NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



369 



*Lake Loraniie Park. (B2.) Formerly 

 Loramie Reservoir. A natural lake aug- 

 mented by retaining dyke; reservoir 

 completed in 1844. Acreage in water 

 at weir level is ISOO acres; area of islands 

 and bulk-head 100 acres. Average depth 

 6 ft. ; no pollution. Thirty-seven species 

 of fish recorded, all but two native. 

 Similar to Buckeye Lake, but no floating 

 island or cranberry bog. 950 ft. 



Minister (Western Ohio Electric) 3 mi. 

 south, Shelby County. 



Versailles, 7.5 mi. E.N.E., C. C. C. & 

 St. L.; Houston, 8 mi. north; one mi. 

 N.E. Loramie. 



Osgood (B. & 0.), 6 mi. east; one mi. 

 N.E. Loramie. — Lynds Jones, Division 

 of Fish mid Game, Dept. Agr. 



Maps: 



Loramie quadrangle. 



Map ''made under the direction of the 



Ohio Canal Commission"; Supt. 



Public Works. 



*Lake St. Mary's. (B2.) A state 

 park; a great artificial lake, about 16,000 

 acres, in Auglaize and Mercer counties, 

 on the watershed; 9 mi. long by 2-4 mi. 

 wide ; average depth 8 ft. Water acreage 

 14,248; margins and islands 1500 acres. 

 Reservoir commenced in 1837; completed 

 in 1844. Flooded land was about one- 

 half prairie and one-half forest, mostly 

 oak. Marshy shores, densely overgrown 

 with aquatic vegetation. Swamp about 

 15 mi. long. Most of the water fov»^Is 

 that pass over Ohio in their migrations 

 may be found here; eagles, hawks, etc.; 

 many fish, 37 species recorded, all but 

 two native. The Division of Fish and 

 Game maintains an inland hatchery 

 on the eastern side of the lake. 880 ft. 



St. Mary'si, Auglaize County, at east 

 end of lake. 



Celinat, Mercer County, at west end 

 of lake.— C/mrZes Dury, Division of Fish 

 and Game, Dept. Agr. 



References: 

 Howe, Henry. 1896. Historical Col- 

 lections of Ohio, II: 235 (picture 

 showing condition in 1846) ; 239-240. 



Dury, Charles. 1922. Jour. Clin. Soc. 

 Nat. Hist. 

 Maps: 



Celina, Spencerville, St. Henry quad- 

 rangles. 



Map "made under the direction of the 

 Ohio Canal Commission''; Dept. 

 Public Works. 



Cedar Swampf. (B3.) A strip of 

 swamp land several miles long and 

 averaging \ mi. wide, bordering Cedar 

 Creek. This little stream has quick- 

 sand bottom, fiows swiftly, and is cold 

 enough for trout and water cress to 

 thrive. White cedar (Arbor V'itae) 

 grows very thickly in the lowest por- 

 tions; outljang trees are several species 

 of ash, oak, and maple. Among the 

 herbaceous plants are marsh marigold 

 {Caltha paiiistris), ladies' slippers 

 {Cypripedium rcginae, C. parvijlorutn), 

 Queen-of-the-Prairie (Filipendula ru- 

 bra), wild Iris (/. versicolor), skunk 

 cabbage [Symplocarpus foetidus), 

 fringed gentian [Genliana criniia), par- 

 tridge berry (Mitchella repens), round- 

 lobed Hepatica (//. triloba). I'ormerly 

 a large colony of great_blue_herons,had 

 nests in the tallest trees; most of these 

 are now gone. Rattlesnakes are still 

 common. 960 ft.; level. 



Urbanai, 4 mi. south on Electric to 

 "Woodburns"; one mi. west {w, a); 

 Campaign County. — Florence Murdoch. 



Map: St. Paris quadrangle. 



*Bryan Forest Park. (B4 and D5.) 

 500 acres; includes part of the Niagara 

 limestone gorge of the Little Miami 

 River, and one of the most scenic areas 

 of southwestern Ohio. About 200 acres 

 is open field or pasture. Woodland is 

 partly virgin, and is composed of a 

 variety of species, principally chin- 

 quapin, white, red and black oaks, 

 white, red and rock elm, honey locust, 

 red cedar, tulip poplar, sycamore, black 

 walnut, butternut, sugar and red maple, 

 and Ailanthus. The area has been 

 grazed, but not severely, and little 

 damage has resulted. The cottontail 

 rabbit, woodchuck, chipmunk, red, gray 

 and fox sciuirrels, skunk and red fox mav 

 be found on the tract. 850 to 1000 ft.: 

 rolling except for gorge. 



Yellow Springst, two mi. east .i , 

 XeniaJ, 10 mi. N.W. (a) or traction; 

 Springfieldt, 10 mi. south la) or traction; 

 good gravel roads. Greene County. — 

 Edmund Secresl. 



Map: Springfield quadrangle. 



