Re:rothrock history - 2007/11/26 17:17The forest is named after Joseph Rothrock, the father of Pa forestry. There should be info. on him in the library. I'm pretty sure the state bought all the land from private companies after they had deforested it. Imagine your photos a hundred years earlier - nothing but vacant hills and scrub brush!
HO
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Re:rothrock history - 2007/11/26 21:23There are a ton of books about this area at Pattee or at the Centre Historical Society. I am guessing that Austin will sense a disturbance in the force and post here with the motherlode of information. He was able to dig up a lot of the original maps of company boundries, which helps explain a lot of the roads and rail grades. The other place to check is CCC info in PA. There were at least two big camps, OWl Gap and State College Camp (located in what is now Alan Seager).
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Re:rothrock history - 2007/11/28 08:51princess wrote: anybody know how big the one in penn roosevelt was? iirc it was one of the black camps.
At the turn of the 20th century, large railroad logging operations were in progress in the Seven Mountains area with the hillsides and hollows receiving a “lumberman’s shave” typical of the day. During the summer, Reichley Brothers, a logging company, ran a 39-mile Sunday excursion train carrying up to 210 passengers, mostly from Lewistown. The trip began at Milroy, traveled to Poe Mills, to Thickhead Mountain, through the Stone Creek Kettle, and back to Milroy by way of Laurel Creek. One of the hardest climbs was at Stone Gap, just south of the main park area.
These logging company properties were later sold to the Commonwealth in large tracts, forming the bulk of the Rothrock State Forest. Many of the railroad grades were later used as a base for the state forest roads. Observant visitors can still find some of the grades.
Penn-Roosevelt State Park did not exist until June 5, 1933, when members of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) arrived to set up a work camp during the height of the Great Depression. The camp at Penn-Roosevelt was first known as Camp S-62, Stone Creek Kettle. The CCC of the 1930s was segregated and the camp at Stone Creek Kettle was one of only 12 Black camps in Pennsylvania. Corpsmembers lived at the camp and constructed recreational facilities, including a 195-foot log-crib dam that has since been stone-faced. They also built many of the surrounding forestry roads and trails. Two fireplaces, a unique stone bake oven and other ruins of the camp can still be found.
For more information on the CCC, visit the Civilian Conservation Corps Online Archive.
For many years, Penn-Roosevelt was a state forest picnic area and in 1983, it was officially designated as Penn-Roosevelt State Park.
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Re:rothrock history - 2007/11/29 10:04<< I am guessing that Austin will sense a disturbance in the force and post here with the motherlode of information. >>
so i suppose there is a force. i haven't thought to check here in months (as i'm living in new york). but here i am. / no motherlode of information from me, though.
the casler, kline, & taber volumes (in pattee or the cc historical society library) are really nice. unfortunately they didn't cite their sources. i have maybe 13 pages of typed notes from two of the relevant volumes, plus some pdf scans of photos in there. i can send them your way if you like.
i've looked through the microfilm of the old "department of forest and waters" bulletins. but, honestly, i was nearly over the edge to yaking after a few hours of that, so i wasn't quite enticed to go back. i'd love to go to the state historical archives in harrisburg. ( http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/rg6.htm )
i'm a little removed from rothrock history texts at the moment.
Walter C. Casler, Benjamin F. G. Kline, Jr., Thomas TY. Taber, III, “Pitch Pine and Prop Timber: The Logging Railroads of South-Central Pennsylvania,” in Logging Railroad of Lumbering in Pennsylvania, Vol 1., Williampsort, PA: Lycoming Printing Company, Inc., 1971.
Chapter 1-1: Timber Goes Underground
101 – The forests of Pennsylvania have produced timber for a wide variety of industries. The magnificent white pine has been used since pioneer days for ship timber and the finer grades of lumber. The hemlock furnished construction lumber and bark used by the many tanneries. The hardwood for lumber, staves and by the wood chemical factories. The smaller pines and hardwoods of the northeast, southeast and southwest quarters of the state found a use in the coal fields as mine props and other related needs. The procurement of prop timber was the primary concern of many companies operating within the state, yet because of the nature of their business, very little is remembered of their operations. Their timber was not the hundred foot high pines and hemlocks, and did not require the erection of a large sawmill. The number of firms supplying the mines with props are legion, and many were sufficiently large to require the use of a logging railroad as part of their enterprise. … Many volumes have been published detailing the discovery, mining, and marketing of this valuable mineral, yet little attention, and less is known concerning the “Keystone” of subterranean mining. This was prop timber, for without it mining operations would have been impractical as the rock overburden of the coal veins would collapse into the working areas and haulageways. …. There are comparatively few people that realize the immense amount of timber used by the mining industry within Pennsylvania. As an example; in 1905, reports from 216 collieries producing about 85% of the anthracite in that year, estimated that they consumed 52,440,000 cubic feet of round timber, and 120,565,000 board feet of sawed timber. The sawed timber consisted of heml- [PBR/101>102] ock, and yellow pine The round timber consisted of 18% pine and the remainder oak and other unidentified hardwoods. The timber cost was approximately 8 1/2¢ per long ton of coal produced by the mines.
