Jersey Shore in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Altered States
| | Pine Creek Rail Trail | |
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 17, 2022
1. Altered States Marker
Between 1800 and 1850, much of the region's massive old-growth white pine was harvested, muscled to the rivers, lashed into rafts, and floated to far away shipyards and other industries.
By 1850, the Industrial Revolution brought hopeful and hearty immigrant workers to labor in the forests, tanneries and coal mines. The invention of the geared locomotive engine allowed the most remote stands of timber to be cut and moved to the mills.
The devastation didn't stop when the trees were gone. Fires, sparked by the locomotive's steam-driven engines, ripped across lands that were now littered with stumps and limbs. Rain, with no trees to capture it, washed mud and ash down steep barren mountainsides, flooded valley towns, and all but choked the life from once pristine waterways. The dying lands spoke to some who chose to act.
[photo captions]
This photo, taken near Costello, Potter County, was the typical scene across north central Pennsylvania after the forests had been move to the mills.
Abundant resources were found below ground as well, and the coal mining industry prospered in Pennsylvania. The early coal miners didnt know that some of the rocks found near coal seams, when exposed to oxygen and groundwater, produced an acid deadly to our streams.
The invention of the railroad assured the removal of massive trees in even the most remote terrain in Pennsylvania.
Erected by Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1800.
Location. 41° 12.093′ N, 77° 16.818′ W. Marker is in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, in Lycoming County. It can be reached from the intersection of Railroad
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Pennsylvania Wilds and in the Susquehanna Valley. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: In the Beginning (here, next to this marker); Restoration and Renewal (here, next to this marker); Continuing Commitment (here, next to this marker); Fair Play in the Wild West (here, next to this marker); Pine Creek Valley A Story of Transformations (here, next to this marker); Discover the Lumber Heritage Region (here, next to this marker); Jersey Shore Cemetery War Memorial
Thomas Taber Collection
2. Marker detail: Log Rafts
Massive log rafts were assembled near the creeks and rivers, then piloted to distant mills, dismantled, and sawn into lumber.
Reed Johnson Collection
3. Marker detail: Wood Hicks
Known as wood hicks, hearty men labored in the forests with simple tools, sweat and muscle.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 17, 2022
4. Altered States Marker
This marker is the second from the left of four panels on the south side of the Pine Creek Rail Trail Trailhead interpretive kiosk.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 30, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 10 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 30, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
