The Great Lakes Plains is one of four major land regions in Ohio. Located on the shores of Lake Erie, it is home to Ohio’s largest ports in Cleveland and Toledo which draw international shipping and trading. Conversely, the flat land created by glaciers in the Ice Age provides for outstanding agriculture.
Class Discussion Questions:
1) Create a Venn diagram comparing the Great Lake Plains to the regions of Ohio you live in. If you live in the Great Lake Plains, compare it to the region of your choice.
Read the Script:
[Mary] If you look outside your window, the Ohio you see won't be the same Ohio as the one on the other side of the state. In fact, Ohio has four major land regions, and they're all so different.
Let's start at the top by looking at the Great Lake Plains. The Great Lake Plains are just where you might imagine: along the shore of Lake Erie. The area broadens out from just a skinny strip in the east to more than 50 miles deep in the west.
Naturally because of its prime location on the water, the region is home to our biggest ports, including Cleveland and Toledo, where international shipping and trading takes place. And because of this, many of the cities along the coast developed into big industrial and manufacturing hubs.
Also adding to the economy here is farming. The Great Lakes Plains is the flattest area of Ohio, and was formed by the Ice Age glacier that used to cover Ohio. As the glacier melted and retreated towards Lake Erie, it left behind rich flat soil around the Maumee River.
Unfortunately, the fertile soil in Ohio's northwest corner was not easy for early settlers to use since the region has poor drainage. In fact, it was so wet, that the spot was referred to as the Great Black Swamp. Sounds scary, but it was home to plenty of diverse animals and plants.
The knee-deep mud, thick forest, and mosquitoes kept both Native Americans and early settlers from living there. Here's how difficult the terrain was. During the War of 1812, a company of American soldiers made their way through the swamp.
Private Alfred Lorraine gave this account. "We plunged and floundered through the brush and brier, deep creeks and rising waters, mingled with drift and ragged fragments of ice. While fording such places, our feet would get so benumbed that we seemed to be walking on bundles of rags."
From Lorraine's account, you would think the swamp would be a hopeless place. However, when it was discovered that water could be drained from the area leaving great growing land, the swamp met its end. In 1859, the Ohio General Assembly passed a law supporting ditches to be built to empty the swamp.
Settlers cleared the area of oak and elm trees, which were sold for cheap lumber, and then funneled the water away from the land with ditches and underground irrigation. This was made easier with the help of Bowling Green resident, James B. Hill, who invented his Buckeye Traction Ditcher, to speed up the process.
And so, by the 1920s, the swamp and it's unique ecosystem was gone. The fertile soil left behind is now a booming agricultural region. Crops here include soybeans, corn, apples, and grapes. It's likely that you've enjoyed the fruits of the settler's labors, literally.