Chapter 1-2: The Kulp Family Enterprises
111 – The Kulp-Thomas Company was formed during early 1893, and Darlington’s son-in-law, Chester B. Thomas was brought into partnership. Mr. Thomas was a resident of Milroy, a tinsmith by trade, and had acquired title for substantial acreage of standing timber north of Milroy, Mifflin County. This included lands purchased from Logan Iron and Steel Company, James R. Treaster, Zebulon P. Krise, and William Gearhart. The largest tract was purchased from the Logan Iron and Steel Company, and consisted of 3,142 acres, costing $20,164. The Kulp-Thomas Company is typical of many lumber companies using a hyphenated title. Most frequently one partner provided the financial and marketing ability; in this instance, Darlington R. Kulp. The other partner contributed either timberlands or manufacturing know how, as did Chester B. Thomas. Single party operations usually carried only one name. The earliest logging railroad operation conducted by the Kulp organization was located at Milroy, and appears to have gotten off to an uncertain start. The “Lewiston Gazette” of August 3, 1893, stated, “The tramroad to be built so fast from Milroy up Long Mountain must have fallen through.” However, the same paper stated on November 16, 1893, “that the tramroad has been started at Milroy.” The Kulp-Thomas Company railroad connected with the Mifflin and Centre Railroad at Milroy. As in common with the other railroads constructed by the Kulp Companies, it was narrow gauge. Its primary purpose was to transport prop timber destined for the Shamokin area mines. A ramp was made to transfer props from the narrow gauge into standard gauge gondola cars.
112 – The Kulp-Thomas Company Railroad followed Laurel Creek out of Milroy in a northwest direction. The first acreage cut was in Lingle Valley where the railroad followed Lingle creek for five miles. Exhausting this timber, the line continued along Laurel Creek until reaching the Long Mountain Bridge at the confluence of Broad, Long, Front, and Spruce Mountains. The railroad followed Standing Stone Creek after leaving Laurel Creek, in a south westerly direction into Huntingdon County, and eventually approaching the “Bear Meadows” area in Centre County.
112 – The grandson of his namesake, and the son of Howard, the Reverend Darlington R. Kulp grew up in this wild area. Born in Milroy, Mifflin County, and raised in Milroy , and Lewistown, so much of his time was spent in the woods that he had to attend prep school to enter college. Recounting his boyhood days, he often rode the trains to pick huckleberrys in the mountains, and riding the locomotives, he remembers one was a “boxy” affair and was called “the Old Tea Kettle.” The mountains were a wild region, and not to be ventured into by the faint of heart.
114 -- … Samuel Henry was one contractor who specialized in building logging railroads. Many Milroy men worked for him and mentioned that they are still waiting for their pay. However, Samuel Henry was not the only contractor guilty of this offense. One of his contracts left the tramroad at Samuel Treaster’s property and extended to Long Mountain Bridge to connect Kulp’s camp with W.L. Mittersbaugh’s sawmill. The old Class “A” Climax was used to construct the track. …
114 – Starting in 1902, a new party entered the area when Daniel Bebelheimer, a native of Port Carbon, Pennsylvania, obtained rights to cut tracts of timber westward from Detweiler Run into Huntingdon County. He purchased a second hand Shay locomotive and built a tramroad, connecting with the Kulp line along Standing Stone Creek, and from this point also used the Kulp railroad into Milroy, and as many log trains were loaded daily.
114 – Instrumental to the Kulp Operation at Milroy was Lee Treaster. A banker, he is aptly described as an old time capitalist, knew everyone in the area, and had extensive business interests.
117 – Again returning to the Spruce Run area, the railroad used a switchback to cross Naked Mountain and descend into Pot Pie Hollow (named for a favorite food of the lumberman), and then continued eastward into Pump Hollow and White Deer Springs Hollow. At Pump Hollow, a pump was installed over a well where the train crews pumped water by hand into the locomotive water tank. …
121 – In the light of past history, it seems inevitable that during the lifetime of any sizeable lumber operation the sawmill catches fire and burns to the ground. The sawmill at Lewistown was not spared this fate, and during July, 1900, for the usual unknown causes, the mill was destroyed by fire. The loss was partly insured and work of rebuilding was started immediately.
123 – Ten lumber camps were located throughout the Lewisburg operations. Each consisted of one or more boarding houses, and stables for the livestock. The larger camps fed and slept up to 100 men, and stabled 50 to 60 head of horses and mules. Several camps were in operation during the same time period. …
124 – Camp Reichley, in the Seven Mountains north of Milroy.
125 – Monroe and Gilbert Kulp paid their men once a month, in person, and in silver. The Company’s excellent reputation of paying in full and promptly, was not standard throughout the lumber industry. The pay train consisted of a locomotive, a passenger car, and later a caboose served as the pay car. After paying the men, the Kulp party spent the remaining day inspecting their property.
Chapter 1-3: Poe Valley to Fulton County
131 – “… From the Summit of Little Poe Mountain on the south, to the Summit of Big Poe Mountain on the north, the parcel of land commonly known as Big Poe Valley …[“] with these words, taken from the deed granted to the Shamokin Lumber Company by Adam J. Gotshall, began the logging railroads of Poe Valley. The above described land was only a small portion of the mountain lands comprising the corners of Union, Snyder, Mifflin, and Centre Counties. It remained untouched by lumberman until the 1880’s for several reasons. First: it was initially purchased and held by Daniel Musser since the end of the Civil War. Second: was the lack of adequate transportation. Although Penns Creek flows by way of winding narrow canyon through three mountain ranges, the log drives that were attempted by the early lumbermen to float their timber from Coburn to Selinsgrove, were severely limited by the numerous shoals and mill dams. Only the more valuable timber was floated, and this consisted of white and the large yellow pine. Even today with Poe Valley developed into a recreation area by the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, the roads are inadequate and are used only during summer or good weather. Mr. Musser began his lumbering career in Poe Valley with the construction of a water powered sawmill near the junction of Big and Little Poe Creeks in Penn Township, Centre County. He was successful in this venture and brought into partnership with his brother, W.L. Musser. As the operation grew, J.P. Gephart joined the firm. The enlarge company erected a steam powered circular sawmill, replacing the older sawmill. Daniel A. Musser died during 1888. The liquidation of his estate placed his timberlands upon the open market. These lands were acquired by various lumbermen, including John Duncan, Adam J. Gotshall, William Whitmer, Darlington R. Kulp, George Walls, and the Shamokin Lumber Company. Mr. Duncan immediately began operations along Swift Run in Mifflin County during 1889. He constructed the first tramroad in the area to use a steam locomotive. His adventures at this location are related in the history of the White Deer Lumber Company.
