Worlds End State Park Explained

Worlds End State Park
Iucn Category:III
Map:USA Pennsylvania#USA
Map Size:300
Location:Sullivan, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates:41.4714°N -76.5686°W
Area Acre:780
Elevation:1175feet
Named For:its remote location, or a whirlpool in Loyalsock Creek
Governing Body:Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Worlds End State Park is a 780acres Pennsylvania state park in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. The park, nearly surrounded by Loyalsock State Forest, is in the Loyalsock Creek valley on Pennsylvania Route 154 in Forks and Shrewsbury Townships southeast of the borough of Forksville. The name Worlds End has been used since at least 1872, but its origins are uncertain. Although it was founded as Worlds End State Forest Park by Governor Gifford Pinchot in 1932, the park was officially known as Whirls End State Forest Park from 1936 to 1943.

The park's land was once home to Native Americans, followed by settlers who cleared the forests for subsistence farming and later built sawmills. The second growth forests in and surrounding Worlds End State Park are partially a result of the efforts of the young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. They helped overcome the clearcutting of the early 20th century, and built many of the park's facilities, including the cabins that earned it a place on the National Register of Historic Places.

A wide variety of wildlife is found in the park, which is also part of an Important Bird Area. Located in the Endless Mountains region of the dissected Allegheny Plateau, Worlds End has a continental climate and rocks and fossils from the Carboniferous period. It is one of "Twenty Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks" named by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which describes it as "[v]irtually in a class by itself, this wild, rugged and rustic area seems almost untamed". The park offers year-round recreational opportunities, including environmental education, hiking, camping in tents and cabins, whitewater rafting, swimming, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, hunting, and fishing.

Name

An 1872 map uses the name Worlds End for the area around the S-shaped serpentine bend in Loyalsock Creek.[1] Worlds End State Forest Park opened in 1932, and its name has caused some confusion and controversy over the years. William S. Swingler, Assistant District Forester of Wyoming State Forest (reorganized as Loyalsock State Forest in 2005), penned this note about the story of the name in 1935:

This was not the end of the controversy. A letter campaign led to the name of the park being changed to Whirls End State Forest Park in 1936; opponents of the new name launched another letter-writing campaign to revert the name to Worlds End State Forest Park. This matter was brought before the State Geographic Board, which supervised the official naming of places. The board ruled that the name be changed once again to Worlds End State Forest Park in 1943.[1] The word Forest was dropped on November 11, 1954, when the park was officially named Worlds End State Park by the Pennsylvania Geographic Board. This has been the official name ever since, but the names Whirls End and Whirls Glen are still used, and are synonymous with Worlds End.[1]

Two other etymologies have been suggested. The first is that an early road along the gorge had a sheer drop to the creek hundreds of feet below, which prompted thoughts of the world's end in early travelers. The second is that the bend in Loyalsock Creek, and the surrounding area that became the park, was originally known as Huerle's Bend, but then "years of mispronunciation turned it into World's End (State Park)".[2] Whatever the source, as of 2012 the name Worlds End State Park is unique in the USGS Geographic Names Information System and on its maps of the United States. The possessive apostrophe is not part of the official name, although it does appear in older records and in informal usage today.

History

Native Americans

Humans have lived in what is now Pennsylvania since at least 10,000 BC. The first settlers were Paleo-Indian nomadic hunters known from their stone tools.[3] [4] [5] The hunter-gatherers of the Archaic period, which lasted locally from 7000 to 1000 BC, used a greater variety of more sophisticated stone artefacts. The Woodland period marked the gradual transition to semi-permanent villages and horticulture, between 1000 BC and 1500 AD. Archeological evidence found in the state from this time includes a range of pottery types and styles, burial mounds, pipes, bows and arrow, and ornaments.[3]

Worlds End State Park is in the West Branch Susquehanna River drainage basin, whose earliest recorded inhabitants were the Iroquoian-speaking Susquehannocks. They were a matriarchial society that lived in stockaded villages of large longhouses. Their numbers were greatly reduced by disease and warfare with the Five Nations of the Iroquois, and by 1675 they had died out, moved away, or been assimilated into other tribes.[4] [6]

After this, the lands of the West Branch Susquehanna River valley were under the nominal control of the Iroquois. The Iroquois also lived in longhouses, primarily in what is now New York, and had a strong confederacy which gave them power beyond their numbers.[4] To fill the void left by the demise of the Susquehannocks, the Iroquois encouraged displaced tribes from the east to settle in the West Branch watershed, including the Shawnee and Lenape (or Delaware).[4]

The French and Indian War (1754–1763) led to the migration of many Native Americans westward to the Ohio River basin.[4] On November 5, 1768, the Province of Pennsylvania acquired the New Purchase from the Iroquois in the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, including what is now Worlds End State Park.[6] After the American Revolutionary War, Native Americans almost entirely left Pennsylvania.[4]

