Turkey Hill (Pennsylvania) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Turkey Hill |
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Part of Turkey Hill as seen from the Streater Fields in Bloomsburg
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 942 ft (287 m) |
| Prominence | 378 ft (115 m) |
| Geography | |
| Topo map | Bloomsburg |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | hill |
Turkey Hill is a large hill located in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. It stands about 942 feet (287 m) above sea level. The top of the hill is quite flat, like a table. However, its northern, western, and southern sides have very steep slopes.
Some parts of the western and southern sides of Turkey Hill have homes. The northern side, though, is mostly covered in forests. People say the views from Turkey Hill are amazing and "breathtaking."
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Exploring Turkey Hill's Location
Turkey Hill reaches about 942 feet (287 m) high. Most of the hill is found in Bloomsburg and Scott Township. The very highest point is in Scott Township. The entire hill is located within the Bloomsburg area on maps made by the United States Geological Survey.
Turkey Hill is part of a bigger land feature called Montour Ridge. This ridge starts as a small hill near Berwick and grows into a mountain as it goes west. A book from 1982 described Turkey Hill as a very large hill. But now, many homes and streets have been built on it. This makes some parts of the hill look different. Fishing Creek flows along two sides of Turkey Hill.
How Turkey Hill Was Formed
The rocks at the very top of Turkey Hill are from a time called the Middle Silurian period. This means they are very old! These rocks are mostly sandstone, limestone, and shale. They can be light gray or medium gray. This rock layer is about 130 feet (40 m) thick.
Other types of rocks are found lower down on the hill. These also formed during the Middle Silurian period. They include reddish-purple sandstone mixed with silty clay shale.
The Story of Turkey Hill
Turkey Hill was officially added to the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. We don't know the very first names people used for this hill. It likely got its current name in the late 1800s. This was probably because there was a large turkey farm nearby.
In the 1800s, a school district in Scott Township was named Turkey Hill District after the hill. Later, in the late 1960s, Bloomsburg State College (now Bloomsburg University) built part of its campus on Turkey Hill. In the 1970s, there were still farms on the hill, including one that grew flowers. Homes have also been built on the southern and western parts of the hill since at least the 1970s.
A report from 1974 said that the flat top of Turkey Hill was one of the best places to build in Bloomsburg. People have always enjoyed the "striking view" of the Susquehanna River valley from Turkey Hill. The views from neighborhoods on the hillside are often called "breathtaking."
Plants and Animals of Turkey Hill
Turkey Hill has many forested slopes. Almost the entire northern side of the hill is covered in trees. Near these forests, close to Interstate 80, there is a special lake. It's an oxbow lake of Fishing Creek, called the Turkey Hill Oxbow.
On the slopes near the oxbow, you can find forests with hemlock and hardwood trees. There are also places where skunk cabbage grows. Near the oxbow lake, you might see forested wetlands, shrub swamps, open grassy areas, and open water.
