs/publication_229/native%20american%20report.pdf) (PDF) (SecondReprint ed.). Lewisburg, Pennsylvania: Wennawoods Publishing. pp. 154155, 215219. ISBN 1-889037-11-7.Retrieved on April 23, 2015. Note: ISBN refers to a 1999 reprint edition, URL is for the Susquehanna RiverBasin Commission's web page of Native American Place names, quoting and citing the book.

7.

Morey, Tim (2004). "Park Spotlight: Leonard Harrison and Colton Point state parks" (https://web.archive.org/web/20060524055126/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/res2005/05-0315-leonardharrisonsp.aspx).Resource: The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original(http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/res2005/05-0315-leonardharrisonsp.aspx) on September 10, 2012.Retrieved September 30, 2008.

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9.


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Wallace, Paul A. W. (1987). Indian Paths of Pennsylvania (Fourth Printing ed.). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania:Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. pp. 6672, 130132. ISBN 0-89271-090-X. Note: ISBNrefers to 1998 impression

10.

Sexton Jr., John L. (1883). "Shippen Township". History of Tioga County, Pennsylvania with Illustrations,Portraits and Sketches (http://www.joycetice.com/1883/shippent.htm). New York City: W. W. Munsell & Co.pp. 313326. Retrieved on September 30, 2008.

11.

"The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum - History" (http://www.lumbermuseum.org/history.html). PennsylvaniaHistorical and Museum Commission. Retrieved September 30, 2008.

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Taber III, Thomas T. (1995). "Chapter Two: The Boom Making It All Possible". Williamsport LumberCapital (1st ed.). Montoursville, Pennsylvania: Paulhamus Litho, Inc. pp. 2334. OCLC 35920715(https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/35920715).

13.

Owlett, Steven E. (1993). "The Death of a Forest". Seasons Along The Tiadaghton: An Environmental Historyof the Pine Creek Gorge (1st ed.). Petaluma, California: Interprint. pp. 5362. ISBN 0-9635905-0-2.

14.

Chuck Dillon (1999). Guide to the West Rim Trail (3rd ed.). Ansonia, Pennsylvania: Pine Creek Outfitters.pp. 8, 2426. (No ISBN)

15.

Owlett, Steven E. (1993). "A Pine Creek Odyssey". Seasons Along The Tiadaghton: An Environmental Historyof the Pine Creek Gorge (1st ed.). Petaluma, California: Interprint. pp. 1215. ISBN 0-9635905-0-2.

16.

Dillon, Chuck (2006). "Nessmuk: The Voice for Conservation". Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon: A Natural &Human History (2nd ed.). Wellsboro, Pennsylvania: Pine Creek Press. pp. 3132. (No ISBN)

17.

Nessmuk (Sears, George Washington) (1884). "CHAPTER VI Camp CookeryHow It Is Usually Done, With AFew Simple Hints On Plain CookingCooking Fire And Outdoor Range". Woodcraft (http://www.zianet.com/jgray/nessmuk/woodcraft/chapter06.html) (1920 ed.). New York: Forest and Stream. Retrieved on September30, 2008.

18.

"PHMC: Historical Markers Program (Tioga County)" (http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pennsylvania_historical_marker_program/2539/search_for_historical_markers/300886). PennsylvaniaHistorical and Museum Commission. Retrieved October 10, 2010.

19.

Quoted in Owlett, Steven E. (1993). "The Birth of Pennsylvania's 'Grand Canyon' ". Seasons Along TheTiadaghton: An Environmental History of the Pine Creek Gorge (1st ed.). Petaluma, California: Interprint.p. 67. ISBN 0-9635905-0-2.

20.

"Cultural Resources Geographic Information System (CRGIS)" (https://www.dot7.state.pa.us/ce) (SEARCHABLEDATABASE). Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Retrieved April 23, 2015. Note: This includesJohn Milner Associates (1983). "Pennsylvania Historic Resource Survey Form: Colton Point State Park"(https://www.dot7.state.pa.us/ce_imagery/phmc_scans/H088874_01D.pdf) (PDF). Retrieved April 23, 2015.