The land that became Sullivan County was originally part of Northumberland County, then became part of Lycoming County when it was formed in 1795.[5] Settlers first arrived in the park's townships in 1794.[7] Shrewsbury Township was formed from Muncy Township in 1803, and Forks Township was formed from Shrewsbury Township in 1833, both while still part of Lycoming County. Sullivan County was formed from the northeastern part of Lycoming County on March 15, 1847.[8] [9]

Horse trails and lumber era

The earliest settlers in the Worlds End area rode on two horse trails to traverse the rugged mountains between Muncy Creek and the confluence of Little Loyalsock Creek with Loyalsock Creek at Forksville. These rugged and rocky trails were used steadily until 1895, when Pennsylvania Route 154 was constructed to take their place. Part of these old horse trails are still in use and known as Pioneer Road and Double Run Road, and form part of two of the seven hiking trails in the park. Worlds End trail and Pioneer Road meet at the Worlds End Vista, which is thought to be a possible inspiration for the park's name.[1]

Prior to the arrival of William Penn and his Quaker colonists in 1682, it has been estimated that up to 90 percent of what is now Pennsylvania was covered with woods: over of white pine, eastern hemlock, and a mix of hardwoods.[10] The forests near the three original counties, Philadelphia, Bucks, and Chester, were the first to be harvested, as the early settlers used the readily available timber to build homes, barns, and ships, and cleared the land for agriculture. The demand for lumber slowly increased and by the time of the American Revolution the lumber industry had reached the interior and mountainous regions of Pennsylvania.[10] [11]

Lumber thus became one of the leading industries in Pennsylvania.[10] Trees were used to furnish fuel to heat homes, tannin for the many tanneries that were spread throughout the state, and wood for construction, furniture, and barrel making. Large areas of forest were harvested by colliers to fire iron furnaces. Rifle stocks and shingles were made from Pennsylvania timber, as were a wide variety of household utensils, and the first Conestoga wagons.[10] [11]

By the mid-19th century, the demand for lumber reached the area, where eastern white pine and eastern hemlock covered the surrounding mountainsides. Lumbermen came and harvested the trees and sent them down Loyalsock Creek to the West Branch Susquehanna River and to sawmills there. The old-growth forests of eastern white pine and eastern hemlock were soon clearcut and the hills were stripped bare. Nothing was left except the dried-out tree tops, which became a fire hazard, so much of the land burned and was left barren. In the 1920s a sawmill was built on land now in the park, and two more were located about south.[1] [11] After it was "thoroughly logged", the area became a tangle of briars and brush.[12]

Civilian Conservation Corps

The history of Worlds End State Park goes back to 1929, when the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, a precursor to the modern Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, began purchasing land devastated by logging and wild fire to create a state forest. The land that specifically became the park was purchased from the Central Pennsylvania Lumber Company in 1929 and Mrs. "Doc" Randall in 1931.[12] Worlds End State Park was established by forest ranger John Annabelle in 1932, with a budget of $50 that purchased four picnic tables.[12]

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a work relief program for young men from unemployed families, established in 1933. As part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal legislation, it was designed to combat unemployment during the Great Depression. The CCC operated in every U.S. state.[13] The recreational development of the park began in 1933, when four CCC camps were built in Sullivan County. One of these, CCC Camp S-95, built many of the park facilities, such as the dam for the swimming area, the cabins, hiking trails and roads. The CCC workers blasted out bedrock in the creek for the swimming area and built the Canyon Vista road and lookout.[14] [15]

CCC Camp S-95, which opened on May 29, 1933, on the site of an old lumber camp, was able to distinguish itself over the years it operated in Sullivan County. Two floods swept through the area in 1933 and 1936. The August flood of 1933 caused extensive damage and largely destroyed the newly built camp. During the course of the flooding two young men from Camp S-95 saved the lives of two drowning children at Worlds End State Park.[16] [17] The flood of 1936 covered a large area within the West Branch Susquehanna River Valley. The young men of the CCC camp were among the leaders in the cleaning up after the flood and rebuilding many destroyed bridges and roads.[14] In 1936 the park was officially expanded beyond the original small picnic area.[18] Camp S-95 closed in 1941.[14] [19]

Historic district

In 1987 the CCC architecture earned the Worlds End State Park Family Cabin District within the park a listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).[1] [20] The 18.4acres historic district includes nineteen cabins and three latrines built by the CCC between 1933 and 1941. Seven of the cabins have one room, nine have two rooms, and three have three rooms.[21] There are also three modern latrines within the district which are designated as non-contributing structures. The historic structures are examples of CCC work that reflects the standards set forth by the Department of the Interior. The cabins and latrines are constructed with native stones and timber and are placed on the land in a way that minimizes interference with the natural surroundings of the park.[22]

