Cowans Gap State Park in Allens Valley near Fort Loudon combines recreation with a layered history stretching from the colonial frontier to the Great Depression. The mountain gap carried Burd’s Road in 1755 and later the Forbes Road during the 1758 British campaign, then was used again in 1763 during Pontiac’s Rebellion. The park is named for John and Mary Cowan, who settled here after the American Revolution and secured land along the old Forbes Road. Later logging, ironmaking, and wildfire heavily damaged the area before Civilian Conservation Corps crews restored it, built park infrastructure, created the lake, and helped open the park to the public in 1937.

Todd, Pennsylvania · USA