Skip to main navigation
OA Logo
Camp Minsi Logo
 
 
 
 
Home

Main navigation

  • Home
    • Location & Office Hours
    • Scout Shop
    • Safety
    • Staff Directory
    • Executive Board
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Articles of Incorporation & Bylaws
    • Camp Minsi
      • Directions
      • Camp Maps
      • Ecology
      • History
      • Facebook
      • Instagram
      • Youtube
      • Camp Registration
      • Camp Resources
      • Camperships
      • Sign in to Camping Reservations
    • Scouts BSA Summer Camp
      • Camp Registration
      • Afternoon Adventures
      • First Year Camper Program
      • What to Bring to Summer Camp
      • Camperships
      • Sign in to Camping Reservations
    • Camp Staff Resources
      • Weekend Reservations
      • Canoe Rentals
      • Sign into Camping Reservations
      • Beaver Weekend
      • Fall Family Camp
      • STEM Camp
      • Provisional Camping
      • Scouting for Food
      • Historic Trails
      • National Jamboree
      • 26th World Scout Jamboree in Poland
      • Sign into Event Registrations
    • Cub Scouts (Grades K-5)
    • Scouts BSA (Ages 11-17)
    • Venturing (Ages 14-20)
    • Exploring (Ages 14-20)
    • Sea Scouts (Ages 14-20)
    • Maritime Club (Ages 10-14)
    • National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT)
    • Order of the Arrow
    • Special Needs Scouting
    • Friends of Scouting
    • Popcorn Sale
    • Special Events
    • Solar Energy Partnership
    • Memorials & Tributes
    • James E. West Fellowship Award
    • Silver Beaver Lodge
    • Amazon Wishlist
  • Districts
    • Carbon-Luzerne
    • Lehigh
    • Monroe
    • Northampton
    • Warren
  • Training
    • Calendar
    • Training Awards and Recognition
    • Roundtable
    • Basic Leader Training
    • National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT)
    • Wood Badge
    • University of Scouting
    • Outdoor Ethics
    • Cubcast & Scoutcast
    • Den Chief Training
      • Youth Protection FAQ
      • Youth Protection Training
      • Incident Reporting
      • Guide to Safe Scouting
      • S.A.F.E. Checklist
      • Safety Moments
      • Instructor for Troop Safety
        • Annual Health & Medical Record
        • Scouting America National Forms
        • Health & Safety Forms
      • National Camp Accreditation Program (NCAP)
        • Short Term Camping for Councils & Districts
    • PA Volunteer Clearances
    • Certificate of Insurance Request
      • Scouting America Membership Fees
      • Recruiting Resources
      • Adopt-A-School
      • FAQ
      • Guide to Advancement
      • Scoutbook
      • Citizenship in Society Merit Badge
      • How to Become a Merit Badge Counselor
      • Cub Scout Go & See Guide
      • Advancement Committee
      • Trail to Eagle Process
      • Eagle Scout Scholarships
      • National Eagle Scout Association
      • Adult Eagle Scout Recognitions
      • Trademark Cake Request
    • Charter Renewal Resources
    • Cancellation & Refund Policy
    • Commissioner Service
      • Training Awards & Recognition
      • Unit Leader Award of Merit
      • Silver Beaver Application
      • Advancement
      • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
      • Shooting Sports
    • Black Pug User Videos
  • Calendar

Rise of the Lumber Industry

Camp Minsi History

  • Rise of the Lumber Industry
  • Ice Harvesting on Stillwater Lake
  • Camp Minsi at the Delaware Water Gap
  • Camp Weygadt at the Delaware Water Gap
  • Camp Minsi at Lake Tobyhanna
  • Camp Minsi at Lake Stillwater

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • Rise of the Lumber Industry

Up until the 1870s, most of the land of the Pocono plateau was pristine forest. The area was full of large trees and dense swamp. The Native Americans called the area that is now Stillwater Lake “Klampeechen Chuppecat,” which translates to “deep, dark swamp.” Those early, original inhabitants were the “Minsi” tribe of the Leni-Lenape Indians.

As new settlers established themselves on the Pocono Plateau starting in the early 1800s, the rich resource of timber brought lumbermen to the mountain. The swamp area itself was fully cleared of all timber, and its water supply and topography provided opportunity for a man-made dam to be built.

Logging at Stillwater Lake

Although the exact date of the dam construction is unknown, it was built prior to 1871. First known as “Tunkhannock Lake,” the initial purpose of this lake was to provide a water vehicle for timber to flow to the already built Pocono Lake. Known as a “splash dam,” the dam would be breached and the resulting flood would carry the logs downstream to the saw mill.

During this time, businessmen from New York City and the surrounding areas began buying up the land from local residents and clear-cutting the plateau to harvest the lumber. The small stream that ran through the swampy area was soon dammed to create a lake.

By the 1830s, lumbering was taking place on a massive scale throughout the region. By 1860, Pennsylvania, with over 28-million acres of land (much of which was densely forested) had become America’s lumbering champion.

Contact Us

991 POSTAL RD
ALLENTOWN PA 18109-9516
  610-264-8551

About Us

  • Staff Directory
  • Executive Board
  • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Scouting Sites

  • Scouting America
  • Find Scouting Near You
  • Scoutbook
  • Brand Center
  • Scouting Alumni
  • National Eagle Scout Association
  • Scout Life Magazine
  • Scouting Magazine

Quick Links

  • Calendar
  • Camp Minsi
  • Weekend Rentals
  • Insurance Certificate Request
  • Scout Shop
  • Training
OA Logo
Camp Minsi Logo
 
 
 
 

Council Number: 502 | Registered 501(c)(3) | EIN: 23-1708585 | Copyright © 2025 Minsi Trails Council - All rights reserved