Pymatuning State Park (Ohio) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pymatuning State Park |
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Lily pads on Pymatuning Lake
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| Location | Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States |
| Nearest city | Andover, Ohio |
| Area | 3,512 acres (1,421 ha) |
| Elevation | 1,004 feet (306 m) |
| Established | 1950 |
| Administered by | Ohio Department of Natural Resources |
| Designation | Ohio state park |
| Website | Pymatuning State Park |
Pymatuning State Park is a large park in Ohio, covering about 3,512 acres (14.21 km2). It is located near Andover, Ohio in Ashtabula County, Ohio. A big part of the park is Pymatuning Lake, which is about 1,407 acres (5.69 km2). This lake is special because one-quarter of it is in Ohio, and the other three-quarters are in Pennsylvania. You can enjoy fishing and boating on the lake all year long.
Pymatuning Lake was created in the 1930s by building a dam on the Shenango River. The lake has many beaches and places to camp in both Ohio and Pennsylvania. The northeastern part of the lake is a protected area for wildlife. Thousands of Canada geese and many ducks spend the winter there. A long causeway, about three miles (5 km) long, connects Pennsylvania and Ohio across the middle of the lake.
Contents
Discovering Pymatuning's Past
Pymatuning State Park sits on land that was once a huge swamp. Learning about its history helps us understand how this amazing park came to be.
Who Lived Here First?
The first people known to live in this area were the Mound builders. They built large earth mounds. Two of their mounds were covered when Pymatuning Lake was created. Later, the Lenape tribe lived here when the first European settlers arrived. The lake is named after a Lenape chief named Pihmtomink.
The Seneca tribe, part of the larger Iroquois Confederacy, later took over the area from the Lenape. However, the Seneca were defeated by General Anthony Wayne during the Northwest Indian War. They left the area after signing the Treaty of Greenville. This treaty marked the beginning of European settlers taking control of the land.
From Swamp to State Park
Early European visitors to this area were trappers who traded beaver pelts. There were also lumbermen who cut down large white pine trees. These trees were used as masts for sailing ships. After them came farmers. Farming was very hard because the land was so swampy. Farm animals often got lost in the quicksand or were hunted by predators like foxes, bears, and mountain lions. The swamps also had many mosquitoes, which caused diseases like yellow fever among the settlers.
Building the Dam
People first thought about building a dam on the Shenango River in 1911. A huge flood in 1913 caused a lot of damage and even took lives. The Pennsylvania General Assembly decided to approve money to build a dam. However, Governor John K. Tener cut the budget significantly.
In 1917, the legislature tried again. They approved more money, but only if private groups bought the land needed in Ohio. The Pymatuning Land Company was formed and successfully raised the money to buy the Ohio properties. The land was fully bought by 1931. That year, Governor Gifford Pinchot approved more money to finish the dam.
About 7,000 men started working on the dam in 1931. The big project was finished in 1934. The dam cost over $3.7 million to build. Today, Pymatuning Lake holds a massive amount of water, about 64.2 billion US gallons (243.3 billion liters). It covers about 17,088 acres (69.15 km2). The lake is about 17 miles (27 km) long and 1.6 miles (2.6 km) wide at its widest point. It has about 70 miles (110 km) of shoreline and is up to 35 feet (11 m) deep.
