This booklet, designed and produced by Kensel E. Clutter, provides an in-depth exploration of the creation and significance of the Sandusky Plains. It provides a comprehensive description of the region, insights into the factors and considerations that shaped the development of the map, historical accounts, a detailed viewing key, and intricate illustrations. Kensel Clutter’s dedication to supporting and preserving prairie ecosystems across the country began in his youth and remained a lifelong passion.
With the permission of the Marion Historical Society, we are happy to present directly scanned text from Kensel E. Clutter’s Map of the Sandusky Plains booklet.
Introduction
This map of the Sandusky Plains, and accompanying pamphlet, was created by Kensel Clutter, a farmer living in Scott Township, Marion Country, Ohio. The map details the extent of the prairie at the time of the original land surveys in 1819. This pamphlet describes the methods used to create it.
Even though he has lived on the Sandusky Plains for most of his life, it wasn’t until about 1986 that Kensel began to study the prairie. Since then he has traveled, by car and on foot, all the roads in the prairie area seeking remnants of the plants that formerly covered about 200,000 acres of the Sandusky Plain.
This region in north central Ohio was completely covered with the Wisconsin Glacier that receded about 10,000 years ago, leaving moraines. Between them were till plains that were flat, poorly drained areas, bordered by gentle rising moraines. It is underlain with limestone and dolomite bedrock of Devonian and Silurian ages. This was a factor in creating the prairies in this area.
Paul Sears in 1942 theorized that the prairies of Ohio are a result of the xerothermal era of about three to four thousand years ago. At that time the climate became much warmer, destroying most of the post glacial, evergreen vegetation. It favored the intrusion of deciduous trees from the south, and of prairie plants from the west.
One of the largest of these prairie areas in Ohio was The Sandusky Plains around the headwaters of the Sandusky River in what in what is now north central Marion, southeastern Wyandot, and southwestern Crawford Counties. Today barely 75 acres of the Sandusky Plains have survived as prairies. Probably the largest of these is the Daughmer Savanna in Crawford County with 39 acres.
In the 1930s the Ray Hemmerly family discovered the fifty-foot wide strip along the railroad tracks east of State Route 98 in Marion County now known as the Claridon Prairie. It has nearly 80 species of prairie grasses and blooming plants in the one-mile length. It has been watched over since 1975 by members of the Marion County Historical Society and managed by Kensel.
Other prairie remnants are along railroad tracks and in untilled odd corners. Until fences were removed in the 1960s, they sheltered prairie plants that glorified the countryside with color in the fall.
A restoration prairie has been established on the Marion Campus of the Ohio State University using seeds from the Claridon Prairie, and now includes a prairie garden.
The hand drawn Clutter map of the Sandusky Plains was enhanced by Willis Thomas, and created as a drawing in Auto CADD software using the computer equipment and plotter of Floyd Brown Associates, Inc. The publication of this map was made possible by the participation of Willis, and of management and staff of FBA. Their contributions, and Kensel’s, are gratefully acknowledged by the Marion County Historical Society.
Trella Hemmerly Romine
Publication Chairman
July 2000
Clutter Map of Sandusky Plains
This pamphlet accompanies each Clutter map of the Sandusky Plains. This reproduction does not show the detail of the map that is available in three sizes, 60×60″, 30×30″, and 15×15″. For more information contact the Marion County Historical Society, 169 East Church Street, Marion, OH 43302, phone 740-387-4255. A brochure for ordering will be sent upon request.
Preface
Even though I had been interested in prairies since 1986, and wondered much about the Sandusky Plains, I don’t recall that I began this project with any thought of creating my own version of a Sandusky Plains vegetative map. I began by trying to improve the explicitness of the vegetation on maps created by others. I progressed from one idea to another, largely because the existing maps did not provide the information I wanted to know.
Former maps based on the original work of Paul Sears and Raymond Dobbins were excellent for the purpose they were created, but they theoretically allotted 213.33 acres of vegetation to each survey point (the acreage of both sides of a survey line.) This was crediting too much acreage to a single interpretation, especially in the case of savannas that might be as small as one-fourth an acre, and seldom larger than 5. They were created almost entirely by the interpretation of what was found at survey points on the perimeters of each section with little attention paid to what the surveyors described in their notes. I wanted to know what was in the center of sections.
I had several ancestors who settled in Scott Township between 1829 and 1847, and I had lived or owned property at seven other places in Scott, Claridon, and Grand Prairie townships and desired to know more specifically whether these areas were prairie, savanna or woodland. At the 1986 annual Prairie Conference held at Ohio State University Marion campus, a pamphlet was distributed that included a vegetative map of the Sandusky Plains. It was composed of symbols for each survey point, with asterisks denoting prairies, black dots denoting savanna, and small circles for forests. Others had taken these maps and drawn lines around the forest symbols, but no two came out the same. I too drew lines around the symbols but was never satisfied with the results.
