The Glaciated Pocono Plateau Section (in aqua color) is one of several plateaus in the northeastern Pennsylvania part of the Appalachian Mountains. It is shared by six counties (map tbd): Monroe, Pike, Carbon, Lackawanna, Wayne, and Luzerne. The Pocono Plateau is picturesque, mountainous, and rustic, thereby accommodating many outdoors activities and sports. Consequently, it long ago outgrew its original farming, lumbering and tanning industries to become a famous tourist destination. Some visitors liked the area enough to stay in expanding communities.
Name
editThe name “Pocono” is said to be a corruption of the Lenape (Delaware) Native American word “Pokawachne”, which means “a creek between two hills”[1], but the region has many creeks and rivers interspersed among many hills and mountains, so one cannot identify any specific waterway associated with this name. The largest one on the Plateau is the Lehigh River. However, the name could be associated with the Delaware River, which runs between Mt. Minsi and Mt. Tammany along the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey outside the Pocono Plateau.
Native Americans
editMunsee Native Americans inhabited much of northeastern Pennsylvania, but no village sites are known to exist on the Pocono Plateau. The plateau, like most of the surrounding areas, was good hunting land according to officers' journals from Sullivan's Expedition against the Iroquois. The expedition started at Easton and cut through the Plateau. [2] The northern boundary of the Walking Purchase cuts through the Pocono Plateau. The place names Tobyhanna (a township) and Tunkhannock (a borough) are Native American names, so the Munsee must have used the area.
Geology
editThe Glaciated Pocono Plateau, a section of the Appalachian Mountains, is a broad upland surrounded on all except its western side by a steep to moderately steep slope that marks the boundary with an adjacent Section. The plateau is ... miles2[3] (...km2)(...ha) in area. The upland is underlain mainly by tough, erosion resistant sandstones that are relatively flat lying. Elevations on the upland range from 1,200 to 2,133 feet. The upland is drained by several streams that flow from the interior to the margins and beyond. The low relief and relative smoothness of the upland surface results from both the flatness of the underlying rock and the scouring of the surface by glacial ice. The area was glaciated at least three times in the past million years. In addition to erosion, the most recent glacier left behind a variety of glacial deposits on the surface of the upland. Noteworthy are the many sandstone boulders that litter the surface in many places. Swamps and peat bogs occur in small depressions created by glacial scour and deposition.[4]
Weather
editIts varied elevations make it hard to describe Pocono Plateau weather accurately. Seasonal temperatures and yearly snowfall at the Pocono Mountain Municipal Airport (1915 ft. at Tobyhanna) follow: ... [5]. Temperature, precipitation, and wind velocities change with elevation, and can be severe, so winter travelers should be prepared for the worst.
Plants
editAnimals
editState Lands
editState Parks
editState parks on the Pocono Plateau are the eastern part of Hickory Run, Gouldsboro, Tobyhanna, Big Pocono, and Promised Land. Big Pocono Overlook, Buck Hill Falls, Great Falls of the Lehigh, Run Boulder Field, Indian Ladder Falls, Mount Pocono Overlook, and The Devils Hole are outstanding Pocono Plateau scenic areas, and there are many more. Big Pocono (Camelback Mountain) at 2133 ft is the highest point on the Plateau. Park websites provide ample visitor information.
State Forests
editState Game Lands
editThe State Game Commission owns and manages nearly 1.5 million acres of state game lands throughout Pennsylvania. The primary purpose of these lands is the management of habitat for wildlife and provide opportunities for lawful hunting and trapping. Secondary recreational uses are permitted in accordance with the Game Commission’s regulations.
Communities
editThe 2010 permanent population of the Plateau was about 110,300[6]. Vacationers increase the population much more in the summer.
62,508[7] people of 169,842 total live on the Plateau.
Coolbaugh Township (20,564) is the largest, followed by Pocono (11,065), Tobyhanna (8,554), Jackson (7,033), Tunkhannock (6,789), Barrett (4,225), Mount Pocono (3,170), and Pocono Pines (1,409).
The township was incorporated in 1794. From about 1900 to 1936, lakes in Tobyhanna were used to harvest commercial ice.
The township was incorporated in 1816.
The historic resort of Pocono Manor was established in 1902.[8]
In early times, Jackson Township was principally a farming and logging community. Jackson Township ice was harvested on two major lakes in the Township, Trout Lake and Mountain Springs Lake. The prosperity and growth of Jackson Township was increased significantly by the construction of the Wilkes Barre & Eastern Railroad, a project of the New York Susquehanna and Western in 1893-94. Ice was loaded at the Reeders RR Depot for shipment to Jersey City and New York.[9]
15,358[10] people of 57,369 total live on the Plateau. Blooming Grove (4,819) is the largest, followed by Greene (3,956), Palmyra (3,312), and Hemlock Farms (3,271).
When Blooming Grove Township was established in 1850, the principal occupation of the inhabitants was logging and saw mills. This remained true well into the 20th Century. However, documents show that the area was occupied as far back as 1765.[11]
William Brewster began acquiring the land in 1927 that would eventually become the Hemlock Farms Community Association.
11,516[12] people of 65,249 total live on the Plateau. Penn Forest (9,581) and Kidder (1,935).