Modern era

Since the CCC finished their work at the park in 1941, Worlds End State Park has continued to develop and change. In 1951 the Loyalsock Trail, which passes through the park, was laid out by Explorer Scouts. This trail has been maintained and extended by the Alpine Club of Williamsport since 1953.[23] While the park was always popular in Pennsylvania,[24] by the 1960s it began to attract attention from outside the state. The park was home to the first annual whitewater slalom race on Loyalsock Creek in 1964, which attracted over 100 competitors in 1965.[25] A 1964 The New York Times article featured Worlds End park and its "excellent trout stream",[26] and one in 1967 mentioned the park's "peerless wilderness views", "half-acre swimming pool carved into cool Loyalsock Creek" and "public campsites".[27]

In 1980, a 900square feet trailer was added as a temporary park office.[28] The accomplishments of the CCC at Worlds End State Park were recognized in 1987 by the inclusion of the Family Cabin District on the NRHP.[20] In 1997 the park's Important Bird Area (IBA) was one of the first 73 IBAs established in Pennsylvania.[29] On November 12, 2002, a new 4300square feet visitor center and park office was dedicated, which included 1680square feet of public space for environmental education and public programs. The building, constructed with an "energy-efficient design and recycled materials", was part of a $1.1 million project that included the park's first flush toilets and sewage treatment plant.[28] In 2003 a $2.7 million project added flush toilets and running water to all the park's wash-houses, renovated the cabins, and made major improvements in the day use area.[30]

In 2004, the Loyalsock Creek Watershed Association installed a fence on the creek's banks near the cabins to limit pedestrian access and erosion. The association planted shrubs and trees in the same area to stabilize the creek's banks in 2008, and in September 2010 replaced more than of fence with a less visible version.[31] [32] On January 25, 2010, flooding caused by heavy rain and melt from 20inches of snow "washed out a bridge" leading to the cabin area and destroyed of road there,[33] leaving the park looking like "the set of disaster movie".[34] The cabin area road needed $72,120 in repairs, the park was not fully restored until Memorial Day.[34] [35] Two floods hit the park in 2011, the first from Hurricane Irene on August 29, and the second from Tropical Storm Lee on September 8. Lee washed away about 20to of gravel used to make emergency repairs to roads in the park from Irene damage. Loyalsock Creek reached south of the park, and campers in the park had to be evacuated.[33] Worlds End and Promised Land State Park had "significant damage to roads and bridges", damage to Loylasock State Forest roads was also heavy, and the DCNR estimated the two storms caused $3 to $4 million of damage to its forests and parks.[36] Worlds End was closed for two weeks after the Lee flood.[37]

As of 2012, post-war facilities include the park office, five wash-houses and other modern restroom facilities, beach house with concession stand, chapel, amphitheater, and modern camping areas.[38] Worlds End State Park is one of twenty-one chosen by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Parks for its "Twenty Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks" list. The DCNR describes it as "[v]irtually in a class by itself, this wild, rugged and rustic area seems almost untamed". It goes on to praise the opportunities for camping and hiking at the park, and its scenery and vistas.[39]

Geology, paleontology, and Marcellus shale

The land on which Worlds End State Park sits has undergone tremendous change over the last 350 million years. It was once part of the coastline of a shallow sea that covered a great portion of what is now North America. The high mountains to the east of the sea gradually eroded, causing a buildup of sediment made up primarily of clay, sand and gravel. Tremendous pressure on the sediment caused the formation of the rocks that are found today in the Loyalsock Creek drainage basin: sandstone, shale, conglomerates, coal, and limestone.[40]

Four major rock formations are present in Worlds End State Park, all at least partly from the Carboniferous period. The youngest of these, which forms the highest points in the park, is the early Pennsylvanian Pottsville Formation, a gray conglomerate that may contain sandstone, siltstone, and shale, as well as anthracite coal. The Loyalsock gorge rim and the upper part of its walls are the late Mississippian Mauch Chunk Formation, which is formed with grayish-red shale, siltstone, sandstone, and conglomerate. Below this is the Mississippian Burgoon Formation, which comprises buff-colored sandstone and conglomerate. The creek bed and base of the gorge walls are the late Devonian and early Mississippian Huntley Mountain Formation, which is made of relatively soft grayish-red shale and olive-gray sandstone.[41] [42] [43]

The park is at an elevation of on the Allegheny Plateau,[44] which formed in the Alleghenian orogeny some 300 million years ago, when Gondwana (specifically what became Africa) and what became North America collided, forming Pangaea.[41] [45] The local region is known as the Endless Mountains, but despite the name these are not true mountains: instead millions of years of erosion have made this a dissected plateau, causing the "mountainous" terrain seen today. The hardest of the ancient rocks are on top of the ridges, while the softer rocks eroded away forming the valleys: the Loyalsock gorge is approximately 800feet deep in the park. Loyalsock Creek and its tributaries have been a primary force in the creation of the valleys, as the creek makes its way across the landscape to its mouth at the West Branch Susquehanna River in Montoursville.

