A Summer Evening at Little Buffalo State Park
Today's evening photo was taken by WPC President Larry Schweiger at Little Buffalo State Park, which is near the town of Newport in the south central portion of the state. Money from Project 70 purchased the land, and the park facilities were constructed with Project 500 funds. Little Buffalo State Park officially opened its gates to the public on June 11, 1972. It is unknown why the stream is called Little Buffalo Creek or the adjacent ridge is called Buffalo Ridge, but local tradition holds that the buffalo, also called bison, inhabited the area.
In 1955, Maurice K. Goddard was appointed director of the Department of Parks and Forests and proposed building a state park within 25 miles of every resident of Pennsylvania. Needing money to buy land for parks, the legislature introduced Project 70, to raise money for forestry, conservation, parks, improved water quality and pollution control. This bond issue had to go through the Senate, the House of Representatives and the voters. Goddard traveled around the state selling the project. In 1963, the measure was passed.
WPC worked to help protect many properties, such as Moraine and McConnells
Mill State Parks, which benefited from Project 70.
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