Cuyahoga Valley National Park

 

The big five-O! Cuyahoga Valley was our 50th National Park visited.

Visited: Sept 2020

Nearby city: Cleveland, OH

There's a red moon rising

On the Cuyahoga River

Rolling into Cleveland to the lake

There's an oil barge winding

Down the Cuyahoga River

Rolling into Cleveland to the lake

Cleveland, city of light, city of magic

Cleveland, city of light, you're calling me

Cleveland, even now I can remember

'Cause the Cuyahoga River

Goes smokin' through my dreams

Burn on, big river, burn on

Burn on, big river, burn on

Now the Lord can make you tumble

Now the Lord can make you turn

Now the Lord can make you overflow

But the Lord can't make you burn

Burn on, big river, burn on

Burn on, big river, burn on

-"Burn On" by Randy Newman

On June 22, 1969, the Cuyahoga River, which flows through the city of Cleveland in northeastern Ohio, caught fire. A spark from a passing rail car ignited an oil slick on the surface of the water. The fire burned on the river for hours, destroyed the railroad bridge, and caused approximately $50,000 of damage. The incident made national news. 

Sadly, this was not the first time the Cuyahoga River had caught fire. Incredibly, this 1969 incident was at least the thirteenth fire on the heavily polluted river, with the first reported occurrence in 1868. A 1952 fire had caused more than $1 million in damage. Decades and decades of unchecked and unregulated industrial activity in the rust-belt city of Cleveland had taken its toll...the river was extremely toxic and polluted. Large quantities of oil would float in slicks on the surface of the water, sometimes several inches thick. Debris and trash would pile up in these slicks. The color of the water would change from gray-brown to rusty brown as the river flowed downstream. By 1969, the river from Akron to its mouth at Lake Erie was completely devoid of fish. Cleveland was branded with a pejorative nickname: "The Mistake by the Lake." ...

The 1969 fire was a wake-up call. Something needed to be done. Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes rallied voters to pass a $100 million-bond to rehabilitate the river. Popular support and awareness of environmental issues began to grow. Pollution-curbing measures passed Congress: the Clean Water Act and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency were created to help limit pollution and enforce regulations. A portion of the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland and Akron was designated as a National Recreation Area in 1972. In 2000, the park was redesignated as Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio's first (and only) National Park.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park has been a great environmental success story. The water quality has improved immensely, and aquatic life has returned to the river. It is now one of the cleanest urban rivers in the country. The National Park seemlessly blends with the urban surroundings to create serene and beautiful scenery. It's a pleasant greenspace full of hiking opportunities and historical buildings. 

As the river has improved, the city of Cleveland itself has improved as well. A diversified economy and growing tourism at the city's great museums has boosted the downtown area. The days of Cleveland's urban blight are a thing of the past. The irony and biting satire of Randy Newman's song "Burn On" might be lost on modern listeners. 😄 Even the woeful Cleveland Browns have been playing good football as of late. 😉 The "Mistake by the Lake" has become "Believe-land"

Tara's friends live in a high-rise apartment building on Lake Erie. We visited them and had dinner on the roof of the building. We had great views of downtown and the lake as the sun went down.

     

Our first stop was the centerpiece of the Park, and probably the Park's most popular feature. Brandywine Falls. 

The falls cascades 65-feet down into a wooded gorge. There is a short boardwalk hike from the parking lot to the falls, but go ahead and do the full loop of the upper and lower boardwalk...it's only a little over a mile-and-a-half.

ruins of a mill near the Falls.

Another popular hike is the Ledges. I think it was Tara's favorite (she took a lot of pictures) 😁 You wind your way through a forest full of moss-covered boulders and trees with gnarled and twisted roots. It was like something out of Lord of the Rings. The full loop-trail is 1.8 miles.

 

Another great activity is to ride bikes along the Towpath Trail. The Towpath Trail runs along the Cuyahoga River through the center of the park and served as the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath in the 19th century. We rented bikes from Century Cycles in the small town of Peninsula (which is inside Park boundaries). The entire trail runs 87 miles (20 of which are inside the Park). It was a blast! We rode down to the Beaver Marsh, and then to the Boston Mill Visitor Center. In all, we probably went a little over 10+ miles. I highly recommend doing this.

the depot in Peninsula. This is where you can board the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad and take a scenic trip on the rails through the Park. Unfortunately, the trains weren't running on our visit due to the pandemic. We'll have to try it next time.