132 – The construction of the Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad westward from Mifflinburg during the late 1870’s, was of great importance to the lumbermen in western Union and eastern Centre Counties. During 1879 the railroad traversed the narrow Penns Creek Canyon with the use of three bridges and two tunnels, and reached the small community later named Coburn to honor James F. Coburn, Esquire. As a director of the Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad, he was instrumental in pushing the extension from Mifflinburg to Coburn. At the junction of Penns and Poe Creek, the Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad constructed a siding along Poe Creek to the Musser-Gephart sawmill. This location was named Poe Mills, here Gotshall erected a new circular steam sawmill. Adjacent to the sawmill, homes, boarding houses, store, and post office were erected to supply the needs of the company employees. The community prospered and at the apex of its growth, numbered over 300 citizens, and incidentally a larger population than contained by the Centre County community of State College in the 1890 census. The log pond at the sawmill was formed by damming Poe Creek. The sequence of events prior to 1892 within Poe Valley are uncertain, but several survivors of the Gotshall operation state the first tramroad within the valley was constructed by a lumber company known as Mowery and Wagner. Living witnesses claim this company purchased a vertical boiler, Class “A” climax locomotive, and used the Musser sawmill. No records have been located to authenticate this organization. In the beginning, the Mowery and Wagner firm constructed a wood rail tramroad. Logs were laid lengthwise and the rail spiked upon the upper surface, and as it crossed swamp areas, the tramroad was constructed on cribbing. The cars were first moved by horse and gravity, utilizing the “Wild Catting” method and as the tramroads crossed irregular ground, the use of horses was replaced by a Class “A” Climax. Reports state that Adam J. Gotshall took over the entire operation in Poe Valley during 1892. In addition to the Class “A” Climax, he used a small Porter, 0-4-0, 42 inch gauge saddle tank locomotive. The Porter was unsuitable and lacked the necessary power for the ever increasing grades. Gotshall continued using the existing tramroads to transport his timber to the sawmill and built additional [PBR/132>133] tramroads along the streams to the limits of his property. As the timberlands along the water courses were cut off, he constructed additional tramroads that gradually ascended the north slope of Long Mountain and crossed the summit at Big Flat. When the rails reached here, this location was renamed “Dinky” Springs, where a source of water was used to replenish the water supply of the small locomotive. The tramroad then descended into Green Valley, and Panther Hollow, the final tramroad followed along Pine Swamp Run.
134 – The Reichley lands were situated in Harris and Potter Township, Centre County adjoining timberlands owned by the Linden Hall Lumber Company at the eastern boundary of the “Bear Meadows.” To the south of the “Bear Meadows,” the Kulp Lumber Company was also working toward the same landmark. The ever increasing distance between the Reichley timberlands and Poe Mills, and the lack of adequate sawmill facilities strained the Reichley resources to the limit. The end of their tramroad was now in the midst of the Seven Mountains. As a solution to their dilemma, the Reichleys constructed a series of switchbacks up the south slope of Thickhead Mountain, through the gap between Thickhead and Sand Mountain, and used another series of switchbacks to descend into the valley of an unnamed stream and connected with the Kulp railroad along Standing Stone Creek. The Kulp Lumber Company logging railroad left Milroy and followed the valley of Standing Stone Creek along the south slope of Broad Mountain. The Reichleys reached an agreement with Monroe H. Kulp for the use of his railroad, sawmill, and shipping facilities [PBR/134>135] at Milroy. The details of their agreement are unrecorded This suited the Reichleys perfectly, but this happy state of affairs was not to continue. Monroe H. Kulp desired to concentrate his affairs at Lewisburg, Union County, and close the Milroy operation. Anthony Reichley then went to Kulp to express his objections. Monroe H. Kulp told Reichley, “if you want to continue to use the railroad and the Milroy mill, either buy it or I’ll dismantle them.” The Reichleys were in a bind as there remained on their property a considerable quantity of uncut timber. They had been using the Kulp railroad for some time and then the tramroad to Poe Mills was in deplorable condition, and the brothers could ill afford to lose their investment. In addition, they lacked the capital to purchase the Kulp property. To surmount these problems, the Reichleys did two things. First, they sold their lands, consisting of 27 tracts to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at $2.25 per acre, and the Reichleys “… reserved the right to remove all timber down to eight inches across the stump on ore before January 1, 1910.” They also agreed to quip their locomotive with spark arrestors and to extinguish all fires, or pay the costs of extinguishing fires caused by sparks from the locomotives. Second, they reorganized the company and added Charles E. Breckons to the partnership. The firm was renamed Reichley Brothers and Company, and using their newly acquired resources, they purchased the Kulp Railroad, sawmill, and several tracts of timberland, from the Kulp Lumber Company. The Reichleys also purchased a third locomotive, a new 20 ton Class “B” Climax, construction Number 373. The Reichleys acquired additional timber in Cox’s or Green alley, and diverging from the older railroad at Long Mountain Bridge and Laurel Run, a new tramroad was constructed along Laurel Creek connecting with the old Gotshall tramroad west of “Dinkey” Springs. For a short time, the Reichleys owned a “loop track” that began at Milroy, traveled northeasterly to Poe Mills; westward to Thickhead Mountain and returned to Milroy via the former Kulp railroad, for a total of 39 miles. The company frequently operated excursions around this loop for their workmen, the citizens of Milroy, and from nearby communities. This was an all day affair and afforded a grand time for everyone. A contemporary newspaper account of August 16, 1906, describes one of these excursions; “…yesterday Reichley ran his second excursion with 210 persons and children. Most people came from Lewistown. There were four cars load to the train. Carstetter [sic] was the engineer. There were two cars ahead and two behind so they could leave the second half behind to climb the hill and then go back down and bring up the rest. This was done several times at the head of Stone Gap. The train went down around the Kettle, a big bend, and then a beautiful valley could be seen from there. The train descended into Penns Val- [PBR/135>106] ley, and Tusseyville, Egg Hill, and the Nittany Mountains could be seen in the distance. After lunch, the train climbed the mountain and went into Detweiler by switchback (up hill). The return trip was all down grade. The trip was 24 miles one way …” The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania began in 1900 to acquire cut over forest lands for conservation purposes. The Ario Pardee Estate, William Whitmer, and many other lumbermen sold their now useless woodland to the Commonwealth. The firm of William Whitmer & Sons acted as purchasing agent for the state, and many of the smaller lumbermen sold their land through the Whitmer firm. …
137 – William “Billy” Blosser operated a woods camp for the Kulp and Reichley Companies. In the spring, he would buy a sow and piglets at one of the local farm sales. Bringing them to camp, he let them loose to eat the waste feed spilled by the horses and scavengered throughout the woods. As necessary, one by one, the pigs were butchered as provisions for the camp.
