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29-538: Founded in 1800, Johnstown was a steel town that grew from the development of the Pennsylvania Railroad and other transportation services in Cambria County . By 1889, the town had a population of thirty thousand people who were of mostly German and Welsh ancestry. Established in the center of a narrow floodplain between Little Conemaugh and Stony Creek rivers, the community was surrounded, during

58-521: A National Historic Landmark District , established in 1986 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places . They are significant not only for the role of the club in the flood, but as an example of elite recreational clubs in the late nineteenth century, and the architecture of the time. The visitor center at this national memorial offers two floors of exhibits with maps, views of the former dam, tactile displays, historic photographs of

87-563: A "huge wall" coming down the street. The longest-living survivor of the flood, Frank Shomo, died March 20, 1997, at the age of one hundred and eight. As a result of legislation proposed by U.S. Congressman John P. Saylor (R-PA), H.R. 931, which was supported by the Blair County Historical Society and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission , creation of this memorial was approved by

116-499: A donkey to provide assistance in clearing the area. The herd is able to eat an approximate of an acre of vegetation every two weeks. Another organization named Russell Tree Experts from Ohio also assisted in mechanical clearing of the lakebed. This clearing project is expected to continue till the summer of 2021. Cambria County, Pennsylvania Cambria County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania . As of

145-496: A seventy-foot-high wall of water that was propelled fourteen miles downward into the Little Conemaugh River Valley, where it flooded Johnstown. Property, industry, homes, farms, and lives were destroyed as the water, debris, oil, and bodies of flood victims were caught in the arches of a Pennsylvania Railroad -owned stone bridge . Eighty of the trapped people subsequently died in a related fire. Although

174-560: A summer mountain retreat. The club paid for repairs to the dam and additional development: a main building and "cottages" to transform the area into a boating and fishing resort community. On May 31, 1889, the South Fork dam broke from the weight of combined heavy rains and a sudden freshet that had caused a significantly higher amount of water to accumulate in its reservoir than normal. The dam's rupture released twenty million tons of water, which traveled at forty miles per hour, creating

203-836: Is also included in the Johnstown- Somerset, PA combined statistical area . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 694 square miles (1,800 km ), of which 688 square miles (1,780 km ) is land and 5.3 square miles (14 km ) (0.8%) is water. Cambria has a warm-summer humid continental climate ( Dfb ) and average monthly temperatures in downtown Johnstown range from 27.8 °F in January to 71.0 °F in July, while in Ebensburg they range from 23.9 °F in January to 67.7 °F in July. PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State U Cambria County

232-509: Is land and 0.027 square miles (0.07 km ), or 5.74%, is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,138 people, 452 households, and 311 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,208.1 inhabitants per square mile (852.6/km ). There were 484 housing units at an average density of 939.1 per square mile (362.6/km ). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.74% White , 0.09% African American , and 0.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.62% of

261-790: Is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission , and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America . As of the census of 2000, there were 152,598 people, 60,531 households, and 40,616 families residing in the county. The population density was 222 people per square mile (86 people/km ). There were 65,796 housing units at an average density of 96 units per square mile (37/km ). The racial makeup of

290-533: Is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area . The population was 928 at the 2010 census , down from 1,138 at the 2000 census. South Fork is located in south-central Cambria County at 40°21′54″N 78°47′26″W  /  40.36500°N 78.79056°W  / 40.36500; -78.79056 (40.365042, -78.790474), in the valley of the Little Conemaugh River at

319-582: The 2020 census , the population was 133,472. Its county seat is Ebensburg . The county was created on March 26, 1804, from parts of Bedford , Huntingdon , and Somerset counties and later organized in 1807. It was named for the nation of Wales , which in Latin is known as " Cambria ". The county is part of the Southwest Pennsylvania region of the state. Cambria County comprises the Johnstown, PA metropolitan statistical area , which

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348-448: The U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages , may be listed here as well. The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Cambria County. † county seat South Fork, Pennsylvania South Fork is a borough in Cambria County , Pennsylvania , United States. It

377-698: The United States Congress on August 31, 1964. Signed into law by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 2, 1964, the Johnstown Flood National Memorial was officially established. It was to preserve the remains of the South Fork Dam . This had been found to be structurally lacking at the time of its rupture during the Johnstown Flood on May 31, 1889. Also conserved by this legislation were

406-821: The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, a reproduction morgue book, the oral history of flood survivor Victor Heiser, and the film, "Black Friday." Visitors may go to s the Unger House and the Springhouse. Visitors to the national memorial may also explore the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Clubhouse , which was acquired by the park in 2006, and the Lake View Visitor Center. Ranger-interpreted and van-guided tours are also both available. Hiking trails connect various parts of