10,913[13] people of 214,247 total live on the Plateau. Spring Brook (2,768) is the largest, followed by Madison (2,750), Covington (2,284), Moscow (2,026), and Thornhurst (1,085).
The Nesbitt Reservoir is located in Spring Brook. The reservoir is managed and protected by the Pennsylvania American Water Company. It provides a fresh water supply to approximately 75,000 area residents and is situated on Spring Brook.
Moscow Borough was established in 1908 by citizens interested in creating improved services to their thriving community. The construction of a rail line from Scranton to the transportation hub of Hoboken, New Jersey increased the importance of the area, not only for commerce, but also as a destination for vacationers, who used the rail lines to visit the numerous local hotels. By the early 1900's there was a daily commuter train called "the accommodation train" bringing workers from Moscow to Scranton. Today, the Victorian-era Moscow railroad station is a reminder of the profound influence rail transportation has had on this area.[14]
Lumbering was the major industry and tree bark supplied tanneries in Gouldsboro. Isaac Lewis was the pioneer settler in 1842. Jay Gould, the noted speculator and railroad manipulator, erected and owned a large tannery along the Lehigh River with Zaddock Pratt. The tannery profits became the basis of Gould's fortune. The communities of Thornhurst and present-day Gouldsboro became the business center of the region due to proximity to the Lackawanna Railroad and the ability to receive supplies of hides and ship out leather. Thornhurst was a prominent lumbering area, where hemlock bark was used in tanning animal hides.
In May of 1875, a massive forest fire engulfed a 17-mile area in only a few hours, destroying all that the lumbermen had not already taken. The fire began near White Haven and cut a swath a mile or more wide for a length of 30 miles, extending to Thornhurst, generally referred to as the Great Pine Swamp at the time, and stopping only near present-day Gouldsboro before spreading destruction and despair. Bridges and many buildings were burned, one woman perished, and many of the inhabitants fled 10 or 12 miles away for safety only to be left homeless and destitute. This event caused the end of the lumbering industry in the region for many years.
In 1924, Camp Thornhurst for Boys was privately owned and included tennis courts, a baseball field, and a swimming beach on the Lehigh River. A stagecoach made daily trips from nearby Stoddartsville, PA, and campers also visited from as far away as Philadelphia and Danville, PA. The Manor in later years served as a hotel. The structure was destroyed by fire in 1980. Today, the grounds are the future site of the Thornhurst Riverfront Park.
The "Dude Ranch" was formerly known as the Stegmaier Estate and Karls Rhue. The recreation destination featured a ski slope, ice cutting on the pond, horseback riding, and eventually a golf course. Today, the grounds are the site of Thornhurst Country Club Estates with a public 9-hole golf course.[15]
6,559[16] people of 52,822 total live on the Plateau. Lehigh (1,881) is the largest, followed by Sterling (1,450), Dreher (1,412), Pocono Springs (926), and Gouldsboro (890).
Gouldsboro was named for Jay Gould, one of the 10 richest Americans of all time.[17]
3,467[18] people of 320,918 total live on the Plateau. Bear Creek Township (2,774) is the largest, followed by Buck (435), and Bear Creek Village (258).
Transportation
editThe defunct Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad had four stations on the Pocono Plateau: Mount Pocono, Pocono Summit, Tobyhanna, and Gouldsboro.
Today, local travel on the Pocono Plateau is by car. The area can also be reached by bus and plane. Commuting by bus to and from work in large cities is common. No rail service exists.
Farming
editStone wall and foundation remnants are reminders of long gone Pocono Plateau farmsteads.
Lumbering
editTanning
editHunting, Fishing, and Trapping
editIce Harvesting
editTourism
editTourism has been the main industry on the Pocono Plateau since the 1920s when autos came into general use. Lodging today is provided by many hotels, motels, B&Bs, camps, and cabins that fit every budget. Their websites contain amenity information and some of them publish customer comments. Popular lodgings are sold out months in advance.
Summer weather favors daytime outdoors sports, such as sight-seeing, hiking, golf, tennis, boating, fishing, hunting, and swimming. Day and night skiing, tobogganing, sledding, ice skating, and snowboarding are available in the winter. The larger hotels offer music, dance, bowling, curling, pools, hot tubs, and more for those who prefer the indoors. They have kiddie playgrounds too.
References
edit- ^ http://www.gilwell.com/lenape/p.htm
- ^ https://archive.org/stream/cu31924095654384/cu31924095654384_djvu.txt
- ^ GIS
- ^ http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/field/map13/13gpoc/index.htm
- ^ tbd
- ^ 2010 census of towns and boroughs on the Plateau
- ^ 2010 census of towns and boroughs on the Plateau
- ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobyhanna_Township,_Monroe_County,_Pennsylvania#History
- ^ http://jacksontwp-pa.gov/index.cfm?e=inner2&itemcategory=65562
- ^ 2010 census of towns and boroughs on the Plateau
- ^ http://www.bloominggrovetownship.com/
- ^ 2010 census of towns and boroughs on the Plateau
- ^ 2010 census of towns and boroughs on the Plateau
- ^ http://www.moscowboro.com/
- ^ http://www.thornhursttwp.com/History.php
- ^ 2010 census of towns and boroughs on the Plateau
- ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gouldsboro,_Pennsylvania
- ^ 2010 census of towns and boroughs on the Plateau