Charlie Fineran’s Photo of the Week – from his Flickr album titled ‘Off the Path & Forgotten – DWGNRA’ – suggests that there can be surprises when you venture off a bit. Charlie takes you there here, and also alerts you to a special program coming in August (information below).

Ever wander off the path, following a brook or take a walk through the woods, up or down hill knowing you will run into a familiar path, road or site?  But then during that walk, out in the middle of nowhere, you come across a site that makes you stop, look around and wonder, How did that got here??!!  OR, what did this area look like many years ago when this site was in use??!!

Well, here are some sites/sights within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (DWGNRA) that had me asking myself those very questions!

Looking back over all the years I have been hiking through what is now beautiful wilderness, I couldn’t begin to count how many times I have been in that very position!!  I am sorry now that I didn’t photograph all those encounters and consider it, documenting the earlier history of the site but at the time I looked at it as coming across scattered remnants of abandoned articles! It is when I come across an old dilapidated dwelling that I now, stop photograph and then ponder awhile that at some time this was once a home!!  I also remind myself that years ago many homes were only one or two small rooms, BUT it was home!!  When I come across the old vehicles on mountainsides with no trace of roads anymore, I again think, what was it like driving that, no power steering, no big engines, no four wheel drive etc. etc.

I hope you check out this album of photos and perhaps shake loose some images you may have come across in your travels!  I hope these images also serve as a reminder that every second that passes by, means changes are taking place, it may take a lot of those seconds going by but sooner or later those changes will become apparent – You just have to roam around and find them!”

Before continuing, let me “Cut to the chase”:

***This is not a story about several artifacts or remnants of sites, that I came across in the middle of no-where, throughout the DWGNRA (Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area)***

***It is a story, a reminder, or a putting things in perspective, if you will, that the vast lands which make up today’s beautiful and wonderful Park, has A HISTORY!!  A HISTORY, which come the 1950’s and spilling into the 1960’s began developing in two parallel tracks!  First, developers, creating numerous recreational sites with housing and also the local farmers and property owners of the area.  Secondly, the concept of ‘Tocks Island Dam’ being explored and then when implemented, literally grabbing up all the lands, expelling all within those lands, thus, wiping out the hopes and dreams of the local residents, developers and those who had already bought the new recreational sites!  ‘Hold your horses’ history is taking another turn, ‘Long story short’, the Tocks Island Project itself ran into its own roadblock, when test borings put a question to the feasibility of a safe dam and then the project’s public and political unpopularity, ultimately doomed the project!!  Think of this, for almost two decades, almost 74,000 acres were in flux about how it would be used!

THINK OF THIS:

Regardless of which Historical scenario played out, DEVELOPMENT or the DAM, the vast majority of the 74,000 acres would be different than we know it today!!  Let us look first at the ‘Development Scenario’.  I am going to name a few sites in New Jersey, all in the same vicinity.  Blue Mountain Lakes, Hemlock Pond, Crater Lake and there are others!!  Each of these would have had a system of roadways surrounding each, with many houses along the roads!!  I can remember Crater Lake, 1961 my parents rented there for two weeks.  I worked at Camp Ken-Etiwa-Pec as a life guard that summer, and would hike over there on my day off.  Lake Success was still being developed out of a wetlands area at that time adjacent to the natural Crater Lake.  Back then, the drive into Crater Lake along Skyline Drive had homes along the top of the cliffs.  The point I want to make here is this, if this had ever been developed out, you would be talking roads all over all these sites!  Hiking today in these areas, you can see the extent of the road patterns!!  Looking at the ‘Dam Scenario’ again it would look nothing like today, a giant reservoir between mountains with obviously many recreational sites surrounding same.

NOTES:

We all think of DWGNRA as a huge beautiful and natural area AND that is True!!!  BUT Keep in mind two things!!

FIRST:  This is not like most Parks where they are created to preserve a pristine/virgin natural wild area.  Our Park’s lands had already begun the journey into being developed either as farm land for centuries and then more quickly with developed recreational sites!  It was only through a Historic Anomaly (Tocks Island) lands were reverted back into an undeveloped status and then preserved for all to enjoy!

SECOND:  It was the formation of DWGNRA and its commitment to preserve and celebrate Nature that over the last 52 years these vast properties have naturally recovered and retrieved their more Natural looks!!  When driving through or hiking the Park, observe the size of the tree trunks, it was not long ago that farming was taking place even pretty far up the mountains, and I’m judging this by the stone rows throughout the areas and again by looking at the tree sizes!!  Keep in mind, this entire region was famous from pre Revolutionary War days for its high quality iron ore.  So we definitely have a history, just not as natural as many of our current visitors might think!!

I am on the Executive Board for the Friends of the DWGNRA serving as Vice Chairman and we are hosting an event ‘RESORTS OF THE DELAWARE WATER GAP IN HISTORY’ which I believe you will find most interesting and also offer that wonderful comparison between today’s Natural pristine Water Gap and Yesteryear’s Recreational Resorts which were all in or near the Water Gap over a hundred years ago!!  SEE INFO BELOW

Event by Friends of Delaware Water Gap N.R.A.

The Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort

Tickets

www.friendsofdewanps.org/resorts-of-the-delaware-water-gap-in-history.html

Public  ·

This August, history buffs will find a great and informative program being offered by Friends of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation area.

On Wednesday, August 4, Jennifer Palmer local historian, will present a program on Resorts of the Delaware Water Gap in History.

The event is $5 per person as a donation, but is free to members of the Friends group. Persons under 18 are free. It will start at 6:30 p.m. and should provide a great insight into the days of old, vacationing and the resort industry.

Jennifer Palmer is a local historian who received her Masters Degree in her studies of the local area. She is also an employee with the National Park Service living in the town of Delaware Water Gap which is surrounded by park land to the north and south. She has great knowledge of the past history of the area and enjoys sharing her knowledge with the public.

To learn more about the Friends group, visit our website at: www.friendsofdewanps.org. 

Please visit my Flickr site – Off the Path & Forgotten – DWGNRA – https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliefineran/albums/72157633174711738

Rockcores Trail – https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliefineran/albums/72157697996956814

Collection of albums of DWGNRA – https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliefineran/collections/72157626031835234/

On a somewhat related note, Inside Warren invites readers to submit their own off the path photos, at the Water Gap, or elsewhere in Warren County. Photos submitted will be considered for publication. Send your jpeg photos to info@insidewarren.com and be sure to include your name, your hometown, and a brief description of your photo.

Enjoy Your Open Space

Charlie Fineran

Director Open Space, Chair, Allamuchy Township Environmental Commission, President, Allamuchy Historical Society