Stillwater Lake (Pennsylvania)
Encyclopedia
Stillwater Lake is a reservoir
that covers approximately 315 acres (1.3 km²). The lake is located in Pocono Summit
, Pennsylvania
at an elevation of 1811 feet (552 m). Feed by Dotter's Run, Hawkeye Run, Pocono Summit Creek, and several underground springs, the lake flows out to Lake Naomi via Tunkhannock Creek
. There are several Tunkhannock Creeks in the Poconos. This one merges with the Tobyhanna at Pocono Lake. The Tobyhanna flows into the Lehigh, and ultimately into Delaware Bay.
The lake is currently home to Stillwater Estates, and to BSA Camp Minsi ,a facility owned by the Boy Scouts of America
Minsi Trails Council
.
of the area called it "Klampeechen Chuppecat" which, in Lenape
, translates to deep, dark swamp.
In the 1870s, like most of the land in the Pocono Plateau
, the land was clear-cut and harvested for lumber. The swamp was destroyed and cut away to make room for a man-made lake designed to transport the cut timber downstream to sawmills. A dam
was built to control the water flow and the level of the lake, while three very small streams and underground springs fed the newly made "Lake Stillwater". Tunkhannock Creek was the major outlet for the lake and logs were sent from Lake Stillwater down Tunkhannock Creek to Lake Naomi and then onto the sawmill on Lake Pocono.
With the dwindling forests and growing markets, the businesses who had harvested all of the lumber began looking for new avenues of revenue -- they turned to the ice industry. From the late 1880s until the 1930s, the ice industry of the Poconos was king. Numerous ice companies sprung up in the area as ice was harvested from the shallow freshwater lakes. Soon, the Pocono Mountain Ice Company, run by Samuel Rubel
, became the leading ice company in the area, buying up many of the smaller ice companies. Large ice houses were built around Lake Stillwater to store the large blocks of ice. Remnants of some of those facilities can still be seen on the south and eastern side of the lake today.
Pennsylvania was the nation's third largest producer of ice, following Maine and New York. Pennsylvania consumed about 1 million tons annually, cut on the state's lakes and rivers. Aside from Stillwater Lake, Pocono Mountain Ice Company harvested ice on Saylor's Lake, Trout Lake, Lake Naomi, Pocono Lake, Mountain Spring Lake, and the Lakes at Tobyhanna. It was reported that the Pocono Mountain Ice Company was harvesting ice for 6 cents per ton. Ice workers out on the lake were paid 30 cents an hour, while those working in the icehouse, where 300-pound ice cakes were being pushed around, were paid 35 cents an hour. The Pocono Mountain Ice Company employed over 500 men during the height of the harvest. Beginning in the 1930s with the advent of refrigeration, the harvesting of the ice from the lakes became less and less profitable. Eventually, the ice companies folded, while still controlling large tracts of land.
In 1949, Samuel Rubel and the Pocono Mountain Ice Company donated a majority of the land around Stillwater Lake to the Boy Scouts of America
's Bethlehem Area Council (now Minsi Trails Council
). The remaining land was sold to developers and was marketed in the 1960's as Stillwater Lake Estates, a development of approximately 1,000 lots (typically about two-thirds of an acre each), with amenities presently including a beach, community center, playground, nature preserve, tennis courts and marina.
In 2002, Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP) reclassified the dam on Stillwater Lake as a B2 High Hazard Dam. Funding was approved in the 2006 Pennsylvania State R-CAP Budget to repair the dam, however the legislators were reluctant to release the already approved funds for the project. In May, 2008 Minsi Trails Council (owners of the dam) entered into a consent order and agreement with the DEP specifying a timetable to make the required dam repairs. The council finalized engineering plans and completed the dam permit application in November 2009. The Scouts petitioned the legislators to release the $3,000,000.00 of approved funding in order to repair the dam and essentially save their camp, as well as the watershed and neighboring communities. In late 2009, $1.31 million was released to upgrade the dam. Construction is slated to begin in August 2010 with completion by spring 2011. The dam renovation includes a new spillway, gate, and a 400 foot rollercompacted concrete dam. The project cost is estimated at nearly $2-million.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
that covers approximately 315 acres (1.3 km²). The lake is located in Pocono Summit
Pocono Summit, Pennsylvania
Pocono Summit is a community or populated place located in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. Parts of Pocono Summit are located under the municipalities of Coolbaugh and Tobyhanna townships.-Geography:...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
at an elevation of 1811 feet (552 m). Feed by Dotter's Run, Hawkeye Run, Pocono Summit Creek, and several underground springs, the lake flows out to Lake Naomi via Tunkhannock Creek
Tunkhannock Creek (Tobyhanna Creek)
Tunkhannock Creek is a tributary of Tobyhanna Creek in the Poconos of eastern Pennsylvania in the United States. A stream of the same name is a tributary of the Susquehanna River....
. There are several Tunkhannock Creeks in the Poconos. This one merges with the Tobyhanna at Pocono Lake. The Tobyhanna flows into the Lehigh, and ultimately into Delaware Bay.
