Fort to Port Histories - Episode 2: The Great Black Swamp

Episode 2 is here, folks! Today we will be broadly discussing the swamp that covered much of Northwest Ohio until it was ultimately drained in the 1880's. Where exactly was the swamp located? What could be found there? How was the swamp drained? We hope to answer these questions in this episode of Fort to Port Histories!
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Mosquito Footage courtesy of Videvo.com

[@johnengland8619]

Thanks for the content

[@kraigbowers8394]

I’m actually moving from Texas in December. I appreciate your KZbin channel. I’m trying to learn as much about the are as possible. And especially the history

[@elizabethrose8510]

Very beautiful.

[@bmcgar]

I wrote my first Master's thesis on how people perceived the swamp through its history. The thesis led to a two part Northwest Ohio Quarterly journal series in 1988 that can be found on Google Books, if you're interested. Much of it was used verbatim into WBGU's "The Story of the Great Black Swamp" documentary (with no attribution or acknowledgement whatsoever, I might add).

[@andyman2462]

I love this! Glad someone local is doing a documentary about our lands! Oregon Ohio representing .

[@mathewswora5023]

All good except the part about the fish: there were no carp originally in The Great Black Swamp. They are an imported and invasive species of fish, brought here from Europe. Dominant fish originally would have been shad, varieties of suckers, with walleye, sturgeon and white bass migrating in for spawning.

[@FortToPortHistories]

You are correct! Carp were a later 1900s fish that made it into the Great Lakes. Thanks for posting and thank you for your comment!

[@Ghastly_Grinner]

It had to be amazing to watch the swamp be drained

[@blackswampsurvival3963]

The swamp also ran into SE Michigan. Good video

[@stephenwilliams5201]

Trees were halved to make highway. Called the corduroy way.

[@C.M.R.Artifacts-qu1ey]

I've always heard and read about the Great Black swamp. History books talk about it in their writings. Super interesting. Thank you!

[@brandonaldrich496]

Archbold ohio is in the heart of the great black swamp

[@brandonaldrich496]

There is record of Archbold being he'll on earth with maleria

[@jamessullivan1348]

Very informative. They need to bring some of the wetlands back to filter out and absorb the pollution.

[@mikeroessm5325]

Excellent video, but with your great speaking voice and subject matter, you could edit the background music when talking.

[@FrontierTradingCompany]

Great video, as I am also from this area, but I can't help noticing that the script is being read directly from Wikipedia.

[@rosewhite---]

should plant fragmitum to use up all thr nutrients and make ferile land. takes 3 years.

[@horatiobeaker]

Why did you stop posting? These are great. Especially for new residents like myself.

[@mealsonwheels4970]

2:54 that's not where Auglaize County is. Auglaize is south of Allen co. ( Lima ). also fun fact. Lima got its name from Lima, Peru as a nod to the anti-Malaria drug that originated from Peru due to them nasty mosquitoes

[@williamrichards7653]

I have relatives from this part of the country. They came from Canton to Williams County in the 1840's I often wonder if the had to travel through the Black Swamp to settle in Williams County or found a way around?

[@bobsmoot2392]

Great video! Very informative. BTW Carp fish are not native to Ohio. They were stocked as a food source in 1879. They now damage the ecosystem.

[@coryszeman8572]

I wonder where the flooded years would expand out to vs. the dry years on the map? Then how many years was it swamp? Every since glacier receded? Was there land bridges that wasn't under water? Was there lesser known large swamps in the area not connected with the legendary great black swamp?

[@TotemoGaijin]

Ditches are named and marked on most maps, so you would be able to at least get some idea of where drainage was necessary.

[@TommyCheese-cd2fd]

Ohio gang

[@trainertealvgc2267]

Yes, Raccoons! My brethren!

[@trainertealvgc2267]

I give support and you delete my comments Moyer!

[@FortToPortHistories]

Hello Rabid Racoon! Austin here! I do most of the filming, editing and music for the channel. Taylor runs our Facebook page! I apologize for accidentally deleting your comment - it was not my intention. I'm pretty new to uploading videos on KZbin, and when I first posted the video it did not upload at the quality I had rendered it, so I took it down. It was only after I deleted the video I discovered that KZbin takes time to upload videos in 4K, and uploads them in lower qualities first, so there was actually no need to take it down :( Sorry for the ignorance on my part. We are definitely learning as we go haha. Thanks for watching!