We believe this photo was taken in 1908 during the construction of the first dam at Blue Spruce Park. A second dam, capped over the first dam, was built in 1912 to enlarge the capacity of the reservoir. Water from the dam was used for boilers for the train engines that ran on the nearby BR&P Railroad. Note the mules being used in the construction and the large water tower at the top of the hill.
This historic photo shows a scene from the Penn View Mountain Railroad that operated on Penn View Mountain, not far from today's Pine Ridge Park. The scenic tourist train was owned by Mr. Sloan Cornell and operated from 1964 to 1973. The rail line ran from the small village of Strangford up the mountain to an overlook on Penn View Mountain. No remains of the railroad exist today. Mr. Cornell later operated several other tourist trains including the Knox & Kane Railroad and the Gettysburg Railroad.