Cook Forest State Park - History

History

When European-Americans reached this part of Pennsylvania it was inhabited by the Seneca Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy. They used this area as a hunting grounds; the land of Cook Forest was then purchased by the English. Seneca Rock is still named after the first inhabitants, and the Paramount Pictures' film "Unconquered" was shot here in 1946 by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Gary Cooper and Paulette Goddard.

John Cook was the first permanent American settler. He arrived in 1826 to determine the feasibility of building an east-to-west canal along the Clarion River for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. John purchased 765 acres (310 ha) and settled here with his wife and 10 children in 1828.

At the mouth of Tom's Run, now adjacent to the park office, John built his one-story cabin and the first of many water-driven sawmills. He worked his mills, logged with oxen, rafted logs to Pittsburgh and also engaged in flatboat building through the years.

John's son Andrew bought 36 acres (15 ha) from his father, then gained the rest of his land when his father died in 1858. Andrew's industry expanded, and he built the original Cook Forest Inn for his woodsmen's living quarters. Anthony erected three sawmills, one flouring mill, one planing mill, a boat scaffold, several dwellings and a store. Andrew also served as a judge and local bank president. About 1870, he built the Cook Homestead (now a bed and breakfast)at the intersection of Route 36 and River Road. Cook family descendants still inhabit many of the homes along River Road. After Andrew's death, the business was managed under A. Cook Sons Company.