 The creation of the park was the work of Leonard Harrison , a former lumberman and businessman from Wellsboro who owned a substantial amount of land in the Pine Creek Gorge . In the 1890s Harrison operated a sawmill at Tiadaghton in the middle of the gorge , which was supplied with logs , not by train as was most common in that era , but by a log slide built into the side of the gorge . The log slide was used on a year @-@ round basis : during the winter the logs slid down on ice ; following the snowmelt the slide was greased to ease the descent of the logs . After the village and the mill were destroyed by a fire , Harrison turned his attention to tourism . He purchased 121 acres ( 49 ha ) of land at the site of the current park in 1906 , then developed this land , known as " The Lookout " , and invited the public to enjoy the beauty of Pine Creek Gorge . Harrison donated the picnic grounds to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1922 . 