Fossils have been found in Worlds End State Park, as the area was once a river delta on an ancient coastline. This coast was home to an ancient ancestor of the lungfish, which would burrow in the mud to survive dry spells. Fossils of these burrows have been discovered in the red siltstone formations in and near the park.[46]

The Marcellus Formation, a shale rich in natural gas, lies thousands of feet below Worlds End State Park and much of Pennsylvania. As of June 30, 2012, there were 127 active gas wells in Sullivan County, with 14 of those in Forks or Shrewsbury Townships.[47] The state did not purchase the mineral rights to much of the land it owns. Anadarko Petroleum (now Occidental Petroleum) owns the mineral rights under the [Loyalsock] state forest[48] and plans to drill in it. About 80% of the mineral rights to its state parks are not owned by Pennsylvania, and the owner of Worlds End State Park's mineral rights is unknown. According to William Kocher, Worlds End's manager, "if the owner decided to drill [in the park] ... the state would have no right to say no."[49] Natural gas pipeline construction upstream of the park spilled a "significant amount" of sediment and mud into Loyalsock Creek in September 2012.[50] [51]

Climate

The Allegheny Plateau has a continental climate, with occasional severe low temperatures in winter and average daily temperature ranges of 20 °F (11 °C) in winter and 80 °F (14 °C) in summer.[52] For the region the park is in, the average minimum temperature in January is, while the average maximum temperature in July is .[53] The mean annual precipitation for Loyalsock Creek is 42 to 48 inches (1067 to 1219 mm).[40] Pennsylvania receives the most acid rain of any state in the United States. Because Loyalsock Creek is in a sandstone, shale, conglomerates, coal, and limestone mountain region, it has a relatively low capacity to neutralize added acid. This makes it especially vulnerable to increased acidification from acid rain, which poses a threat to the long-term health of the plants and animals in the creek.[54] The highest recorded temperature at the park was in 1936, and the record low was in 1994. On average, July is the hottest month at Worlds End, January is the coldest, and June the wettest.

Ecology

Worlds End State Park is near Forksville on Pennsylvania Route 154 in the narrow, serpentine valley of Loyalsock Creek.[55] [56] It is nearly surrounded by Loyalsock State Forest, which was known here as Wyoming State Forest until July 1, 2005.[57] Common trees found in the state park and forest include black cherry, eastern hemlock, red maple, tulip poplar, yellow birch, and white ash. The northern hardwood and hemlock forests are threatened in general by deer overgrazing, while the woolly adelgid, an invasive hemiptera, threatens the hemlock populations.[58] In 2010 Worlds End was part of over of state forests and parks combating the woolly adelgid with a $110,000 federal grant to the DCNR's "Forest Pest Management Division for insecticide treatment of high-value Eastern hemlocks".[59] Several different interpretive and educational programs on environmental and ecological topics are offered at the park each summer.[55]

Wildlife and Important Bird Area

Worlds End State Park has an extensive forest cover of hemlock-filled valleys and hardwood tree-covered mountains, which makes it a habitat for "big woods" wildlife. Animals such as white-tailed deer, black bear, wild turkey, red and gray squirrels are seen fairly regularly. Less commonly seen but present in the park are creatures such as bobcats, coyote, fishers, river otters, and timber rattlesnakes. Loyalsock Creek is home to native brook trout and black bass which feed on a variety of insects including mosquitos, dragonflies, and gnats.[58] [60] [61]

Bird watchers have observed over 200 species of birds in the park, including the great blue heron, northern harrier, white-throated sparrow and highly sensitive species which are rare as breeding birds in Pennsylvania such as northern goshawk and yellow-bellied flycatcher.[62] [61] [63] The state park and forest are part of the larger Pennsylvania Important Bird Area (IBA) #42, which encompasses . The Pennsylvania Audubon Society has designated the IBA as a globally important habitats for the conservation of bird populations.[58] The IBA is home to Swainson's thrush and ruffed grouse, the state bird of Pennsylvania. Other notable passerine species found in the park and IBA include blue-headed and red-eyed vireos, Acadian and least flycatchers. Breeding warblers in the park include both northern and Louisiana waterthrushes, as well as Blackburnian, black-throated blue, black-throated green, Canada, magnolia, mourning, Nashville, and yellow-rumped.[58]

Worlds End State Park is featured in the Audubon Society's Susquehanna River Birding and Wildlife Trail Guide. Birds of interest in the park include common mergansers along the creek and other riparian species such as belted kingfisher, as well as barred, great horned, and the scarce, elusive northern saw-whet owls. Other avian species seen in the park and believed to nest there include tufted titmouse, brown creeper, red-breasted nuthatch, common raven, scarlet tanager, yellow-bellied sapsucker, and winter wren. These bird populations are typical of "mature northern hardwood-hemlock forests and high elevation swamps and conifer swamps".[64] [58]

