The Doodlebug was a gasoline powered rail trolley that once
shuttled commuters between Hudson, OH and Cuyahoga Falls, OH.
On July 31, 1940, the Doodlebug was hit head-on by a 73-car
freight train. Of the 46 Doodlebug passengers, only 3 survived the
fiery explosion. Of those that perished were well-known local
names, such as Clifford, Vaughn and Schreiber. It has been listed
among some of the world's most notable railroad disasters, but
amazingly, the spot itself has never been marked.
This past January, a 7th grade teacher at Sill Middle School
gave her pupils the assignment to come up with an idea for a
memorial and a plan to make it happen. (Sill Middle School has
since been closed due to the financial woes in Cuyahoga Falls.)
Three 13-year olds in her class chose a local theme - the
Doodlebug crash - as their project. This little group of youngsters
recognized the need and took their plans out of the classroom and
directly to the mayor of Cuyahoga Falls! The mayor immediately
devoted a piece of city-owned land for the memorial and adjacent
parking. These students raised more than $11,000 to pay for the
monument and the landscaping around it. The memorial site also
contains an actual piece of the rail. The spot was dedicated just
this past July 31, 2005. These three students will be responsible
for maintaining the gardens for the foreseeable future.
While this cache is an easy one, we have placed it AWAY from the
actual monument. Please respect the memorial site and landscaping
and all of the hard work these wonderful kids have done.
This can be a quick cache and dash, but we hope you instead take
a few moments to reflect and remember and to also enjoy the
beautiful view of the Cuyahoga River from one of the two benches
provided just behind the monument.