The first inhabitants of the Pocono Mountains were the Delaware, Iroquois, Shawnee, Minisink, Lenape and Paupack Indians. The Dutch established settlements in 1659 near the famous Delaware Water Gap, but were forced to leave the area by the English in 1664. By 1742, English and German settlers began to arrive and the first permanent residence was established in 1725 by Nicholas Depui at Shawnee.

The first boarding house hotel was built in 1829 by Anthon Dutot in the Delaware Water Gap. By 1857, the hotel became the center of a flourishing resort industry. By 1900, the high altitudes brought thousands of visitors from the growing cities of Philadelphia and New York for summer vacations. The Monroe County Publicity Bureau (an early forerunner to the Pocono Mountains Vacation Bureau) began encouraging vacationers to "Pennsylvania's Playground" in 1927. In the upper regions of the Poconos, Pennsylvania's Power and Light Company began the construction of what is now the third largest man-made lake in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Lake Wallenpaupack. In 1926, PP&L dammed the creek and built a hydro-electric plant and in doing so, a 5,600-acre lake was created with 52 miles of uninterrupted shoreline.

Water is an important part of the Poconos' landscape, development and recreation. The natural splendor of the rivers -- the Lehigh and the Delaware -- as well as the remnants of the canal systems, the lakes formed in glacial depressions and several man-made lakes created in communities and from rivers as a result of the Pocono dam system, provide a myriad of opportunities to pursue fishing, boating, rafting, water and Jet skiing, and swimming.

During the prohibition era, resorts of the Pocono Mountains retained a Puritanistic aura and described themselves as "Friendly Mountain Resorts" which boasted that card playing or games of chance were not allowed and golf, tennis and other sports were not permitted on Sundays. However the passage of the 1967 Farm Winery Act, allowed Sunday sales of bottled wine in once forbidden retail outlets to fuel the growth of the fifth largest wine producing state.

During World War II, many GI's often took their leaves with their girlfriends and families in the Poconos right before they went overseas. The Poconos then took on a romantic appeal for these young people, many of whom returned after the war as honeymooners. It was the 1940's when the Poconos began its climb to becoming the "Honeymoon Capital of the World."

In 1945 Rudolf Von Hoevenberg opened a rustic operation consisting of some cabinets and a main lodge, called "The Farm on the Hill," the first honeymoon" resort of the Pocono Mountains. Plush resorts for the honeymooners in the 1940's and 1950's spurred the growth of a flourishing resort business in the Pocono Mountains.

The four season appeal of the Pocono Mountains was enhanced with the opening of the first commercial ski area in Pennsylvania, Big Boulder, in 1946. In 1950, the first patent application for the making of snow by blowing water through a nozzle was filed, and by the winter of 1956, the system was perfected and in place at Big Boulder Ski Area. This first helped to establish the Pocono Mountains as a ski destination.

Beginning in the late 1950's and continuing into the late 1960's, Interstates 80 and 81 were constructed in the Poconos' four county regions. The opening of these major interstate highways made the Poconos easily accessible by motor vehicles, thus the Poconos became an even more popular all-season destination. Currently, with Interstates 80, 81, 84 and the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike criss crossing through the Pocono Mountains, driving to the Poconos is more convenient than ever.

In 1963, the first heart-shaped tub was introduced at Cove Haven in Lakeville, PA. Life magazine ran photos of this latest novelty and flood of publicity followed, resulting in the naming of the Poconos Mountains as the "Honeymoon Capital of the World." The popularity of the family-owned and operated resorts also permeated the lifestyle of most families in the Fifties. The ideal summer vacation included family picnics, zany family games, organized family sports and activities. All the comforts of home could be found with the convenience of a full-service resort.

Pocono International Raceway in Long Pond, PA opened its 2 1/2 mile super speedway in 1971 with the first of a series of Indy car races. NASCAR soon followed in 1972 and brings thousands of fans to the Pocono Mountains today.