140 – Mr. Bebelheimer was a lumberman from Port Carbon near Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and had used the former Kulp-Thomas logging railroad in conjunction with Reichley. His tramroad branched off the Reichley railroad near Detweiler Run and continued westward into Huntingdon County. The removal of the Milroy sawmill did not handicap Bebelheimer, for his sawmill was located on Coyle [sic] Run in Huntingdon County. The sawmill was constructed directly over this stream and sawdust was dumped into the water, eliminating the need for further disposal. Bebelheimer’s motive power was an old Shay geared locomotive of uncertain origin. Just when Bebelheimer started is uncertain, but he logged the area west of Detweiler while Reichley was at Milroy. Survivors state when his locomotive broke down, he borrowed Reichley’s Class “A” Climax to haul his trains of sawn lumber and props to Milroy.
141 – The Bebelheimer operation ended suddenly. The job was nearing completion when one day the locomotive became disabled. Monroe Knepper and others claimed the boiler blew a hole in its side and was unable to move. It is uncertain what happened next, but there are at least two known versions of the incident. Several men claim that the locomotive was never moved afterward, for with the Reichley locomotive gone, there was no way to return the disabled Shay to Milroy. Others state the locomotive was rolled off the track over the side of a hill, but surely the locomotive was not returned to Milroy, as the operation was closed and the rails removed. Today there is the possibility the “Old Bebelheimer Shay” locomotive remains where it was abandoned. During the early 1920’s, two men still living in Milroy, remember taking a “short” cut on foot over the mountains from Centre County. On their journey, one happened to look in the midst of a laurel thicket and was greatly surprised to see a head light and front end of a “dinkey.” He and his companion surveyed the relic, and remember seeing the boiler, cab with the windows and glass in-tact, and the front number plate and cylinders. However, their examination was brief for they needed to return to Milroy before the approaching night. The men could not distinguish one type of locomotive from another, and referred to this one as a “dinkey,” a generic term for a small locomotive regardless of manufacture. The men had little idea where they saw this locomotive, for there were no discernible landmarks, except that their unexpected find was in the area were Bebelheimer worked. So far as known, no one has reported seeing it again. Could it be possible that the Bebelheimer locomotive still remains where it was abandoned? Incidentally, throughout Pennsylvania, there are many stories told about engines abandoned in the woods for one reason or another. The usual reasons are mechanical breakdown or being involved in a wreck. This was one story of many, and the story of Pardee’s Number 59 is another. These accounts all have a similar format, and that is the locomotives are abandoned in a location so remote, that the possibility of finding their remains grew less with each passing year. There is the possibility of another “lost” locomotive in the Seven Mountains area. The final disposition of the Reichley’s Class “A” Climax has never been satisfactorily authenticated, and there is one story that possibly may explain its demise. From various locations surrounding the Seven Mountain, there are stories repeated about a locomotive destroyed by a boiler explosion. One person, whose father was a mechanic and boiler inspector, claims it was the Reichley Class “A” and the misfortune occurred on Long Mountain. As usual, there is no confirmation and these incidents are recollections of the “old timers.”
148 – On April 25, 1930, the Reichley brothers sold to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 9,178 acres for the sum of $24,616.92, various other lands had been disposed of before this date. It has been claimed the Reichley’s sold the state 30,000 acres, but this appears high in view of the 1930 transfer.
148 – Thus the long chain of events that began soon after the Civil War came to an end. There is little remaining but memories, but these stretch from Pottsville to Poe Mills, and on to Fulton County. There is only one monument, and that is located at Poe Valley Park, erected by the Pennsylvania Department of Forest and Waters to remind the present age of what had been; stating that, a short distance away, can be found the foundation of Poe Mills, which once claimed over 300 inhabitants.
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Benjamin F.G. Kline, Jr., ““Wild Catting” On the Mountain: The History of the Whitmer and Steele Lumber Companies,” in Logging Railroad Era of Lumbering in Pennsylvania, vol. 2., Williampsort, PA: Lycoming Printing Company, Inc., 1970.
