History Behind the Name of the Race On June 22, 1969, the Cuyahoga River caught fire in Cleveland, Ohio. The blaze lasted just thirty minutes, but did approximately fifty thousand dollars in damage -- principally to railroad bridges spanning the river. It is unclear what caused the fire, but most people believe sparks from a passing train ignited an oil slick in the Cuyahoga River. On August 1, 1969, Time Magazine reported on the fire and on the condition of the Cuyahoga River. The magazine stated, Some River! Chocolate-brown, oily, bubbling with subsurface gases, it oozes rather than flows. "Anyone who falls into the Cuyahoga does not drown," Cleveland's citizens joke grimly. "He decays". . . The Federal Water Pollution Control Administration dryly notes: "The lower Cuyahoga has no visible signs of life, not even low forms such as leeches and sludge worms that usually thrive on wastes." It is also -- literally -- a fire hazard.
Today in the Cuyahoga Valley – 40 Years Later Much has changed since the river fire in 1969. In fact, the fire has been credited with forcing us to change the way we use the river and focusing us on the environment. Our theme for the race, eracing the past, builds on the continuing efforts to preserve the beauty of this area and protect it from future environmental hazards. Cuyahoga Valley was authorized as a National Recreation Area on December 27, 1974. It became Cuyahoga Valley National Park on October 11, 2000. The total area within the boundary of Cuyahoga Valley National Park is about 33,000 acres. Of this, the National Park Service owns approximately 18,000 acres. Local public agencies own 9,000 of the remaining acres, and the balance is privately owned. The Cleveland Metroparks, and Metro Parks Serving Summit County, along with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, are all part of a system of parks and greenways that encompass the region and provide year round recreation activities for the people of Northeast Ohio.
Interesting facts
Many of the park buildings you’ll see on the course, including Happy Days and the Octagon, were built during the Great Depression. The Civilian Conservation Corps helped shape the landscape that would later become Cuyahoga Valley National Park by constructing buildings, playfields, and a lake, as well as planting over 100 acres of trees.
American Indians in the Cuyahoga Valley were influenced by the Hopewell Culture, which created large mound complexes in central Ohio from 100 B.C. – A.D. 500. In the Cuyahoga Valley, American Indians built small mounds rather than large ceremonial centers.
Part of the course uses the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. The Towpath Trail has existed for over 165 years. But, the last 15-20 years have brought a renewed interest in this unique resource. Today, although still not fully completed or connected along its proposed 308 mile length from Cleveland to Portsmouth, it represents a new kind of park, blending existing park sites, neighborhoods, downtowns and even industrial facilities with new parks, trails and museums into a mosaic of special places marked by the stories that have defined this region's growth.
You will run on parts of the Buckeye Trail. For nearly 1444 miles, the Buckeye Trail winds around Ohio, reaching into every corner of the state. First envisioned in the late 1950’s as a trail from the Ohio River to Lake Erie, the Buckeye Trail evolved into a large loop, branching both north and east from Cincinnati. The separate legs rejoin in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park near Cleveland, and complete the trip to Lake Erie. The Buckeye Trail is marked by blue blazes and is maintained by The Buckeye Trail Association (BTA), a group of volunteers who help promote and protect the trail.
Much of the historic Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail is crushed limestone. Along some areas of the trail, parts of the original canal, including locks and bridges, can still be seen. The return of Blue Heron and Bald Eagles to this area is a testament to the water quality improvement of the Cuyahoga River, and is a visible symbol that dedicated people believed in the value and rebirth of the canal and the towpath.
For more information about the Cuyahoga Valley National Park visit www.nps.org/cuva