The Legendary Story of the Gorge Metro Park

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History and nature converge and rush onward at this local metro park.

One foot in front of the other, you enter a tunnel of tree and rock. The path continues as walls rise up around you—nature funnels you forward into this unique space. All the while, you hear an ever-present source of life—the river. Continuously rushing forward, the Cuyahoga River runs alongside the path, though you can’t see it when you set out through the dense woods. A higher path moves you on a parallel course with another route set into the earth below you. That secondary path meets with wooden steps leading to the water. The upper goes on to giant rock ledges where legends live on.

Walking through Gorge Metro Park, you traverse history and nature simultaneously. The raw beauty of the place is ever-present. Each tilted gaze up at the rocks, every whiff of rapidly moving water, and all the grooves of hand-carved initials harken back to visitors from generations gone by. The path is lined not just with mud and stone but memories. This place stretches back and reaches forward at the same time.

The landscape here was so stunning that visitors once flocked from near and far to its exquisite beauty. “While today’s Gorge Metro Park still offers stunning scenery, in the 1800s and early 1900s, [it] was described as having some of the wildest and most romantic scenery in Northeast Ohio,” says Mary McClure. A local historian, author of “High Bridge Glens of Cuyahoga Falls” and “Silver Lake Park,” and member of the Cuyahoga Falls Historical Society, McClure is well-versed in the story of the Gorge. Before the Civil War and through the Victorian period, people were attracted to the Gorge. “As the Industrial Age went into full swing, Victorians highly prized parks like the Gorge, which gave weary workers and their families a chance to escape the grit and grime of the factories—enjoy fresh air, cool breezes and commune with nature.”

Naturally, the Gorge attracted awestruck onlookers with its tall sandstone cliffs framing cascading water. Hikers explored the Big Falls, caves, cliffs and large rock formations. Scrambling across Anvil Rock or poking in and out of the many niches led to afternoons of adventure. “Children hid jars of coins in various tree nooks and challenged friends to find [them] on a future visit,” says McClure. This game is echoed in geocaching adventures that have recently gained popularity.

The entertainment value of the Gorge wasn’t all natural, however. Amusement parks sprang up—three of them, says McClure—drawing even more visitors. The Gorge Park operated into the 1910s, utilizing the scenery for entertainment. High Bridge Glens and Caves went a step further and offered a variety of attractions. “High Bridge Glens, which opened in 1879, spanned both sides of the Cuyahoga River and extended from Front and Prospect streets to as far south as where the Ohio Edison power plant would be constructed in later years,” says McClure. From street level down into the Gorge, attractions offered both thrilling and leisurely options, like the dance pavilion and dining hall, a suspension footbridge, the merry-go-round, the bowling alley and shooting gallery, a wooden ferry boat ride, and more. “The park is also said to have had one of the first roller coasters in the United States—a circular gravity railway,” says McClure.

This park was wildly popular and drew huge crowds to the nascent town. “High Bridge Glens attracted up to 10,000 visitors a day during the summer season,” says McClure. “Not bad considering the entire population of Cuyahoga Falls was only about 2,500 people at that time.”

High Bridge Glens closed in 1895, but that was not the end of fun in the Gorge. Riverview Park filled the void in 1919, offering even more attractions. Two roller coasters, an aerial swing ride and a Shoot the Chutes ride increased the thrill of the natural surroundings. This park also brought in the exotic—hosting an animal menagerie with alligators, lions, hyenas, ostriches and bears.

In time, Riverview faced a fate similar to the other two parks—closing in the early 1930s. Another big change came to the Gorge amid all these amusements: the dam. Now a staple of the park, the dam entered the picture around the turn of the century. “In the early 1900s, the Northern Ohio Traction & Light Company—the predecessor of Ohio Edison—needed to build an additional power plant to serve the growing communities of Cuyahoga Falls and Akron, including power for its local trolley system,” says McClure. The approximately 68-foot-tall concrete dam was placed on the Cuyahoga River either near or on top of the Big Falls. The natural beauty of the waterfall was hidden behind the dam and its large dam pool.

