Summit Lake

Ohio and Erie Canal had a towpath on Summit Lake on a boardwalk where the mules pulled. The first canal boat left in 1827. The railroads took much of the canal business in the 1860s. After that canal system was used as a water source for business and industries. Summit Lake (Firestone) Pump House began in 1911 pumping water for the rubber companies, and waste water was fed into the lake. Some decades ago the pump house became idled. In the summer of 2021, the pump house became a nature center. Akron gave the building to Summit Metroparks, and they made it into a nature center, and are continuing to add and, this is important—upkeep and maintain the park.

Also the lake was a site for parks beginning in the 1880s. Summit Beach Amusement Park was in operation from 1917 to 1958. It had the world's largest tile pool (75'x180'); the health department forbid swimming in the polluted lake. The Wisteria Ballroom claimed to be the world’s largest dance floor. A Ferris wheel, a roller rink, a carousel, and other amenities were there too. Rapid decline in quality came in the 1950s.

coots a.k.a. mudhens

The lake above the buried sediment is clean to have much waterfowl now. My camera was too weak to get clear pictures from a certain distance. Coots (mudhens) were very numerous. When one was close enough to shore, its one note call could be heard. It sounds like a mechanical pulse. Canadian geese were plentiful, a few ring billed gulls, and some individuals of several duck species. Besides the ones shown below, there were mallards of course, but also redheads, canvasbacks, shovelers, ruddy, and bufflehead ducks.

male old squaw (now called long-tailed duck) in winter plumage, a sea duck

same bird with a lesser scaup

male hooded merganser

Parking is an ability some people are not good at.

Between the lake and highway construction some tree removal was done. Some lovely grain, slices would be good for table tops.