Boston Mill Visitor Center

I loved this old gas station

enjoying Ohio's favorite snack, the Buckeye (a peanut-butter ball dipped in chocolate)

Tara standing along the ruins of the Ohio & Erie Canal. Upon its completion in 1832, the Ohio & Erie Canal ran 308 miles from Portsmouth, Ohio (on the Ohio River, which forms the southern border of the state) all the way up to Cleveland. The canal experienced heavy flooding in 1913 and was subsequently abandoned.

saw this beautiful heron at the Beaver Marsh

saw this turtle just chillin' on a log

Hunt House

the Boston Store contains exhibits about canal-boats and how they were built

cool houses/buildings in the town of Peninsula

We also stopped at the Everett Covered Bridge and Kendall Lake.

Everett Covered Bridge

Kendall Lake

We had a great time exploring Cuyahoga Valley National Park. For more info:  

https://www.nps.gov/cuva/index.htm

Manassas National Battlefield Park

Visited: Sept 2019

Nearby city: Washington DC

"Today will be known as Black Monday. We are utterly and disgracefully routed, beaten, whipped by secessionists."

July 22, 1861 journal entry by lawyer and Union diarist George Templeton Strong

On a plain in northern Virginia, lies the site of the first major battle of the US Civil War. The Union referred to the battle as Bull Run (named after the river), while the Confederacy referenced the battle as Manassas (named after the small, nearby village). 

The outbreak of the US Civil War was caused by decades-long tensions between the States that centered around slavery, and also involved the conflict between the powers of the centralized federal government and the rights of the states, interpretations of the nature of democracy, socio-economic factors, class struggle, and a host of other complex issues. The election of President Abraham Lincoln in 1860 was a breaking point. Lincoln had run on a platform against the extension of slavery to the country's newly-acquired territories. White Southerners branded Lincoln and the new Republican Party as a dangerous abolitionist party that was intent on destroying the Southern "way of life." Before Lincoln took office in March 1861, seven states had seceded from the Union (South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas). Virginia would soon follow, and seceded in April 1861. Ultimately, a total of eleven states would secede, and they formed the Confederate States of America. When Confederate troops fired cannon on a federal fort off the coast of South Carolina (Ft. Sumter) and the fort surrendered on April 12, 1861, the hostilies officially began. On May 8, 1861, the Confederacy moved its capital to Richmond, Virginia; only 100 miles away from the Union capital of Washington DC.

Union leaders believed a swift, frontal attack on the new capital of Richmond would lead to a quick end to the war. The show of strength and a victory would convince the South of the futility and error of their rebellion and the Union would be preserved. Union General Winfield Scott was a battle-tested veteran, but was 75 years old, and physically unable to lead the force. Lincoln needed to select a new commander, and had a short time to do so. Lincoln eventually selected Irvin McDowell of Ohio. McDowell had long served as an Adjutant General, but had little experience in command on the field of battle. McDowell was given little time to train the volunteer troops for the planned assault on Richmond, and was very concerned of both his own and his troops inexperience. Lincoln responded "You are green, it is true. But they [the Confederates] are green also; you are all green alike." 

On July 16, 1861, McDowell departed Washington DC with an army of approximately 35,000. About twenty-five miles down the road, McDowell and the Union Army met a Confederate force of 20,000, lead by Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, at the Bull Run River near the small town of Manassas. Beauregard's makeshift headquarters was in a home owned by Wilmer McLean. A wholesale grocer, McLean later moved his family further south in order to avoid the bloodshed...he moved to the small town of Appomattox ... (*more about his story in a later blog post*).

As the battle began on the morning of July 21, 1861, the Union appeared to have the upper hand...but then Confederate reinforcements under Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston arrived by railroad and boosted the Confederate numbers to about 32,000 - roughly the same number of troops as the North. The rejuvenated Confederates put up a stalwart defense against the Union's initial assault. 

A Confederate Brigadier General and professor at the Virginia Military Institute named Thomas J. Jackson waged a particularly famous defense at an area of high ground known as Henry Hill. Confederate Brig. Gen. Barnard Bee was in danger of being pushed from the field by the Union advance, and told Jackson (who had been sent to reinforce his troops) that the Enemy was driving them. Jackson replied "Then, Sir, we will give them the bayonet." Jackson stood strong against the Union assault, leading Bee to exclaim to his troops: "There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer. Rally behind the Virginians!" Bee's description inspired the Confederate troops and the moniker would stick, Jackson would be widely known as "Stonewall" Jackson. Jackson later died from friendly fire at the Battle of Chancellorville a few years later, in May 1863. There is a statue of Jackson on the battlefield grounds.

