Pymatuning State Park is located near the Mercer and Crawford County line, about 1.5 miles north of Jamestown, Pennsylvania.
Opportunities
Boating: Large numbers of fishermen and pleasure boaters use Pymatuning Lake. Non-powered boats and boats up to 10 horsepower are permitted. Boats with a motor in excess of 10 horsepower are permitted provided such motor is not used. Non-powered boats must display one of the following: 1) Pennsylvania State Park launch permit, 2) Pennsylvania State Park mooring permit or 3) a current Pennsylvania or Ohio boat registration. Motorized boats must display a current registration. Boats registered in states other than Ohio and Pennsylvania must display a Pennsylvania State Park launch permit in addition to their current registration.
Fishing: Fishing licenses issued by either Ohio or Pennsylvania are honored anywhere on the lake, but only Ohio licensed fishermen can fish from the Ohio shore and Pennsylvania licensed fishermen from the Pennsylvania shore. Species of fish include walleye, muskellunge, carp, crappies, largemouth and smallmouth bass and many others. Ice fishing during the winter months is also a popular form of recreation.
Hunting: Of special interest to hunters is the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Goose Management Area where controlled shooting is available during the annual waterfowl season. Special areas are also established for duck hunting. Some 20,000 Canada Geese and many more ducks are in the area each fall.
A wildlife refuge comprising 2,500 acres of water area and 1,170 acres of land area furnish a protected location for migratory waterfowl during their flights north and south.
Some of the more unique sights include the dam, the Linesville "spillway", the fish hatchery, the two causeways across the lake and the waterfowl museum. The "spillway" is perhaps one of the best known locations because the fish being fed are so crowded that the "ducks walk on the fishes' backs" to compete for the food fed by the visitors.
History
"All human accomplishments begin with a dream." These words were spoken by the Honorable Gifford Pinchot, then Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, during his address at the dedication of Pymatuning Dam on August 17, 1934. The Pymatuning dream began over a century ago, in 1868, when the General Assembly provided for a survey and an estimate of the cost to reclaim the Pymatuning swamp lands. With the passing of subsequent legislation, the project began in 1913 when the Pennsylvania Legislature passed "The Pymatuning Act", and appropriated $100,000. However, it was not until 1921 that the first land purchases were made.
The "Pymatuning Act" specifically provides that the primary purpose of Pymatuning Lake 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.
The name "Pymatuning" is derived from the Iroquois, probably from the Seneca tribe of the great native American confederacy, and means "The Crooked-Mouth Man's Dwelling Place," with "crooked-mouth" referring to deceit rather than facial disfigurement. Previous to the occupation of this area by the Iroquois, it was the home of the Erie tribe who were then ruled by a Queen noted for her cunning strategy and crooked dealings.
Many settlers from Connecticut and New York moved into the area that had been secured by Pennsylvania in the Indian Treaty of 1785. The treaty was signed at Fort Stanwix by the Iroquois and Wyandot whereby the area north of the Ohio River was purchased by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The area is now one of the most important recreational centers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Although many of the facilities under present development favor the modern trend, primitive areas will be maintained to preserve a part of the wilderness from which the Pymatuning Reservoir area emerged.
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