Using these symbol maps, about 1995 I tried to make a map that could be more easily interpreted by giving each point an area of 160 acres (1/4 section.) I used white for forests, gray for savannas, and black for prairies. This was a little better, but because of the darker colors it blotted out many references of location such as section number, rivers, or other desired geographical marks.
A couple of years later I discovered some county road maps drawn to the scale of one half inch to the mile. These maps had the major rivers and roads with each land section clearly drawn and numbered in black on a white background. I began by using brighter colors such as orange for prairies, yellow for savannas, and blue for forest. My first efforts failed. The inks were too opaque and too many geographic marks were lost. Then someone suggested transparent inks. For me this was a better way to show the vegetation on the map. But this map was blotchy. The inks didn’t go on evenly and it had the same imperfection of allocating to many acres. It was also too geometric, and natural vegetation seldom is found that way. I wanted something that was more exact.
Sometime in late 1998 I again became curious about the vegetation in pre settlement days in the area around my farm. I obtained copies of the 1819 survey notes for my township (Scott is T-4-S, R-16-E.) The survey included a crude map (scale, 2 inches equals one mile) with a few geographic features. I made a copy of this map and began writing along each section line what the surveyor had written describing the land. There was also a large page designating every point and giving the direction and size of bearing trees and showing mounds or stakes where there were no trees. I wrote in appropriate symbols for each of these points but reduced the area allocated to these symbols to less than 25% of the area in former maps and relied more heavily on what the surveyors wrote in their notes.
Using 1961 topographical maps as a guide, I entered scattered trees and forests according to the surveyors notes. With wax crayons I colored the forests green, the prairies yellow and savannas yellow with blotches and dots of green. At last I had a map that looked more natural and gave some indication of what was in the interiors of sections.
Since my farm borders Grand Prairie Township line, I did that township to find what was there. After finishing this I did Claridon Township and then Marion Township. These little township maps kept increasing until I came to the conclusion that I might as well do the whole Sandusky Plains.
But with my curiosity satisfied about the original vegetation for my areas, why continue if no one else had access to it? I contacted Trella Romine, Publication Chairman of the Marion County Historical Society, and offered the map to the Society as a gift. She encouraged me to continue since she saw it as a worthwhile publication project.
Now the problem was how could it be reproduced? Photographic reproduction was considered, but it did not seem feasible for several reasons. It was a fortunate day that Willis Thomas saw my map. He is an engineer technician with Floyd Browne Associates in Marion, and suggested that by using the facilities of Floyd Browne Associates, and the expertise of their staff, he could create a computer- generated map that would include physical features, and correct the color problems. For years he had been interested in the Indian trails that crossed the Sandusky Plains as described in historical records, and had been thinking of creating such a map.
Thus this map of the Sandusky Plains was created, not so much by prior intent, but rather to satisfy my curiosity. It developed into a challenging and enjoyable hobby, but was very time consuming. I spent much of each evening during two winters pouring over records, plotting statistics in the proper places, interpreting survey points, and coloring the map. I wrote over 800 descriptions for nearly 800 miles of surveys. Besides the descriptions there were about 0.1,100 symbols placed on the same 800 miles, plus the transfer of countless wooded areas from the 1962 topo maps to the interiors of over 250 sections.
What started as a simple quest to expand the work of others developed into a project that ended with the creation of my own version of a vegetative map of the Sandusky Plains.
What are the Sandusky Plains?
The Sandusky Plains now exist in name only. It was a geographical and vegetative region that became northern Marion County, southwestern Crawford County, and southeastern Wyandot County. Settlement in this area began in 1820 after the land sales in Delaware starting in August of that year.
The name is derived from the proximity to the headwaters of the Sandusky River, a name given to the river by the Wyandot Indians who were in the area by 1720. (Sah un dus-kee, for “clear water.”) It was a vast area of flat to slightly undulating land covered with tall prairie grasses and forbs, interspersed with islands of trees on the higher ground.
The French trappers and soldiers were the first white men to see this area, and they called it “‘prairie,” meaning a grassland. The British called these same lands meadows, grasslands, plains, and barrens. These plains surround the divide between the Lake Erie and Ohio River watersheds. While they are on some of the highest ground in the state, it was a very wet region. For the first ten to fifteen years it was used almost exclusively for livestock grazing and land speculation. Livestock did not permanently damage the grasses unless overgrazed, but they were quite detrimental to the edible forbs, and these soon began to disappear. In the 1880s the county histories recorded that it was difficult to distinguish where the prairie had begun and the forest ended because of the changes brought about by settlement.
