Jackson Lake State Park is a public recreation area covering 106 acres (43 ha) along the shores of 252-acre (102 ha) Jackson Lake in Jackson County, Ohio, in the United States.[2][3] Recreational activities available at the park include camping, boating, fishing, swimming and picnicking.[2]
History
The forests in and around Jackson Lake State Park were previously harvested to fire the furnaces of numerous 19th-century iron works that were located in southern Ohio. Remnants of the Jefferson Iron Furnace are found in the park.[2]
The park was established as a state park in 1979. It had previously been a "state reserve", similar to a park but with less development, after a dam was built on Black Fork creating Jackson Lake in 1938. The reserve was home to a small camping area with a beach on the lake. Jackson Lake State Park was established after the facilities were expanded and improved.[2]
Ecology
Jackson Lake State Park is in the Appalachian Highlands region of Ohio. The hilly sandstone region is home to diverse plant and animal populations. The region contains nearly 70% of the woodlands in Ohio. At one time this same region was a barren wasteland that had been stripped of its old growth forests to provide fuel for the iron furnaces. The forests have since regrown with a diversity of hardwoods including hickory, oak, and maple.[2]