Deer Lake a community trying to get history back
Deer Lake is unique. The peacefulness of this small mountain lake and community just east of Uniontown is what brought me and my family here 45 years ago from the streets of Pittsburgh. A 77-acre, spring-fed lake full of fish, frogs and the roar of the spring peepers. A family friendly community where your kids can swim, fish, ride their bikes and ice skate in the winter. Our family learned to canoe, kayak and even do a bit of sailing between the lily pads.
Deer lake was built in 1908 and was at first called鈥� Seaton Lake.鈥� Mr. Seaton purchased land from the Burrie and Wiggins families. The first mention of the Deer Lake area in written history can be found in 鈥淓llis鈥� History of Fayette County鈥�. In 1822, the same year the Stone House on Route 40 was erected, Joseph Wiggins built the 鈥淔inest House in Wharton Township鈥�. Sportsman called it a 鈥渇ox hunter蘑菇视频 paradise鈥�. After the lake was built, Seaton stocked the lake with bass and trout and it had been a great fishing lake for nearly 100 years.
Over the years, the lake has acted as a giant sediment collecting pond and protected downstream Meadow Run, allowing it to remain a pristine waterway. Like everything else, dams have a limited life and the families who live at Deer Lake over these past 100 years have done a good job in protecting the lake, it蘑菇视频 environment and, of course, Meadow Run.
Today, the families at Deer Lake face a big challenge. The dam must be rebuilt and the lake dredged so that, once again, we will be able to enjoy the lake and the environment that surrounds it. This certainly includes Meadow Run. The dam has been completely rebuilt and we have started dredging the sediment from the lake bed. My grandkids have been waiting seven years to use the lake. The families and property owners have raised $2,800,000. Not a penny of tax payer money or government funding is involved. Our people voted to assess themselves and pay this over a 10-year period. Some have helped even more by paying the total upfront. Some have had to take a home equity loan. Others dipped deep into their savings or retirement accounts to pay their fair share. Meanwhile, our volunteer leaders have had to deal with getting 16 permits from a variety of state agencies. We are some 200 families who make our home and contribute to the well being of our lake and the community around us.