Welcome to Elk County

The Bennett’s Valley has evolved from Seneca Indian Territory in the late 1700’s into an area whose primary industry has become tourism.

The first documented intrusion of white men here was William H. Bennett who followed the waterways here to trap. According to his accounts there were a series of beaver dams from Caledonia to the head of Kersey Run. He took animal hides from the area, and left his name on what is now Bennett’s Branch.

Once claimed by Connecticut, Pennsylvania and the Seneca Indian’s, Bennett’s Valley became under the sole jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania following the Revolutionary War. The land was purchased by New Holland Land Company who in turn sold the land to settlers who like Bennett followed the waterway here.

The first major industry here besides farming was logging as the area was known for its huge Pine Trees.  There was so many log rafts and later logs flowed down the Bennett’s Branch that for years Williamsport was known as the lumber capital of the nation.

Then came the coal industry that included coal and stripping mining including coke ovens. This had a very negative impact on the area; polluting many streams, scars from the strip mines. Over the past number of years there has been major reclamation projects both cleaning up the streams and scars from the open pit strip mines.

Native Pennsylvania Elk once inhabited the area but became extinct along with wolves, mountain lions and panthers, all though some have claimed recent panther sightings. In the early 1900’s Colorado Elk were introduced in several different parts of Pennsylvania, but the only ones that survived were those released in Bennett’s Valley.  These elk grew in major portions, some claim there are 1200 or more Elk roaming the local hills and valleys.

Today, literary thousands of tourist come to view the Elk, take pictures and hunt for sheds. In addition to the Elk the area is one of the finest hunting areas and native trout fishing streams in the state.