The lake is currently home to Stillwater Estates, and to BSA Camp Minsi ,a facility owned by the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
Minsi Trails Council
Minsi Trails Council
Camp Minsi is a located on the shores of the Stillwater Lake in Pocono Summit, Pennsylvania. The camp was formerly owned by Bethlehem Area Council prior to the establishment of Minsi Trails Council. The camp was donated to the Boy Scouts in 1949 by Samuel Rubel. Camp Minsi encompasses of...
.
History
The area where the lake is located was once a swamp. The Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
of the area called it "Klampeechen Chuppecat" which, in Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
, translates to deep, dark swamp.
In the 1870s, like most of the land in the Pocono Plateau
The Poconos
The Pocono Mountains is a region located in northeastern Pennsylvania, United States. The Poconos, located chiefly in Monroe and Pike counties , are an upland of the larger Allegheny Plateau...
, the land was clear-cut and harvested for lumber. The swamp was destroyed and cut away to make room for a man-made lake designed to transport the cut timber downstream to sawmills. A dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
was built to control the water flow and the level of the lake, while three very small streams and underground springs fed the newly made "Lake Stillwater". Tunkhannock Creek was the major outlet for the lake and logs were sent from Lake Stillwater down Tunkhannock Creek to Lake Naomi and then onto the sawmill on Lake Pocono.
With the dwindling forests and growing markets, the businesses who had harvested all of the lumber began looking for new avenues of revenue -- they turned to the ice industry. From the late 1880s until the 1930s, the ice industry of the Poconos was king. Numerous ice companies sprung up in the area as ice was harvested from the shallow freshwater lakes. Soon, the Pocono Mountain Ice Company, run by Samuel Rubel
Samuel Rubel
Samuel Rubel was an immigrant from Russia in 1904. In the 1920 U. S. Census his occupation was described as "Coal Miner & Ice Retailer." Rubel emigrated to America in 1904 from Riga, Latvia, at the age of 23...
, became the leading ice company in the area, buying up many of the smaller ice companies. Large ice houses were built around Lake Stillwater to store the large blocks of ice. Remnants of some of those facilities can still be seen on the south and eastern side of the lake today.
Pennsylvania was the nation's third largest producer of ice, following Maine and New York. Pennsylvania consumed about 1 million tons annually, cut on the state's lakes and rivers. Aside from Stillwater Lake, Pocono Mountain Ice Company harvested ice on Saylor's Lake, Trout Lake, Lake Naomi, Pocono Lake, Mountain Spring Lake, and the Lakes at Tobyhanna. It was reported that the Pocono Mountain Ice Company was harvesting ice for 6 cents per ton. Ice workers out on the lake were paid 30 cents an hour, while those working in the icehouse, where 300-pound ice cakes were being pushed around, were paid 35 cents an hour. The Pocono Mountain Ice Company employed over 500 men during the height of the harvest. Beginning in the 1930s with the advent of refrigeration, the harvesting of the ice from the lakes became less and less profitable. Eventually, the ice companies folded, while still controlling large tracts of land.
In 1949, Samuel Rubel and the Pocono Mountain Ice Company donated a majority of the land around Stillwater Lake to the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
's Bethlehem Area Council (now Minsi Trails Council
Minsi Trails Council
Camp Minsi is a located on the shores of the Stillwater Lake in Pocono Summit, Pennsylvania. The camp was formerly owned by Bethlehem Area Council prior to the establishment of Minsi Trails Council. The camp was donated to the Boy Scouts in 1949 by Samuel Rubel. Camp Minsi encompasses of...
). The remaining land was sold to developers and was marketed in the 1960's as Stillwater Lake Estates, a development of approximately 1,000 lots (typically about two-thirds of an acre each), with amenities presently including a beach, community center, playground, nature preserve, tennis courts and marina.
In 2002, Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection
Department of Environmental Protection
Department of Environmental Protection is a name used by several states in the United States of America for the agency charged with proposing and enforcing environmental law...
(DEP) reclassified the dam on Stillwater Lake as a B2 High Hazard Dam. Funding was approved in the 2006 Pennsylvania State R-CAP Budget to repair the dam, however the legislators were reluctant to release the already approved funds for the project. In May, 2008 Minsi Trails Council (owners of the dam) entered into a consent order and agreement with the DEP specifying a timetable to make the required dam repairs. The council finalized engineering plans and completed the dam permit application in November 2009. The Scouts petitioned the legislators to release the $3,000,000.00 of approved funding in order to repair the dam and essentially save their camp, as well as the watershed and neighboring communities. In late 2009, $1.31 million was released to upgrade the dam. Construction is slated to begin in August 2010 with completion by spring 2011. The dam renovation includes a new spillway, gate, and a 400 foot rollercompacted concrete dam. The project cost is estimated at nearly $2-million.
External links
- Camp Minsi
- Footage of ice harvesting on Stillwater Lake (1921) on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Footage of the dam on Stillwater Lake (2009) on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....