Recreation

Trails

There are over 20miles of hiking trails at Worlds End State Park. Most of the trails are rocky and steep, so hikers are encouraged to wear proper footgear and to be prepared for icy conditions during the cold winter months.[65] As John Young writes in Hike Pennsylvania, "If you want to do some hiking in the Worlds End region, you should know that hiking here means climbing".[66] Worlds End State Park is open during the winter months for snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. Most of the trails are too steep or rugged for either activity, but the park roads are open, as are trails on surrounding state forest lands.[55] [65]

Fishing, hunting, and whitewater

According to John Young, "As soon as you enter Worlds End State Park, you hear it: the never-ending rush of the waters of Loyalsock Creek".[66] The creek and its tributary Double Run have been designated as approved trout waters within the park by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. This means the waters will be stocked with trout and may be fished during trout season.[71] Hunting is permitted on about half of the lands of Worlds End State Park. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The common game species are ruffed grouse, eastern gray squirrels, turkey, white-tailed deer and bears; however, the hunting of groundhogs is prohibited.[55]

Edward Gertler, author of Keystone Canoeing, writes that Loyalsock Creek's "exciting whitewater, above Forksville, has long been a favorite of paddlers who are quick and tolerant enough to endure its fickle water levels and weather". This is the stretch of the creek in and near the park, whose "long, steepening, and complex boulder patch and ledgy rapids demand your attention ... A boater's chute through the middle of the swimming area dam at Worlds End State Park climaxes this run".[72]

The best time for whitewater boating on Loyalsock Creek at Worlds End State Park is from March to May,[55] and the park hosts a slalom race on Loyalsock Creek each spring. The whitewater gradient is 41 for the section of the creek in and near the park, and its rating on the International Scale of River Difficulty is II to III+, with sections reaching IV.[72] The water is too swift for open canoes, so visitors are asked to use kayaks. The swimming area is closed to whitewater boating during the summer months.[55]

Cabins, camping, swimming, and picnics

When appointed as manager of the park in 2002, William C. Kocher said "Camping really is king here at Worlds End, and the rustic cabins are especially popular ... We also have plenty of picnics and reunions, many of them drawing generation after generation, year after year".[73] Worlds End State Park has three options for visitors interested in staying overnight. There are 19 rustic cabins, each with a refrigerator, stove, fireplace, table with chairs, and beds. There is a 70-site tent and camper campground along Pennsylvania Route 154. Some of the campsites have an electric hook-up, and there is a central shower facility with water and restrooms located nearby. Three organized group tenting areas, each capable of accommodating 30 people, are also available north of the cabins. They may also be used for one large group of up to 90 campers.[55] Non-denominational Christian worship services, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, are held in a wooded chapel at the park on Sunday mornings during the summer.[74]

The picnic and swimming areas are adjacent to each other, with the building housing the bath house and concession stand between them. There are many picnic tables and several pavilions available for day use by visitors to the park. During the Great Depression the Civilian Conservation Corps built a 7feet tall dam on Loyalsock Creek, which provides a swimming area at Worlds End State Park.[55] [75] Since 2008, lifeguards are no longer on duty at the park.[76]

