- Catoctin Mountain Park
Infobox Protected area
name = Catoctin Mountain Park
iucn_category = V
caption =
locator_x = 239
locator_y = 71
location =Frederick County, Maryland , USA
nearest_city = Thurmont, MD
lat_degrees = 39
lat_minutes = 38
lat_seconds = 54
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 77
long_minutes = 28
long_seconds = 0
long_direction = W
area = 5,770.22 acres
(23.35 km²)
established =July 12 ,1954
visitation_num = 699,274
visitation_year = 2004
governing_body =National Park Service Catoctin Mountain Park, located in north-central
Maryland , is part of the forestedCatoctin Mountain ridge that forms the eastern rampart of theAppalachian Mountains . Approximately eight square miles in area, the park features sparkling streams and panoramic vistas of theMonocacy Valley . Catoctin Mountain Park is managed by theNational Park Service and lies north of, and directly adjacent to, the similarly-sizedCunningham Falls State Park .History
In the 1930s, after years of making
charcoal to fuel nearby iron furnaces, mountain farming, and harvesting of trees for timber, land was purchased to be transformed into a productive recreation area; helping to put people back to work during theGreat Depression . Beginning in 1935, the CatoctinRecreational Demonstration Area was under construction by both theWorks Progress Administration and theCivilian Conservation Corps . The northern portion of the park was transferred to the National Park Service onNovember 14 ,1936 , and renamed and reorganized onJuly 12 ,1954 with the southern 5000 acres transferred to Maryland as Cunningham Falls State Park.Bills were introduced in the
US Senate in 2003 and 2005 to re-designate the park as Catoctin MountainNational Recreation Area . The bills passed the Senate but were not taken up by the House, and therefore did not become law.Originally planned to provide recreational camps for federal employees, one of the camps eventually became the home of the Presidential retreat,
Camp David . The Presidential retreat is not open or accessible to the public; however the easternhardwood forest of Catoctin Mountain Park does have many other attractions for visitors, some of which include:camping ,picnic king,fishing , 25 miles (40 km) ofhiking trails, and scenicmountain vistas.
ee also
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References
* "The National Parks: Index 2001-2003". Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.
External links
* Official NPS website: [http://www.nps.gov/cato/ Catoctin Mountain Park]
* [http://www.nps.gov/history/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/47misty/47misty.htm "Camp Misty Mount: A Place for Regrowth," a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan]
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