Pennsylvania Transforms Fire-Damaged 18-Cent Land Into Million-Tree Promised Land Park

Between 1902 and 1904, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania bought fire-damaged, heavily logged property for between 18 cents and $2 per acre. The land, once home to the Minsi Tribe of the Wolf Clan of the Lenni Lenape, was nearly treeless by 1903 due to clear-cutting, leading to severe erosion, damaging wildfires, and wildlife habitat loss. In 1905, Promised Land became the state's fourth park, launching a long recovery effort.

The state planted over 370,000 trees between 1902 and 1933. The first campground opened in 1905 in a pine plantation between Bear Wallow Road and Lower Lake, closing in 1925 before being replaced by the current main beach picnic area.

The most dramatic restoration phase began in May 1933 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established Camp S-139-PA. Operating until July 1941, the CCC planted more than one million trees, fought fires, and built roads, trails, and facilities including Pickerel Point campground, Bear Wallow cabins, and the Egypt Meadow Dam.

The park's recovery faced a major test on May 31, 1998, when an F2 tornado with winds of 113 to 157 mph cut a northeasterly path through the park. Over 500 people were trapped overnight, but no one was seriously injured. The event is documented in the park office booklet, After the Wind Died Down.

Each August, the park holds a festival to celebrate the CCC legacy. Visitors today enjoy a forested ecosystem that reflects generations of restoration work, transforming a scarred landscape into a beloved outdoor destination.