In this issue, we honor the many people who cheerfully give their time and work to maintain our beloved Wissahickon Valley Park, ensuring that it survives as the natural haven it is today. 

As we celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Friends of the Wissahickon, we want to express our profound gratitude for the pioneering work of all those who founded that organization, supported it, and to this day continue fighting to reclaim and preserve this place we all cherish. 

We also want to offer a sincere and heartfelt thanks to Chestnut Hill College professor David Contosta, who together with Carol Franklin wrote the book “Metropolitan Paradise: The Struggle for Nature in the City" – a four-part masterwork on the history of The Wissahickon Valley. Much more than a historical account, their book is a call to action – and this issue would not have been possible without his considerable help. The book is currently available at booked, the independent bookstore at 8511 Germantown Ave. 

This park we all share is much more than a defining geographical characteristic of our Northwest Philadelphia region. It is a central character in the collective story of who we are, and an important part of why our neighborhoods evolved as they did. 

In this issue, Kristin Holmes presents the range of cultures that flourished here, including the indigenous Lenni-Lenape, the early European settlers, the industrialists who followed and finally the preservationists whose traditions we carry on today. George McNeely tells us about what those cultures constructed, how their buildings, bridges and roads formed our landscape, and what remains of that history today. 

Virginia Friedman gives us a lively tutorial on the shape of the ground itself, the geology that defines the park and what rocks you might find if you go looking. Robert Calandra investigates the condition of the eponymous creek that snakes through this valley – where its water comes from, where it goes, and how it is affected by our presence.

Catherine Lee gives us a glimpse into all the activities that park users enjoy and Anne Standish helps us see how generations of artists have experienced the beauty of it all. Sarah Endriss helps us spot the invasive species that challenge the basic balance of the native ecosystem. 

Finally, we invite you to join the many generations of people who have loved this place, and shaped it as both a center of human activity and a sanctuary for the natural world.

Carla Robinson

Editor