Chapter 2-1: William Whitmer & Sons Company: The “Wild Catters”
202 – In the heyday of Pennsylvania lumbering, Williamsport reigned as center of the trade. Downstream, at the junction of the West Branch and North Branch of the Susquehanna River was the city of Sunbury. Two men from Sunbury formed the beginning of this history, one being William Whitmer, the other, Samuel E. Slaymaker. Later they would be associated with two brothers, Charles and Harry Steele. William Whitmer, a lumber man of long experience and excellent reputation, was born in Hartley Township, Union County, Pennsylvania in 1836. He established the business in 1873, and in addition to his Pennsylvania interests, owned extensive property in West Virginia. He passed away in 1896. Samuel E. Slaymaker was Whitmer’s son-in-law, and owned extensive interests along with William Whitmer in West Virginia. He is recorded as being one of the first men to recognize the potential of the vast timberlands located in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. As time went on, both men became increasingly involved in West Virginia which necessitated the moving of their office to Philadelphia in 1889, and left William Whitmer’s son, Robert and Charles Steele in charge of the Sunbury office. The death of William Whitmer in October, 1896, set into motion the events upon which this study develops. On December 7, 1896, the firm of William Whitmer & Sons Company was chartered. Prior to this date, the William Whitmer and Sons Company maintained offices in both Sunbury and Philadelphia as early as 1889. Now, the Philadelphia office operated under the name of Wm. Whitmer & Sons, Inc. and handled sales and the out of state affairs. The Pennsylvania operations were now concentrated at the Sunbury office. Stockholders of the William Whitmer & Sons Company were, Catherine A. Whitmer (Widow of William), Robert F. Whitmer, Samuel E. Slaymaker, Charles Steele and Harry Steele. It was capitalized at $50,000. … … “It was resolved to purchase from Catherine A. Whitmer, the property’s [sic] near Vintondale, in Cambria and Indian County; Linden Hall and in Huntingdon County; the Treaster Valley Lands, in Mifflin County; and investments in the Laurelton Lumber Co., Union County; [pbr/202>203] for a total of $52,086.19. ….
203 – The question was raised during 1899 whether the company should look into increasing or disposing of their investment in the Laurelton and Linden Hall Lumber Companies. Charles Steele was appointed to investigate these possibilities, and as a result, the investments of Charles L. Meck, Samuel M. Rutherford and M.F. Naugle in the Linden Hall and Laurelton Lumber Co. were acquired, raising the assets of the William Whitmer & Sons Company to $136,495.59.
203 – It was announced on October 2, 1902, that the company had entered into an agreement with the newly formed State Forestry Commission, for the sale of certain lands to the Commission. J.R. Rothrock, was President of the Commission on behalf of the Commonwealth. It was noted that lands in Centre, Mifflin and Huntingdon Counties would be transferred as rapidly as titles could be perfected and executed. In addition, “Charles Steele was appointed to purchase whatever lands he could acquire elsewhere.” The property transferred to the State were the cut over lands from William Whitmer & Sons Company. In addition, properties were purchased from A. J. Reichley and A. J. Gottschall in Poe Valley; the Pardee holdings, William Treaster and other lumbermen at nominal prices. These lands formed the nucleus of the Bald Eagle State Forest extending from the West Branch of the Susquehanna at White Deer, southwestward close to the Juniata River, a distance of sixty miles. Later, lands from the Laurelton and White Deer Companies were added, as lumbermen were quite willing to sell cut over lands to the Commonwealth. [State Forestry Commission, turn of the century.]
204 – The White Deer Lumber Co. was the last major company formed under the authority of the William Whitmer & Sons Company, and with the purchase of the White Deer Lumber Co. came an unresolved question. The only adjoining company to the south, the Monroe H. Kulp Lumber Co. also had claims on White Deer lands. Suit and countersuit were entered in court in an effort to settle the question. Each company claimed the other was cutting on their timber lands illegally. Many property lines and even county boundaries were uncertain. A new survey was ordered and from its findings, final settlement was made. Basically the court awarded the lands and trackage north of the White Deer Creek to Whitmer, and land and trackage south of White Deer Creek to Kulp. …
204 – The Linden Hall Company closed its accounts during 1906, and the remaining assets transferred to White Deer or Laurelton. The last entry for the sum of $25.03 in 1908, as the lands had been transferred to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Land purchases in Clearfield County were authorized on January 7, 1907. The final transfer of land under the 1902 agreement with the Commonwealth was concluded on July 27, 1908, and closed the accounts of both the Treaster Valley and Poe Valley operations.
204 – The Whitmer-Steele Company was chartered on February 27, 1907, and eventually became the successor company of William Whitmer & Sons Company ….
Chapter 2-2: The Steele’s Emerge – The Whitmer-Steele Company
206 – Charles Steele was born April 29, 1865, in Port Carbon, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, and his parents moved shortly afterward to Sunbury. He attended public schools, and graduated from Sunbury High School in 1883. He accepted the position of bookkeeper for William Whitmer and Sons Company in 1894 and remained with succeeding companies until his death on May 31, 1951.
206 – Harry Steele was born November 12, 1867 in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. Educated in the Sunbury area schools, he graduated from Northumberland High School in 1885. Having business training, he entered the service of the Susquehanna Lumber Co. of Philadelphia in 1888. A year later, he began his career with the William Whitmer and Sons Company as bookkeeper. He became treasurer of the Linden Hall Lumber Co. and later Vice-President of The White Deer Valley Railroad.
206 – An examination of known corporate records and journal reveals that Charles Steele was an unusual person. Let us examine several examples of his ability of making a small investment grow. On December 16, 1899, he purchased from S.S. Reitz of the firm Reitz and Whitmer, his complete sawmill for $750. He also purchased Reitz’s timber holdings of 2097 acres for the sum of $2,250; this was the Bear Meadows sawmill and timber lands.