Nearby state parks

The following state parks are within 30miles of Worlds End State Park:[77] [78]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Worlds End State Park: History . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927052747/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/worldsend/index.htm . dead . September 27, 2011 . December 10, 2012 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
  2. News: Leon J . Pollom . Community Profile: Is There a Better Place in God's Country than the Village of Barbours? . Williamsport Sun-Gazette . August 18, 1994 . 11.
  3. Book: Foundations of Pennsylvania Prehistory . Kent . Barry C. . Smith . Ira F. . McCann . Catherine J. . 1971 . Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission . Harrisburg, Pennsylvania . Anthropological Series of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission . 1 . 2696039.
  4. Book: Wallace, Paul A. W. . Indians in Pennsylvania . 1961 . 2000 . Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission . Harrisburg, Pennsylvania . 978-0-89271-017-1.
  5. For a general overview of Native American History in the West Branch Susquehanna watershed, see Book: Meginness, John Franklin . History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania: including its aboriginal history; the colonial and revolutionary periods; early settlement and subsequent growth; organization and civil administration; the legal and medical professions; internal improvement; past and present history of Williamsport; manufacturing and lumber interests; religious, educational, and social development; geology and agriculture; military record; sketches of boroughs, townships, and villages; portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, etc. etc. . 1892 . December 7, 2012 . 1st . Brown, Runk & Co . Chicago, IL . 0-7884-0428-8 . Chapter I. Aboriginal Occupation. . http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-01.html. Note: ISBN refers to the Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the 1892 version with some OCR typos.
  6. Book: Wallace, Paul A. W. . Indian Paths of Pennsylvania . Fourth Printing . 1987 . Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission . . 0-89271-090-X . 66–72. Note: ISBN refers to 1998 impression
  7. Web site: Sullivan County 7th class . June 15, 2012 . Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
  8. Web site: Lycoming County 5th class . June 15, 2012 . Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
  9. Book: History of Sullivan County, Pennsylvania: Compendium of Biography . Thomas J. Ingham . 1899 . Lewis Publishing Co. . Chicago, Illinois . June 15, 2012 . 35904783.
  10. Web site: The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum - History . December 7, 2012 . Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
  11. Book: Taber III, Thomas T. . Williamsport Lumber Capital . 1995 . 1st . Paulhamus Litho, Inc. . . Chapter Two: The Boom—Making It All Possible . 35920715.
  12. News: R.A . Walker . Worlds End is Right Around Bend: Park Evolves from Remote Logging Camp to Tourist Site . . September 19, 1999 . B4, B5.
  13. Book: Paige, John C. . The Civilian Conservation Corps and the National Park Service, 1933–1942: An Administrative History . December 7, 2012 . 1985 . U.S. National Park Service, Department of the Interior . Washington, C.C. . Chapter One: A Brief History of the Civilian Conservation Corps . 12072830.
  14. News: Mollie . Elliot . CCC Contribution to Sullivan County was Very Important . Williamsport Sun-Gazette . November 5, 2000 . B4.
  15. News: John . Eastlake . Lasting Legacy of the 'CCC' Camps: Depression-Era Program Built Much of the Infrastructure in Public Forests and Parks that We Still Enjoy Today . Williamsport Sun-Gazette . February 16, 2003 . F1, F2.
  16. Web site: Pennsylvania State Parks: The CCC Years . https://web.archive.org/web/20121114031714/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/thingstoknow/history/cccyears/index.htm . dead . November 14, 2012 . November 5, 2011 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
  17. Web site: History: Company 383, S-95-Pa., LaPorte, PA. . https://web.archive.org/web/20090225131855/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/ccc/docs/20.pdf . dead . February 25, 2009 . December 10, 2012 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
  18. Book: Forrey, William C. . History of Pennsylvania's State Parks . 1984 . Bureau of State Parks, Office of Resources Management, Department of Environmental Resources, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania . Harrisburg, Pennsylvania . 17824084.
  19. Web site: Pennsylvania CCC Archive Camp Information for S-95-Pa . https://web.archive.org/web/20110609181043/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/ccc/camp.aspx?ID=121 . dead . June 9, 2011 . December 10, 2012 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
  20. Web site: NPS Focus . National Register of Historic Places . . December 10, 2012 . July 25, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080725123211/http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/ . dead.
  21. Web site: Worlds End Cabin Map . https://web.archive.org/web/20121114080734/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd2/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_002956.pdf . dead . November 14, 2012 . November 6, 2011 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
  22. Web site: National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania . CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System . Searchable database . December 9, 2012 . July 21, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070721014609/https://www.dot7.state.pa.us/ce/SelectWelcome.asp . dead. Note: This includes Web site: [{{NRHP-PA|H088894_01D.pdf}} Pennsylvania Historic Resource Survey Form: Worlds End State Park: Family Cabin District ]. December 9, 2012 . John Milner Associates . PDF . 1986.
  23. Web site: History of the Loyalsock Trail . The Alpine Club of Williamsport . November 30, 2012.
  24. Book: Cupper, Dan . Our Priceless Heritage: Pennsylvania's State Parks 1893–1993 . 1993 . Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission for Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of State Parks . . 0-89271-056-X.
  25. News: Notes from the Field of Travel: Boat Race . The New York Times . April 25, 1965 . XX5.
  26. News: Oscar . Godbout . Wood, Field and Stream; Visitor to North Central Pennsylvania Finds Trout Streams as Advertised . The New York Times . May 15, 1964 . 32.
