Printer Friendly Version Arcola Creek Park

Park hours: Sunrise to sunset. Trail map Park Information • History	941 Dock Rd. Madison Township, OH 44057 Lon: 81° 0' 29.023" W Lat: 41° 50' 55.973" N
Amenities: 153 acres. Picnic area. Portable restrooms. Fishing. Observation deck. Access to Lake Erie shoreline. Directions: Take Rt. 20 to Dock Road and go north for 3.5 miles. Arcola Creek Park is located on the right (east).

History

The town of Ellensburg was built at the junction of Arcola Creek and Lake Erie. It was a thriving community of ship builders, fishermen, and commerce. The Arcole Iron Works was located south of the mouth of the creek (then called Cunningham Creek after Captain John Cunningham who purchased property there in the early 1800s). Arcole Iron Works was, at one time, the largest industry in Ohio. Bog iron, discovered in Madison Township near North Ridge Road in 1812, and the abundance of timber provided the raw materials for iron furnaces. Iron stoves, kettles, hollowware, and other heavy castings were made at the foundry.

Arcola Creek Park is a place where the fresh waters of the creek mix with the waves of Lake Erie. It is one of the last remaining natural estuaries in Ohio. Steelhead trout spawn and migratory birds find shelter here. The Nature Conservancy, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Friends of Arcola Creek (a Lake County preservation group) have all been instrumental in the preservation of the natural refuge.

Lake Metroparks now manages 153 acres of land called Arcola Creek Park through an agreement with the Lake County Commissioners.