Chapter 2-3: White Pine in the Highlands
210 – The earliest lumbermen in Pennsylvania naturally conducted their enterprises close to the streams and rivers that were capable of floating logs either to the sawmills, or for greater distances, by raft to market. The cost of transporting timber the distance between the forest and the waters edge became the major factor determining whether the lumbermans venture would be profitable. Several methods were tried to increase the profitable operating distance to the main streams; skidding on the ground by teams; trains of logs hauled by horses in log slides or skidways; splash dams to artificially enlarge a small stream; and the very limited use of the logging wheel; all methods were restricted by the terrain, and at the best, could only increase the profitable logging distance a few miles. But what of the highlands in Central Pennsylvania, where no suitable streams existed? The logical solution was a railroad, however, high construction and equipment costs limited its use to the largest operators, and short distances. However, the Pennsylvanians were endless experiments and would eventually adapt the railroad for their purposes. The beginning was a wooden railed, light railway, usually referred to as a tramroad. Where the first such tramroad was used in Pennsylvania is unrecorded, but its first known use in Pennsylvania lumbering occurred during the 1860s. At first animals supplied the motive power and these first tramroads were constructed on relatively level ground. As the tramroad reached into the mountains with increasing grades, runaways became common and highly detrimental to both equipment and horses. The next development was the individually controlled log truck, and with it came a new name and occupation, “Wildcat Truck” and “Wild Catter,” although the name would spread to other sections of the state, these terms were peculiar to the Central Highlands of Pennsylvania extending northeastward from Centre County to the west branch of the Susquehanna River. It was in this general area the terms originated and the practice developed into a fine art. As the “Wildcat” tramroads still required the use of horses to return the empty trucks to the cutting site, the tramroad locomotive was developed and marketed, and would eventually replace the horse as a means of motive power. In Union-Centre Counties, all logging railroads constructed prior to 1895, began with the “Wild Catting” method of transportation.
211 – In the area known as the Seven Mountains, lying on the borders of Centre, Mifflin, and Huntingdon Counties, there are today thousands of acres of young forests which have grown since the lumbering days by natural reforestation. The Milroy-Potters Mills highway (U.S. 322) is the only all weather-hard surface road traversing this vast area. Large stands of white pine grew between the towering mountain ranges, and with an abundance of ground moisture and a relatively fertile soil, attained mature growth within the deep valleys and “Kettles.” The “Bear Meadows,” a large natural basin, lies in the midst of the Seven Mountains. It was a marshy area, and the source of several streams, all too small and meandering to be useful for floating timber. Furthermore, they flowed in the wrong directions. Teaming the lumber out was impossible as the area was without roads. Local mills nibbled at the fringes, but made no serious attempt to cut the woods, and until the late 1880’s, no economically feasible means of transportation as suitable. This situation was now to change. The first large scale lumbering operation found in the “Bear Meadows,” was conducted by the firm of Reitz and Whitmer, whose address was Tusseyville. Records of the firm date from 1889, but probably started earlier. The oldest known photograph pertaining to this company is also dated 1889 and taken in the “Bear Meadows.” Soon afterward, one of the partners, S.S. Reitz, was to dispose of his 1/5 interest in the company to Charles Steele, on December 16, 1889. Other members of the firm were William Whitmer, Samuel E. Slaymaker, Williard Naugle, of Shamokin; Charles Meck, of Pottsville; and Samuel Rutherford, and Dr. G. C. Mohn, of Laurelton. The property consisted of a steam sawmill, and according to Charles Steele’s personal journal, included a “30 HP boiler and engine, carriage, edger, trucks, saws, and fixtures,” and initial ownership of 2097 acres of timber in Potter and Harris Townships, Centre County. The nearest railroad to “Bear Meadows” was at Linden Hall, on the Lewisburg and Tyrone Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. Linden Hall and the “Bear Meadows” were five miles apart as the crow flies, and three mountain ridges presented a more serious obstacle to and from the railroad. Photographs prove the tramroad existed as early as 1889. On it, the loaded trucks traveled from “Bear Meadows” to Linden Hall by “Wild Catting,” and after unloading, the trucks were returned to the wood by horses. The outstanding feature in the construction and use of these trucks, was that the brakeman stood on a platform projecting from the end of the truck. Standing here, he controlled a long brake lever reaching to the brake beam, which he could adjust to control his speed. The brakeman was called a “Wildcatter,” an extremely hazardous occupation. Transporting logs to Linden Hall for “manufacturing” was considered wasteful. As a solution, the firm commissioned George Lonberger to construct and operate a sawmill at “Bear Meadows.” Only white pine and oak lumber was sawed; the timber of lesser value either being used for construction or left standing.
211 – The use of horses to return the empty trucks was expensive, not only in their care and feeding, but also due to injuries and frequent death by runaway trucks. Therefore a search for mechanical motive power to replace the horses soon became apparent. As a result, after years of experimentation in other parts of Pennsylvania, “a tramroad locomotive,” was placed on the market, and built by the Climax Manufacturing Company of Corry, Pennsylvania. It was a simple machine, being little more than a vertical boiler on a flat car with a two cylinder engine, and had two speed transmission connected to a line shaft geared to the axles. The weight was 10 tons, and was capable of operating on extreme grades and curves. One of these locomotives was purchased by Ario Pardee in neighboring Union County in 1889, and as Whitmer had associations with him, the locomotive performance was closely observed. This was the first “Class A” Climax in Central Pennsylvania.