  27. News: Ed . Van Dyne . Deep in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania . The New York Times . July 23, 1967 . 300.
  28. Web site: DCNR Dedicates Visitor Center at Worlds End State Park . https://web.archive.org/web/20021121075553/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/polycomm/pressrel/worldsendsp1102.htm . dead . November 21, 2002 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources . November 12, 2002 . Press release . December 10, 2012.
  29. Web site: Audubon names 73 important bird areas in state . . January 7, 1997 . 1 . 3 . January 5, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121114044717/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/res1997/97-0107-res.aspx . November 14, 2012.
  30. Web site: DCNR Announces State Park, Forest Improvements Totaling $11 Million . https://web.archive.org/web/20030818194337/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/polycomm/pressrel/parkforestimprovements0603.htm . dead . August 18, 2003 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources . June 24, 2003 . Press release . December 10, 2012.
  31. News: Volunteers install fence to help stop erosion at area state park . September 20, 2010 . Carol J. Kafer . Williamsport Sun-Gazette . December 20, 2012.
  32. News: Watershed groups plan for busy season of stream improvements . March 24, 2008 . Eric Long . Williamsport Sun-Gazette . December 20, 2012.
  33. Web site: Tropical Storm Lee leaves state parks awash in central, eastern Pa. . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040144/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/res2011/11-0914-spdamagelee.aspx . dead . March 4, 2016 . The Resource . September 14, 2011 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources . December 20, 2012.
  34. News: Heavy rains, snow melt damage state forest roads, area state park . March 23, 2010 . Jessica Welshans . Williamsport Sun-Gazette . December 20, 2012.
  35. Web site: Bids awarded for major bridge work, other state forest, park projects . The Resource . March 31, 2010 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources . December 20, 2012.
  36. Web site: Storm Damage at Pa. State Parks at Least $3M-$4M . October 4, 2011 . Woodall's Campground Management . December 20, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304080236/http://www.woodallscm.com/tag/tropical-storm-lee/ . March 4, 2016 . dead.
  37. News: Two weeks after flooding from Tropical Storm Lee, a number of Pennsylvania state parks remain closed . September 24, 2011 . Ivey DeJesus . The Patriot-News . December 20, 2012.
  38. Web site: Worlds End State Park . https://web.archive.org/web/20121114073742/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd2/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_002958.pdf . dead . November 14, 2012 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources . May 26, 2010 . November 6, 2011.
  39. Web site: Find a Park: Twenty Must-see Parks . https://web.archive.org/web/20110926163600/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/index.htm . dead . September 26, 2011 . November 26, 2011 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Note: Despite the title, there are twenty-one parks in the list, with Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks treated as one.
  40. Book: Shaw, Lewis C. . Prepared in Cooperation with the United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey . Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams Part II (Water Resources Bulletin No. 16) . June 1984 . 1st . Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Environmental Resources . Harrisburg, PA . 17150333.
  41. Book: Van Diver, Bradford B. . Roadside Geology of Pennsylvania . 1990 . Mountain Press Publishing Company . Missoula, Montana . 0-87842-227-7 . 83.
  42. Web site: Atlas of Preliminary Geologic Quadrangle Maps of Pennsylvania: Eagles Mere . https://web.archive.org/web/20030824021439/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/map61/eaglesmere.pdf . dead . August 24, 2003 . December 10, 2012 . Berg, T. M. . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey . 1981.
  43. Web site: Map 67: Tabloid Edition Explanation . https://web.archive.org/web/20090225124146/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/pub/map/pdfs/map067_tabloid_exp.pdf . dead . February 25, 2009 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey . December 10, 2012.
  44. Web site: [{{Gnis3|1200134}} Worlds End State Park ]. August 2, 1979 . . . December 5, 2012.
  45. Book: The Geology of Pennsylvania . Shultz . Charles H. . 1999 . Pennsylvania Geological Society and Pittsburgh Geological Society . Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . 0-8182-0227-0.
  46. Web site: Pennsylvania Trail of Geology, Worlds End State Park, Sullivan County, Geologic Features of Interest (Park Guide 12) . https://web.archive.org/web/20040630184617/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/ParkGuides/pg12.pdf . dead . June 30, 2004 . Royer . Denise W . December 10, 2012 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
  47. Web site: Shale Play: Natural Gas Drilling in Pennsylvania: Sullivan County . StateImpact Pennsylvania (a collaboration between WITF, WHYY and NPR) . December 20, 2012.
  48. News: Drilling plans for Loyalsock State Forest quietly move forward . Marie . Cusick . . July 24, 2014.
  49. News: Pennsylvania might be unable to prevent natural gas drilling on park lands . . August 15, 2010.
  50. News: Sludge discharged into creek during pipeline construction . September 2, 2012 . Matt Hutchinson . Williamsport Sun-Gazette . December 20, 2012.
  51. News: Pipeline Construction Spill Caught On Camera . Scott Detrow . September 5, 2012 . StateImpact Pennsylvania (a collaboration between WITF, WHYY and NPR) . December 20, 2012.
  52. Web site: Climate of Pennsylvania . Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania State Climatologist . December 10, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090225124128/http://climate.met.psu.edu/data/ncdc_pa.pdf . February 25, 2009.
  53. Web site: Upper / Middle Susquehanna Region: Pennsylvania Water Atlas (Draft) . Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection . November 7, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110816045628/http://files.dep.state.pa.us/Water/Watershed%20Management/lib/watershedmgmt/state_water_plan/regional_committees/ums/may08/umsregion-1-15.pdf . August 16, 2011.