21.

Owlett, Steven E. (1993). "The Birth of Pennsylvania's 'Grand Canyon' ". Seasons Along The Tiadaghton: AnEnvironmental History of the Pine Creek Gorge (1st ed.). Petaluma, California: Interprint. pp. 65, 67, 68, 72.ISBN 0-9635905-0-2.

22.

A Public Use Map For Pine Creek Rail Trail (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_20029283.pdf) (PDF) (Map). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Department ofConservation and Natural Resources. October 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

23.

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24.

Forrey, William C. (1984). History of Pennsylvania's State Parks. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Bureau of StateParks, Office of Resources Management, Department of Environmental Resources, Commonwealth ofPennsylvania. pp. 14, 27, 90. OCLC 17824084 (https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/17824084).

25.


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Van Dyne, Ed (March 13, 1966). "Spring Means 'White Water' in Pennsylvania". The New York Times. p. 458.26. Morey, Tim (2004). "Park Spotlight: Leonard Harrison and Colton Point state parks (Part 2)"(https://web.archive.org/web/20120612015736/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/res2005/05-0329-leonardharrisonsp.aspx). Resource: The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.Archived from the original (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/res2005/05-0329-leonardharrisonsp.aspx)on June 12, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

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Leonard Harrison & Colton Point State Parks (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_003758.pdf) (PDF) (Map). 1" = 800 feet. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and NaturalResources. January 2008. Retrieved on April 23, 2015.

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29.

Cupper, Dan (1993). Our Priceless Heritage: Pennsylvanias State Parks 18931993. Harrisburg,Pennsylvania: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission forPennsylvania Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of State Parks. pp. 18, 24, 67. ISBN 0-89271-056-X.

30.

Dillon, Chuck (2006). "Protection for Pine Creek". Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon: A Natural & HumanHistory (2nd ed.). Wellsboro, Pennsylvania: Pine Creek Press. pp. 5152. (No ISBN)

31.

"Audubon names 73 important bird areas in state" (https://web.archive.org/web/20121114044717/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/res1997/97-0107-res.aspx) 1 (3). Resource: Pennsylvania Department ofConservation and Natural Resources. January 7, 1997. Archived from the original (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/res1997/97-0107-res.aspx#Aud) on November 14, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

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"Manager named at Hills Creek Lake" (http://greenfreelibrary.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewer.aspx?img=12106011&firstvisit=true&src=search&currentResult=4&currentPage=0). WellsboroGazette. February 2, 2000. p. 6. Retrieved April 9, 2009. Note: the eight parks in the Hills Creek State ParkComplex are Cherry Springs, Colton Point, Denton Hill, Hills Creek, Leonard Harrison, Lyman Run, Patterson,and Prouty Place.

33.

Owlett, Steven E. (1993). "Rails to Trails". Seasons Along The Tiadaghton: An Environmental History of thePine Creek Gorge (1st ed.). Petaluma, California: Interprint. pp. 87, 88, 92, 94. ISBN 0-9635905-0-2.

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Bryan, Curtis Townley (July 16, 1950). "Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon: Camps and Picnic Areas Abound inWilds Along Pine Creek Gorge". The New York Times. p. X19.

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Audubon Pennsylvania; Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania(2004). Susquehanna River Birding and Wildlife Trail (http://web1.audubon.org/trailMaps/trail-guide/site.asp?id=51) (SEARCHABLE DATABASE). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. p. 26. Retrieved on September 30,2008. Note: This guide is available both as a book (page number given) and website (URL given).

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"Abbreviated History of Pennsylvanias White-Tailed Deer Management" (http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=587767&mode=2). Pennsylvania Game Commission. Retrieved October 10, 2010.

60.

