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Nessmuk 's words went mostly unheeded in his lifetime and did not prevent the clearcutting of almost all the virgin forests in Pennsylvania .
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Sears lived in Wellsboro from 1844 until his death in 1890 , and was the first to describe the Pine Creek Gorge . He also described a trip to what became Leonard Harrison State Park and the view west across the gorge to what became Colton Point State Park : after a 6 @-@ mile ( 10 km ) buggy ride , he had to hike 7 mi... |
The land on which Colton Point State Park sits was sold to the Commonwealth in the late 19th century for $ 2 @.@ 50 per acre ( $ 6 @.@ 25 per ha ) by the Pennsylvania Joint Land and Lumber Company , which had no further use for it . Elsewhere in the gorge the state bought land abandoned by lumber companies , sometimes... |
Harrison also built two cabins , named " Wetumka " and " Osocosy " , on the west side of Pine Creek , just north of the mouth of Fourmile Run . Sometime after 1903 , former Pennsylvania Governor William A. Stone built a cabin named " Heart 's @-@ ease " just south of the mouth of Fourmile Run . In 1966 these cabins we... |
= = = Modern era = = =
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The Civilian Conservation Corps ( CCC ) started work on the park in June 1935 , and it opened as " Colton Point State Forest Park " in 1936 . The CCC , founded by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression , created jobs for unemployed young men from throughout the United States . Much o... |
In 1936 , the year the park opened , Larry Woodin of Wellsboro and other Tioga County business owners began a tourism campaign to promote the Pine Creek Gorge as " The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania " . Greyhound Bus Lines featured a view of the canyon from a Leonard Harrison lookout on the back cover of its Atlantic Co... |
Colton Point originally opened with only " limited facilities " , but the success of the tourism campaign led to the park 's expansion by the CCC . New facilities were added in 1938 , and included buildings such as picnic pavilions , latrines , and a concession stand , as well as " stone cook stoves , tables , and dev... |
The park has five CCC @-@ built picnic shelters : pavilions 1 , 3 , and 4 are made of stone and timber with stone fireplaces , while pavilions 2 and 5 each has log columns that support a pyramidal roof . The CCC also built six rustic latrines with clapboard siding and gable roofs , and an underground reservoir that is... |
The Pennsylvania Geographic Board dropped the word " Forest " and officially named it " Colton Point State Park " on November 11 , 1954 . The first major change in the park was in 1970 , when a camping area was established . That same decade saw the completion of a new water system in 1973 , and a holding tank dump st... |
The second half of the 20th century also saw significant changes to the rail line through the Pine Creek Gorge . Regular passenger service on the canyon line ended after the Second World War , and in 1960 the second set of train tracks was removed . Conrail abandoned the section of the railroad that passed through the... |
Colton Point State Park continued to attract national attention in the post @-@ war era . The New York Times featured the park and its " breath @-@ taking views of the gorge " as well as its trails and location in the wilds of the state forest in a 1950 article , and in 1966 praised the whitewater boating on Pine Cree... |
In the new millennium , the two state parks on either side of the Pine Creek Gorge are frequently treated as one . A 2002 New York Times article called Colton Point and Leonard Harrison state parks " Two State Parks , Divided by a Canyon " and noted their " overlooks offer the most spectacular views " . Colton Point a... |
= = Pine Creek Gorge = =
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Colton Point State Park lies on the west side of the Pine Creek Gorge , also known as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania . A sister park , Leonard Harrison State Park , is on the east side , and the two parks combined form essentially one large park that includes parts of the gorge and creek and parts of the plateau dis... |
The Pine Creek Gorge National Natural Landmark includes Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks and parts of the Tioga State Forest along 12 miles ( 19 km ) of Pine Creek between Ansonia and Blackwell . This federal program does not provide any extra protection beyond that offered by the land owner . The Nationa... |
The gorge is also protected by the state of Pennsylvania as the 12 @,@ 163 @-@ acre ( 4 @,@ 922 ha ) Pine Creek Gorge Natural Area , which is the second largest State Natural Area in Pennsylvania . Within this area , 699 acres ( 283 ha ) of Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks are designated a State Park Natu... |
Within the park , Pine Creek and the walls of the gorge " visible from the opposite shoreline " are also protected by the state as a Pennsylvania Scenic River . In 1968 Pine Creek was one of only 27 rivers originally designated as eligible to be included in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System , and one of only ... |
= = Geology and climate = =
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Although the rock formations exposed in Colton Point State Park and the Pine Creek Gorge are at least 300 million years old , the gorge itself formed about 20 @,@ 000 years ago , in the last ice age . Pine Creek had flowed northeasterly until then , but was dammed by rocks , soil , ice , and other debris deposited by ... |
The park is at an elevation of 1 @,@ 637 feet ( 499 m ) on the Allegheny Plateau , which formed in the Alleghenian orogeny some 300 million years ago , when Gondwana ( specifically what became Africa ) and what became North America collided , forming Pangaea . Although the gorge and its surroundings seem to be mountai... |
The land on which Colton Point State Park sits was once part of the coastline of a shallow sea that covered a great portion of what is now North America . The high mountains to the east of the sea gradually eroded , causing a buildup of sediment made up primarily of clay , sand and gravel . Tremendous pressure on the ... |