Until approximately 1830 most white people thought of prairies as being barrens and not good farm lands because wooded land meant fertile ground to them. There was also the problem of mosquitoes that fostered malaria, known at the time as ague, or the shakes. One writer wrote of the high winds and said some avoided the plains, preferring the timbered areas for shelter. Others avoided them because of the lack of good drinking water and timber for buildings, rail fences and fuel.
Prior to 1837 all plows were made of wood and this discouraged cultivation in the plains because the plows broke too easily when trying to break the prairie sod. About 1836 John Deere invented the steel plow, and within a few years local farmers were purchasing them. From the landowners point of view it was now easier to plow the prairie than to clear the forested areas. They soon learned, much to their surprise, that the prairie land grew the best crops. But as soon as they were plowed the prairies began disappearing. Most prairie plants have a taproot, and they could not survive when plowing broke it.
Prairie land, when first broken, grew the best corn, but was not good for wheat and oats. The soil was too rich in nitrogen causing the grain to fall over before the heads filled, thus producing a poor yield. But after a few years of raising corn, it was depleted enough to grow good wheat and oats crops. Some farmers had avoided the plains because they didn’t grow the small grains so badly needed for bread, pastries, and animal feed.
But another problem remained – drainage. Until 1880 there was very little cultivation of the low, richest, darkest soil because it was often under water too late in the spring to plant crops, and therefore was used for grazing. Some early drainage was achieved by individual farmers digging open ditches, or by installing shallow underground drainage systems. Later these systems were made of kiln fired clay cylinders laid end to end, called tile lines.
In 1879, the Ohio State legislature enacted laws allowing farmers to petition for the issuance of bonds for construction of county ditches. This, for the first time, provided public funds for installing tile mains for underground drainage systems, and for dredging creeks and small rivers to deepen them. Now the dark, best soil could be drained and plowed. This led to the destruction of almost all the acreage of prairie wetlands and uplands.
Another factor responsible for loss of prairie land from the beginning of white settlement was the encroachment of trees. Tax assessment records for Salt Rock, Grand and Big Island Townships in 1846 show that in only 26 years of settlement a considerable acreage of prairie was brushy where none had been reported in 1819.
Articles in county histories report that soon after the yearly Indian fires were prohibited in the early 1830’s, new trees began to spring up. The 1846 tax records show that brush was growing on those farms that had no buildings, probably because it was lying idle having been purchase for speculation by absentee landlords. Thee were other farms that had houses but no barns and these also had brush, probably meaning they had no livestock to check the tree seedlings.
Thus we find that soon after 1820 the prairie began to vanish. Little more than 1/3 of an acre exists today for every 1,000 acres that have been eradicated. Most of these remnants are very small in size or with few species.
The Sandusky Plains no longer exist.
Creating This Map
This map of the Sandusky Plains is both vegetative and geographical. It is an effort to make a more precise map of the Sandusky Plains than any previously made, and to visualize what was prairie and what was timber in 1819. The roads and towns of the 1990s to make it easier to locate areas. The vegetative map is not exact because there were too many unknowns, but the geographical aspect of the map is exact since it was computer generated.
Evidence is strong that the vegetation was constantly changing. Trees intruded into prairie made soils and then some event, probably fire, would destroy the trees allowing the prairie to return, and the process would start all over again. Thus trees were found in some places on prairie made soils and prairies were found on some woodland made soils.
In general this map agrees with previously made maps where they depicted the prairies and dense woodlands. It was those areas for which surveyors had no specific term, but which we today would probably call savannas, that presented the most difficult problems. Surveyors described these areas as “some timber”, or “open woodlands,” or” scattered groves,” or “scattered trees.”
Nearly one-half of the plains were interspersed with these areas which had too many trees to be called a prairie, but too few trees or not dense enough to be called a forest. It is the depiction of these areas that this map will differ from others. Since these areas can consist of any number of small trees and groves, and since the surveyor’s notes did not include information about location, numbers, sizes or shapes, it is almost impossible to give a true representation of these areas. Even on a large-scale map (two inches to a mile) a dot the size of the period at the end of this sentence equals almost I/6th acre. Therefore, small groves and individual trees could not be represented properly even if we knew the number and sizes. Thus dots and small splotches of green show that the surveyors designated that area as having scattered groves and trees.
It was the description of the land along each section line, plus what was used to mark each surveyed position, that became the principle factor in deciding what vegetation to represent on the map for that area. The 1819 surveyors were required to survey the land into six-mile square areas, called governmental or numbered townships. These townships were then surveyed into 36 one square-mile sections of 640 acres each. They were required to describe the land as they surveyed each section line, and they marked two new surveyed points for each mile walked. When completed each section had four corner and four quarter section points, all of which were on the perimeter. These points were marked by two prominent trees called bearing or witness trees when available, or by mounds, stones, or stakes when no trees were close by. There was nothing to tell what was in the center other than the surveyor’s written description that gave no details of location, shape or size. But in a study of the still existing groves on the section lines in the 1961 topographical maps it was discovered that nearly all (95-98%) corresponded to groves on that same line in 1819. Because of that evidence every wooded area on the 1961 topo maps was transferred to this map giving us probable locations for groves in the interior of sections in 1819. These woods may have been larger or smaller than in 1819, but early settlers said there was more timber in 1880 than in 1820-30. From this we presumed that the timber was denser, and confined to fenced areas rather than scattered, irregular, and small as before.
