Day 60 of our 2025 RVing Adventure with Historical & Musical Interludes

It's Monday June 30th, day 60 of our 2025 summer adventure. 60 days, two months since we left home... it feels like it was yesterday. I decided  to walk the Railroad Grade trail, but the bugs were out in full force!   Before I got to the trail, I had a conversation with a local resident. She watched me from the right side of the road, then she crossed the road and stared me down again!

The Railroad Grade Trail is part of the Tioga State Forest. It derives its name from the Seneca phrase "meeting of two rivers." It covers over 160,000 acres in Bradford and Tioga counties. The forest hosts the Pine Creek Gorge, also known as the "Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania." Tioga features awe-inspiring views and miles of clean, cool streams, like Cedar Run and Babbs Creek and is one of eight state forests located in the PA Wilds region.

Being on the road in a Class C RV, today was the "favorite" day of all RVers without a washing machine... It was a trip to the laundromat! We have a laundromat that we have used before in Mansfield, so off we went! We occupied our time by facetiming with our friends on Charlie's iPad in the car.

Tioga-Hammond Lakes and Dam. The beauty of north-central Pennsylvania is evident at Tioga-Hammond Lakes. They are surrounded by lush forested ridges, the lakes offer recreational opportunities for all.

The project is unique in that it consists of two separate dams, one on the Tioga River and the other along Crooked Creek.  The lakes formed by both dams are joined by a gated connecting channel. Why did they create the dam project? To answer that, we need some background.

The Upper Tioga River Watershed, which encompasses 280 square miles in northcentral Pennsylvania, is part of the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. The Tioga River Watershed makes up the greater portion of the county. The Tioga River proper begins in Bradford County and flows westward, near Blossburg it turns northward and flows that direction until it reached the Chemung River in New York State. The Cowanesque River Starts in Potter County, flowing eastward and joining the Tioga River near Lawrenceville. As recent as the 1970’s, the Tioga River supported Class A wild brook trout populations.  Today the Tioga River from the confluence of the Fall Brook tributary can no longer support aquatic life. Why?

In the early 1800’s, coal was discovered near Blossburg.  Deep and strip mining for coal were major industries in the region through the 1980s, with mining operations ending in 1990. When deep mining began in the watershed, entries into the mines were dug from below the groundwater table.  To keep the mines from filling with water, horizontal tunnels, known as drifts, were dug to allow water to drain by gravity out of the mines.  Water entering one mine could travel for many miles downhill collecting drainage from many other mine areas along the way before discharging in large amounts from a common opening.  Many coal seams are surrounded by pyrite-laden rock.  When pyrite is exposed to air and water in the deep mine, it reacts to form sulfuric acid that further dissolves metals in the surrounding rock.  The result is known as Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) pollution.  AMD has water quality characterized by low pH, high acidity, and high dissolved metals like iron and aluminum.

The devastation of the river’s water quality is the direct result of AMD pollution.  Some of the more heavily polluted tributaries have pH levels similar to battery acid. Remarkably, the tributaries entering the Tioga River north of Blossburg do not suffer from AMD pollution.  While these tributaries help to dilute the AMD polluted waters, the pollution emanating from the upper watershed is so severe that the river cannot recover and cannot support aquatic life. The Answer was the Tioga Hammond Dam Complex. The project was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 3 July 1958. Construction costs were more than $200,000,000. In nearly 40 years of operation the lakes have already paid for themselves in flood damage prevention. The two dams working together provide major flood control on the north branch of the Susquehanna River as far south as Wilkes-Barre, PA.

The Tioga Hammond Dam was constructed in 1978 and put into operation in 1981 as part of a flood control project.  The unnatural blue-green color that is frequently seen in Tioga Lake is due to the precipitation of aluminum which results when mine drainage begins to become neutralized by alkaline water.

The Dam complex provides some AMD remediation.  Hammond Lake impounds Crooked Creek and controls a drainage area of 122 square miles.  The water collected in Hammond Lake is alkaline and can be mixed with the polluted waters of Tioga Lake through a 2,700-foot connecting channel. Corps employees at the Tioga Hammond Dam monitor the chemistry and temperature of the lakes.  Using the connecting channel to control the amount of water released downstream from each lake, the Corps is able to control the quality of water north of the Dam thus permitting aquatic life to survive.

By the mid-60's, the Army Corps of Engineers had begun buying property in the areas that would be drowned by the new lakes, and began removing and relocating old cemeteries from the area. They also began condemning properties in the area, although in some cases, the owners were permitted to remain in their homes until a later time. It is reported that at least nine cemeteries that were moved. Most were small family cemeteries, but several were much larger, containing hundreds of graves. The Corps of Engineers recorded the names on the stone markers, and presented the list to the Wellsboro chapter of the DAR for inclusion in their records, and possible notification of next-of-kin. Just how the next-of-kin were chosen remains a mystery.

The Tioga River Watershed is home to three Army Corps of Engineers dam complexes. The Cowanesque River is home to the Cowanesque Lake. The Tioga River is home to the Tioga Dam, and Crooked Creek houses Hammond Lake. Hammond Lake has 685 surface acres of water. The project includes the Ives Run Recreation Area with a campground, boat launches and overnight mooring for campers. Fishing, picnicking, swimming, various sport fields, a volleyball court and a display garden with native trees, shrubs and flowers. Tioga Lake, with 498 surface acres of water, located just a few miles north of Mansfield, Pennsylvania. Its secluded location offers a boater's paradise and great water-skiing opportunities.

Rain came in the afternoon, so it was a quiet late afternoon and evening. Tomorrow we will travel to NY. Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!