Rust Belt Bloggers: December Neighborhood Walk December 9, 2008
Posted by Anthony Closkey in Boxes.Tags: Butler, Lake Arthur, Moraine State Park, neighborhoodwalk, public art, Rust Belt Bloggers, Western Pennsylvania
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Thursday is another Neighborhood Walk for the Rust Belt Bloggers. (See my photo tour of Butler from last month.) This month’s theme is Public Art. I would like to talk about the most remarkable thing in Butler County, in its most important public space. Lake Arthur, in Moraine State Park, the largest man-made lake in Pennsylvania.
Yeah, it may be a stretch to call it art, but this man-made lake is crafted, maintained, and living like a city plaza, conference center, and stadium all in one. It’s innovative, it serves the community, and it’s beautiful. I consider that great art.
Moraine State Park’s borders nearly touch the property where I was raised. (Download the Moraine State Park Official Map PDF 895 KB) I’ve fished, boated, sailed, and even walked on Lake Arthur. I’ve picnicked, camped, hiked and biked it’s shores.
Moraine State Park is named for the glacial moraines that cover its land. The moraines were formed at the conclusion of the Last glacial period, a time when glaciers covered much of North America. A tongue of the glacier reached into Pennsylvania and, as the ice receded, left deposits of gravel, sand and clay. These created a landscape of gently rolling hills.
Settlers in the 1800s, after clearing the land of trees, found this deposited gravel and sand made tilling soil difficult. Limestone and coal mining were much more successful. The mines were not capped and the topsoil eroded.
On a trip to the Muddy Creek Valley he noticed that despite the barren landscape that had been left by the oil wells and strip mines, the valley had a rich natural history of moraines. Preston worked to form the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, which purchased the land that became Moraine State Park, recreated the glacial landscape and preserved open spaces. Muddy Creek was dammed to form Lake Arthur.
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy worked with the state to reclaim the land. The mines were sealed, over 400 oil and gas wells were capped, and the land that had been stripped was covered again with back fill, and graded to resemble its former condition. The soil was specially treated with fertilizer to allow for the growth of thousands of trees, shrubs and grasses. Lake Arthur was completed in 1970 with the opening of Moraine State Park on May 23, 1970.
Butler Morning: A Neighborhood Walk November 11, 2008
Posted by Anthony Closkey in Boxes.Tags: Butler, home, neighborhoodwalk, walking
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I’ve photographed a walk through Butler for the Rust Belt Bloggers Neighborhood Walk. Rust Belt Bloggers discuss how bloggers best communicate the opportunities available in our Rust Belt cities. Visit the Ning site to check out other Neighborhood Walk entries and the other goings-on.
I walk a lot, and so I really enjoyed doing this. I found it difficult to limit the number of photographs. Butler is very special to me. There are more in my Flickr gallery.
My street. This is insanely steep
My friends just repainted their house.
The quiet streets I walk every day.
I love all the alleys and this tiled house.
Community Dinner night at my church.
It was Veterans Day
Cemetery on North Main Street
The swanky homes of "The Boulevard"
This may be a pet cemetery
And finally home
Again, find more from my walk in Flickr. Don’t forget to see other Rust Belt Blogger Neighborhood Walk entries including my sister Cindy’s walk of Butler.
