Van Buren State Park is a public recreation area surrounding 45-acre (18 ha) Van Buren Lake in Hancock County, Findlay, Ohio, in the United States. The state park covers 296 acres (120 ha) abutting the southern boundary of the village of Van Buren and offers fishing, boating, camping, hiking, and other recreational activities.
Van Buren State Park lies in the rich agricultural plains of northwest Ohio. The plains, referred to as till plains, receive their name from the glacial debris, or till, which covers preglacial hills and valleys. The till plains are the result of the deposition and smoothing action of the glaciers. Most hills in these areas are mounds of boulders and soil left by the retreating Wisconsinan glacier. Beneath the almost continuous cover of glacial deposits lies sedimentary bedrock, which, in this region, is mostly limestone with a little shale. Much of this limestone is the magnesium-bearing form called dolomite.
The original vegetation of the area, before settlement, was mostly woodland. Today, much vegetation consists of corn, soybeans, and wheat crops. Locally, a small but valuable remnant of the original woodland remains. Beech and sugar maple occupy a large portion of the wooded area in Van Buren State Park. Mammals in the area include red foxes, red squirrels, white-tailed deer, raccoon, skunk, and opossum. Other animals are the eastern garter snake, spring peeper, eastern bluebird, eastern meadowlark, cowbird, woodcock, and short-eared owl. Wildflowers abound in the fields and woodlands of the area. Dutchman’s breeches, spring beauty, thimbleweed, daisy fleabane, and chicory are commonly found around the park. EZ Findlay Pest Control
History
The Shawnee Indians originally inhabited the Van Buren State Park region. Banished from their homeland in south-central Ohio, this was the last stronghold of the tribe before they eventually departed for lands west of the Mississippi River. Indian artifacts and relics can still be found on what used to be Indian Island, located in the northwest section of the lake.
Van Buren is located just north of Findlay’s town, founded in 1821. The town’s development was quite slow until the discovery of natural gas in the 1880s. A German physician named Charles Osterlen was convinced that an enormous reservoir of natural gas lay beneath the town of Findlay. He told of his belief and was scoffed at and regarded as a vain dreamer. But his patience and perseverance prevailed as he succeeded in organizing a stock company to drill for gas. The well was successful and spawned the growth of a great industry in Findlay, OH. At one time, Findlay claimed the largest gas well in the world, with an output of 20 million cubic feet daily.
Amenities
The park features boating for hand- and electric-powered watercraft, trails for hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders, and primitive, full-service, and equestrian camping. Fish species in the lake include largemouth bass, carp, bluegill, channel catfish, bullhead, and crappie. Hunting is limited to bowhunting.
Check out other attractions like Children’s Museum of Findlay