Caesar Creek Lake

Ohio History

A Lake with History

A stop by a sunny lake ended our adventure in southwestern Ohio for the day. Caesar Creek Lake lies within the 4,700-acre Caesar Creek State Park near Wilmington, Ohio. The lake is fed by Caesar Creek, which was named for a African American slave who was captured by the Shawnee on a raid along the Ohio River. The Shawnee adopted him and gave him the Caesar Creek valley as his hunting ground; Caesar was said to have gone on many raids with Chief Blue Jacket. Apparently, even a lake can have Indian history; Fort Ancient was not unique in that respect. An ancient Indian trail runs along the Caesar Creek valley; interestingly enough, it was used by many runaway slaves as part of the Underground Railroad.