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A brief history
of the Hocking Hills and Lake Logan. Come live the history
yourself!
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Lake Logan is located in Hocking County
in southeastern Ohio. This territory once belonged to the Wyandot
Indians, who had a large village known as Oldtown on the Hocking
River, one mile above the city of Logan. Logan was established by
Thomas Worthington in 1816 and named for the Mingo Chief, James
John Logan, who was well known at first for his friendship with
the whites and later for his bitter animosity toward them
following the murder of his entire family by a frontier trapper
named Greathouse. |
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The Hocking River provided sufficient
water power for the purpose of operating grist and sawmills
particularly at the falls above Logan. The town of Logan was slow
to progress until the opening of the Hocking Canal, a branch of
the Ohio-Erie Canal, in 1838. Several industries prospered due to
the rich mineral resources of the Hocking Valley. |
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The discovery of immense quantities of
coal led to the flourishing mining industry. Towns appeared and
vanished as quickly as mines opened and closed. |
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It was soon found that iron ore could be
extracted from the sandstone bedrock of the area. At its height
during the Civil War, Ohio was the leading producer of iron for
implements and weapons. No less than forty-six furnaces were
firing in Ohio's six-county Hanging Rock Iron Region. |
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The clay soils of the Hocking Valley
helped Ohio become a leader in clay products. The firebrick
industry of the valley manufactured such products as clay tile,
building and paving bricks and clay sewer pipe. Evidence of the
industry can be seen in the many brick houses and abandoned kilns
of the area. Clay is still an important industry in the region. |
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Lake Logan was developed in 1955 for
recreational purposes. The area was administered by the ODNR
Division of Wildlife until 1964, when jurisdiction was transferred
to the Division of Parks and Recreation. Originally known as
Hocking Lake, it was re-named Lake Logan to reflect the Indian
heritage of the area and to avoid confusion with nearby Hocking
Hills State Park and Forest. |