Five major rock formations present in Colton Point State Park are from the Devonian and Carboniferous periods . The youngest of these , which forms the highest points in the park and along the gorge , is the early Pennsylvanian Pottsville Formation , a gray conglomerate that may contain sandstone , siltstone , and sha... |
Next below these is the late Devonian and early Mississippian Huntley Mountain Formation , which is made of relatively soft grayish @-@ red shale and olive @-@ gray sandstone . This is relatively hard rock and forms many of the ridges . Below this is the red shale and siltstone of the Catskill Formation , about 760 fe... |
The Allegheny Plateau has a continental climate , with occasional severe low temperatures in winter and average daily temperature ranges of 20 ° F ( 11 ° C ) in winter and 26 ° F ( 14 ° C ) in summer . The mean annual precipitation for the Pine Creek watershed is 36 to 42 inches ( 914 to 1 @,@ 070 mm ) . The highest r... |
= = Ecology = =
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Descriptions from early explorers and settlers give some idea of what the Pine Creek Gorge was like before it was clearcut . The forest was up to 85 percent hemlock and white pine ; hardwoods made up the rest of the forest . The area was inhabited by a large number of animal species , many of which have vanished by th... |
The virgin forests cooled the land and streams . The creeks and runs flowed more evenly year @-@ round , since centuries of accumulated organic matter in the forest soil caused slow percolation of rainfall into them . Pine Creek was home to large numbers of fish , including trout , but dams downstream on the Susquehan... |
= = = State Natural Area and wildlife = = =
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While Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks and parts of the surrounding Tioga State Forest are now the Pine Creek Gorge National Natural Landmark , it is their status as part of a Pennsylvania State Natural Area that provides the strongest protection for them . Within this Natural Area , logging , mining , an... |
about 95 % State owned , unroaded , and designated the Pine Creek Gorge Natural Area . It is a place of unique geologic history and contains some rare plant communities , an old growth hemlock stand , ... active bald eagle nest [ s ] ... and is a major site of river otter reintroduction . Departmental policy is protec... |
The gorge has over 225 species of wildflowers , plants and trees , with scattered stands of old growth forest on some of its steepest walls . The rest of the gorge is covered with thriving second growth forest that can be over one hundred years old . Since clearcutting , nearly 90 percent of the forest land has burnt ... |
The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania is known for its fall foliage , and Colton Point State Park is a popular place to observe the colors , with the first three weeks of October as the best time to see the leaves in their full color . Red leaves are found on red maple , black cherry , and red oak , while orange and yellow... |
There are over 40 species of mammals in the Pine Creek Gorge . Colton Point State Park 's extensive forest cover makes it a habitat for " big woods " wildlife , including white @-@ tailed deer , black bear , wild turkey , red and gray squirrels . Less common creatures include bobcats , coyote , fishers , river otters ... |
Several species have been reintroduced to the gorge . White @-@ tailed deer were imported from Michigan and released throughout Pennsylvania to reestablish what had once been a thriving population . The current population of deer in Pennsylvania are descended from the original stock introduced since 1906 , after the l... |
Fishers , medium @-@ sized weasels , were reintroduced to Pine Creek Gorge as part of an effort to establish a healthy population of fishers in Pennsylvania . Prior to the lumber era , fishers were numerous throughout the forests of Pennsylvania . They are generalized predators and will hunt any smaller creatures in t... |
= = = Important Bird Area = = =
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Colton Point State Park is part of Important Bird Area # 28 , which encompasses 31 @,@ 790 acres ( 12 @,@ 860 ha ) of both publicly and private held land . State managed acreage accounts for 68 percent of the total area and includes Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks and the surrounding Tioga State Forest l... |
Ornithologists and bird watchers have recorded a total of 128 species of birds in the IBA . Several factors contribute to the high total of bird species observed : there is a large area of forest in the IBA , as well as great habitat diversity , with 343 acres ( 139 ha ) of open water that is used by many of the birds... |
In addition to bald eagles , which live in the IBA year round and have successfully established a breeding population there , the IBA is home to belted kingfishers , scarlet tanagers , black @-@ throated blue warblers , common mergansers , blue and green herons , hermit thrushes , and wood ducks . Large numbers of osp... |
A variety of warblers is found in Colton Point State Park . The Pennsylvania Audubon Society states that Pine Creek Gorge is " especially rich in warbler species , including Pine , Black @-@ throated blue , Black @-@ throated green , Blackburnian , and Black @-@ and @-@ white . " Many of these smaller birds are more o... |
= = Recreation = =
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= = = Trails = = =
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Colton Point State Park has some challenging hikes in and around the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania , with 4 @.@ 0 miles ( 6 @.@ 4 km ) of trails that feature very rugged terrain , pass close to steep cliffs , and can be very slick in some areas . Governor Robert P. Casey took a hiking tour of the park in July 1990 , an... |
Rim Trail is a relatively flat 1 @-@ mile ( 1 @.@ 6 km ) loop trail , which follows the perimeter of Colton Point and links all of the canyon viewing areas .
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Turkey Path is a difficult trail , 3 miles ( 5 km ) long ( down and back within the park ) , that follows Four Mile Run down the side of the canyon , descending over 800 feet ( 240 m ) to Pine Creek and the rail trail at the bottom of the gorge . It was originally a mule drag used to haul timber to the creek . There i... |
Pine Creek Rail Trail is a 62 @-@ mile @-@ long ( 100 km ) rail trail from Wellsboro Junction , just north of Wellsboro , south through the Pine Creek Gorge to Jersey Shore : 1 mile ( 1 @.@ 6 km ) of this trail is in Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks . A 2001 article in USA Today said the scenic beauty of ... |
West Rim Trail is a 30 @.@ 5 @-@ mile @-@ long ( 49 @.@ 1 km ) hiking trail that runs along the west rim of the Pine Creek Gorge from near the village of Ansonia in the north to Rattlesnake Rock near the village of Blackwell in the south . It is mostly on Tioga State Forest land , but passes through the extreme north ... |
= = = Camping and picnics = = =
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Camping is a popular pastime at Colton Point State Park ; 1 @,@ 989 persons have used the camping facilities in 2003 . With no modern amenities like flush toilets or showers , the campsites take on a rustic nature . There are outhouses , fire rings , a sanitary dump station and picnic tables at the campground . An Org... |
= = = Hunting , fishing , and whitewater = = =
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Hunting is permitted in 100 acres ( 40 ha ) of Colton Point State Park , and is regulated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission . The common game species are ruffed grouse , eastern gray squirrels , wild turkey , white @-@ tailed deer , and black bears . The hunting of groundhogs is prohibited . More acres of forested w... |
Fishing is permitted at Colton Point State Park . Anglers must descend the Turkey Path to reach Pine Creek . The species of fish found in Pine Creek are trout , smallmouth bass , and some panfish . There are several small trout streams that are accessible from within the park . Historically , the stretch of Pine Creek... |
Edward Gertler writes in Keystone Canoeing that Pine Creek " is possibly Pennsylvania 's most famous canoe stream " and attributes this partly to the thousands who decide to boat on it after they " peer into Pine Creek 's spectacular abyss from the overlooks of Leonard Harrison and Colton Point state parks " . The par... |
= = Nearby state parks = =
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Colton Point State Park is in Shippen Township , and is 5 miles ( 8 km ) south of U.S. Route 6 and the village of Ansonia on Colton Road . The following state parks are within 30 miles ( 50 km ) of Colton Point State Park :
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= Call the Shots =
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" Call the Shots " is a song by British girl group Girls Aloud from their fourth studio album , Tangled Up ( 2007 ) . The song was written by Miranda Cooper , with inspiration from an article about the advance of women in business , and Brian Higgins , Tim Powell , Lisa Cowling , and Giselle Somerville also received s... |
Produced by Xenomania , the dance @-@ pop and pop rock song showcases a more mature side from Girls Aloud , and received positive reviews from music critics , with one deeming it as the " greatest pop song of the 21st century " . In 2008 , the song won the award for the Popjustice £ 20 Music Prize , an annual prize aw... |
The accompanying music video was directed by Sean de Sparengo , and features the girls in purple dresses performing on Malibu Beach at night with flames and white fabric surrounding them . Each member of the band is also shown other locations , following several story lines . " Call the Shots " was promoted through nu... |
= = Background and release = =
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The first part of " Call the Shots " to be composed was the instrumentation , which was done by Xenomania in 2005 . The lyrics of the song were written in 2006 , when songwriter Miranda Cooper was " inspired by an article she read on something called ( coincidentally ) the Miranda Complex , named after the ambitious l... |
= = Composition = =
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" Call the Shots " is a dance @-@ pop and pop rock track written in the key of D major and with a moderate tempo of 126 beats per minute . Unlike previous singles released by the band , the song follows the verse – chorus form . The lyrics are concerned with the ending of a relationship , and opens with a repetitive m... |
= = Reception = =
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= = = Critical response = = =
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" Call the Shots " received positive reviews from music critics . Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy rated the song four out of five stars , writing that it is " more tasteful " than few of Girls Aloud 's previous releases . Daily Star journalist Kim Dawson said " Call the Shots " is one of the band 's best singles , while ... |
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