WALLENPAUPACK, PA — America’s semiquincentenial isn’t the only anniversary being celebrated in the Upper Delaware this year. It’s also the hundredth anniversary of Lake Wallenpaupack, and the community around the lake plans to celebrate it in style. 

No natural lake

As may be apparent from the timeline, Wallenpaupack is no natural lake, formed over millenia of slow geological processes. It is, instead, one less natural, formed for a specific purpose. 

The area now known as Lake Wallenpaupack was originally a valley, one that had the Wallenpaupack Creek running through it. "Wallenpaupack" as a term comes from the Native American term, "The Stream of Swift and Slow Water."

Fast forward to the early 1920s, and the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company had eyes on the area as a potential location for a hydroelectric dam. The company identified the Wallenpaupack Creek as a potential location for the dam, and construction started in 1924. 

At the time, the land in the Wallenpaupack valley had been settled, and PPL had to acquire it from its current owners in order to build the dam and flood the valley. It ultimately purchased 12,000 acres of land from around 100 estate owners. While much of the pre-existing settlement was razed or relocated, signs remain that bits of houses and roads remain beneath the waters. 

The dam was finished in 1926, with the resultant lake, at 6,000 acres, laying claim to the title of third largest lake in Pennsylvania. The dam, now owned by Brookfield Renewable, continues operating as a hydroelectric facility. Numerous communities here sprung up over the century of its operations, taking advantage of the lake’s shoreline. 

Happy centenial!

The Chamber of the Northern Poconos has a plethora of events planned to celebrate the lake’s centenial. 

An initial circus-themed birthday bash took place at the Silver Birches Resort on Saturday, July 18. The bulk of the bash will take place this coming weekend, with events starting Friday, July 24, and continuing through the weekend. Highlights include: a pair of historical presentations at the Lake Wallenpaupack Environmental Learning Center on Friday, with the ‘History of Creating Lake Wallenpaupack’ starting at 1 p.m. and ‘The Town Under the Lake’ starting at 3 p.m.