Cummings Pond facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cummings Pond |
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 Cummings Pond
Location in Pennsylvania
Cummings Pond
Location in the United States
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| Location | Franklin Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 41°23′50″N 75°54′50″W / 41.39722°N 75.91389°W |
| Type | glacial lake |
| Primary inflows | none (fed by springs) |
| Primary outflows | unnamed tributary to Sutton Creek |
| Catchment area | 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) |
| Max. length | 2,000 feet (610 m) |
| Max. width | 1,350 feet (410 m) |
| Surface area | 43.8 acres (17.7 ha) |
| Max. depth | 10 feet (3.0 m) |
| Water volume | 46,000,000 US gallons (170,000 m3) |
| Surface elevation | 1,191 feet (363 m) |
Cummings Pond is a beautiful lake located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It covers an area of over 40 acres (16 ha) and is found in Franklin Township. This natural lake gets its water from underground springs. An unnamed stream flows out of the pond and joins Sutton Creek.
The lake is about 10 feet (3.0 m) deep in its deepest spots. Cummings Pond was formed a very long time ago, around 27,000 years ago, by huge sheets of ice called glaciers. In the past, people used the lake for fun activities like boating and fishing. They even harvested ice from it in the winter!
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About Cummings Pond: Shape and Depth
Cummings Pond is a natural lake, meaning it wasn't created by humans building a dam. It has a smooth, oval shape. The lake is about 2,000 feet (610 m) long and 1,350 feet (410 m) wide at its widest points.
The total surface area of the pond is 43.8 acres (17.7 ha). It holds a lot of water—about 46 million gallons! While most of the lake is around 5 feet (1.5 m) deep, some parts can reach up to 10 feet (3.0 m). Long ago, the lake was even deeper, closer to 16 feet (4.9 m).
How Cummings Pond Was Formed
Cummings Pond is very old, formed around 27,000 years ago. It sits in a natural dip in the ground that was carved out by glaciers. Glaciers are like giant, slow-moving rivers of ice. As they moved, they scraped away the hard rock, creating the basin where the lake now sits.
Underneath the lake, there can be up to 30 feet (9.1 m) of sediment. Sediment is made up of tiny bits of rock, sand, and dirt that have settled at the bottom over thousands of years.
The lake is surrounded by hills on three sides. These hills rise about 250 feet (76 m) above the water. One side of the lake used to be quite marshy, meaning it was a wet, soft area with lots of plants.
Plants and Animals Around the Lake
The area around Cummings Pond is called its watershed. A watershed is all the land where water drains into a particular lake or river. The watershed for Cummings Pond is about 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2). In the early 1900s, this entire area was covered in second-growth forest. This means the forest had grown back after an older forest was cut down.
Cummings Pond has been stocked with fish, like yellow perch, in the past. This means people added these fish to the lake so others could enjoy fishing. You can also find plants like cattails and alders growing near the lake. Cattails are tall, reed-like plants often found in wet areas, and alders are a type of shrub or small tree.
The lake is part of a special C-1 Conservation district. This district helps protect Cummings Pond and other important water features in the area.
History and Fun Activities
Cummings Pond has been officially recognized and recorded in the Geographic Names Information System since August 2, 1979. This system helps keep track of names and locations of places in the United States.
Many years ago, in the early 1900s, there was a public road that ran right next to Cummings Pond, about 20 feet (6.1 m) above the water. A farmhouse also stood nearby, about 25 feet (7.6 m) above the lake.
Back then, people used the lake for lots of fun activities. They went boating and fishing. In the winter, the lake would freeze, and people would even harvest ice from it to use for cooling things down before refrigerators were common. A man named Daniel B. Winters claimed ownership of the lake at that time.
Today, Cummings Pond is still a great place for recreation. You can easily navigate the lake with rowboats. There's also a private campground covering 21 acres (8.5 ha) located right on the lake, offering a place for people to stay and enjoy the outdoors.
