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Choptank River Trip - Joppa Overnight Run |
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The Steamboat Era was just about over when George Martinak discovered the beauty of the Choptank River and built a hideaway at Watts Creek. After serving in WWI, including the battles at Verdun, France, Martinak returned to Maryland and took a job in Washington D.C in the government printing office. Being an avid camper, Martinak and some Army buddies camped near the town of Choptank in the early 1920s and “fell under the spell” of the river. Martinak bought 10 acres near the junction of Watts Creek and the Choptank River in 1928, to serve as a base camp.
During the Depression, he bought surrounding property, until his “camp” totalled 99 acres of sandy pine woods on high ground along the river and creek.
Martinak had the cabin built in 1931 out of logs cut from the surrounding woods. It consisted of one large room that was later divided into a kitchen area and a bunk room. Its walls were mortar chinked inside and out, with no finishing of the interior log walls. Martinak’s nephew described the cabin he visited in the 1930s and 40s: “I can't think about that huge room without visualizing an unbelievable clutter of items above the fireplace mantle, most of which someone thought ‘might be needed one of these days.’ Above the fireplace was a faded picture of uncle's old Army outfit, the 77th Regiment, 313th Infantry, with which he served at Verdun in 1917... [We had fun] roughing it in a log cabin and sleeping on wooden bunks with chicken wire ‘springs’... “The Choptank River formed the grand view... In those days there was still commercial river traffic. Squat tugs would pull long, low barges, laden with fuel oil, their deep draft making use of nearly every foot of the channel's depth. The Corps of Engineers used to dredge the river about every five years, but it was still a tricky navigation challenge. Sometimes one would become stuck ... about a half-mile south ... and have to wait for the flood tide to lift her free. “Sailing vessels came, too, although I never saw one under sail on that part of the river. The single-masted ships would laze their way past the bluff on which the cabin perched, pushed along by yawl boats lashed to
their low sterns. Their single-cylinder engines could be heard for a half-hour before they hove into sight. So slowly did they progress, it seemed to me their skippers
had the whole summer in which to reach port at Denton, 2 miles upstream.”
Martinak State Park today is a monument to the foresight and generosity of George Martinak. He shared his love of the outdoors and this secluded “camp” by donating the property to the Maryland state parks system in 1964. It was opened to the public in 1967, two years before George Martinak died. The generosity of George Martinak is commemorated every year during “George Martinak Days” at the park. This celebration is held on the first Sunday in May and features, crafts, history exhibits, Civil War encampments and Native American exhibits and activities, food, and games. George Martinak’s cabin is not open to the public today. But Martinak State Park has other rustic cabins that you can rent, within walking distance of the boat ramp on Watts Creek. Follow the arrow below to learn about camping and picnicking facilities at Martinak State Park. |
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Take an Imaginary 1880s Trip to Baltimore |
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