Categories: Landmark

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This is a compilation of many maps and much information. My goal in making this map was to have it resemble what an American Indian* might have created had he had the technology. I’ve seen some maps that have the paths used by the Indians (none complete) and some maps that mark the Indian structures (e.g. villages, burial grounds, forts, etc. (again, none complete,) but none that contain all the landmarks created by the local natives. And, even mine is not complete. There are still earthworks, paths, and camps in every part of the county that are undiscovered and/or were never recorded.
The earliest maps created by French missionaries and explorers note only the major landmarks and are somewhat disorienting because of primitive surveying techniques. Placement of the trails and paths is then dependent on information provided by the early settlers, conveyed by 19th century historians (third hand information at best.) Many of these writers confirm that the pioneers created their roads on the same trails used by the natives. Unlike the surveyed roads that run north-south, or east-west, these follow the contour of the land, avoiding swamps and deep water, and lead to and from locations long ago erased by time.
The other form of information we have is from the American Indians themselves. They didn’t make recorded documents, but left clues in the artifacts that were lost, or buried in the ground. They also left clues in the earthworks that can be found throughout the Cuyahoga Valley.
What are earthworks? Any ground that has been moved by man for the purpose of building a defense, cache, or living area. Some have been destroyed by the progress of the white man, but if you know what to look for, many can still be found. Most impressive among these are the burial mounds (hills of soil drawn from remote locations.) Either by accident or design, within these mounds were found the remains of ancient humans and many prehistoric artifacts. The Cuyahoga Valley burial mounds were created by the Hopewell Indians who occupied the valley between 200 B.C. and 300 A.D. and were a different culture of American Indian than the ones found by the early settlers. Late Woodland Indians that were here in the late 18th century buried their dead in communal graves much like our cemeteries, but with the bodies much closer together (and shallower.)
BEFORE YOU GO LOOKING FOR ANY ARTIFACTS OR POKING AROUND ANY OF THESE SITES, CONSIDER THAT NEARLY ALL THESE PLACES ARE WITHIN THE CUYAHOGA VALLEY NATIONAL PARK. DISTURBING ONE OF THESE BURIAL MOUNDS IS CONSIDERED A 2ND DEGREE FELONY AND IS PUNISHABLE BY A MINIUM SENTENCE OF 3 YEARS IN PRISON AND UP TO A MAXIMUM OF 12.5. SITES NOT IN THE NATIONAL PARK FALL UNDER STATE LAW WHICH ALSO CONSIDERS DISTURBING A BURIAL MOUND A 2ND DEGREE FELONY AND IS PUNISHABLE BY A MINIUM SENTENCE OF 2 YEARS AND UP TO A MAXIUM OF 8. (I am not a lawyer, but these are the rules, laws and penalties as I found them.) If you want an arrowhead or other artifact, look on Ebay and other such sites. Once in a while even arrowheads from the Cuyahoga Valley, collected before the National Park came into existence, come up for sale.
*In a 1995 Department of Labor survey American Indians were asked what they preferred to be called. First they wanted to be known by the tribe they are affiliated with. After that, 50 percent preferred the label American Indian, while only 37 percent wanted to be known as Native Americans.
Here then is my interpretation of a 17th century map of the area that would be Summit County.

LEGEND/KEY EXPLANATION

Trails and Paths: As a general rule, they followed high ground. The reasons were multiple. High ground assured a dry path. Very possibly, the wind would keep the path clear of leaves, better for keeping quiet. It was better to look down on enemies or prey than have them looking down at you.
The Cuyahoga Valley was the crossroads for several major trails. These may or may not have been the same trails used by previous cultures with the exception of the Portage Trail. Easily the most important path in the area the Portage ran between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas Rivers. Many historians believe this to be one of the oldest passages in the country. The Mahoning Trail went east out of the valley loosely following Portage Trail, Front Street, and Rt. 59 to Kent, Pennsylvania and points east. The Muskingum Trail went from Lake Eire to the Ohio River loosely following Rt. 21. The Cuyahoga War Trail led from the Portage Trail to the Ohio River. And, the Watershed Trail led west out of the valley to Detroit and points west.
Villages: These were permanent villages. Some “teepees” may have been lived in, but most of the structures were huts made of tree trunks, branches, and bark, and animal skins.
Forts: These were structures of defense often built on the points of high ground. Dirt was dug out to form a ditch, sometimes multiple ditches, with the excess soil banked on the inside securing logs placed on end to form a protective barrier.
Catch: An area where a store of weapons, food, or both were kept, usually under a small layer of dirt. (Again, all objects have been excavated and removed.)
Earthwork: These are places where prehistoric excavation was done. For what purpose in unclear. They could have been forts, catches, villages, or combination of these.
Caves and Overhangs: Marked on this map are the local caves and stone overhangs that were known to be occupied by Native Americans. Of the 6 marked, 2 have caved in.
Lookout: An area of high ground from which smoke signals could be sent and received. In this fashion, local American Indians received news of their warrior’s defeat in the Battle of Fallen Timbers days before the local settlers did.
Swamps, Ponds, and Lakes: Much, much more of the area was covered in swamps in the 17th century than today. Since then many have been drained and/or filled in. Ponds were also more abundant though their location has been lost since they’ve been filled. Many of the lakes differed in size than they do today, e.g. Springfield and the Portage Lakes were smaller, and Summit Lake was larger.
Waterways: Rivers, mainly the Cuyahoga, though still running within the confines of their valleys, in many areas ran in a slightly different course. As an example, the south bank of the Cuyahoga has moved about 30 feet farther south from the time the Portage Path was originally surveyed in 1798 and today.