Pymatuning - The Good Old Days

"In the distant past, beyond the period of legend and history, the great swamp that became Pymatuning Reservoir was occupied by the “Mound Builders.” These farmers buried their important dead in large mounds and had an impressive trade network involving goods from all over North America. It is not known what happened to these mysterious people."

Fast forward a few hundred years and ones finds the following information regarding Pymatuning's history: "All human accomplishments begin with a dream.” The Honorable Gifford Pinchot, then governor of Pennsylvania, delivered these stirring words as part of his address at the dedication of Pymatuning Dam on August 17, 1934. Pinchot was fulfilling a Pennsylvania dream that began in 1868 when the General Assembly provided a survey and an estimate of the cost to drain the Pymatuning swamp to create farmlands. The swamp was not drained because it would cripple the industries downstream in the Beaver and Shenango valleys.

A severe flood in 1913 spurred the legislature to action. The Pymatuning Act, signed the same year, appropriated $100,000 to initiate building a dam. The Pymatuning Act states that the primary purpose of the Pymatuning Reservoir shall be for the conservation of waters entering the Pymatuning Swamp and for regulating the flow of water in the Shenango and Beaver rivers. A secondary purpose is to use the dam and lake as a reservoir to impound flood water during periods of excessive runoff from the 158 square miles of drainage area above the dam.

In the next 18 years, public and private organizations raised the $3,717,739 needed to build the dam. On October 6, 1931, 7,000 men began work, turning the dream into reality, and three years later Governor Pinchot gave his inspiring words at the dedication of the 17,088-acre Pymatuning Reservoir."

Today Pymatuning is recognized as the largest lake in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is known for boating, fishing, swimming, camping and other recreational opportunities."

But let's back up a few years, to the 1950's when anyone with the means and the stamina could erect a make shift "cabin" on the state controlled property around the lake and spend the entire summer whiling away the hours floating in the cool water or dropping a line in the hope of landing the big one. This is how The Kid remembers his summers on Pymatuning Lake.

Every year, soon after the the last day of school ended the family would climb into the never dependable car and make the trek north to Pymatuning Lake and assemble their humble abode . The 20 mile trip was made to the tune of "Pymatuning Here We Come," a home grown version of the old standard "California Here I Come." I can only imagine it was sung loudly and off-key by the four excited children bouncing along in the back seat. (No seat belts in those day to keep them contained.)

The memories are good ones for The Kid and his siblings, not so much for his poor overworked mother who looked after 4 young children all summer long, most of the time alone, hauling water for cooking; washing clothes and children in the lake; and tending to all sorts of real and imagined emergencies. At times she had one or two children in diapers...and these weren't Pampers folks. I'd like to think she did it all with a smile but I wouldn't blame her if there were panic stricken tears in the mix.

But time tends to smooth out the bad memories leaving room only for the good ones. I know for a fact that it's only the good that comes to mind when The Kid looks back on his Pymatuning childhood.

To be continued...