Mohican State Park

Mohican State Park is a MUST-SEE on the list of Ohio State Parks. It was beautiful. Now, fall is my favorite and therefore this time of year is my favorite to go around visiting parks, but this park has made my top three! This post is more of a shout out to the man that makes this all happen. 

Here is a little backstory. When Marcus and I first started dating we loved to go drive around and explore new places. Sometimes we got out of the car, sometimes we just drove and talked. It was a fun time. Then we discovered Geocaching! 

 

If you aren't familiar, look it up, it's modern day treasure hunting! We did that when we went on vacations, weekend getaways, and around town. We slowly stopped Geocaching as we had kids mostly just due to time and then taking kids or babies, isn't really a geocaching thing, at least not until they get a little older. Marcus and I have always liked being outdoors and exploring. (Just not the bugs that come along with it). 

When I went on a girls trip to Geneva on the Lake was the weekend that our next series of adventures would begin. I discovered and bought my very own souvenir- the Park Passport. Now, I am not going to lie to you... the passport sat around for a while. It like the "things without a home" moved upstairs to a few different rooms, then was taken downstairs, so on. Until one day, I went into the basement and searched for where I thought I stored the Park Passport for "safe keeping." Why does it always happen that a "safe place" ends up being the place where all the lost things go?! Just like socks in the dryer or the tubberware lids, one piece of it always ends up going missing! So, one day we just decided to go. 

We packed up the diaper bag, another bag which we now call the ADVENTURE BACKPACK and a cooler for snacks and went to Stonelick State Park. And that's all she wrote. The boys have always enjoyed being outside. When my oldest was just an infant sometimes going outside would calm him down in the middle of an inconsolable crying episode. The sound of our screen door unlocking is like the sound of an ice cream truck to my kids. My youngest immediately will run over and say "Outside outside!" So, to Marcus and I, it made perfect sense for this to be our next adventure series.

Out of all of the adventure tools we bring on our trips to different state parks we have two favorites: binoculars and the "adventure phone." The adventure phone is simply just my old iPhone that now is only used for one puzzle game and to take pictures of our adventures from E's point of view. One day, we will upgrade him to an actual camera, but for now this was something we had laying around the hose.

I found the history of this park so fascinating so I am including it in here for your reading pleasure. 

Provided by OhioDNR: "The Mohican State Park area was once the hunting grounds of the Delaware Native Americans, whose more famous warriors included Janacake, Bill Montour, Thomas Lyon and James Smith. Smith was the first white man to come to this area after he was captured by the Native Americans and later adopted into their tribe. Several Delaware villages were also located in the Mohican vicinity. 

European settlers began arriving at the turn of the 19th century, but settlement did not increase until the Native Americans were driven from the area after the War of 1812. John Chapman, immortalized as Johnny Appleseed, frequented the region during the 1800s, caring for his apple tree nurseries. His name and the date, carved into the wall of Lyons Falls, were an attraction for years. Unfortunately, the etchings have been worn away over time. 

Prior to 1949, most of the area that comprises the present state park was part of Mohican State Forest. The forest lands were administered by the Ohio Division of Forestry. In 1949, when the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) was created, Mohican and several other state parks were developed from existing state forests. The new park was named Clear Fork State Park. Later, in 1966, the name was changed to Mohican State Park in order to alleviate confusion between Mansfield’s Clearfork Reservoir and the state park. Even before the official name change, visitors referred to the area as Mohican."

The new word that we learned on this trip was: covered bridge. Of course with a toddler you bring along their favorite toy for a drive. Marshall (Paw Patrol Pup) got a picture taken by the covered bridge too. You know what this trip to the Mohican State Park was... it was #guentheradventures.