Fall Foliage 2024 – Mohican State Forest

It was a glorious Fall day on Sunday, so I headed down to Mohican State Park and Forest. It had been several years since I made it down there to check out the foliage, so I was looking forward to some great colors.

Unfortunately, hundreds, if not thousands, of other Ohioans had the same idea. 

Consequently, most parking areas adjacent to a scenic vista were choked with cars. There were no parking spaces anywhere. Even the Amish (who apparently all decided to picnic at Mohican today) were stashing their buggies and horses wherever they could. To make matters even worse, a wedding party decided to appropriate just about the entire Gorge lookout area for their festivities, with music blaring away. (I should have crashed the party and swiped some goodies as payment for having to park 1/4 mile away.)

Anyway, it still was the perfect autumn day and I managed to get photos of some of the park's landmarks. I even attempted a few Then & Nows.

One of my first stops was at the Memorial Forest Shrine. It originally honored the men and women of Ohio who lost their lives during World War II, before later expanding its scope to include Ohioans who died in all wars.

Admiral Ernest J. King was at the 1947 dedication ceremony. He wasn't identified in the photo on display, but I knew who he was.

I also made it over to the Fire Tower. I only went up about a third of the way before feeling like James Stewart in Vertigo.

I stopped at the Lodge, where I have stayed many times. It's barely recognizable from when it was new. By the way, it's celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. (Here's its website.)

I found the best color along Ohio State Route 97.

I've devoted several blog posts to Mohican over the years, and covered some of its landmarks (like the Memorial Shrine) before.

Mohican State Park Postcards

Mohican State Park is one of my favorite places in Ohio, especially in the fall. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to make it down there yet to see how the autumn colors are playing out. They may have already peaked.

At least we can always pay an armchair visit and enjoy the sights by looking at some vintage postcards. There are a lot of them on eBay, and they often feature autumn scenes.

This one is identified on the back as “The Hills in Autumn – Mohican Forest, Ohio”

Here’s a pretty old one of the view from the well-known Gorge Lookout.

Here’s one of the park’s “25 completely furnished modern cabins."

This postcard of the Mohican State Park Commissary notes that it is located in the Class A camping area on Rt. 3 near Rt. 97.

A trip over the Covered Bridge over Clear Fork Creek is a highlight of any park visit. The bridge was completed in 1969.

The Memorial Shrine has been the topic on this blog a few times, including two “Then and Now” photo treatments.

Lastly, a weekend at the Mohican State Park Lodge just can’t be beat. The surroundings are beautiful, the accommodations are great and the food is good, too. There always seems to be nature programs to entertain the guests and a cozy fireplace in the lobby makes it the perfect place to hang out after a day of hiking at the park. I’ve spent many weekends there over the years.

Ohio Memorial Forest Dedicated – April 1947

Seventy-two years ago this month, Lorain’s own Admiral Ernest J. King helped dedicate the Ohio memorial forest and shrine near Loudonville honoring the memory of Ohio’s war dead.

The memorial forest is adjacent to Mohican State Park. Today, the shrine also honors all Ohioans who lost their lives in conflicts since World War II.

(The Memorial Shrine has been the subject of two then-and-now posts on this blog – one for the building, and one featuring its sign.)

The 1947 dedication ceremony was previewed on the front page of the Lorain Journal on Saturday, April 26, 1947.

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KING TO SPEAK
AT DEDICATION
Lorain’s Admiral Talks at
Loudonville Sunday

Many Lorainites are expected to attend the dedication ceremonies for the Ohio Memorial forest tomorrow at which Lorain’s Admiral Ernest J. King is to be guest speaker.

Sponsored by the Ohio Federation of Women’s clubs, with which the Lorain Federation of Women’s societies is affiliated, the forest will be a living tribute to all Ohio men and women who died in the war.

The forest is located on state route 97, three miles south of Loudonville.

The dedication is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p. m. Other speakers include Major Gen. Curtiss Lemay, a native Ohioan, and Gov. Thomas J. Herbert.

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And here’s the Journal’s coverage of the dedication, which appeared in the paper on Monday, April 28, 1947.

