Pymatuning State Park

History

Early Inhabitants

In the distant past, beyond the period of legend and history, the great swamp that became Pymatuning Reservoir was occupied by the “Mound Builders.” These farmers buried their important dead in large mounds and had an impressive trade network involving goods from all over North America. It is not known what happened to these mysterious people.

The Erie Nation are the first recorded inhabitants of the Pymatuning area. They were ruled by a queen noted for her cunning strategy and crooked dealings.

The Seneca Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy conquered the Erie and used the large swamp for hunting grounds. The name “Pymatuning” is derived from the Iroquois, probably from the Seneca, and means “the Crooked-mouthed Man’s Dwelling Place,” with “crooked-mouthed” referring to deceit rather than facial disfigurement.

History of Pymatuning Reservoir

“All human accomplishments begin with a dream.” The Honorable Gifford Pinchot, then governor of Pennsylvania, delivered these stirring words as part of his address at the dedication of Pymatuning Dam on August 17, 1934. Pinchot was fulfilling a Pennsylvania dream that began in 1868 when the General Assembly provided a survey and an estimate of the cost to drain the Pymatuning swamp to create farmlands. The swamp was not drained because it would cripple the industries downstream in the Beaver and Shenango valleys.

A severe flood in 1913 spurred the legislature to action. The Pymatuning Act, signed the same year, appropriated $100,000 to initiate building a dam. The Pymatuning Act states that the primary purpose of the Pymatuning Reservoir shall be for the conservation of waters entering the Pymatuning Swamp and for regulating the flow of water in the Shenango and Beaver rivers. A secondary purpose is to use the dam and lake as a reservoir to impound flood water during periods of excessive runoff from the 158 square miles of drainage area above the dam.

In the next 18 years, public and private organizations raised the $3,717,739 needed to build the dam. On October 6, 1931, 7,000 men began work, turning the dream into reality, and three years later Governor Pinchot gave his inspiring words at the dedication of the 17,088-acre Pymatuning Reservoir.

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