About 40 years ago five lawyers at the Cleveland patent law firm of Fay, Sharpe & Mulholland decided to go on a spring retreat. They planned and executed a three day fishing trip in canoes east from Grayling, Michigan down the Au Sable River to the dam at Mio, Michigan-about 50 miles. They slept under the canoes and cooked on open fires. There was a case of beer prize for the person who traveled lightest (i.e. with the least equipment). It became an annual trip.

The trip expanded and some friends, lawyers, law clerks and relatives were invited along. For about five years the trip alternated between going west from Grayling on the Manistee River and down the Au Sable, but the fishing was bad because lamprey eels had killed most of the trout and the Michigan authorities killed off all the fish in the Au Sable River in the process of ridding it of eels. Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania was closer than Grayling to Cleveland, had decent trout fishing and canoe liveries. Accordingly, the trip was moved to the Tionesta River. The switch was made and the date was permanently agreed to be set so the Sunday before Mother's Day each year would be the last day of the trip. Camping and fishing from the canoes lasted about two years in Pennsylvania, and then we began increasing the size of the group and using vehicles to get to base camp sites. Two sites were on the Tionesta and one on Salmon Creek.

In 1983, 3 days after the trip had ended, a tornado ripped thru the Tionesta Valley, blowing down all of the trees on both sides of the surrounding mountains. The blow down went all through the inland up to our campsite on Salmon Creek. When we returned in 1984, we found the area still devastated, and because of all of the downed timber still on the ground, the Forest Service had instituted a complete fire ban for the entire area. We still camped at the Salmon Creek site for that year, but where unable to have any campfires unless it was in an enclosed container. We cooked on Coleman stoves, and sat around at night by the light of Coleman lanterns only. It was then that Russ and Bud decided to spend some time looking for a possible new campsite. They scoured topo, and forest county maps looking for a place with high elevations, decent access, close to camp fishing opportunities, and a place where we could have campfires without any problems.

The campfire came first and it was easy. Forest County would have a fire ban for at least 3 years or until the timber was cleaned up. Adjacent Elk County had no fire ban. So, Elk County it was. Then we looked at fishing opportunities by searching the game commission archives for natural spawning trout streams in Elk County and found 3 such rated streams. Combined with topo maps, we narrowed it down by what areas looked interesting ... and by far, the Spring Creek watershed looked the most promising and remote. Further investigation found Big Run (a small continuously spring fed tributary to Spring Creek) that was also rated as one of the least known, but best producers of natural spawning brook trout). It's cold running waters and proximity to the Clarion River, make it easy for large female brook trout to migrate from the Clarion River, up 1/2 mile of Spring Creek, and then up into Big Run for spawning.

This area sounded too good to be true ... so we had to physically investigate it. We headed out of Marienville on rr130 on a poorly maintained road for what seemed an eternity until we crossed the bridge at Spring Creek and entered the game lands. A little farther up, we ran into another smaller bridge that crossed Big Run. Several oil company workers were doing maintenance on a gas pipeline there and we stopped to talk with them. The area was in a hidden valley far away from cabins and people. There was a primitive parking and camp area next to the bridge, and the workers told us that this area which was 1/2 acre by 1/2 acre was private gas company property because of a pipeline transition in the vicinity. They told us that people can camp on the site legally, because the oil company has to leave public access to Big Run for fisherman. Since camping was not allowed in the 1200 acres of State Game Lands which surround the entire area, Russ & I both thought this area was a goldmine ...out of the way, fires allowed, access to great fishing right at the campsite, plus it was a small area in the middle of nowhere that other campers could not intrude. On the way back to the original campsite on Salmon Creek, we stopped at the Marienville ranger station and confirmed that the exact area we had just left was indeed ok to camp on. The ranger told us yes and so for the next year (1985), we started at the new campsite. In 1988, the area had a huge spring flood that washed out the one lane bridge across Big Run. The gas company (who owned the bridge, decided that they where not going to replace it (the remnants of the bridge abutments are still next to our campsite).

So that year, we started to camp on the current site which was across the creek. The area is full of historical lore. If you walk about 3/4 mile up Big Run & then go up one of the oil company clear cuts to the top of the ridge, running thru the forest you will find old railroad tracks that used to run along the ridge. There also used to be a cable supported foot bridge that crossed Spring Creek just down from camp. If crossed Spring Creek and went up the first small tributary stream coming down the mountain (near the beaver pool), you would come to an old stone foundation of a cabin along with a cut stone pond with connected stone raceways. In the early 1950' s, a game warden used to live in a cabin there and raised trout in the stone pond. He then used the stone raceways to release the fish into the little tributary which led them down into Spring Creek. You'll also find old railroad tracks running thru the forest up on this ridge. probably used for oil and logging in the early 50's.

I think everyone (at sometime) has fished the big beaver pool on Spring Creek, it is one of the nicest sites to see as you drive into camp. Well, the heavy timbers that you where standing on to cast out into the pool, are what's left of a vehicle bridge that used to cross Spring Creek, about 100 yards upstream, that led up to the wardens cabin. The original stone bridge abatements are still visible on both sides. This bridge washed away in a flood in the mid 60' s according to a forest ranger. The cable foot bridge across Spring Creek washed away in a flood in 2003.

That pretty much explains how we got to where we are today.