Remember When: Deer Lakes Park continues to lure visitors 55 years after dedication

It has been called the hidden gem of the Alle-Kiski Valley.

Deer Lakes Park, just outside the Russellton section of West Deer, is a 1,180-acre facility. It is one of nine Allegheny County regional parks.

Among the park’s features are three lakes — one natural, two man-made — the Wagman Observatory, picnic areas and 21 miles of hiking trails. Part of Deer Lakes Park is in Frazer.

The park was dedicated July 12, 1967. A crowd estimated at 4,500 watched a large parade proceed from McKrell Road in Russellton to the Marshall Road park entrance.

Shortly after World War II, a golf course was planned on the site, but those plans fell through.

In 1958, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, part of Pittsburgh’s first Renaissance, sought to improve the quality of life for county residents.

Seeking financial aid through foundations, the goal was to make every county resident have no more than a 30-minute drive to any county park. The Allegheny County commissioners appointed George E. Kelly as parks administrator to help achieve that goal.

Other regional parks include Harrison Hills Park in Harrison and Hartwood Acres, which straddles Indiana and Hampton townships.

A $4.7 million bond issue was floated to pay to buy properties and develop the first six parks. North Park and South Park already were in existence.

The Deer Lakes Park site was attractive to the county. One bonus was that it was along the Orange Belt. An original goal of the county before Harrison Hills came along was to have all the parks located along the Orange Belt.

Deer Lakes already had one lake. Construction crews then created the other two, each at 3.5 acres. All three are fed from nearby springs.

Fishing is one of the most popular park activities. According to a 2013 survey by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, there are 13 species of fish in the lakes.

Bluegill is reportedly the most abundant fish in the lakes, and there are three trout stockings per year.

Deer Lakes lives up to its name through an ample deer population. Anyone traveling Russellton-Creighton Road or Route 908 Extension, especially around sunset, can attest to deer straying from the park.

The park caught on so quickly that, less than two years later, the merger of the West Deer and East Deer Frazer school districts came to be known as Deer Lakes in 1969.

Wagman Observatory

One of the park’s most popular activities is the stargazing parties at Wagman Observatory.

Built on one of the highest points in Allegheny County, it is named after Nicholas E. Wagman.

Wagman (1905-1980) was associated with the Allegheny Observatory in Pittsburgh and was chairman of the University of Pittsburgh’s astronomy department for 30 years.

The observatory was opened in 1987 and expanded in 1995.

It is operated by the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh.

The observatory boasts the world’s first all-aluminum observatory dome.