212 – One “Class A” Climax tramroad locomotive was purchased by the Linden Hall Company in the early 1890’s, and the performance soon exceeded expectations. A second was purchased in 1894. In the beginning, these locomotives were used only to return empty trucks to the cutting area, and were considered too valuable to risk the return trip with loaded cars as the locomotive had neither the weight nor brakes to control a heavy train on the severe down grades. The loaded trucks were still “Wild Catted” to Linden Hall, but the use of horses was now limited to the much less hazardous occupation of dragging logs to the landings. The company’s acreage in the “Bear Meadows” was limited. Looking to the future, the management began to acquire title to timber lands owned by the Logan Iron and Steel Company located along Laurel Run in Huntingdon County. This extensive acreage, was second growth, mainly suitable for mine props and timbering. Originally the forest was cut to manufacture charcoal, which was used as fuel by the Greenwood Furnace. This furnace went out of production during the middle of the 19th century.
213 – Again a transportation problem arose, the new timberland holdings could not be reached from the old tramroad. Laurel Run flowed to the west from its source between Rudy Ridge and Greenlee Mountain. The terrain forbid a gravity tramroad and the "Class A" Climaxs were unsuitable because of their slow speed, and the comparatively long haul. In the meantime, the Climax Manufacturing Company had developed a new type of locomotive that operated at higher speeds. It was advertised as a "Class B" and resembled a conventional locomotive. … Utilizing their newly acquired resources, the Linden Hall Lumber Co. constructed a new tramroad, and purchased a "Class B" locomotive early in 1896. Leaving Linden Hall, it crossed relatively level terrain until reaching Galbraith's Gap. This Gap allowed passage through the front range of Tussey Mountain. The second range however, confronted the builders a hundred yards ahead, and this range had no passage. Four switchbacks were needed to gain elevation to loop around the end of Tussey Mountain and down grade into Laurel Run Valley. Another four switchbacks (two up and two down) were needed to cross over Little Flat Ridge of Tussey Mountain into the "Bear Meadows."
213 – Cutting in "Bear Meadows" was completed during 1900, and the sawmill was no longer needed there. During June 1900, an intermediate size circular sawmill was built at Linden Hall.
213 – All "temporary" track was wood railed and only the "main" line had 20 lb. steel rail. People in the area claim remains of the wood rail can be found in the "Bear Meadows."
214 – Local men were hired by the cutting contractor and daily rode the train into the woods, or stayed in the woods camp, or [?] only occasionally returning to Linden Hall and beyond. [location of the woods camp?]
214 – During the period of 1895-1903, four different lumber companies conducted railroad logging operations into the Seven Mountains. They were A.J. Reichley from Poe Mills, Kulp-Thomas Lumber Co., northward from Milroy, D. Beebleheimer, from Milroy and the Linden Hall Lumber Co. [pbr/214>215] By 1903, all uncut timber lands were purchased by one or the other of these firms. The Linden Hall Lumber Co. was the fist company forced to curtail operations. heir remaining timber was cut by 1904, and gradually the lands sold to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. During 1905, the mill closed and men wishing to remain with the William Whitmer & Sons Company were transferred to either Luarelton or White Deer. The locomotives and equipment were sold or transferred. Time has erased all but a few traces of this operation, boiler room foundations can be found, and nearby, the location of the enginehouse. In the woods, forestry roads travel over the old roadbeds and the "Bear Meadows" is recognized as a natural landmark.
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Jean Aron, The Short Hiker: A Unicorn Hunter's Guide to Gentle Trails in Central Penn's Woods, [pub info: self-published], 1982.
24 – A trail relocation project, slated for the fall of 1982, would bring the MST up onto the ridge all the way through this area. Only 3 miles of ridge—between Musser Trail and Sand Springs Trail—remain to be cleared. When this is complete, the blue blazes on the Jackson Scenic will be changed to orange as it becomes part of the main Mid-State Trail. The present orange-blazed trail, which leads down to Beaver Pond and Pine Swamp Road, will be become blue, since it will then be demoted to a side trail. [so the trail was completed, but the MST still continues down to Beaver Dam, then moves back up. it appears from the map on page 21 that perhaps the old MST dropped down from where 26 crosses at Jo Hays Vista (as it does today), then continued along the valley, out onto Pine Swamp Road, and then to Shingletown road … to Little Flat Fire Tower road, etc. ]
50 – This hike is quite close to State College. In fact, in the days before the town grew so large and developed, when walking was more popular and less hazardous, Shingletown was a popular destination for college students out for a picnic. They would, of course, walk all the way from the university, crossing through fields and woods, a distance of about 4 miles from campus to the Shingletown Gap. It is still a popular place for State College residents to walk, as well as one of the sources of the State College water supply. A small reservoir impounds water from "Roaring Run," a crystal clear brook babbling from the mountains.
53 – In 2 miles you cross a blue-blazed trail – Sand Spring Trail, leading from Academy St. in Boalsburg to the Mid-State Trail which is on the ridge to your right (south). Sand Spring Trail used to be known as "Huckleberry Lane" to Boalsburgers who came up this way to pick berries on the ridge.
56 – If you miss the diagonal "charcoal" trail [le petomane trail on the way up sand spring trail], you can continue ahead on the blue trail to the top. The total vertical climb is only about 300 feet. It's the easiest climb you're ever likely to find on Tussey Mt. The blue blazes continue down the north side to Academy St. in Boaslburg. Sand Spring Trail is a side trail and connector to the Mid-State Trail, and considered an "urban out-route."
57 – There used to be a radio tower on Bald Knob. You can still see some concrete foundations and the maintenance access jeep trail. Around 1971 the tower was moved over to Little Flat, the next mountain to the east, which is 100 ft. higher (2400) and slightly more accessible. (It has a road and a heli-pad).
