Millersylvania State Park is a public recreation area located on Deep Lake south of Olympia,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. The state park's include old-growth cedar and fir trees as well as of freshwater shoreline. In 2009, the park was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in recognition of its well-preserved

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

landscape. It is managed by the

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission The Washington State Park System is a set of state parks owned by the state government of Washington, USA. They are managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. There are over 140 parks throughout the state, including 19 mari ...

History

The area was homesteaded by Squire Lathum in 1855 and then was sold to John Miller. The Miller family called the area ''Miller's Glade'', before changing it ''Millersylvania'' and giving the property to the state in 1921 for perpetual use as a park. Remnants of a narrow-gauge railway, 19th-century skid roads, and other reminders of the logging industry can be found on park grounds, including tree stumps bearing the scars of

springboards A springboard or diving board is used for diving and is a board that is itself a spring, i.e. a linear flex-spring, of the cantilever type. Springboards are commonly fixed by a hinge at one end (so they can be flipped up when not in use), an ...

used by loggers. In 1935, the

became active in the park constructing buildings, trails, roads, picnic shelters, bathhouses and a caretaker's home, most of which remain intact and in use.

Activities and amenities

The park offers camping, of hiking and biking trails, boating, fishing and swimming. Millersylvania was once reportedly home to a rare species of freshwater crab, as reported in the Miller family diaries, which became extinct due to overfishing by new settlers coming from the east.

References

External links

Millersylvania State Park
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Millersylvania State Park Map
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission {{authority control State parks of Washington (state) National Register of Historic Places in Olympia, Washington Civilian Conservation Corps in Washington (state) Parks in Thurston County, Washington Protected areas established in 1921