A Fisherman’s Dream at A.W. Marion State Park

A. W. Marion State Park is a Fisherman’s Dream State Park with 145 acre Hargus Lake. The park is a beautiful place to fish, take a hike, and relax for the day.

The Park even offers an area for dogs to swim off leash. They have no beach areas for swimming but boaters can swim off their boat in some areas. So, definitely bring a boat to this park!

The Park also offers several hike including the Hargus Lake Perimeter Loop which is about 3.9 miles. The hike include great views of the lake with benches to relax on, so bring a journal or a snack to just rest.

The loop also includes hiking over the dam. The dam must be at least a 1/3 of a mile long.

Looking over the other side of the dam, you can see how deep the water must be in the lake. The earthen dam was build in 1948.

The park was just a wonderfully quaint place to spend a day while I was traveling. I don’t have a boat and I don’t fish but the whole area was just relaxing. Plus I enjoyed my trip around part of the lake. Plus I love the history of the place!

Brief History

A.W. Marion State Park was the home of the Adena Native Americans over 2,000 years ago. The rich land and fertile soils made this land highly sought after by Native Americans and European Settlers.

As time moved on, the Shawnee Nation took over the area. In 1774, Lord Dunmore who was the Governor of Virginia would march his army within striking distance of the villages. He was looking to destroy them.

But the major Battle would happen at Point Pleasant which as part of Dunmore’s War. The Shawnee Chief Cornstalk would lead his men into battle killing about 75 Virginians and wounding another 140.

Cornstalk was forced to make the Treaty of Camp Charlotte which ceded all land south of the Ohio River to Virginia. But this allowed the villages of this area to be free from the horrors of being destroyed except for the losses of the men that fought with Cornstalk.

The book above has a great history of the Shawnees Native Americans war with European Settlers with the politics of the day, the legal battles, and the bloody battles on both sides to fight for land.

On the European side, The History of the Battle of Point Pleasant Fought between White Man and Indians at the Mouth of Great Kanawha River. This was written by Virgil A Lewis who died in 1912. This book is a bit technical and dry as it was written to give the information. A book for true historian types. Because it is past it’s copyright date, you can also get it free online.

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