A Glimpse of Park History, The Portage Lakes 

Portage Lakes received its name from the Portage Path or as General L.V. Bierce states the “great highway of nations,” which marked the western most part of the United States in 1795 connecting the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas Rivers. Native Americans used the Portage Path to transport canoes overland from one river to the other. The Portage Path is located in modern day Summit County and most of the path is within the City of Akron.

General Simon Perkins co-founded Akron with Paul William in 1825. General Perkins owned much of the land and he donated large portions of it to the State of Ohio so the canal could be built though the town. General Perkins realized that by building the canal in Akron land value would escalate and business would prosper.

Canals needed feeder reservoirs in order for them to maintain the required depth of four feet, thus the Portage Lakes served as feeder reservoirs for the canal system of Akron until 1913. The Ohio Department of Public Works maintained the canal lands for recreational purposes until 1949 when the Portage Lakes were transferred to the newly formed Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Park and Recreation.

A Glimpse of Nature, The Portage Lakes by Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Although early Ohio offered the Indians and settlers vast water resources through Lake Erie and its major river systems, there were very few natural lakes or ponds in the state. Those that existed, including several of the Portage Lakes, were the direct result of glacial activity. Huge chunks of ice that broke off the retreating glacier and melted in depressions forming kettle lakes formed these bodies of water. Many of the natural lakes in Ohio have aged into bogs or marshes.

Unique plants associated with these boggy areas can be found in the park. Tamarack trees, more common in northern boreal forests, are scattered through the park with patches of skunk cabbage and cranberry present. Nice stands of beech-maple forest provide refuge for skunk, raccoon, white-tailed deer and many other animals. The wetlands of the park attract thousands of geese and waterfowl during spring and fall migration periods. Mallards, wood ducks and Canada geese nest in the wetlands each year. In addition, woodcock, heron, hawks, owls, red fox, beaver and muskrat are often sighted.