Cecil M. Harden Lake, formerly Mansfield Lake, was designed and built by the Louisville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The lake serves as a unit of the Comprehensive Plan for the Ohio River Basin to effect reduction in flood stages downstream from the dam, primarily in the Big Raccoon Creek and Lower Wabash River watersheds. Existence of the lake creates the potential for water-related recreation and provides for the enhancement of fish and wildlife.
Surrounded by numerous species of trees, Cecil M. Harden Lake is a naturalist’s delight. Wildflowers, berries, nuts and mushrooms grace the wooded areas of this property.
The Native Americans gave the name “Pun-go-so-conee” to the largest stream in Parke County, meaning “Stream of Many Sugar Trees.” Early settlers translated that as Sugar Creek and followed the Native Americans in collecting sugar water from the trees each spring. They boiled down the water to syrup or granulated sugar for use as a sweetener during the rest of the year. Today, several active sugar camps still operate in the hard maple groves in Parke County. Equipment has been modernized, but the technique and spirit is the same as that of the pioneers more than 150 years ago.