Factors in Creating This Map
Data Used
- 1819 congressional surveyor’s notes and maps.
- 1846 county tax assessment records for Grand, Salt Rock and Big Island Townships. No other tax maps could be found.
- 1939 and later government aerial photography maps.
- 1961 U.S. Geologic Topographic maps
- 1980-85 soils maps of the area.
- Early historical records.
- My observations from living in the plains for 80 years, farming prairie soils 45 year, and managing prairies for 17 years in retirement; and from driving nearly every road in the plains, studying the terrain, noting where woodlands grow, where the treeless areas are, where the scattered bur oaks still exist, and searching for prairie remnants, plants and seed.
- My studies of the 1819 marking trees for species, trunk sizes and the occurrence of trees at the same locations in 1961.
- My studies of tree limb spread (the shaded area) based on trunk diameter for trees growing in open sunlight
Use Of Data in 1819 Survey
The 1819 survey notes were my principal and most relied upon source of data.
Where mounds, stones or stakes were used as sectional corners and quarter section markers, it was presumed there were no trees near and
Where bearing trees were less than 45 links (30 feet,) it was presumed that this was a wooded area devoid of grasses, unless the trees were less than 12 inches in diameter. Twelve inch diameter trees spread only 24 feet.
Where trees were more than 45 links apart, and if they were bur oak or hickory and not thin barked such as elm and beech, it was presumed this was a savanna.
Where bearing trees were less than 10 inches in diameter, and in a prairie area, it was presumed this was essentially a prairie with no larger trees around.
Where the surveyor used the words” plains,” “barrens,” “no trees near,” or “grasslands,” it was presumed he meant areas with no trees
Where the surveyor noted the land as “plains with groves,” or “scattered timber,” it was presumed this was predominately a prairie with small savannas, and widely scattered individual trees.
Where the term “timbered land”- was used, it was presumed this was a woodland devoid of any grasses or prairie openings. The term “open woodland” was usually presumed to be woodland if near a forested area and a savanna when in the prairie.
Diameter of Tree Trunks Considered
Ten inch diameter tree trunks in open sunlight branch out about 20 feet, and shade 314 sq. ft. Therefore, it would take 140 such trees spaced 18 feet apart to cover an acre.
Twenty inch. oak trees branch about 40 feet, and shade 1250 sq. ft. Therefore, it would take only 35 such trees spaced 38 feet apart to shade an acre. 77% of the bearing trees were 20 inches or less.
Thirty-six inch oak trees spread about 70 feet, shade 3848 sq. ft., which takes 11 such trees to shade an acre sufficiently to destroy the grasses. Only 3.7% of the trees were this size.
Problems in Using 1819 Survey Notes
In dense woods or extra tall prairie, the surveyor could not give an accurate description for land one half mile deep on each side.
The term “scattered trees and groves” did not indicate how scattered, how many, where scattered, or if they were on both sides of a section line or not. Trees in a prairie could more easily be seen than prairie openings in a woodland, giving trees a visual advantage. Even today trees appear more prevalent and prominent than an aerial view or map shows them to be.
There was a common prejudice against prairies in 1819, and a great need for timber and wood on new farms. How much did this affect the description of what was prairie or timberland?
The location, numbers, size, or shape of woodlands or prairies was never given making it necessary to guess, or seek other sources of information.
One surveyor seemed to make a distinction between prairies and plains using both words in the same sentence but never defined the difference.
There was no term for what we call savannas making it difficult to know when woodlands may have been savannas (open wooded areas} rather than forests.
1847 Tax Map Records
The 1846 tax assessment records for Salt Rock, Big Island, Grand Townships gave the acres of woodland, plains, etc. on each farm, giving information on how much prairie and woodland was in each section. This provided closer locations within the sections. These records used terms that showed a difference between woodlands in forested areas and woodlands in prairies. They also made it possible to ascertain how much timber land had been cleared, and how much prairie land may have been allowed to grow up in brush in the first 25 years.
They showed that the line between prairie and dense forest was abrupt, and not transitional.
Problems Using 1846 Tax Map Records
Location of prairies and woodlands on each farm not given.
No distinction made between savannas and dense woodlands.
No mention made of cleared land in the prairie.
Insufficient distinction made between new woodlands and old.
