The Savage River landscape
The Savage River belongs to the wider Garrett County landscape, not to Deep Creek Lake itself. Its surrounding forests and reservoir carry their own stories of land use, conservation and public recreation.
During the Depression, federal land purchases helped create the state forest. Civilian Conservation Corps workers at nearby New Germany built recreation facilities in the 1930s, including cabins, pavilions and a campground. Those projects helped turn an area of farms and industry into a destination for outdoor recreation.
Another chapter arrived with the reservoir. A contemporary Maryland water-resources record dates completion of Savage River Dam by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to January 11, 1952. Together, the forest and dam show how public works reshaped western Maryland in more than one valley.
Follow the story
Sources used for this page. Historical interpretation is separate from the current menu.
- Maryland DNR · New Germany Heritage
The forest, Civilian Conservation Corps and recreation history.
- Maryland State Archives · Water Resources records
Contemporary record of Savage River Dam completion in January 1952.