62 – How can one describe a place such as Big Flat? The top-of-the-world, heaven-on-earth, splendid isolation—it is as much a feeling as a place, a sort of fourth dimension. Whether drinking in the view from Indian Wells or cool water from the "fountain of youth" at Keith Spring, I LOVE THIS MOUNTAIN. A substantial population of black bears inhabits the area. Although you might not see any animals at all because of the vastness, you are likely to find tracks of deer, bear and others in the mud or snow. The whole ridge stands tall at 2300 to 2400 feet. Snow lies deep here both before and long after there is any in the valley. Between January 1 and May 1 the area is inaccessible (except on skis) because all roads leading to this high place have their gates closed. This adds to the isolation and charm. Big Flat is the broad, other end of the ridge on which Little Flat sits.
64 – Take U.S. 322 east through Boalsburg, turn right to Skimont and follow Bear Meadows Road 41/2 miles. Turn right at the 2nd intersection onto North Meadows Road (gated in winter). Drive 21/2 miles up to a T intersection with Gettis Ridge Road. Park here. [you once could drive North Meadows road … as recently as 1982. isn't it 31/2 miles there, though?]
65 – The blue trail goes down about ¼ mile to the elegant stone basin and piped spring at Bear Gap Road. Do taste the water. It is excellent. The stone work at Keith Spring was constructed by the C.C.C. around 1934. The marker commemorates Walter J. (Bunny) Keith, a Penn State chemistry professor and inveterate hiker, who spent much time in these mountains.
65 – Gettis Ridge road here is high and level and one of the most colorful places in autumn. When the huckleberry leaves turn red and the trees are orange and yellow, mixed with green pines and an incredibly blue sky, this road is a living rainbow.
69 – Cross the footbridge into a meadow. There used to be a cabin here, which burned down around 1977. [the old cabin clearing on Bear Meadows Loop trail, directly opposite the parking area, across the bog]
78 – Or, if you want a slightly more adventurous return and like practice in following old, unmarked trails—follow Bear Meadows Rd. to the right, uphill 0.2 mile to where the orange-blazes turn off to the right (north) steeply up into the woods. Directly opposite the orange trail you'll see the old, unmarked Seeger Trail going down to the left (south). It is mostly moss-covered, and has many fallen trees to step over. You pass a charcoal flat and follow the sunken old wagon road 0.6 mile until it emerges again on Bear Meadows Rd. Contrast the MST with this one which is not maintained nor much used. How long does an unused trail remain visible? Turn right and follow the road down to the park. [the directions begin coming off Detweiler Trail onto Bear Meadows at the yellow gate.]
83 – It's a place for all seasons. In spring a brown thrasher serenades the fishermen around the north inlet. Capricious summer breezes send sailboats flying, then becalm them in the middle. Fiery autumn trees admire their own golden reflection in the mirror-still lake. Winter fish in the cold depths below the thick ice listen to the footsteps of ice fishermen and the slice and glide of ice skates or skis, people's talk and laughter echoing across the valley. Pink lady slippers and trillium are found by those who love wildflowers. Ospreys find a fish dinner in the bay. Woodcocks delight in the bog below the dam. Killdeer cry overhead. Swallows swoop and scoop their meals in flight. A fox sparrow flashes reddish-brown feathers. A yellow-bellied sapsucker delights an audience of birders, while a phoebe near the bridge bobs its tail and worries. A colony of beavers industriously builds a second dam a short distance below the manmade dam. Migrating waterfowl—ducks, Canada geese, loons, grebes, whistling swans—all make regular stopovers at this watery "wayside inn." Even the mountain stops here. For nearly 100 miles, stretching from the Mason-Dixon Line northward, Tussey Ridge angles and turns, searching across half of Pennsylvania. At last, it reaches Colyer and kneels gently, content to end at this cozy nugget of a valley.
98 – Located about 45 miles east of State College on a paved highway, PA 192, R.B. Winter State Park is accessible and attractive in all seasons of the year. Trout fishing; hiking, swimming and camping; colorful autumns; ice-skating and cross-country skiing lure many visitors. Formerly called Halfway Dam after an old roadside inn (Halfway House), the present dam, which combines the waters of Rapid Run and Halfway Run into a 6-acre lake, was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933 to replace an old sawmill dam. It was the first stone masonry dam built by the CCC in the United States. In 1955 the park was renamed R.B. Winter State Park in honor of Mr. Raymond B. Winter, a forester who spent 45 years working in this park and the surrounding Bald Eagle State Forest.
Update-5 – There is one species we hope WILL become scarce in the bog—"Beerus canicans v. Busch and Budweiser." These are sown by migratory "yahoos" with the unusual behavior pattern of fouling their own habitat and that of every other species with debris. You can help to eradicate this weed species by picking the "canicans" and recycling them. Unfortunately there is no open season on yahoos.
Update-18 – The John Wert Path—finished in June, 1983, by the Penn State Outing Club's X-C Ski Div.—has been compared to the Alan Seeger Natural Area, and is a similar but wilder variation of the same type of rhododendron-hemlock ecosystem. The path is named for a Centre County man who, as a boy (ca. 1893), accompanied his father along this old wagon road to get timber for their Tusseyville barn.
Update-19 – At about the halfway point, a double blaze marks a side trail to the left which goes across a footbridge to a cabin with access to Treaster Kettle Road. The main trail continues ahead and joins an old wagon trail and the walking becomes somewhat easier. [Walking John Wert Path eastward.]
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Re:rothrock history - 2008/01/13 22:28I visited the Lumber Museum last summer, it was pretty cool. If you are there during the summer months, Ski Denton offers lift assisted mountain biking at the ski resort. Which is a fun way to spend an afternoon.
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Re:rothrock history - 2008/01/13 22:38I visited the Lumber Museum last summer, it was pretty cool. If you are there during the summer months, Ski Denton offers lift assisted mountain biking at the ski resort. Which is a fun way to spend an afternoon.
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