No such maps could be found for any other Townships in the Sandusky Plains.
1939 Aerial Land Maps
These are the first complete aerial photo graphs of the plains. They show the timbered lands of the Sandusky Plains, but with more timber than what there might have been in 1819. They were excellent for showing the individual bur oaks in open fields that were left there for shade. Since this was only 120 years after settlement, they were in their prime.
These photos helped locate wooded areas inside the perimeters of individual sections, but since the 1961 topo maps did the same and were easier to use I used them instead.
These photos helped to understand why bearing trees could be found where they were in 1819.
They helped but did not prove if bearing trees might have been in a forest, savanna, or in the open.
Problems Using 1939 Aerial Maps
Nearly all woods were in neat geometric patterns having been forced that way by fencing.
There was no sure way of knowing which woods were original, which had been planted or had volunteered, which was larger and which was smaller.
Many individual bur oaks in open fields had been planted for livestock shade. It was difficult to know which were virgin timber or planted.
1961 Topographical Maps
These maps give a better sense of the terrain.
Since treeless prairies are more apt to be found on flat land, savannas on gentle sloping land, and forest on ridges and high ground, topo maps helped determine what grew in the interior of the sections.
These maps, with their rivers and roads were used for my personal observations.
These maps outlined each wooded area, making It easier to compare woodland locations of today with those of 1819.
These maps were the basis for much of the interior woodlands on this map. In my study I found that nearly 98% of the woodlands on section lines in 1819 were found at or near the same place in 1961. However, all evidence indicated they were more geometric and dense Therefore it was presumed this was true for the interiors too.
Problems Using 1961Topographical Maps
The gradients are in 5 and 10 foot lines and this is not definitive enough to show where the many small groves so often grew.
Woodlots in 1961 are not proof that woodlots were located in the same place in 1819.
1980-85 Soils Maps
These maps were made from detailed studies of the soil types in each county.
They showed which soils had been made by grasses, and which were made by forests. In general the lower, darker colored soils (dark brown, dark gray, or black, named Pewamo, Milford, Elliott) were said to be made by the growth of grasses. While the higher, lighter colored soils (tans, light browns, or yellow, named; Blount, Glynwood, or Centerburg were said to be made by the growth of woodland species.
These maps showed the general size and shape of the prairie and woodlands over the ages, but could not show how the prairie looked for any one specific era because of other factors such as fires, etc.
Problems Using Soil Maps
In 1819 woodland could be found growing on Prairie-made soils while prairie was found growing on woodland-made soils.
There is also strong evidence that about 1700 there may not have been any trees, or at least very few, in the Sandusky Plains because few trees larger than 40 inches were found in 1819. Best evidence at present raises the suspicion that fires may have changed what grew where and when. Trees crowded out and destroyed the prairie but fires destroyed trees allowing prairie to return.
Use Of Early Historical Records
In the county histories for the area, published in the 1880s, are found sketches written by early settlers.
Many remarked how far they could see, and the open view through some of these groves. They told that there were more trees in 1880 than when they first came.
Soldiers, explorers and white captives wrote about the abruptness of transition from forest to prairie, and about groves of trees they called islands.
They wrote of the surprising expanse of uninterrupted view and their imagined vulnerability in the tall grasses.
The earliest settlers reported that fires were a yearly occasion. They reported that when the fires were prohibited that brush and trees became more abundant.
James Smith, an Indian captive, wrote about an Indian ring hunt when the fire got out of control, and that it could be seen for a long distance as they butchered their game.
Problems Using Early Reports
Did they exaggerate or could they see for miles?
In 1999 it is difficult to see more than 3 miles in the plains before trees block vision, and often 2 miles is the limit of view.
While 65% of surveyed points were marked by trees in 1819, and since the majority of those trees were less than 20 inches in diameter, were they too small and too few to block vision.
My Observations
Most woodlands existing today in the plains are on higher ground. Seldom are they in lowlands except in river bottoms or where a forest over-ran a lowland from a knoll. Often they are only one or two feet above the surrounding terrain.
Not all rises in the land support a woods. Size of knoll, and fertility of the soil surrounding it affecting how tall the prairie grew) seems to limit where trees got a foothold. This seemed to be true in 1819 too.
Major ridges between watersheds, or where ever the land rises slightly and the soil is thin, supports most of the present day forested areas. Rolling ground and gently rising knolls (hummocks) also support trees. The 1819 survey also shows these areas as woods.
Trees grew out on the flat lands on the north and east sides of a woods and rivers, but seldom grew on the west and south. This was also true for the major rivers.
