It took until 1965 for all the people to be relocated and the dam
to be built. The reservation was moved to lower New York State
and is known as the Allegheny Reservation.
Much history and natural beauty was lost when the dam was
built. As with all events there have been positive results. The
area is a beautiful recreational site with great fishing. The dam
paid for its entire building costs in 1972 when Hurricane Agnes
hit the United States' east coast with such fury that flooding took
a devastating toll in many states.
The Kinzua Dam is one of my favorite places. It’s beautiful
and has such history. I never visit the place without
remembering stories of my familiy's past and remembering
Cornplanter and his people.
to be built. The reservation was moved to lower New York State
and is known as the Allegheny Reservation.
Much history and natural beauty was lost when the dam was
built. As with all events there have been positive results. The
area is a beautiful recreational site with great fishing. The dam
paid for its entire building costs in 1972 when Hurricane Agnes
hit the United States' east coast with such fury that flooding took
a devastating toll in many states.
The Kinzua Dam is one of my favorite places. It’s beautiful
and has such history. I never visit the place without
remembering stories of my familiy's past and remembering
Cornplanter and his people.
Welcome to the Kinzua Dam |
| I remember Kinzua |
Photos and Contents are Copyright 2005-2008 by Allegheny Almanac unless otherwise noted. From Warren PA
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
by Denise Grant
| a web supplement from Allegheny Almanac |
| Search site for more local info |
| Click on photo to turn the page |
Kinzua, Pennsylvania was a unique small town nestled in
between the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in
Northwest Pennsylvania. It was known for being a great
hunting and recreation area.
Research had been done since the early 1920’s for a dam. It
had been talked about so much that in one of the grade
schools the teacher asked what the students were going to do
over summer break and the one eight-year-old boy said the
family was going to go to the dam. This was in the 1940’s.
After so many years of talk of a dam the people in Kinzua
considered it an Urban Legend and went on with life.
It was not until 1959 when final plans were made for the
dam. My parents were building onto a house they owned in
Kinzua. One day, with no advanced warning, a man showed
up at the door. He handed my father papers to halt building
onto the house and said the government would be in touch to
start talks on buying the house and property.
Many people in the area fought leaving the town. There were
families that had lived in Kinzua for five and six generations.
For my family it had been three generations. My relatives had
businesses that would have to be shut down or moved. A few
of my relatives actually had their houses moved three and four
miles away onto Route 59 which lead from the town of Kinzua
to Warren Pa.
My one Uncle was one who fought moving as long as
possible. With rumors flying about abandoned houses people
from other areas thought all the houses were empty and
would walk into houses to see what they could take. If you
locked the doors they tried to break them in.
It was finally so bad at the end those who stayed had to leave
one person at home at all times and keep a shotgun at the
doors to keep people out of the house.
One other sad outcome of the dam was that the flooding
would reach into the Cornplanter tract, otherwise known as
the Seneca Indian Reservation. This treaty and tract of land
was given to Chief Cornplanter in 1796 for his assistance in
trying to find peace for the new Americans and the American
Indian. The land comprising of 1500 acres was located in the
lower part of New York state on the western shore of the
Allegheny River. It was given to him and his heirs “forever.”
This was the breaking of the longest Indian treaty.
between the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in
Northwest Pennsylvania. It was known for being a great
hunting and recreation area.
Research had been done since the early 1920’s for a dam. It
had been talked about so much that in one of the grade
schools the teacher asked what the students were going to do
over summer break and the one eight-year-old boy said the
family was going to go to the dam. This was in the 1940’s.
After so many years of talk of a dam the people in Kinzua
considered it an Urban Legend and went on with life.
It was not until 1959 when final plans were made for the
dam. My parents were building onto a house they owned in
Kinzua. One day, with no advanced warning, a man showed
up at the door. He handed my father papers to halt building
onto the house and said the government would be in touch to
start talks on buying the house and property.
Many people in the area fought leaving the town. There were
families that had lived in Kinzua for five and six generations.
For my family it had been three generations. My relatives had
businesses that would have to be shut down or moved. A few
of my relatives actually had their houses moved three and four
miles away onto Route 59 which lead from the town of Kinzua
to Warren Pa.
My one Uncle was one who fought moving as long as
possible. With rumors flying about abandoned houses people
from other areas thought all the houses were empty and
would walk into houses to see what they could take. If you
locked the doors they tried to break them in.
It was finally so bad at the end those who stayed had to leave
one person at home at all times and keep a shotgun at the
doors to keep people out of the house.
One other sad outcome of the dam was that the flooding
would reach into the Cornplanter tract, otherwise known as
the Seneca Indian Reservation. This treaty and tract of land
was given to Chief Cornplanter in 1796 for his assistance in
trying to find peace for the new Americans and the American
Indian. The land comprising of 1500 acres was located in the
lower part of New York state on the western shore of the
Allegheny River. It was given to him and his heirs “forever.”
This was the breaking of the longest Indian treaty.
| Bridge Over Kinzua, photograph Copyright 2008 by Sofia Lareau |
Excerpted from The Gardener's Rake, Copyright 2008