Fish, Fishing and Fisheries of Pennsylvania. 89 



CHAPTER XV. 



Mountain Lakes op the State. 



The people of Pennsylvania justly take pride in its natural lakes. 

 While none of these bodies of water are as large as the smallest of the 

 chain in the central part of New York, yet the greater number are much 

 handsomer than they, and even rival in beauty and attractiveness the 

 most famous of those in the great Adirondack region. The state abounds 

 in these lovely sheets of water. There is scarcely a county through 

 which a mountain range extends that does not possess several, and all 

 are fair to look upon, while some have besides such picturesque surround- 

 ings that they have become popular resorts for people beyond the charm 

 they hold for the angler. While there are lakes scattered all over the 

 state the greater number are located in the northeastern part, in Pike, 

 Monroe, Wayne, Susquehanna, Lackawanna, Wyoming, Carbon, Sulli- 

 van and Bradford counties. Of these counties Wayne probably has the 

 lead in point of numbers, there being some one hundred and fifty within 

 its borders, but Pike county is a close second in this respect, although 

 in the opinion of many who have been in both sections, is far in the lead 

 when inherent loveliness and picturesque surroundings are taken into 

 consideration. Crawford county, in the northwestern part of Pennsyl- 

 vania, is also prolific in natural lakes, oqA here too is the largest body 

 of water in the state; it is called Conneaut lake and occupies nearly 

 equal portions of Summit and Sadnbury townships. It is more than six 

 miles long and possesses many charms. 



The greater number of these lakes are the results of the great ice age 

 which swept its frozen mantle of unknown depth over a great portion of 

 this country countless ages ago. When glaciers poured their frozen 

 masses down steep mountain sides some on retiring left behind huge 

 terminal moraines which banked up small streams into pretty mountain 

 lakes. Others in their awful flow gouged out great holes in the moun- 

 tain sides until springs were come upon, which when the age of ice had 

 gone, filled up to the brims the basins which had been made. 



In Pike county every lake is at least one thousand feet above the sea 

 and no two of them are alike. Some, such as Porter* pond, or Lake 

 Tedyuscung, in Porter township, are shallow and cover an ooze bottom 

 which cloud the waters a pale green, others, like Silver lake near Ding- 

 man's ferry, and High Knob pond, or Lake Laura in Blooming Grove 

 township, are as clear as crystal. Among the most beautiful in the 

 county are Silver lake and Lake Laura, the latter belonging to the Bloom- 



