Gunpowder River Rods

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Growing up in the Baltimore area my entire life, the Gunpowder River has always been a big part of my life. I went tubing with friends down the river, (to the dismay, I know now, of dozens of fishermen.) In high school, we picnicked by the river; I shot photos of its seasons in my photography stage, and we all had our “secret” swimming spots. Now, I live less than a mile from the river. When trying to think up a name for my nascent company, Gunpowder River Rods just clicked.

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The Gunpowder River itself is actually a small section of the entire watershed that we, as kids, indiscriminately called “the Gunpowder.” The Gunpowder River is below where the Gunpowder Falls, sometimes called “the Big Gunpowder”, and the Little Gunpowder Falls meet. Both the Big and Little Gunpowder’s weave through Baltimore and Harford Counties, with the Gunpowder Falls State Park preserving the watershed. The state park is made up of the stream valleys of the Big and Little Gunpowder Falls and the Gunpowder River. Legend has it that salt petre, a key ingredient in the manufacturing of gunpowder was discovered along the banks of the river in 1665 by Mr. James Denton.

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And of course, the Gunpowder Falls River, in addition to being fun, and beautiful, is one of Trout Unlimited’s Top 100 Streams in America.

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