What is a watershed? A watershed is the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place. In the Juniata area the Juniata watershed is part of the Susquehanna watershed. That means….when a drop of rain lands on top of the Allegheny Front, or Gallitzin, that drop of rain eventually finds its way to the Juniata river which wends its way to the Susquehanna river and out to sea.

 

What is so important about the Juniata River watershed? The health of our communities, our homes, and our industries depend on a clean river. The river helped shape our communities like Tyrone, Altoona, Lewisburg, Williamsburg, and Hollidaysburg. John Wesley Powell, scientist geographer, put it best when said that a watershed is:

 

“that area of land, a bounded hydrological system, within which all living things are inextricably linked by their common water course and where, as humans settled, simple logic demanded that they become part of a community.”

 

The river developed a sense of community it started with the Paleo-Indians then to Iroquois, who invited the Delaware, Shawnee, and Tuscarora. The Juniata watershed eventually became home to the Scotch-Irish and then the Germans. The river served as a good food source, transportation corridor, and supported such industries as hunting, farming, iron making, and mining. Today the river helps support a growing trend toward heritage tourism bringing people interested in walking on the very same trails Indians may have once walked and fishing in streams your great grandfather fished.

 

Today the population of the Juniata River basin is estimated to be approximately 317,000 and the most populated city in the watershed is Altoona. Efforts to make the river a better place are working and people are taking note. Heritage travelers are finding a pleasant vacation in the Juniata Basin.

 

Heritage travelers are Fly fishermen spending a lot of money to pull trout out of the Juniata river, boaters are buying canoes and kayaks to learn to navigate the river, baby boomers are visiting Bed & Breakfasts along the rails to trails, not to mention the young families who visit the many other attractions found in the basin like the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum, Delgrosso Park, Lake Raystown, East Broad top railroad and many more.

 

We hope to spend the next couple of months featuring the “BEST OF” the Juniata River basin. Help us. We want to know the places you like to see with in the basin. Take a look at the map and send us a  note to share your favorite spot in the basin. Tell us why and we will come and do a story about that location. We look forward to hearing from you.