The bur oaks in the 1819 survey seldom measured over 36 inches, small for a bur oak. Many bur oaks today are 48 inches to 60 inches. Did some event in the plains before 1700 to 1720 destroy all trees? By the 1930s, when I was a teenager there were few young trees andit was hard to find a bur oak less than 40 inches in diameter, and some were more than 60 inches, indicating ages of 100 to 200 years. Today there are hundreds of bur oaks of all sizes in new growth woods. Only when bur oaks of the plains today are approximately 60 inches in diameter or larger are they apt to be presettlement.
My studies indicate that oaks in open areas grow faster than oaks in forests.
Large flat treeless areas planted to corn and soybeans today correspond closely to the areas indicated as prairie in 1819. Those gradually sloping areas with occasional scattered trees, or a grove, correspond to the same areas in 1819.
Those areas that are farmed, but where vision is blocked by trees within a mile, are usually the same areas that were woods in 1819.
Assumptions That Are Probably Safe?
Fires tend to burn out on the downwind side of even a mild slope. This probably accounts for forests growing westward along the Olentangy,and southward along the Sandusky rivers for more than a mile in places. Because backfires are seldom as hot and damaging, this may account for woodlands growing north over prairie made soils for two or three miles along the Scioto River, and eastward from the Tymochtee River in 1819.
Large mushroom shaped bur oak trees in the 1939 aerial photos suggest those fields probably supported savannas in 1819.
Bur oaks that grow in open sunlight tend to spread outward instead of upwards. One large bur oak in the Daughmer oak savanna has a spread of 110 feet. Several others have 90 to 100 feet spread.
Large spreading bur oak trees in dense forests of the plains today indicate that the area was a savanna in earlier years.
Areas wooded in the 1939-61 aerial maps generally were wooded in 1819, but due to fencing did not retain the same size or shape.
Flat, dark colored soil in the plains today was nearly always prairie in 1819.
Knobs, knolls, ridges, or rolling ground consisting of light colored soils, even though only a foot or two higher, was forested or consisted of savannas.
Steepness of slope, lack of soil fertility, size of area, direction of prevailing winds and fires all determined where the dense forests grew.
Exceptions
Trees sometimes were found on flat land to the east and north of a slope, river, or forest probably because they are protected from fire, but seldom on the south and west. Likewise, for lack of protection from fire, prairie could sometimes be found on small knolls or on the south and west of large ones.
Timbered areas in the plains pre 1819, unless very large or in wet areas, seldom contained beech, elm, cherry or other thin barked species (probably because of fires) whereas today thin barked species are abundant.
Small fires at the base of thin barked trees often damage or kill them. For this reason, most of the trees of the Sandusky Plains were oak and hickory·that have tougher bark and can withstand more heat.
It was easier for trees to get started on higher or rolling ground because erosion and drought hindered the growth of prairie plants enough to reduce competition and caused prairie fires to be less damaging.
77% of the marking trees in 1819 were 20 inches or less in diameter which suggests the trees were just getting started and that more of the plains was prairie than previously thought.
Such small trees unless very close together would not shade enough ground to seriously hinder the growth of prairie species.
In spite of 180 years of farming, and the eradication of trees and groves by logging and bulldozing, there is more timber in the plains today than in 1819. With the prohibition of fires and the cessation of pasturing livestock, the savannas, waste places, fence rows, and land held for speculation have grown into dense woodlands, scattered groves and trees faster than other trees have been destroyed.
When the soil is bare and its colors can be seen, it is a fair rule of thumb that the dark soils were covered with prairie while the very lightest shades were covered with forests. The intermediate shades were in a see-saw battle and could have been either prairie or forest at any given time.
Historical Accounts Indicate Fewer Trees
The following excerpts from historical accounts indicate that there were fewer trees than one would expect by relying on the witness trees recorded in the 1819 U.S. Government surveys of the Sandusky Plains. Sixty-five percent of all points were marked with trees. This would indicate that 65% of the plains were covered with trees, but note that the following sources indicate how sparse trees were.
Earl Olmstead, in his book, David Zeisberger’s Life Among the Indian, quoted from Zeisberger’s journal of 1781 when he and the Christian Indians were being taken as captives through the Sandusky Plains: There is nothing but grass, which is so high and long that a man on horseback can hardly see over it, only here and there is a little clump of brushes.
- W. Butterfield in his book, Crawford’s Expedition Against Sandusky, 1782 writes: ….after crossing the river near Upper Sandusky, the army saw to the north and to the west the prairie spread out before them, a broad champaign of exceeding beauty with here and there, in the distance, small island groves, to break the otherwise uninterrupted view. They now struck out into the open prairie to the north, when at a distance of a mile from the grove they had just left, they suddenly came into full view of the enemy.
The following three quotes are from a manuscript in the Upper Sandusky Library that was compiled from Wyandot County Newspaper accounts written by A. W. Brinkerhoff around 1871.
Page 7: Those (Sandusky) Plains were generally, at an early day, covered with grass, bushes and groves of timber, or scattered trees, and in many places with large, natural meadows, covering in some cases hundreds of acres.
