Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site natural resource condition assessment

Yetter, Susan; Bishop, Joseph; Hurteau, Sarah; Chamberlain, Sarah; Nassry, Michael; Ingram, Hannah; Taylor, Alan; Brooks, Robert

Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site (ALPO) is in southwestern Pennsylvania in Blair and Cambria counties. The park protects the cultural resources that comprise the Allegheny Portage Railroad and tells the story of its influence on the nation. Prior to the 18th century, the region of what is now ALPO was occupied primarily by Native American groups and scattered European settlers who often fought each other for land. Consequently, the area was extremely dangerous to settle with much of the area existing as dense forest. During a relatively peaceful period, land was cleared for settlement. Settlers to the area were initially searching for agriculture. As more settlers came to the region, gristmills, sawmills, and distilleries were constructed along the steep, mountain streams flowing from the high plateau down the front to the valleys below. Timber became valuable for building and heating homes and for making charcoal to fuel the iron furnaces. During this period, much of the land was cleared. As coke replaced charcoal in the iron-making process, the coal industry grew rapidly in Cambria and Blair Counties. In the early nineteenth century, Pennsylvania began the State Works project to utilize the waterways of the commonwealth for transportation. The first section of the Pennsylvania Canal’s Main Line extended from Philadelphia to Hollidaysburg; the second section began in Pittsburgh and extended east toward Johnstown. In between lay the vast expanse of the rugged Allegheny Mountains. A team of engineers designed the Allegheny Portage Railroad, a system of horse-drawn (later replaced by locomotives) rail lines and tiered incline planes which carried the canal boats across the Alleghenies. The Allegheny Portage Railroad opened in March of 1834 and, although only in operation for two decades, is still regarded as an engineering marvel and symbol of America’s ingenuity and perseverance during the first steps toward western expansion. Allegheny Portage Railroad was designated as a National Historic Site on August 31, 1964 in order to preserve the history and remnants of the Allegheny Portage Railroad and interpret the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal’s system of canals, railroads, and inclined planes and its impact on the early development of the nation. The park extends across 40 miles and encompasses two main areas: 1) the Main Unit, which begins at the summit of the original portage, roughly 3 miles east of the town of Cresson, and includes the Summit Area and Level 6, the Eastern Slope (Allegheny Front) area (includes Inclines 6, 8, 9 and 10), Levels 8 through 10, and the Foot of Ten area; and 2) the Staple Bend Tunnel Unit (SBTU), which includes Incline 1 and a portion of Level 2 and is located southwest of the Main Unit. The total park acreage for 2010 was 1284 acres (520 ha). Although this small park was established for the preservation of cultural resources, these resources are embedded within the natural resources of the park, including forested mountains, streams and other natural areas supporting a variety of wildlife, including rare or regionally important plant and animal species. Understanding the structure and function of these ecosystems, as well as the lasting impacts to them from past land use as humans began to reshape the land and extract its resources through agriculture, logging, mining, damming, and other activities, is essential to maintaining both the cultural and natural resources of the park for future generations (Marshall and Piekielek 2007). Several factors are important to remember when conducting natural resource condition assessments of small cultural parks. First are the major objectives for park management, which are cultural in nature and may conflict with natural resource management.

Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site natural resource condition assessment

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