Alum Creek State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alum Creek State Park |
|
|---|---|
Alum Creek State Park in autumn
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Location | Delaware County, Ohio, United States |
| Area | Land: 4,630 acres (1,870 ha) Water: 3,387 acres (1,371 ha) |
| Elevation | 899 ft (274 m) |
| Established | 1974 |
| Administered by | Ohio Department of Natural Resources |
| Designation | Ohio state park |
| Website | Alum Creek State Park |
Alum Creek State Park is a huge park in Delaware County, Ohio, in the United States. It covers about 4,630 acres of land. The park is home to Alum Creek Lake, which was built between 1970 and 1974. This lake was created as part of a plan to help control floods.
The Alum Creek Dam was built on Alum Creek, which flows into the Big Walnut Creek and then the Scioto River. The lake holds about 3,387 acres of water. It's a popular spot for many water activities like fishing, boating, and swimming. In winter, you can even go ice fishing and ice boating! The park is located just north of Columbus, Ohio's capital city. It also has historical reminders of a community started by people who were once enslaved and came to Ohio from North Carolina.
Contents
Discovering Alum Creek's Past
Ancient People of Alum Creek
People have lived in the Alum Creek area for over 2,000 years! The earliest known group was the Adena culture. They were a Native American group who lived here from about 1000 BC to 200 BC. The Adena people were known for building special burial mounds and having unique ceremonies.
Archaeologists found seven of these mounds in the Alum Creek valley. Six of them were studied before the valley was flooded to create Alum Creek Lake. Later, the Lenape tribe lived in this area when European settlers first arrived. The Lenape had moved from areas like New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. They had a large community near what is now the city of Delaware, and even grew corn in a big field there.
Early Settlers and Forts
Over time, many Native Americans moved out of Ohio as more European settlers arrived. The first permanent white settler in the Alum Creek area was Moses Byxbe. He built his home in 1805. Moses Byxbe owned a lot of land, over 11,000 acres, which he bought as a reward for serving in the American Revolutionary War.
During the War of 1812, settlers had to build forts to protect themselves. One of these forts, called Fort Cheshire, was built along Alum Creek. It was a two-story building designed to defend against attacks. Fort Cheshire was used as a schoolhouse later on. Today, you can find a plaque at the park's family campground that remembers this important fort.
The Underground Railroad Connection
Ohio was very important in helping enslaved people find freedom through the Underground Railroad. A main path of this secret network ran right along Alum Creek. It's believed that over 40,000 enslaved people passed through this area on their journey north to Canada.
The white bark of sycamore trees helped guide them at night. Escaping slaves would sometimes walk in Alum Creek. This helped hide their scent from dogs used by slave catchers. There was also a community of formerly enslaved people from North Carolina living near the park. They also played a role in helping others on the Underground Railroad.
Building the Dam and Park
The Alum Creek Dam is part of a big plan to control floods in the Ohio River area. The United States Congress approved the dam's construction in 1962. Building started in 1970 and finished in 1974. That same year, Alum Creek State Park was officially created. The dam's construction formed Alum Creek Lake, which is the large body of water next to the park.
Nature at Alum Creek
Alum Creek State Park is in central Ohio, surrounded by farms and new neighborhoods. The park is a safe home for many plants and animals that can't live in the busy areas around it. Long ago, the original old-growth forests of beech and maple trees were cut down for farming. But now, these trees have grown back, forming a healthy secondary forest.
You can find beautiful wild flowers like bloodroot, wild geranium, spring beauties, and trillium. The forest is also home to many animals. You might see white-tail deer, groundhogs, fox squirrels, and rabbits.
Fun Activities at the Park
Alum Creek State Park offers fun things to do all year long! You can go camping, hiking, or mountain biking on the many trails. In winter, you can even go snowmobiling.
The lake is great for fishing and boating. There are five boat ramps, and boats of any horsepower are allowed. The park has a large campground with 286 sites that have electricity. There are also showers, restrooms, basketball courts, and playgrounds. You can even rent cabins or stay at a simple camp along the bridle trail.
The park's beach is 3,000 feet long, making it the biggest inland beach in Ohio! It has a beach house and beach volleyball courts. In winter, the lake is open for ice fishing. You can catch many types of fish here, like large mouth and small mouth bass, bluegill, crappie, sunfish, channel catfish, saugeye, walleye, and muskellunge. The state of Ohio even adds saugeye and muskies to the lake. Fishing tournaments are held throughout the year. For hunters, common animals in the park include white-tail deer, squirrels, and raccoons.