From the north, the Sandusky Plains commence at a junction of the Tymochtee creek with the Sandusky River and extend southward, occupying the whole space between those streams, excepting a narrow belt of timber along the east bank of the Tymochtee.
Page 31. His account of Crawford’s battle after talking to Indian chiefs and soldiers: The country was generally open, and well calculated for the operations of cavalry. Here and there were groves of short oak timber, free from undergrowth, giving each party, at times, a full view of their movements.
From the History of Crawford County, Ohio, Published by Baskins and Battery, 1881, page 540: ln early years they (the plains) were the most noticeable feature in the township, but since the surrounding woods have been partly cleared away and the plains in many places have become covered with forest trees, it requires careful scrutiny to detect prairie from woodland.
….Some portions of considerable extent are free from trees, though generally the surface is dotted here and there with ‘lone trees’ or small groups varying in size from half a dozen to several hundred. It is observable that all the trees growing in the plains are comparatively small, having an approximate age of forty or fifty years.
Page 678: concerning the plains in Dallas Township, that which first catches the eye of the stranger, in driving through the southern part of Dallas, are the exceedingly picturesque clumps of jack oak trees of a comparatively recent growth. Many of these groves have sprung up within the memory of our oldest citizen.
Upon the islands, however as they were termed, the growth of sedge grass was not so rank, and trees here and there escaped the ravages of Indian fires.
Copely: History of Crawford County and Representative Citizens, 1912, page 195: While the land was almost level, there was occasionally some slightly rising ground, on which trees grew, small groves which were called ‘islands’.
Page 233: Upon the ridges, or so called ‘islands,’ where the grass was not so long and rank, the timber sometimes escaped.
Page 349: East of the centre of the township
{Whetstone) is where the forest ended and the famous Sandusky Plains began, the latter extending west barely 40 miles with only an occasional clump of trees, called an “island,” to break the monotony of the landscape. (Probably meaning a 40 mile journey around the southern bend of the Sandusky River.)
- W. Jacoby: History of Marion County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, 1907.
Page 26: Formerly the Sandusky Plains were belted with timber. They were covered with high coarse grass, interspersed with islands of timber, and generally had a gradually undulating surface.
Key For Red Stars on Sandusky Plains Map
These stars are placed on the map to mark the few remnants of original prairie that still contain at least ten prairie species. Today these small areas total less than 75 acres.
Descriptions of Starred Areas From Northwest to Southeast
Railroad West of Upper Sandusky
West side of Township Road 110.
Species were scattered along both sides of the track for nearly a mile. Formerly there were approximately 25 species here, but it was heavily sprayed in 1994.
Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area
Southwest of Harpster.
Check with wild life personnel before viewing. This was originally a wet prairie of 30,000 acres made up of poorly drained soils. About 8,000 acres are in the Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area with prairie plants found at scattered sites. Along the south side of the railroad that intersects the southeast comer of the wild life area there are several uncommon species Near the northeast comer of county roads 115 and 71 is a “planted” prairie where western species may be seen. An area near the southwest comer of County Roads 75 and 123 has a stand of dense blazing star (Liatris spicata). Along County Road 71 on the north edge of the wildlife area is a large area of prairie dock (Silphium terebinthenaceum. On the north side of the county line road, Between the road and the embankment, there is a large stand of Sullivant’s milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii.) Farther west, on road 77a, there is a small patch of pinnatified prairie dock.
Railroad between Morral and Marion
South of the Kenton-Galion Road East of Ridged.ale school.
This site is one half mile long on both sides of the tracks. It contains more than 25 very scattered species. It is being invaded with young trees that may soon destroy it. Growing north of this is a rose colored variation of New England aster (Aster novae angliae var.)
Holland Road West of Marion.
East of the Little Scioto River, about 1/4 mile long
A small prairie of forbs along the south side of the road between the drainage ditch and the roadside. Formerly it was about 20 feet wide but is now mowed to half that width. It contains about 20 species that bloom in mid summer to fall.
Railroad West of Marion along SR 95
South of railroad across the road from the Purex warehouse.
This linear area of about three acres formerly contained 65 species. It was heavily sprayed to eradicate trees and brush in 1999. Royal catchfly (Silene regia) was rediscovered near here by the author in 1991. False white indigo, (Baptisia leucantha) and Liatris scariosa grew here.
East Fairground Road Section 13 Northeast of Marion
North of Railroad Tracks
This is between the railroad and Fairground Road beginning at the route 23 overpass, east to Pole Lane Road. Formerly it was rich in species, but it was ditched about 15 years ago. Brush and roadside mowing also extirpated species so that only about twenty remain.
