Raystown Lake

Raystown Lake
Raystown Lake Dam
Location	Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, USA
Coordinates	40°26′01″N 78°00′24″W
Primary inflows	Raystown Branch Juniata River
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	28 mi (45 km)
Surface area	8,300 acres (33.6 km2)
Max. depth	200 ft (61.0 m)

Raystown Lake is a reservoir in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. The largest lake that is entirely within Pennsylvania, it was created by the United States Army Corps of Engineers around 1913 by the damming of the Raystown Branch Juniata River which created a shallow lake in the river valley. The current 8,300-acre (34 km²) Raystown Lake was completed in 1973 by the Army Corps of Engineers. The lake was created primarily to control floods, provide electricity and support recreational activities.

Boating, swimming, scuba diving and fishing are all popular activities. There are many campsites on the lake, as well as several boat launches, restaurants & trails. Firework displays are held at the Raystown Lake Resort on Memorial Day Weekend, July 3, and the Sunday night before Labor Day. The fireworks at the resort are watched from the lake but can also be seen from the Pennsylvania Route 994 bridge; the resort is just south of this bridge.

There are many recreational opportunities around Lake Raystown, though the optimistic boom in tourism never really occurred, due partly to the fact that much of the surrounding land is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers and is not available for residential development. Therefore, summer homes, etc., were built near the lake but not on the waterfront and never grew as popular as had been hoped. However, this makes the experience of boating on the lake very different from many other lakes; the hills on the shores of the winding lake are blanketed right down to the water by the trees.

History

The original 34 foot high hydroelectric dam went under construction in 1907 resulting in the Raystown Water and Power Co. (later Penelec) generating their first electricity in 1912. The spillway elevation was around 650 feet above sea level.

The expansion brought the water level up to a normal operating level of 786 feet above sea level with an overflow at 812 feet, and included a 20 megawatt conventional hydropower generator.

Part of the town of Aitch is now under the level of the lake. While it is rumored that there are entire towns (and dead bodies of towns people who refused to leave) still intact under the water, only a few more permanent structures were left in place. Some roads, a bridge over the old river, the original power station and the original dam still remain.

Sheep Rock Shelter is an area of archaeological significance near the present day Susquehannock Campground. Originally a wide ledge over the Juniata River, it provided shelter from the elements for its inhabitants. Its location and orientation preserved the remains buried below by protecting them from wind and moisture. When it was announced in the 1960s that the lake would be expanded, Juniata College and Penn State University excavated to uncover artifacts that would otherwise be flooded, ending their state of preservation. Their work recovered human remains from as long as 6000 years ago. The Penn State University Library holds a 29 minute film about the site, titled "Discovery at Sheep Rock."

This particular lake is supposedly home to a Loch Ness Monster-like creature called "Raystown Ray". A photo of this particular creature was featured on the Syfy program, Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files. Because this lake is man-made, it is highly unlikely for such a creature to exist.

External links

• Army Corps Of Engineers: Raystown Lake
• Raystown Lake Region - tourism information
• Raystown Lake - short description
• 1972 Photos of Raystown - "Aitch Drowned" is the last home being demolished in Aitch; "Raystown Dam" is the powerhouse after being burned.
• WorldCat record for "Discovery at Sheep Rock"