William C Philson

Shenango Reservoir William C Philson

The Shenango River has existed since the end of the last Ice Age. It is slightly less than 100 miles long, including Crawford, Mercer, and Lawrence County's in western Pennsylvania-with several shorts excursions into Ohio. This is a photographic history of the Shenango River. It offers nice pathways into Mercer County along with a water route. Native American and European colonists followed the river into Mercer County and settled. Some time later canals followed the Shenango River and brought prosperity into the "Shenango Valley." Later still came the railroads-following the rout of the canal. All during this time the river continued its yearly cycle of high water (floods) and low water. During the early 1900's, the idea of a reservoir came to the forefront as by the middle 1930's the Pymatuning Reservoir came into being. Still, this did not stop the waters of the Shenango from overrunning its banks. Finally, 30 years later and some 30 miles south, the Shenango Reservoir was completed. This latest addition to the Shenango watershed seems to have stopped the major flooding-for now. That was 50 years ago. Now the river serves the purpose of entertainment and recreation. Come, study the history of this river and how it is used now!