Elk State Park in north-central Pennsylvania centers on the 1,160-acre East Branch Clarion River Lake, a reservoir created when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dammed the East Branch of the Clarion River under a flood-control project authorized in 1944. Completed in 1952, the dam and lake protect the Clarion valley and downstream sections of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, a role highlighted during the 1972 floods from Hurricane Agnes; the project is estimated to have prevented $81 million in damage. The park’s wooded setting also supports boating, fishing, winter ice activities, hunting, and access to nearby public lands.