Welcome to the Crawford Park District Geo-Park Tour! This geotrail will take you to various parks within the Crawford Park District in Crawford County, Ohio. At each cache you will find a code. These codes can be recorded and your completed worksheet can then be returned to the Crawford Park District Nature Center at Lowe Volk Park to claim a collectable geocaching item! Follow this link for more information on the CPDGPT and to download your worksheet!
Lowe Volk Park
The 38 acres that comprise current day Lowe-Volk Park have had a variety of cultures living there over time. The first people living in the area would have been during the Archaic time period (12,000 to 3,000 years ago). The Woodland time period (3000 to 1000 years ago) saw the development of village life, corn agriculture, and bow and arrow technology. Historic Native tribes that lived in the area included the Wyandots and the Delawares. Delaware Indian Chief Wingenund had a camp ½ mile to the northeast of the current park in the late 1700's. The Wyandot Tribe relinquished their claim to the area in 1817. The most famous historical event to take place in the area was the capture of Colonel William Crawford by Delaware Indians of Chief Wingenund's camp in June of 1782. Crawford had led a force of Pennsylvanian and Kentuckian volunteers to the area under orders from General Irvine to "destroy with fire and sword the Indian town and settlement at Sandusky, by which it was hoped to give ease and safety to the inhabitants of this country." After fighting the "Battle of Sandusky", the army retreated. The "Battle of Olentangy" was fought during the retreat. During the retreat Colonel Crawford had become separated from the main body of soldiers. He was captured by Delaware Indians on June 7, 1782 near Leesville. Some historians place the capture site within the boundaries of present day Lowe-Volk Park, while others place the site just to the east or north of the park. Crawford was then taken to a site near the Delaware Indian village of Tymochtee in what is now Wyandot County and burned at the stake.
The first Euro-American settlers arrived in the area in 1817. Early settlers in the area included Westell Ridgely, J.S. Griswell, and Jacob Snyder. Snyder and his brother Christian built, owned, and operated the first blacksmith and sawmill operations in the county. Jacob Snyder sold 160 acres of land which included the current area of Lowe-Volk Park to Reverend Robert Lee, Sr. in 1828. Lee organized the town of Leesburg, later changed to Leesville, in 1829. The Heckert and Rapp Stone Quarry quarried waverly sandstone in the park area from 1873 to 1908. The main quarry was located just east of the park and was flooded in 1908. The quarry lake became a popular local swimming hole in the 1900's. Lloyd Volk's father, Earl John Volk, acquired the current park area in 1925. Earl Volk was a butcher who used the area as pasture.
Lloyd Volk began planting trees on the property in the 1940's. Lloyd planted thousands of trees over the years, including a variety of deciduous trees and red and white pines. The 2/3 acre pond was constructed as a borrow pit during construction of the current St. Rt. 598 bridge over the Sandusky River. Many thanks to Lloyd Volk for his excellent stewardship of this land over the years, as well his generosity in donating the area to the Park District for the creation of Lowe-Volk Park. Lloyd was recognized formally for his generous contribution by the Park District Commissioners at the annual meeting and banquet of the Park District on December 5, 1997.