Claridon Prairie
Northeast of Marion, East of Route 98, Along Railroad on County Road 114-
Containing 12 acres on both sides of the track, the linear area south of the tracks is a mile long and is easily viewed by driving along it. It contains more than 80 species, and is noted throughout the state for its diversity and rare species for this part of the state. Some of the species are New Jersey tea (Ceonothus americenus), hoary pucoon (Lithospermum canscens), dense blazing star (Liatris spicata), and closed gentian, (Gentiana andrewsii). The rare Leiberg’s panic grass was recently identified here.
Breck’s Cemetery
North of Brush Ridge, State Route 231. Located on private Property.
This one-fourth acre tract has about 10 species, including big bluestem and Indian grass and New Jersey Tea. There is one plant of pinnatified prairie dock.
Daughmer Oak Savanna
Privately owned in Crawford County, it is 1.75 miles north of the Marion County line, on west side of Marion-Melmore Road.
This oak savanna containing 39 acres is the largest remaining prairie remnant in the Sandusky Plains. It has been moderately to heavily grazed over the years and is noted for the stand of little blue stem (Andropogon gerardi), and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), and the large number of stately old bur oak trees. One has a spread of 110 feet. This area is designated a significant natural area by the Soil Conservation Society of America.
State Route 4 North of Marion, Section 13
This remnant is on the former Marion-Bucyrus Interurban roadbed, 3/ 4ths of a mile south of the Crawford County line on the east side of the road.
At one time it was about 25 feet wide and 600-800 feet long and contained about 20 species but in recent years has been mowed to about 10 feet wide. It is notable for its prairie dock stand. Yellow star grass (Hypoxis hirsuta) formerly found here is evidently extirpated.
Northeast of Marion
Section 25 of Grand Prairie Township Railroad South of Marseilles-Galion Road.
About four acres on both sides of the railroad formerly contained about 25 species. It was bulldozed in 1990 and in 1996. It is slowly recovering but small tree seedlings may eventually destroy it. Pale spike lobelia Lobelia spicata) and butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) are found on the west side, and purple milkwort (Polygala sanguinea), prairie sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa), and early goldenrod (Solidago juncea) on the east.
Southeast of Bucyrus
Along railroad, and east of Bucyrus in Section 9
The species in these small remnants have not been identified.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Without the help of Willis Thomas there would have been only one copy of this map. The time he spent bringing it to publication no doubt equals the time I spent preparing the original. He spent countless hours after work, and on the weekends, patiently transferring thousands of pieces of my information to his computer program.
During this time he consulted with other staff of Floyd Browne Associates to overcome problems. I also gratefully acknowledge that the support of the management of FBA was vital to the project. By permitting the use of their sophisticated equipment, Willis was able to produce a marketable map for the public.
It was T rella Romine’s suggestion to include a pamphlet with the map to explain how it was created, and she patiently worked with me to produce it. We gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of Robert Columber and the Marion General Hospital management for the printing of this pamphlet. Our thanks goes to Randy Winland of Tri-rivers Career Center for the cooperation of the Tri-Rivers Printing Classes in printing the sales brochure.
There were many others who sparked my interest in prairies, and they should be mentioned because it was their inspiration that led me to study the prairies. These would include Jack McDowell who led a tour of the Claridon Prairie that I joined where I began to learn of the diversity of the plants growing on prairies. Another is Dr. Larry Yoder, botany professor, who had created a restoration prairie on the campus of Ohio State University Marion about 1977, using seeds from the Claridon Prairie. As I began growing prairie plants the University students who visited my gardens kept me interested, and I enjoyed getting to know their professors, Dr. Tabor Allison, Dr. Richard Bradley, and Dr. Robert Klips. The latter two kindly read this manuscript and offered suggestions.
I was further inspired by the monumental work of Roger Troutman who created species maps for all known prairie remnants of the Sandusky Plains. This was a follow-up of the prairie survey conducted by him and Dr. Allison Cusick for the Ohio Biological Survey, and published in Circular #10.
The many contacts made while attending Ohio Prairie Conferences were helpful. The bulletins published for these conferences I acquainted me with the work of Paul Sears and Raymond Dobbins who created a map of the vegetation of the Sandusky Plains using symbols. These maps gave a visual perspective of the vegetation, and encouraged me to create my own map using color.
I have enjoyed getting to know many others who are interested in prairies, and each of you has contributed to my knowledge including Robert Harter, Tom Bogard and Ed Postell. Working with the personnel of Ohio State University Marion has been a privilege, and I should mention retired Associate Dean Ted Myers, and prairie students Cedy Siler, Gail Martin, Carol Ziegler and many others not named.
My wife Opal accompanied me on many miles of my survey trips, assisting by spotting plants. She never complained as this project consumed more and more of my time, and provided a comfortable environment where I could work.
All of these contributions are truly appreciated.