Natural Ohio Adventures

By 1965, Lake Erie had become so incredibly polluted that it was no longer available for personal use. Local residents sorely needed a body of water for recreational use, and to solve this predicament local lawmakers drew up plans to dam Tinkers Creek. The proposed dam would drown the Tinkers Creek Gorge, creating a 150-acre reservoir called Lake Shawnee. In a country that was still a few years away from becoming environmentally conscious, support for the dam was strong and its implementation seemed inevitable.

As the Cuyahoga River’s largest tributary, Tinkers Creek accounts for nearly 1/3 of the Cuyahoga’s final water volume. Beginning near Kent, Ohio, this creek drops 265 feet over 28.2 miles and has a watershed area of nearly 100 square miles. A healthy portion of the creek’s 265 feet in elevation change occurs in the creek’s last 5 miles; an area known as the Tinkers Creek Gorge. Beginning at the 20-foot Great Falls, The Tinkers Creek Gorge is perhaps one of the most geologically and ecologically impressive areas in Ohio. Over 70 cascades and waterfalls can be found in this 200-foot deep hemlock-filled gorge. Dedicated as a National Natural Landmark in 1968 and the centerpiece of the Bedford Reservation, it seems that previous local governments did everything in their power to preserve this gorge. This couldn’t be further from the case.

Thankfully, not all were in support of the project. In order to save the gorge he loved, naturalist William F. Nimberger halted the project to conduct a study of the area and its environmental significance. Over the next 5 years, Nimberger published research that proved the Tinkers Creek Gorge was home to a unique mixture of animal and plant life. Though the process was painstakingly slow, Nimberger eventually convinced the public that the benefits of preserving the gorge far outweighed the benefits Lake Shawnee could ever provide. After several years of diminishing public support, lawmakers gave up on creating the lake. If it wasn’t for William F. Nimberger, the gorge that hundreds of thousands of people have come to know and love would be no more than a 90-foot deep lake used for fishing and water tubing.

How One Man Saved One of Ohio’s Greatest Natural Treasures

Jacob Teed

March 21st, 2016

Today, the Tinkers Creek and its gorge faces little threats other than its lingering pollution. Visitors can view the gorge from the Tinkers Creek Gorge Overlook or visit the elegant Bridal Veil Falls. For adrenaline junkies, the Tinkers Creek Gorge offers some the best whitewater Kayaking in all of Ohio. While we should profusely thank William Nimberger for saving this place, many other areas weren’t fortunate enough to experience the same fate. All around Ohio, the United States, and the world, environmentally significant areas have been, and are continued to be destroyed for reasons similar to the one that almost took Tinkers Creek Gorge off the map. The next time you see a manmade lake, remember how much was likely sacrificed to create it.

​Sources: 

1. https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3RJ3N_touring-lake-shawnee?guid=b5bad5e5-bd18-4070-a795-661c7ac6d2c5

​2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinkers_Creek_(Cuyahoga_River)