435-429: The age of 18 living with them, 52.80% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.90% were non-families. 29.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.96. In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.00% under

464-443: The age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 19.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males. Chart of Voter Registration Cambria was a swing county in statewide elections until the 2010s, with all four statewide winners carrying it in 2008. Al Gore received 50.3% of

493-407: The average family size was 3.07. In the borough the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males. The median income for a household in the borough

522-630: The confluence of its South Fork. U.S. Route 219 , a four-lane expressway, passes just east of the borough and leads 10 miles (16 km) north to Ebensburg , the Cambria County seat. Johnstown is 10 miles (16 km) to the southwest, and Altoona is approximately 30 miles (48 km) to the northeast. According to the United States Census Bureau , the borough of South Fork has a total area of 0.50 square miles (1.30 km ), of which 0.47 square miles (1.22 km )

551-802: The county is regulated by the Cambria County Solid Waste Management Authority . According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Ed Names and Addresses, July 1, 2015 There are two Pennsylvania state parks in Cambria County. Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities , boroughs , townships , and, in at most two cases, towns . The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Cambria County: Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by

580-571: The county vote to 46.4% for George W. Bush in 2000, but Bush carried it with 50.8% of the vote to 48.7% for John Kerry in 2004–only the third time since 1928 that the county had supported a Republican for president. Cambria returned to the Democratic presidential column in 2008, with Barack Obama receiving 49.4% of the vote to 48.7% for John McCain . In 2011 the GOP won a majority on the county commissioners board and in 2012 gave Mitt Romney 58.1% of

609-461: The county was 95.80% White , 2.83% Black or African American , 0.09% Native American , 0.38% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 0.25% from other races , and 0.64% from two or more races. 0.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 27.7% were of German , 10.2% Irish , 10.1% Italian , 10.0% Polish , 6.5% Slovak , 6.2% American and 5.6% English ancestry. There were 60,531 households, out of which 27.00% had children under

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638-705: The flood lasted for only ten minutes, the catastrophic damage it caused required five years of cleanup and rebuilding to enable residents of Johnstown to recover. In addition to the thousands of initial injuries and lives lost, the community was affected by an outbreak of typhoid fever , which developed from bacteria-tainted flood waters and lack of sanitation. Forty more people died. Surviving residents were treated and cared for by relief corps from several cities in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The federal government and foreign countries also responded with more than $ 3.7 million in money, food, and clothing for

667-460: The former Lake Conemaugh bed, along with the nearby farm of Elias Unger and the clubhouse of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club , which had owned the dam and reservoir. The associated land is treated as a park. The memorial is presently located at 733 Lake Road near South Fork, Pennsylvania , about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Johnstown, Pennsylvania . The clubhouse and several associated buildings have since been designated as part of

696-472: The latter part of the nineteenth century, by land that had been altered by deforestation and the leveling of hills. These factors contributed to periodic floods, as did the narrow river valleys. In 1836, the South Fork dam was built to create a reservoir (later named Conemaugh Lake) for the Pennsylvania Canal's western division. Measuring eight hundred and fifty feet at its breast section, the dam

725-876: The memorial, and picnicking areas are also present throughout. In January 2020, the Lakebed Rehabilitation Project began at the Johnston Flood National Memorial. The project's goal was to restore the view of how the lakebed looked before the breakage of the dam in 1889. Vegetation has grown in the area so the National Park Service Wildland Fire and Aviation staff cleared it using a masticator machine . This caused problems however as there are many places that both man and machine cannot clear with safety. An organization named Allegheny Goatscape from Pittsburgh used their services of 12 goats and

754-407: The population. There were 452 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and

783-457: The town. Clara Barton and the Red Cross also responded with substantial aid. Just sixteen when the flood happened, survivor Victor Heiser years later recollected that time during a recording of his oral history. He remembered people living in the area near the dam often saying beforehand, "That dam will give way, but it won’t ever happen to us." He said that when the flood hit, it was like

812-448: The vote to Barack Obama's 40.1%. In 2016, Donald Trump carried the county with 66.5% of the vote to Hillary Clinton's 29.7%, winning the county by 36.8%. This broke the modern record for margin of victory in the county of 35.4% set by Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Four years later, Trump won the county with an even bigger margin of 37.34%. As of April 29, 2024, there were 84,932 registered voters in Cambria County. Waste management for

841-475: Was made of earth and stone. It was reported to be the largest dam of its type in the world at the time of its construction. Subsequently abandoned by the canal system, it was purchased by private owners, including a former congressman. Ultimately it was purchased by the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club , an exclusive recreational group composed of wealthy individuals from the Pittsburgh region, for use as

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