Bendigo State Park
| Bendigo State Park | |
| Pennsylvania State Park | |
 East Branch Clarion River
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| Named for: William Thompson Bendigo | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Elk |
| Township | Jones |
| Elevation | 1,493 ft (455.1 m) |
| Coordinates | 41°31′53″N 78°37′41″W / 41.53139°N 78.62806°WCoordinates: 41°31′53″N 78°37′41″W / 41.53139°N 78.62806°W |
| Area | 100.26 acres (41 ha) |
| - water | 2.5 acres (1 ha) |
| Founded | 1959 |
| Management | Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |
| IUCN category | III - Natural Monument |
 Location of Bendigo State Park in Pennsylvania
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Website: www |
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Bendigo State Park is a 100.26-acre (40.57 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Jones Township, Elk County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is in a valley on the East Branch Clarion River. 20 acres (8.1 ha) of the park are developed. The other 80 acres (32 ha) are undeveloped woodlands of beech, birch, cherry and maple.
Bendigo State Park is named for an Irish tavern keeper, who lived in England, named William Thompson. Thompson was also a prizefighter of some renown. Boxing for money was illegal at the time in England and Thompson was arrested 28 times for breaking the law. Legend holds that Thompson fled to America, to avoid prosecution, when an opponent died in the ring due to injuries sustained in the fight. He adopted the name Bendigo, a corruption of the Old Testament name Abed-nego and moved to the frontier of northwestern Pennsylvania. The newly named, Bendigo, began serving as a Methodist evangelist while also working on the railroads. He was a very tall and strong man and soon became a favorite of his Italian co-workers. No records exist to support the claim that Thompson ever left the British Isles let alone lived in the area. The lumber industry was beginning to boom in northwestern Pennsylvania as Bendigo was making his rounds as an evangelist and a mill town in Elk County was named Bendigo in his honor. The lumber era was not to last forever. The forests were largely chopped down by the early 20th century and many of the mill towns, like Bendigo, were abandoned.
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