Lake View

Ohio History

Sun on Caesar Creek

It was almost mesmerizing to watch the cloud reflections sail across the sky blue water. The wind picked up and rippled across the reflections, blending the distant trees into the sky. My only wish was for a boat to sail across Caesar Creek Lake to the far shore. A sunny sky makes such a difference in the appearance of a lake. I have seen lakes too many times under gray, rainy skies, and a bit of sunshine and blue sky simply transforms a lakeside view.

Caesar Creek Geese

Ohio History

Lunch by the Lake

Caesar Creek State Park was a beautiful place to spend the afternoon. Besides boating and fishing, the park offers trails for hiking, biking, and fishing. There is also a nature center near by. But our main interest was the picnic facilities, where we enjoyed a good lunch - with a few bees for company. We also enjoyed watching the geese while we ate.

Lakeside Geese

There was an interesting stretch of muddy bare ground along the waterline, between the grass and the lake. The dirt area extended almost up to the picnic pavilions. Our best explanation was that the lake had flooded all the way up there in the spring. I believe it is created by a dam, and would thus be used as an overflow basin when there was too much rainfall. Otherwise, the park was having some major grass-growing issues. The geese did enjoy rooting around in the mud for bugs and worms, as well as slurping around in the lingering puddles there.

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.