The Confederates then launched a fierce counterattack that surprised and overwhelmed the untrained and undisciplined Union troops. McDowell, suffering heavy losses by the counterattack, ordered a retreat. The retreat was poorly managed, and the Southern newspapers referred to it as the "Great Skedaddle." In all, the Union suffered 2,700 casualties, the South suffered 2,000 casualties.

Lincoln and the Union leaders were shocked and dismayed by the rout. It was a swift and brutal realization that this would not a be a short war, and that the Confederacy was not going to quickly give up its cause and submit back into the Union. The Confederate celebration was also somewhat muted, they as well realized this would be a long, costly war, and that the North would not relent in their goal to preserve the Union.

Manassas National Battlefield Park was established in 1936. Unfortunately, we did not have a lot of time here, we made a quick visit to the Henry Hill Visitor Center - which has great exhibits, lots of information about the origin of the Civil War, the battlefield, and very good interactive maps. Its a great museum. There is also a 45-minute orientation video about the battle. We then walked the grounds at Henry Hill.

Henry Hill Visitor Center

During the battle, the Henry family home stood at this spot. The house was destroyed during the war, and the house seen here was rebuilt by the Henry family in the 1880s. The home served as the site's original visitor center when the Park was established in 1936. 

burial grounds of Judith Henry. Judith was living in the home at the time of battle. She was 85 years old, bed-ridden, and unable to leave the home as the battle commenced. Judith was mortally wounded when Union artillery crashed through the bedroom wall and tore one of her feet off. 

These grounds were also the site of the Second Battle of Bull Run/Second Battle of Manassas a little over a year later in August 29-30, 1862. It was another Confederate victory and emboldened Gen. Robert E. Lee to conduct the ensuing Maryland Campaign (that ended with the incredibly bloody Battle of Antietam ... more on that battle in an upcoming blog post). There are some more areas of the Park devoted to the Second battle, but we did not have enough time to visit.

If in Washington DC area, make sure to take some time and drive out here to learn about the beginnings of the Civil War.

For more info: https://www.nps.gov/mana/index.htm

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Visited: June 2019

Nearby town: Coolidge, AZ; nearby metro: Phoenix, AZ

In the desert southeast of Phoenix, a large, ancient structure looms over the landscape. Casa Grande National Monument protects a number of Hokoham structures dating from around 1150 - 1450 AD.

We visited this site with my sister, Anna, and her husband Jason (who works for the NPS), and my nephew Chad. It was a quick visit, and it was an incredibly HOT day. 😀 But we had a good time.

Chad, me, Jason, and Anna at the entrance sign

Your first stop should be the Visitor's Center. They have a good museum and exhibits about the ruins and the Hokoham peoples. The Hokoham inhabited this area of the American Southwest from approximately 300 - 1500 AD. They were a distinct culture but similar to the Ancestral Pueblans (whose ruins include Mesa Verde, Hovenweep, etc.) and the Mogollon (Gila Cliff Dwellings, etc.). The Hokoham tamed this seemingly inhospitable desert and developed a complex and technologically advanced society for its time - it even included large-scale irrigation networks. 

example of Hokoham pottery

The centerpiece of the site is the eponymous "Big House" - a large structure made of caliche. The building consists of outer rooms, three-stories high, surrounding an inner structure. The inner structure is four-stories high, which would have made it one of the tallest buildings in North America at the time of its construction. The structure housed a number of families, essentially an entire community. There is also a ball court at the site (a popular sport among the Hokoham people). The adobe (mudbrick) that makes up the house has a very thick base, which adds significant strength to support the height of the structure. The Big House was abandoned around 1450 AD - likely due to a period of sustained drought.

The first European to see the ruins was Father Eusebio Kino in 1694. Kino, a Jesuit missionary, was instrumental in establishing missions throughout present-day Mexico and the American Southwest and traveled extensively in the area. He made detailed documentation of his travels and observations. He named the ruins "Casa Grande" (Spanish for "big house"). 

The ruins generated insterest for hundreds of years, and US President Benjamin Harrison protected the site via executive order in 1892. In a somewhat misguided attempt to stabilize and prop up the ruins, the US government added wooden beams and metal rods to buttress the structure. In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson re-designated the site as Casa Grande National Monument and put it under the administration of the NPS. In 1932, a ramada was built over the structure to shield it from the weather. The beams, rods, and the ramada are still present today. It is incredible that this structure still stands (and is so intact) after centuries and centuries.

Casa Grande National Monument is a good stop for an hour or two if in the area. For more info: https://www.nps.gov/cagr/index.htm