Editing Preston Township, Pennsylvania (section)

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], Preston Township has a total area of 51.546 sq mi (133.51&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), of which 49.419 sq mi (128.00&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) is land and 2.127 sq mi (5.510&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), or 4.126%, is water.<ref name="Gazetteer">{{cite report|author=<!--staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=2014|title=2014 Census National County Subdivisions Gazetteer File for Pennsylvania|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2014_Gazetteer/2014_gaz_cousubs_42.txt|publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce|access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref>

The township and surrounding area has been called "the [[highland]]s of Wayne [County]" because it is especially mountainous.<ref name="Fisheries">{{cite book|author=Pennsylvania State Commissioners of Fisheries|date=1897|title=Report of the State Commissioners of Fisheries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QSg-AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA269|location=Harrisburg|publisher=Clarence M. Busch|page=269|access-date=March 11, 2015}}</ref> About half of the highest [[Summit|peak]] in the county, [[Mount Ararat (Pennsylvania)|Mount Ararat]] (historically called Ararat Mountain,<ref name="Goodrich2">{{cite book|last=Goodrich|first=Phineas G.|date=1992|orig-year=1880|title=History of Wayne County|location=Baltimore|publisher=Gateway Press, Inc.|page=239}}</ref> Ararat Peak,<ref name="White">{{cite report|first1=Israel Charles|last1=White|first2=John M.|last2=Dolph|date=1881|title=The Geology of Susquehanna County and Wayne County|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=97kbAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA17|publisher=Board of Commissioners for the Second Geological Survey of Pennsylvania|volume=23|page=17|access-date=March 11, 2015}}</ref> Ararat Summit,<ref name="Mount Ararat">{{cite gnis|id=1168365|name=Mount Ararat|entrydate=August 2, 1979|access-date=November 4, 2014|links=off}}</ref> or simply "Ararat"<ref name="Mount Ararat" />), is located in the village of [[Orson, Pennsylvania|Orson]] (the other half of it is in [[Mount Pleasant Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania#Communities|Belmont Corners]] in [[Mount Pleasant Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania|Mount Pleasant Township]]), as is the entirety of Sugarloaf Mountain<ref>{{cite gnis|id=1188997|name=Sugarloaf Mountain|entrydate=August 2, 1979|access-date=November 4, 2014|links=off}}</ref> (formerly called Sugar Loaf Peak<ref name="White" /> or Sugar-loaf Mountain<ref name="Goodrich2" />), another especially prominent summit.

It is also known for its abundance of lakes, most of which are fed by natural springs on their lake bottoms.<ref name="Fisheries" /> As a result of this latter fact, combined with its generally high elevation, two significant Pennsylvania rivers, the [[Lackawanna River|Lackawanna]] and the [[Lackawaxen River|Lackawaxen]], begin in Preston Township. Specifically, Bone Pond<ref>{{cite gnis|id=1169973|name=Bone Pond|entrydate=August 2, 1979|access-date=November 17, 2014|links=off}}</ref> (or Summit Lake<ref>{{cite report|author=Water Supply Commission of Pennsylvania|date=1917|title=Water Resource Inventory Report|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nONAAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA29|publisher=Wm. Stanley Ray, State Printer|volume=4|page=29|access-date=November 4, 2014}}</ref>) and Lake Lorain<ref>{{cite gnis|id=1179946|name=Lake Lorain|entrydate=August 2, 1979|access-date=November 17, 2014|links=off}}</ref> (or Five Mile Pond<ref>Water Supply Commission of Pennsylvania. [https://books.google.com/books?id=nONAAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA65 p. 65].</ref>) in the village of [[Poyntelle, Pennsylvania|Poyntelle]] and Independent Lake<ref>{{cite gnis|id=1177730|name=Independent Lake|entrydate=August 2, 1979|access-date=November 4, 2014|links=off}}</ref> (formerly known as Independence Pond<ref name="Goodrich2" /> or Independent Pond,<ref>Water Supply Commission of Pennsylvania. [https://books.google.com/books?id=nONAAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA90 p. 90].</ref> and sometimes known today as Lake Independence<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.campwestmont.com/?pagename=why_map|title=Camp Map|author=<!--staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|website=Camp Westmont|publisher=Camp Westmont, Inc.|access-date=November 10, 2014}}</ref> or Lake Independent<ref>{{cite web|url=http://independentlake.com/camp-map/|title=Map|author=<!--staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=2015|website=Independent Lake Camp|publisher=1.I.L., Inc.|access-date=March 10, 2015}}</ref>) in Poyntelle and Orson are three of the four sources of the East Branch of the Lackawanna (the fourth being Dunn Pond,<ref>{{cite gnis|id=1173620|name=Dunn Pond|entrydate=August 2, 1979|access-date=November 17, 2014|links=off}}</ref> or Dunns Lake,<ref>Water Supply Commission of Pennsylvania. [https://books.google.com/books?id=nONAAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA57 p. 57].</ref> in the village of [[Ararat Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania#Communities|East Ararat]] in [[Ararat Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania|Ararat Township]] in [[Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania|Susquehanna County]]), while the [[Lackawaxen River#West Branch Lackawaxen River|West Branch]] of the Lackawaxen rises from a confluence of several small, unnamed streams in Orson and Poyntelle.