  54. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20050121211926/http://www.fish.state.pa.us/Fish/acidrain.htm . Acid Precipitation . Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission . December 7, 2012 . January 21, 2005.
  55. Web site: Worlds End State Park . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927052747/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/worldsend/index.htm . dead . September 27, 2011 . November 5, 2011 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
  56. 1:65,000 . Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division . [ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/pdf/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/GHS/Roadnames/sullivan_GHSN.pdf 2012 General Highway Map Sullivan County Pennsylvania ]. https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20140602141526/ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/pdf/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/GHS/Roadnames/sullivan_GHSN.pdf . dead . June 2, 2014 . PDF . December 7, 2012. Note: shows Worlds End State Park State Park
  57. Web site: Realigning Forest Districts . https://web.archive.org/web/20120925015854/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/FORESTRY/sfrmp/documents/Overview_Realignment.pdf . dead . September 25, 2012 . November 7, 2010 . June 2005 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
  58. Web site: Pennsylvania Important Bird Area #42 . Kibbe, Doug . May 2004 . December 10, 2012 . Pennsylvania Audubon Society . https://web.archive.org/web/20110725023515/http://pa.audubon.org/IBA_Consplans/IBA42.pdf . July 25, 2011.
  59. Web site: Grants aid DCNR efforts to combat forest insect pests, invasive plants . https://web.archive.org/web/20111113210750/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/res2010/10-0818-forestpestgrants.aspx . dead . November 13, 2011 . The Resource . August 18, 2010 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources . December 20, 2012.
  60. Web site: Black Bass . Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission . December 10, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120304151541/http://www.fish.state.pa.us/pafish/bass_black/00bass_waters_ranked.htm . March 4, 2012.
  61. Web site: A Natural Areas Inventory of Sullivan County . November 30, 2012 . Davis, Anthony F. . Lundgren, Julie A. . Pennsylvania Science Office of The Nature Conservancy . 1995 . etal.
  62. Web site: Worlds End State Park Natural History . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927052747/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/worldsend/index.htm . dead . September 27, 2011 . November 5, 2011 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
  63. Web site: Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas . Bird.atlasing.org . December 21, 2012.
  64. Book: Audubon Pennsylvania . National Audubon Society . Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania . Susquehanna River Birding and Wildlife Trail . 2004 . Searchable database . November 6, 2011 . Harrisburg, Pennsylvania . 26 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120425143816/http://web1.audubon.org/pabirdingtrails.org/trail-guide/site.asp?id=51 . April 25, 2012. Note: This guide is available both as a book (page number given) and website (URL given). It also refers to Wyoming State Forest, which has been reorganized as Loyalsock State Forest.
  65. Web site: Hiking Trails of Worlds End State Park . https://web.archive.org/web/20120206121542/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/worldsend/trails/index.htm . dead . February 6, 2012 . December 19, 2012 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
  66. Book: Young, John . Hike Pennsylvania: An Atlas of Pennsylvania's Greatest Hiking Adventures . 2001 . The Globe Pequot Press . Guilford, Connecticut . 0-7627-0924-3 . 72, 76.
  67. Web site: The Alpine Club of Williamsport and the Loyalsock Trail . December 5, 2012 . The Alpine Club of Williamsport.
  68. Web site: Loyalsock Trail . https://web.archive.org/web/20120617002113/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd2/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_002939.pdf . dead . June 17, 2012 . November 5, 2011 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
  69. Web site: A Recreational Guide for Worlds End State Park . https://web.archive.org/web/20121114072613/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd2/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_002957.pdf . dead . November 14, 2012 . PDF . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources . July 2006 . November 6, 2011.
  70. Book: Thwaites, Tom . Fifty Hikes in Central Pennsylvania . 1992 . Fourth updated printing . Backcountry Publications . . 0-942440-24-2 . 170–175 .
  71. Web site: . PFBC County Guide . November 6, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111101163712/http://www.fish.state.pa.us/county.htm . November 1, 2011. Note: Searchable map
  72. Book: Gertler, Edward . Keystone Canoeing: A Guide to Canoeable Waters of Eastern Pennsylvania . 1985 . 1st . Seneca Press . . 0-9605908-2-X . 295–297.
  73. Web site: DCNR Appoints New Manager at Worlds End State Park . https://web.archive.org/web/20020815111436/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/polycomm/pressrel/kocher0502.htm . dead . August 15, 2002 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources . December 10, 2012.
  74. Web site: Chapel Services at Worlds End & Ricketts Glen State Parks . December 10, 2012 . Pennsylvania Council of Churches . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120307175810/http://www.pachurches.org/html/worlds_end_state_park.htm . March 7, 2012.
  75. Web site: Run of the River Dams . Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission . December 10, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121114082717/http://www.fish.state.pa.us/rrdam.htm . November 14, 2012.
  76. Web site: Pa. state parks going without life guards at beaches in 2008 . February 11, 2008 . November 30, 2012 . The Daily Item.
  77. Web site: Michels . Chris . 1997 . Latitude/Longitude Distance Calculation . . April 20, 2008 . April 11, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080411174434/http://www.nau.edu/~cvm/latlongdist.html . dead .
  78. Web site: Find a Park by Region (interactive map) . https://web.archive.org/web/20110924171030/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/where/index.htm . dead . September 24, 2011 . November 12, 2011 . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.