Mill Creek Park

Introduction

Mill Creek Park is a metropolitan reserve established in Youngstown, Ohio. It is the second biggest metropolitan reserve in the United States after Fairmount reserve in Philadelphia, and the 140th largest reserve located within the limits of a U.S. city.

Mill Creek reserve was established in 1891 by Volney Rogers as the first reserve district in Ohio. Mill Creek Park is the biggest locality of the MetroParks including 2,882 acres of the MetroParks' 4,400 acres. Recreation possibilities include hiking, biking, boating, angling, golf, tennis, volleyball, picnicking, cross homeland skiing, sledding, and much more. Msick Creek Park boasts 20 miles of drives and 15 miles of base trails.

Mill Creek flows through the reserve in a northerly direction supplying water to three lakes. Mill Creek reserve expands along the Mill Creek Valley from Western book street to the confluence of Mill Creek and the Mahoning River.

The to the north part of Mill Creek Park encompasses Lanterman's Falls and the Mill Creek Gorge. This area boasts breathtaking views with its cascading waters; steep hillsides, attractively enclosed with deciduous and evergreen trees; bold sandstone outcroppings; and many grass-covered meadows. South of the gorge the land is rolling and partly wooded.

Hitchcock Woods, south of path 224, encompasses dense woods and comprehensive wetlands, undeveloped except for primitive trails. The Mill Creek maintain, acquired with grant monies in 2006-07, expands Mill Creek Park to Western book street and features a 102-acre Category 3 wetlands.

History

The reserve was founded in 1891 due to the "untiring efforts of Youngstown attorney Volney Rogers".[2] Rogers protected choices on much of the land and was adept to buy large tracts of it. This was no little task granted that he was compelled to deal with more than 90 landowners.[3] one time the land was protected, Rogers framed and encouraged what he called the "Township Park enhancement Law." Upon the law's passage, Rogers turned over all of the land he had protected for park purposes.[3] Rogers had the locality announced a reserve by the state legislature. It officially opened in 1893.[4]

Rogers subsequent enlisted the help of his male sibling Bruce, who had studied landscape architecture; and Bruce Rogers became the first Mill Creek reserve superintendent.[5] previous, the task availed from the contributions of well-known landscape architect Charles Eliot, and Mill Creek Park is considered as one of his notable works.[6]

The identical year that the reserve opened, the Mahoning County commissioners handed out bonds to pay for the parkland, and Rogers bought $25,000 of them, with the understanding that they would be the last ones paid. Ironically, the financial fright of 1893 facilitated the park's development. As a subsequent bulletin account observed: "Unemployed men discovered work there. Asecond bond issue paid for their wages. The men slash trails, established drives, restored Pioneer Pavilion (a renovated manufacturer construction that was the oldest structure in the reserve) and built lagoon Cohasset Dam".[5]

Today

Msick Creek Park now extends from the near west side of Youngstown to the south boundaries of the town and neighboring Boardman township. The reserve ...