History of Deep Creek Lake, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Deep Creek Lake in Garrett County, Maryland
, USA
is about 15 miles (24.1 km) from Interstate 68
on U.S. Route 219
. It lies just west of the Allegheny Front
on a large plateau
known as the Tablelands
or Allegheny Highlands. Its location at the southernmost end of Meadow Mountain places it west of the Eastern Continental Divide
and within the Mississippi River
watershed.
The lake is a result of the Youghiogheny Hydroelectric Company hydroelectric project on Deep Creek in the 1920s. Deep Creek Dam
, located about 8 miles (12.9 km) north of Oakland, Maryland
, consists of an earth and rock wall dam
across a tributary of the Youghiogheny River
. Construction of the dam began in 1923 and was completed in 1925. The hydroelectric plant became operational in 1928. The lake was purchased by the state of Maryland
in 2000 from the Pennsylvania Electric Company and public access to the lake is provided by Deep Creek Lake State Park.
Deep Creek Lake is the largest inland body of water in the state of Maryland
and is home to a wide variety of freshwater fish and aquatic birds
. It covers approximately 3900 acres (15.8 km²) and has 69 miles (111 km) of shoreline. Like all lakes in Maryland, it is man-made. Deep Creek Lake has evolved as the centerpiece of tourism
in Western Maryland
. Popular water-based attractions are recreational boating
, sailing
, swimming, water skiing
, wake boarding and fishing
. Fish commonly caught by anglers include:
State and County Government
History of Deep Creek Lake
Business and Tourism
Deep Creek Lake Fishing Blogs and News - These may be a useful way to get in contact with individuals who could provide input and help in improving this article.
Garrett County, Maryland
Garrett County is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Maryland. Created from Allegany County, Maryland in 1872 it was the last Maryland county to be formed. It was named for John Work Garrett , railroad executive, industrialist, and financier. Garrett served as president of the Baltimore...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is about 15 miles (24.1 km) from Interstate 68
Interstate 68
Interstate 68 is a Interstate highway in the U.S. states of West Virginia and Maryland, connecting in Morgantown to in Hancock. is also Corridor E of the Appalachian Development Highway System. From 1965 until the freeway's construction was completed in 1991, it was designated as...
on U.S. Route 219
U.S. Route 219
U.S. Route 219 is a spur of U.S. Route 19. It runs for from West Seneca, New York at an interchange with Interstate 90, to Rich Creek, Virginia, intersecting at U.S. Route 460. U.S. 219 is found in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia...
. It lies just west of the Allegheny Front
Allegheny Front
The Allegheny Front is the major southeast- or east-facing escarpment in the Allegheny Mountains in southern Pennsylvania, western Maryland, and eastern West Virginia, USA. The Allegheny Front delineates the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians to its east from the Appalachian Plateau to its west...
on a large plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
known as the Tablelands
Tablelands
Tablelands may refer to:* Areas also called plateaus* The Tablelands in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada...
or Allegheny Highlands. Its location at the southernmost end of Meadow Mountain places it west of the Eastern Continental Divide
Eastern Continental Divide
The Eastern Continental Divide, in conjunction with other continental divides of North America, demarcates two watersheds of the Atlantic Ocean: the Gulf of Mexico watershed and the Atlantic Seaboard watershed. Prior to 1760, the divide represented the boundary between British and French colonial...
and within the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
watershed.
The lake is a result of the Youghiogheny Hydroelectric Company hydroelectric project on Deep Creek in the 1920s. Deep Creek Dam
Deep Creek Dam
The Deep Creek Dam located about 8 miles north of Oakland, Maryland, consists of an earth and rockwall dam across a tributary of the Youghiogheny River that was completed in 1925 by the Pennsylvania Electric Company. Construction of the dam created the Deep Creek Lake...
, located about 8 miles (12.9 km) north of Oakland, Maryland
Oakland, Maryland
Oakland is a town in the west-central part of Garrett County, Maryland, United States. With a population of 1,925 according to United States Census 2010 figures, it is the most populated community in Garrett County...
, consists of an earth and rock wall dam
Embankment dam
An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...
across a tributary of the Youghiogheny River
Youghiogheny River
The Youghiogheny River , or the Yough for short, is a tributary of the Monongahela River in the U.S. states of West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania...
. Construction of the dam began in 1923 and was completed in 1925. The hydroelectric plant became operational in 1928. The lake was purchased by the state of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
in 2000 from the Pennsylvania Electric Company and public access to the lake is provided by Deep Creek Lake State Park.
Deep Creek Lake is the largest inland body of water in the state of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and is home to a wide variety of freshwater fish and aquatic birds
Aquatic ecosystem
An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem in a body of water. Communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment live in aquatic ecosystems. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems....
. It covers approximately 3900 acres (15.8 km²) and has 69 miles (111 km) of shoreline. Like all lakes in Maryland, it is man-made. Deep Creek Lake has evolved as the centerpiece of tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
in Western Maryland
Western Maryland
Western Maryland is the portion of the U.S. state of Maryland that consists of Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett counties. The region is bounded by the Mason-Dixon line to the north, Preston County, West Virginia to the west, and the Potomac River to the south. There is dispute over the...
. Popular water-based attractions are recreational boating
Boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
, sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, swimming, water skiing
Water skiing
thumb|right|A slalom skier making a turn on a slalom waterski.Waterskiing is a sport where an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water, skimming the surface.-History:...
, wake boarding and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. Fish commonly caught by anglers include:
|
Northern Pike The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox... Walleye Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch... Yellow perch The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides... |
Brown trout The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species.... Rainbow trout The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species.... Chain pickerel The chain pickerel, Esox niger , is a species of freshwater fish in the pike family of order Esociformes. The chain pickerel and the american pickerel belong to the Esox genus of pikes.-Range:... |
Bluegill The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:... Redear sunfish The redear sunfish , also known as the shellcracker, Georgia bream, cherry gill, chinquapin, improved bream, rouge ear sunfish and sun perch, is native to the southeastern United States, but since it is a popular sport fish it has been introduced to bodies of water all over North America... |
Common carp The Common carp is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia. The wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction, but the species has also been domesticated and introduced into environments worldwide, and is often considered an invasive... Shiner (fish) Shiner is a common name used for any of several kinds of small, usually silvery fish, in particular a number of cyprinids, but also e.g. the Shiner Perch .Cyprinid shiners are:* Eastern shiners, genus Notropis... s |
See also
- Deep Creek Lake State Park - State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources article
- Deep Creek DamDeep Creek DamThe Deep Creek Dam located about 8 miles north of Oakland, Maryland, consists of an earth and rockwall dam across a tributary of the Youghiogheny River that was completed in 1925 by the Pennsylvania Electric Company. Construction of the dam created the Deep Creek Lake...
External links
It may be useful to consider integrating some of the materials from these sites into this article. Additional investigation into the material and the creators is required.State and County Government
- Maryland Geological Survey Online
- U.S. Geological Survey - Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)
- State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources▬Western Maryland Public Lands
- Deep Creek Hydroelectric Station-Power Plant Research Program
History of Deep Creek Lake
- Garrett County Historical Society Museum
- Video Tour of historical museum
- Deep Creek Hydro Website
- State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources▬Power Plant Research Program Deep Creek Project
Business and Tourism
- The Official Website of Garrett County's Chamber of Commerce
- The Official Website of Garrett County's Deep Creek Lake Area
- The Official site of the Maryland Office of Tourism
- Deep Creek Times, Deep Creek Lake and Garrett County area information
Deep Creek Lake Fishing Blogs and News - These may be a useful way to get in contact with individuals who could provide input and help in improving this article.