Serfass, Tom; Mitcheltree, Denise. "Fisher" (http://web.archive.org/web/20060404003702/http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/lib/pgc/wildlife/notes/pdf/fisher.pdf) (PDF). Pennsylvania Game Commission.Archived from the original (http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/lib/pgc/wildlife/notes/pdf/fisher.pdf) (PDF) on April4, 2006. Retrieved September 30, 2008.

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"From the Wild Bunch: The Fisher" (http://www.predatorconservation.org/predator_info/forest_predators/learn_more/fisherscriptexcerpt.html). Predator Conservation Alliance. Retrieved September 30, 2008.

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Doug Kibbe (May 2004). "Pennsylvania Important Bird Area #28" (http://pa.audubon.org/IBA_Consplans/IBA28.pdf) (PDF). Pennsylvania Audubon Society. Retrieved September 30, 2008.

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Bleech, Mike (2000). "Leonard Harrison & Colton Point State Parks". Hiking Pennsylvania(http://books.google.com/books?id=Ng7_WyPj81gC&pg=PA67). Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics. p. 67.ISBN 0-7360-0166-2.

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Bly, Laura (July 27, 2001). "10 great places to take a bike tour". USA Today. p. 3D.65. "The Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce: Pennsylvania Grand Canyon" (http://www.wellsboropa.com/pages/welcome/pa_grand_canyon.php). Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved September 30, 2008.

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Gertler, Edward (1985). Keystone Canoeing: A Guide to Canoeable Waters of Eastern Pennsylvania (1st ed.).Silver Spring, Maryland: Seneca Press. pp. 304308. ISBN 0-9605908-2-X.

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2007 General Highway Map Tioga County Pennsylvania (ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/pdf/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/GHS/Roadnames/tioga_GHSN.PDF) (PDF) (Map). 1:65,000. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation,Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division. Retrieved on September 30, 2008. Note:shows Colton Point State Park

69.

Michels, Chris (1997). "Latitude/Longitude Distance Calculation" (http://www2.nau.edu/~cvm/latlongdist.html).Northern Arizona University. Retrieved September 30, 2008.

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"Find a Park by Region (interactive map)" (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/where/index.htm).Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved November 18, 2011.

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1860 Federal Census for Pennsylvania, Lycoming County, West Ward of Williamsport, p. 214, Dwelling 1565,Family 1575, dated 2 August 1860. 1870 Federal Census for Pennsylvania, Lycoming County, 6th Ward ofWilliamsport, p. 24, Dwelling 177, Family 175, dated 20 August 1870. 1880 Federal Census for Pennsylvania,Lycoming County, District 73, Supervisor District 6, Enumeration District 73, p. 15, Dwelling 107, Family 136,dated 4 June 1880.

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"Millionaires' Row" (http://www.williamsport.org/visitors/mill_row.htm). Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber ofCommerce. Retrieved on October 4, 2008.

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Meginness, John Franklin (1892). "Chapter XXVI. Military Record in the War of 1812, the Mexican War, andthe Rebellion." (http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-26.html). History of LycomingCounty, Pennsylvania ... (http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/lyco-history-01.html) (1sted.). Chicago: Brown, Runk & Co. ISBN 0-7884-0428-8. Retrieved on September 30, 2008. Note: ISBN refersto the Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the 1892 version with some OCR typos.

74.


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Wikimedia Commons hasmedia related to ColtonPoint State Park.

"Obituary" (http://www.joycetice.com/clippings/wag1880c.htm). The Wellsboro Agitator. August 24, 1880.Retrieved on October 4, 2008.

75.

External links

Colton Point State Park official map(http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd1/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_003758.pdf) PDF (656 KB)Colton Point State Park official campground map (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd2/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_004784.pdf) PDF (481 KB)

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Categories: State parks of Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in PennsylvaniaProtected areas established in 1936 Civilian Conservation Corps in PennsylvaniaParks in Tioga County, Pennsylvania Campgrounds in Pennsylvania

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