Keystone State Park Research Paper
The primary recreational opportunity in the planned project area is Keystone State Park which was created by the steel mills of Pittsburgh. The mills needed coke, partially burned coal, to make steel. To make coke, the coal companies needed to burn coal and quickly extinguish it requiring large amounts of water.
In 1909, the Keystone Coal and Coke Company purchased land at the convergence of McCune and Davis Runs to build a lake to supply water for washing bituminous coal to quench the coke from their coke ovens at Salem #1 Mine. The water from the newly built Keystone Lake flowed, gravity-fed, through two miles of wooden pipes to the coal washing facility.
Executives of the company used Keystone Lake for fishing, swimming, and boating.
The company built a stone lodge to be used as a meeting place for business as well as a hunting lodge. That lodge now serves as the James A. Kell Visitor Center, which houses mining artifacts and natural history exhibits.
In 1945, the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks acquired the lake, lodge, and surrounding land; and later, the land by Salem #2 Mine from the Keystone Coal and Coke Company, which is reflected in the park’s name.
Today, Keystone State Park encompasses 1,200 acres and is great for day-trips and family vacations year-round – see Figure 5. Camping, modern cabins, many trails, and a lake provide an ideal setting for wildlife watching or outdoor adventures.
In 1909, the Keystone Coal and Coke Company purchased land at the convergence of McCune and Davis Runs to build a lake to supply water for washing bituminous coal to quench the coke from their coke ovens at Salem #1 Mine. The water from the newly built Keystone Lake flowed, gravity-fed, through two miles of wooden pipes to the coal washing facility.
Executives of the company used Keystone Lake for fishing, swimming, and boating.
The company built a stone lodge to be used as a meeting place for business as well as a hunting lodge. That lodge now serves as the James A. Kell Visitor Center, which houses mining artifacts and natural history exhibits.
In 1945, the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks acquired the lake, lodge, and surrounding land; and later, the land by Salem #2 Mine from the Keystone Coal and Coke Company, which is reflected in the park’s name.
Today, Keystone State Park encompasses 1,200 acres and is great for day-trips and family vacations year-round – see Figure 5. Camping, modern cabins, many trails, and a lake provide an ideal setting for wildlife watching or outdoor adventures.