Millersylvania State Park
| Millersylvania State Park | |
| Washington State Park | |
 Deep Lake | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Washington |
| County | Thurston |
| Elevation | 203 ft (62 m) [1] |
| Coordinates | 46°54′45″N 122°54′39″W / 46.91250°N 122.91083°WCoordinates: 46°54′45″N 122°54′39″W / 46.91250°N 122.91083°W [1] |
| Area | 842 acres (341 ha) |
| Established | 1921 |
| Management | Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission |
  Location in the state of Washington
| |
| Website: Millersylvania State Park | |
Millersylvania State Park is an 842-acre (341 ha) Washington state park located 10 miles (16 km) south of Olympia. The park features old-growth cedar and fir trees as well as 3,300 feet (1,000 m) of freshwater shoreline on Deep Lake.[2]
History
The area was homesteaded by Squire Lathum in 1855 and then was sold to John Miller. The Miller family called the area Miller's Glade, before changing it Millersylvania and giving the property to the state in 1921 for perpetual use as a park. In 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps was active in the park constructing buildings, mostly by hand. Remnants of a narrow-gauge railway, 19th-century skid roads, and other reminders of the logging industry can be found on park grounds, including tree stumps bearing the scars of springboards used by loggers.[2]
Activities and amenities
The park offers camping on 120 tent spaces and 48 utility spaces, 16 miles (26 km) of hiking and biking trails, boating, fishing and swimming.[2]
Deep Lake
According to the survey done by the State Department of Game in 1947, Deep Lake is 17 feet (5.2 m) deep at its deepest part. It covers an area of 66.2 acres (268,000 m2), and has a water volume of 771 acre feet (951,000 m3).[3] Deep Lake is located in Section 3, Township 16N, Range 2W, Willamette.[4]
The first known name of the lake by white settlers was Deep Lake as noted in a land survey in 1855.[5] However, the lake was referred to as CoKaine Lake in the late 19th century which could have been an early Native American name.[6] For a period of time, the lake went under the name Drake Lake. The name Drake Lake name originated from the Lyman Darrow Drake family that settled on the south side of the lake in 1872. The Drake Lake name was still commonly used up until the late 1920s as was evidenced by several US Geological Survey and Metsker Maps dated up to 1929. The Drake family sold their property in 1908.
Millersylvania was once reportedly home to a rare species of freshwater crab, as reported in the Miller family diaries, which went extinct due to overfishing by new settlers coming from the east.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Millersylvania State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Millersylvania State Park". Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
- ↑ Lakes of Western Washington
- ↑ Thurston County Place Names - A Heritage Guide, Thurston County Historical Commission, November 1992
- ↑ Field notes of land surveys in Washington, Volume 3, Page 53
- ↑ Warranty Deed from Travis to Heustis, July 13, 1873, Thurston County, WT, V.10,p.216. Washington State Archives, SW Regional Branch
External links
- Millersylvania State Park Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
- Millersylvania State Park Map Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission