By 1812Blockhouse
It begins west of Mansfield, then winds north through Shelby, then turns east across Richland County, fills one of the region’s most popular recreational lakes, and eventually joins another river near Loudonville. Along the way, it passes through a landscape shaped by glaciers, Native American settlements, early industry, and nearly a century of efforts to control the movement of water.
It is the Black Fork of the Mohican River, and although many residents cross it regularly, relatively few know its entire story. At 58.4 miles long, the Black Fork is one of north-central Ohio’s most interesting waterways. Here are some things you might not know about it.
An Unusual Beginning and an Interesting Name
The Black Fork originates in the Mansfield-Ontario area of western Richland County, remarkably close to the headwaters of rivers flowing toward entirely different destinations.
An early twentieth-century account published in the Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society Publications described an unusual geographical relationship near a crossroads once known as Five Corners, north of Ontario. According to that account, the headwaters of the Black Fork, Clear Fork, and Sandusky River were clustered within a remarkably small area.
Water entering the Sandusky River reaches Lake Erie and eventually the Atlantic Ocean through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. Water entering the Black Fork travels south, eventually reaching the Gulf of Mexico. Rain falling on opposite sides of a subtle divide near Mansfield can therefore begin journeys to very different parts of North America.
The river’s name also has an interesting explanation. That same historical account described the Clear Fork as bright and sparkling, while the Black Fork became darker and more sluggish as it flowed northward through the countryside. Although this is a historical observation rather than a scientific explanation of the river’s color, it offers a glimpse of how earlier residents understood and named their waterways.
A River That Shaped Communities
Long before Richland and Ashland counties existed, the Black Fork valley was inhabited and traveled by Native American peoples. One important settlement was Greentown, a Delaware community situated near the river west of present-day Perrysville. An 1874 history of Ashland County identified Thomas Armstrong, who had been captured as a child and raised among the Delawares, as a leader associated with the settlement.
The river later became important to European-American settlers. Before railroads and improved highways transformed travel, portions of the Mohican River system provided routes for transporting timber, agricultural products, and other goods.
Loudonville, founded in 1814 by James Loudon, developed around the Black Fork and its mills. Nineteenth-century accounts describe residents transporting cherry lumber, wheat, and whiskey by boat toward New Orleans.
One of the most significant changes in the river’s history came during the Great Depression. Following the devastating Ohio floods of 1913, efforts eventually led to the creation of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District and a system of dams intended to reduce future flood damage.
Charles Mill Dam was constructed in 1935 and 1936, creating Charles Mill Lake along the Black Fork east of Mansfield. The dam stands 48 feet high and stretches 1,390 feet across. At normal summer levels, the lake covers approximately 1,350 acres. Today, Charles Mill Lake is a popular destination for camping, boating, and fishing, although flood protection remains its primary purpose.
The Black Fork itself has a long history of flooding, particularly in Shelby. Serious floods occurred in 1959, 1987, 2007, 2011, and 2013. The especially destructive 2007 flood was described by Shelby officials as a 500-year flood, meaning an event with an estimated 0.2 percent chance of occurring in any given year.
From Richland County to the Gulf of Mexico
Although the Black Fork contributes to the Mohican River system, it is not itself included in Ohio’s designated Mohican State Scenic River segments. That designation, established in December 2006, covers approximately 32.3 miles of the Clear Fork and Mohican River.
Nevertheless, the Black Fork provides important habitat for fish, amphibians, turtles, birds, and other wildlife, while connecting developed communities, farmland, forests, and recreational areas.
Perhaps its most remarkable feature is where its water ultimately ends up. Near Loudonville, the Black Fork joins the Clear Fork to form the Mohican River. The Mohican then joins the Kokosing to form the Walhonding River, which meets the Tuscarawas at Coshocton to create the Muskingum. At Marietta, the Muskingum enters the Ohio River, which eventually joins the Mississippi River at Cairo, Illinois. The Mississippi carries the water south to the Gulf of Mexico. A raindrop entering the Black Fork near Shelby therefore becomes part of a vast drainage system connecting north-central Ohio to the Gulf Coast.
Today, the U.S. Geological Survey monitors the river at Shelby, providing information about water levels and streamflow. Current conditions can be viewed through the USGS Black Fork monitoring station.
For generations, the Black Fork has shaped the landscape and communities of Richland and Ashland counties. It supported early transportation and commerce, powered mills, brought destructive floods, and inspired major engineering projects.
For a waterway that begins so quietly, the Black Fork has traveled a remarkable distance, both geographically and historically.
Photo: Creative Commons License