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Simple Rites Mark
Dedication of Forest
16,800 Ohioans Who Gave Lives in World War II
Honored at Loudonville Ceremonies

By WILLIAM ASHBOLT

LOUDONVILLE – It was a quiet, simple ceremony – just as they would have wanted it.

The 16,800 Ohio war dead being honored here yesterday by the dedication of a state forest and shrine would have been proud of the simplicity of the affair and the living, enduring memorial dedicated to their memory.

A few representatives of what the men would have called army and navy “brass,” among them Lorain’s Admiral Ernest J. King, were there to dedicate to their memories the Ohio memorial forest and shrine. A crowd of more than 1,000 stood shivering during the outdoor ceremonies, amidst a constant downpour.

Cold, rainy day
It was raining and the day was cold, but “Perhaps it’s just as well,” in the words of Mrs. L. L. Kinsey of Akron, planner of the memorial, “that today we feel the rain and cold and walk in mud reminding us of the hardships our men endured.”

During ceremonies dedicating the 3,500-acre memorial forest near here, donated to the state by the Ohio Federation of Women’s clubs, Major Gen. Curtis LeMay of Lakewood, army air forces deputy chief of air, asserted those honoring the men who died in World War II should ask: “Will their sons have to die, too?”

The former director of the B-29 bombing raids on Japan asserted the reply to the question “depends on us. If we follow the course we followed after World War I, the course we are beginning to follow again today, if we disarm and dissipate our military strength, the answer is ‘yes.’”

Accepting the forest as a state shrine, Gov. Thomas J. Herbert said the memorial “must also be a constant reminder that we shall not be discharged from our obligation to them until the objectives for which they fought and died have been achieved.”

Admiral King concluded the ceremony with the prayer, “May God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, grant that these dead shall not have died in vain.”

Mrs. Kinsey, chairman of the state conservation department of the federation, said the shrine was an “all-Ohio product, built with the hearts and hands of the men who worked on it.”

O. A. Alderman, state forester, predicted that a million trees would be planted on the idle land of the forest and added that 70,000 already had been planted this spring.

The shrine is located at the Mohican state forest entrance on Route 97 near here and houses a great book containing the names of all Ohio men and women who made the supreme sacrifice during World War II, including 219 Lorainites.

Two hundred acres of the tract will be preserved as a nature sanctuary where the normal growth of trees, plants, animals and birds will be unmolested. The balance of the memorial forest will be devoted to timber production and for research in soils, water and wildlife and for demonstration in good forestry practice under supervision of the Ohio division of forestry.

Memorial Forest Shrine at Mohican – Then and Now

Vintage postcard

This past weekend the spouse and I spent the weekend down at Mohican State Park Lodge, one of my favorite places not only in Ohio but just about anywhere. Just like last time (here), I paid a visit to the beautiful Mohican Forest Shrine, which is dedicated to the memory of 20,000 Ohioans killed in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War.

It was formally dedicated on April 27, 1947.

Here's my shot of the Shrine from this past weekend. What a difference 66 years makes!

Memorial Shrine in Mohican State Forest, Then & Now

I mentioned we were down at Mohican State Forest over the weekend, and as usual I managed to work in a 'Then and Now" photo during my travels.

Above is a vintage postcard of the Memorial Forest Shrine, first dedicated on April 27, 1947. Both the forest and the stone chapel, sponsored by Ohio Federation of Women's Clubs, originally honored the men and women of Ohio who lost their lives during World War II. Later, the scope was expanded to include Ohioans who died in all wars since then, and inside the chapel is a list of all of their names.

Here's my 'now' shot.

It's a different sign, and may be in a slightly different location, but at least you can see how much the forest has changed in the last 64 years.

Incidentally, we went inside, where in addition to the roster of names, there was a display of memorabilia that included a few photos from the chapel's dedication. I was surprised to recognize none other than Admiral Ernest J. King in one of the photos! (I reproduced one of the photos below.)

He attended the the 1947 dedication ceremony along with Ohio Governor Thomas J. Herbert and other dignitaries. 

Admiral Ernest J. King is at far left; Governor Thomas J. Herbert is at the podium

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