Letterbox: McConnells Mill State Park Letterboxes #1
City, State: New Castle, PA
County: Lawrence
Placed by: SAM (sirochman@dplus.net)
Difficulty: I am a lone letterboxer. Most of my boxes are relatively easy because I dont usually climb over difficult rocky passes, slide down slopes on my butt, or hike for more than an hour one way by myself in desolate areas.
Background: (excerpts from DCNR Recreational Guide). Cleland Rock Overlook provides a MAGNIFICENT view of the Slippery Rock Gorge. If you stood here 200,000 years ago, you would be standing on a ridge at a drainage divide. Water to the north flowed north and water to the south flowed south.

If you stood on the same location 140,000 years ago, you would be standing at the edge of a small lake dammed by several hundred feet of ice. The ice was the edge of a continental glacier that stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and covered most of north America north of Cleland Rock. The glacier dam created small Lake Prouty nearby. To the north was larger Lake Watts (modern version is Lake Arthur) and further north was giant Lake Edmund.

Eventually Lake Prouty spilled over the ridge near Cleland Rock and began carving Slippery Rock Creek Gorge. As the glacier retreated, lake Watts drained into the channel, enlarging and deepening the gorge, then Lake Edmund swiftly poured into the channel, scouring the gorge to over 400 feet deep.

When the glacier finally retreated back to the north, Slippery Rock Creek Gorge was so deep that streams that normally flowed north, now flowed south as the streams do today. The swift erosion of the gorge created its swift water and the many boulders that offer great challenges to modern whitewater boaters.

Slippery Rock Creek is 49 miles long and full of slippery rocks, yet is named for one exceptionaly slick rock in the vicinity of McConnells Mill. It is believed that an Indian trail forded the creek at a shelf of sandstone near a natural oil seep, which made the rock exceptionally slippery, and gave its name to the creek, a town, a rock formation and many local businesses.

In the late 1800s oil wells briefly flourished in the valley but the oil was swiftly invaded by ground water ane the wells were abandoned. The oil wells drained the oil seep and the Slippery Rock is no longer covered in oil.
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Letterbox #1: SLIPPERY ROCK GORGE at Cleland Rock
Placed: May 27, 2002
Difficulty: EASY.
Time estimate: Once arriving at Cleland Rock, finding the box - 10 minutes.
To Cleland Rock: If you have a map of the park, go to Cleland Rock and skip this section. Else-Cleland Rock is in McConnells Mill State Park. The main entrance to the park is on US Rt. 422. If you are not familiar with the area, it is only 2 minutes from the intersection of Rt 19 and 422.
I suggest that you pick up a park map at the Park Rangers office which is the FIRST building on the right when you enter the park. But for those of you who dont have a maphere are my directions

Once you have turned off 422 into the park, follow McConnells Mill Rd until the T.
Turn right onto Kildoo Road.
At the next T, turn left. (turning to the right here will take take you to the actual mill, the dam and, the covered bridge. Come back to visit this, later).
You are on Kennedy Road which winds through some country side.
At the first stop sign, you will again be at a T, turn left.
Dont go too far .
Watch for Pfeifer Rd on your right. It is the first right- gravel road. The road sign is missing. Turn to the right onto Pfeifer Rd.
Watch for the first road on your right. This should be Magee Rd. It is a SHARP right.
If you intersect with Rt 488, you have missed Magee.
Follow Magee to the T, turn right.
Watch for signs for Cleland Rock on the left.

To Find Slippery Rock Gorge Letterbox at Cleland Rock:
Enjoy the view standing on the rock. When you are done viewing, take the small path downhill to the right of the rock.

See several LARGE rocks with a tree appearing to grow out of the top of the rocks.
Continue downhill (approx 40 paces from Cleland Rock) until you are directly in front of the rocks and the tree.
Now the path goes back uphill.
Head to the large flat rock at the top. Its about 20 paces from the rock/tree combination.
The box is hdden under the large flat rock on the NW side.
Easy, eh?