The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club

The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club was formed in 1879 and its first president, Benjamin Ruff, worked diligently to get some of the most prominent men of the Pittsburgh area interested in his venture. The original charter included sixteen men, climbing to 61 in 1889. The members bought shares in the corporation at one hundred dollars apiece, and it seemed almost a requirement to purchase two. Within a few years several cottages and a clubhouse had been built along the shores of the lake. Who owned the cottages is anyone’s guess since the only record of who stayed in which cottage belongs to local folklore. But regardless of this matter, the club was a welcome departure from the smoke and dirt of Pittsburgh.

The men that came here hunted, fished, sailed, and had shooting competitions. It was a place far removed from the business of business in Pittsburgh, but not too far, considering the city was only a few hours away by rail.

TIMELINE

The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club

May 19, 1879

The club is incorporated as a not for profit organization.

November 17, 1879

The charter for the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club is filed in Allegheny County.

March 15, 1880

The land is officially granted to the club.

October 14, 1879

The first mention of a new club is reported in the Johnstown Tribune.

December 25, 1879

The first repairs to the dam washed away.

Spring 1880

Under the supervision of Edward Pearson, the repair work to the dam begins.

1881

The repairs are finished and the lake is stocked with black bass from Lake Erie.

1887

Death of club’s first president, Benjamin Ruff.

1888

The last cottage to be built at Lake Conemaugh is complete.

May 31, 1889

The dam fails.

1889-1907

The "Johnstown Colony", a group of homeless from that city live in resort buildings.

June 26, 1901

The club turns the entire property over to E. B. Alsip, a trustee of the club.

February 17, 1903

The property is deeded to George Harshberger.

February 25, 1904

Public auction of the club buildings and their contents.

1907

The town of St. Michael, a community surrounding the old resort, is created.

The South Fork Dam

The dam was originally built by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to be used as a reservoir for the canal basin in Johnstown. But as good ideas go the dam took so long to build that the canal system was made obsolete by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). The railroad eventually bought the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal and operated many sections of it for a number of years. While under the PRR’s ownership, the dam broke in 1862. But fortunately the lake was only half full and it was a dry summer.

The PRR sold this particular property to a congressman from Altoona (PA) named John Reilly. Reilly hoped (as many in the area did) that he would be able to sell it to a group interested in starting a resort. Interested buyers were so few that Reilly sold it to the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club at a loss.

The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club started to repair the dam in 1879, and completed it in 1881. The club stocked the lake (which they called Lake Conemaugh) with one thousand black bass. The dam held for almost ten years, failing during one of the worst storms of the later nineteenth century.

TIMELINE FOR DAM BUILDING

1831	Completion of the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal.
1834	Opening of the Allegheny Portage Railroad.
1839	Commonwealth of Pennsylvania starts to build a structure to dam the South Fork of the Little Conemaugh to be used in times of drought for the canal basin in Johnstown.
1853	The South Fork dam is completed after 14 years.
1854	The Pennsylvania Railroad completes the Horseshoe Curve, connecting Philadelphia with Pittsburgh by rail.
1857	The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania sells the Mainline Canal to the Pennsylvania Railroad.
1862	The South Fork dam gives way for the first time. The lake is allowed to drain.
1875	The Pennsylvania R. R. sells the property to John Reilly, a congressman from Altoona.
1879	John Reilly sells the property to the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club and the task of repairing the dam is begun.
1881	The repairs to the dam are completed.
1889	The dam fails leading to one of the worst natural disasters in United States history.