Coopers Rock State Forest 5.25

Coopers Rock State Forest is a 12747acre state forest in Monongalia and Preston counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Its southern edge abuts Cheat Lake and the canyon section of Cheat River, a popular whitewater rafting river in the eastern US.HistoryCoopers Rock State Forest gets its name from a legend about a fugitive who hid from the law near what is now the overlook. A cooper by trade, he resumed making barrels at his new mountain hideout, selling them to people in nearby communities. He lived and worked in the forest for many years.Much of Coopers Rock was originally developed by projects of the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1936-1942. Many of these structures, including durable rustic picnic shelters made of American chestnut, exist today and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Forest managementThe Coopers Rock forest is roughly bisected by Interstate 68. The northern portion of the forest is managed by forestry program at West Virginia University and is lesser-developed. The southern part is jointly managed by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and West Virginia Division of Forestry. It is more developed than some of the other state forests as it functions as a major recreation destination for the Morgantown area.