Elk State Forest - History

History

The history of Elk State Forest is very similar to that of the other state forests in Pennsylvania. The land was primarily acquired from lumber companies during the early 20th century. Vast stands of old-growth forest had been harvested by the lumber companies during the mid-to-late 19th century. The earliest lumbering operations harvested the largest of the white pines for use in the shipbuilding industry. The tall and straight timbers were ideally suited for use as ships masts and spars. The logs were lashed together with rope and floated down the tributaries of the West Branch Susquehanna River and into the river on their way to the shipyards of Baltimore. Once the white pines were gone the lumbermen turned to the hemlock for use as lumber. Sawmills and lumber camps sprang up throughout what is now Elk State Forest. Much of the timber was floated down Driftwood Branch, First Fork and Bennett's Branch to the West Branch Susquehanna River and into the Susquehanna Boom near Williamsport. The lumber era in the area of Elk State Forest lasted until 1915 when the last raft was floated down the Driftwood Branch.

The departure of the lumber companies left a forest that was described as a vast wasteland of tree stumps and dried treetops. Sparks cast off by passing steam trains ignited wildfires that slowed the growth of the thriving second growth forest of hardwoods that is now Elk State Forest. The formation of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression by President Franklin D. Roosevelt was key to the revitalization of the forests of Elk State Forest. The young men of the CCC cleared the forest and streams of the dried underbrush that was the fuel for the devastating wildfires. Nine CCC camps spread throughout the forest worked to build roads, trail and bridges throughout Elk State Forest. They also fought the periodic wildfires. On October 19, 1938 a wildfire near Pepperhill to the north of Sinnamanhoning. Eight young men from the CCC lost their lives fighting this fire when they were trapped on a steep hillside by the raging fire. The Wayside Memorial Spring south of Emporium on Pennsylvania Route 120 in Bucktail State Park Natural Area is maintained as an honor to the men to lost their lives battling forest fires for the CCC.