Grand Lake St. Marys State Park

About Grand Lake St. Marys State Park

Although hard to imagine, the Grand Lake St. Mary's region was once a vast wilderness stretching from the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania to the prairies of Illinois. For many years it was considered the largest man-made reservoir in the world and is one of the most important water sources for the Great Lakes region. Originally built as a feeder basin for the Miami and Erie Canals, it was an important source of drinking water and a major source of water for many other rivers and lakes.

Today, the park includes forests, wetlands and prairies in addition to surrounding farmland. The land that is now the reservoir of St. Marys was once a huge wet prairie, today the forests are replaced by corn, soy and wheat fields. In addition to the forest, the suburbs of Ohio also include large prairies and wetlands.

Waterfowl that use the lake as a resting place include Canada geese, Canada geese and Great Crested Grebe, as well as ducks, ducks and other birds of prey. Grand Lake St. Marys is located on the eastern shore of the Great Lakes, south of Lake Erie in Ohio.

Other animals in the park are white deer, elk, elk, coyote, fox, raccoon, wildcat and other wildlife. The Great Crested Grebe, a magnificent bird that has long since disappeared from the region, was moved to the southwest corner of the lake as a wildlife shelter.

St. Marys State Park played an important role in the development of the Northwest. The St. The Marys River served as an important water source for the city of Grand Lake and other cities. Due to the heavy water traffic, the renegade Simon and James Girty founded a trading post, which eventually developed into the town of St. Mary's.

Anthony Wayne crossed the area during the War of 1812 and his men returned here to find a home, and Anthony Wayne's men return here. Work began on a reservoir for the Miami and Erie Canals, preserving a canal with a water depth of 5 feet. Workers using hand tools were paid 35 cents a day and $1.50 a day to keep malaria at bay.

When Grand Lake was completed in 1845, it was the largest man-made lake in the world, covering 13,500 hectares. The lake was connected to the canals by a three-mile feeder, and when it was full, with a lake 5 feet deep, a total of 12,000 feet.

With the arrival of the railways in the 1870s, the canals flourished and the area experienced a boom when oil was discovered.

Today, a pile of stones in the middle of the lake marks the spot where the last well was, and today it is marked by the oil dam that flooded the lakes at that time. In 1949, it was the first area dedicated to Ohio State Parks and was home to Grand Lake State Park, the largest national park in Ohio. Each campsite has 216 pitches, 154 of which are equipped with electricity.

All facilities include toilets, laundry, showers and landfills, and all campsites also have access to toilets, picnic tables, fireplaces, water and sewage systems. Cabins and fully equipped campers are also available for daily and weekly rentals. Seasonal naturalists will offer programs, including movies, on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Picnic accommodations are on reservation basis, details are available at the park office. Picnic areas, tables and barbecues are located in picturesque areas around the lake. The park offers a variety of picnic facilities such as picnic tables, fireplaces, picnic benches and picnic chairs.

Fishing, boating, swimming and camping are offered in Grand Lake State Park, as are the Miami and Erie Trails. The Miami - Erie Trail starts at Lake Loramie and runs through the park and ends at Lake of the Lakes Trailhead, south of Lake Erie, on the east side of Grand Lake.

The Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum is located in Wapakoneta, near Armstrong's youth home. The Department of Wildlife (ODNR) operates Grand Lake State Park, the only national park in Ohio with a freshwater lake. In this breeding area, suckers, wallises, catfish and perches are bred, which are common in the state's public fishing waters.