Tranquil and calm, the dam pool stands in direct contrast to the rushing river below it. The river is extremely wide here because of the dam. When viewed from above via aerial imagery, it seems to swell in this section before passing through the dam and transforming into a narrow, twisty waterway. The dam is no longer in use, and like many similar structures along the river, its removal has been a talking point for years.

Part of that discussion is the question of what is behind the dam. Over 100 years of sediment, typically moved with the river’s current, has collected there. Dr. John Peck, a professor in the department of Geosciences at The University of Akron, studies lake and river sediment to learn about environmental change. As small dams—like the one in Munroe Falls—have been removed along the Cuyahoga, Peck has monitored the sediment and its effect on the river’s environment.

One way Peck and his team of students study the sediment is by taking core samples, which can tell a lot about the history of the place. “By looking at different properties of the mud, you can reconstruct the amount of heavy metal and chromium and quantify the concentration of it through time,” he says. Looking at a sample from the Gorge, Peck can see the changes to the environment since the dam has been in place. The story is not constant. Environmental protection efforts are shown in the mud. “Things are getting better toward the present, and more contaminated material is buried deeper and deeper underneath.”

The sediment currently trapped behind the dam is rich in organic material—and plentiful after accumulating for a century. Because of this, there is a plan to remove the sediment and filter the water from it on land. “It’s the kind of sediment you don’t want to send down river in one big wave,” says Peck. While plans for the dam’s removal are still in the works—funding for the multi-million-dollar project is currently ongoing—the potential aftermath of the dam’s removal can be previewed in Peck’s work. He has been monitoring the stretch of river near the Munroe Falls dam since its removal in 2004. The data he has gathered there helps paint a picture of what to expect for the Cuyahoga. “What happens when you take a dam out of the river is you instantly increase the slope of the river; the pull of gravity is more, so you enhance the flow and transport of sediment.” The river will also narrow again, reverting to its past girth. The bottom of the river will transform first into a sandy, transient bottom—not great for wildlife—and then into a stable gravely bottom, which will create an inviting home for wildlife to thrive.

It will take time for the river to return to a natural state, Peck says, but the Munroe Falls dam provides a basic timetable for that process. “By doing the Munroe Falls study, I quantified the rate at which the change happened,” says Peck. “It’s about three years to get to that good gravely bottom.”

In the meantime, the Gorge is still a place of enjoyment. Sarah Putnam, a naturalist with Summit Metro Parks, takes groups of nature enthusiasts out to paddle the Gorge. These outings combine the history and geology of the Gorge with the fun of dipping a paddle in the river. Putnam’s groups may not know it, but as they board their boats, they are sharing in a pastime enjoyed for some 100 years. With a look of awe, participants express surprise at their surroundings. “People really don’t realize that in their backyards they have such a cool opportunity,” says Putnam. “It’s really wide when we first get in, and as you go up and it narrows, you feel like you’re somewhere else.”

The legends of the past are brought to life for visitors today. Mary Campbell cave, for example, is an attraction that brings with it much debate. “We like to call it Old Maid’s Kitchen,” says Putnam. “Yes, there’s a story about the Native Americans and how they took [Mary Campbell], but if you look at that cave, it’s not very deep and they probably wouldn’t have lived there.” Though this story captivates visitors reading the plaque in front of the rock structure, another story surrounding the place strikes Putnam. “There was the Big Falls Hotel just above, and they would put a basket over where you could write what you wanted for lunch. They would pull it up, make your meal, and you would put your money in and go on hiking.” This old-time fast-food service would have fit in perfectly with the amusement parks of the day.

No matter the legends of the past or the uncertainty of the future, the Gorge continues to be a popular destination in the Akron area. Its dramatic beauty combines with the feeling of vitality carried on rushing water. A day spent there is outside of time. Dates and deadlines seem to fall away as you hike the rocky trails. Connect with generations before you by doing three simple things: breath deeply, tilt your head back and embrace the nature of the Gorge.