Talk:Kinzua Dam

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The story on the Kinzua Dam doesn't mention the town of Kinzua, which was displaced and was located just above where the dam is now in the Kinzua valley. It was a beautiful little Pennsylvania town and my Father has hundreds of slides taken before the dam was built and while it was being built. The entry does mention the Seneca Indian tribe and the Olmstead boyscout camp. But seems the residents of Kinzua, Pa. should be acknowledged in this entry, or have an entry of it's own. All residents were forced and bought out by the federal government which used eminent domain powers to claim all of the property. Some had their homes moved out but most homes, stores, church etc. were demolished. My Grandparents lived in a small rural area near the Sugar Run creek which now flows into one of the resevoir's largest bays, Sugar Bay. It is approximately 5 miles from what was the town of Kinzua proper. The government originally only took land up to the 1365 mark of elevation and my Grandparents owned a decent amount of land above that mark. However, the forestry service later claimed that land as well and, to add insult to injury, my Grandmother's payment was appealed and she ended up with 40,000.00 dollars for nearly 200 acres. Around 200 dollars an acre for some extremely prime Pennsylvania land, now bordering the resevoir with some of it under water when the lake level is high, but none of the land above 1365 of course. That is now part of the Allegheny National Forest. Ironically there is still many spots of privately held land scattered all through the inner areas of the Allegheny National Forest. My Grandmother and an Uncle lived out their lives in a modest trailer several miles from their Sugar Run home in Marshburg Pennsylvania. (Moved from main page to the talk page) Shanafme 16:52, 21 March 2007 (UTC)