Near Valley View in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

South Park Village and the Whittlesley Tradition

South Park Village Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, September 24, 2019

1. South Park Village Marker

Inscription. Directly across the Cuyahoga River from this spot is the South Park Village. Here, archeologists uncovered the remains of a four-acre, Native American settlement populated by people of the Whittlesey Tradition. The people of South Park lived in communal structures and grew maize, beans, and squash in the floodplain fields that surround you. Food remains found in the village excavations reveal that they hunted deer, elk, black bear, and other game and gathered clams and fish from the Cuyahoga River. South Park was abandoned and reoccupied several times between A.D. 1000 and 1600. Numerous seasonal campsites have been found on the floodplains and terraces on both sides of the river. The first localized cultural development unique to this area, Whittlesey sites have been identified upriver from here in Summit County and in the Chagrin and Grand River valleys to the east. American Indians in Ohio, Ethnic Heritage (Ohio Bi-Centennial logo)

Erected 2004 by The Ohio Bicentennial Commission and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 80-18.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists:

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Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list.

Location. 41° 23.124′ N, 81° 37.212′ W. Marker is near Valley View, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County. It is at the intersection of Canal Road and Stone Road, on the right when traveling south on Canal Road. marker is in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park on the Ohio & Erie Canal Tow Path Trail, just north of Stone Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6579 Canal Road, Cleveland OH 44125, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Cleveland,

on the Lake Erie Shore,

and in the Western Reserve.

It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, September 24, 2019

2. South Park Village Marker

full view of marker, on tow path trail, on west side of canal

markers are within walking distance of this marker: Late Prehistoric Period (here, next to this marker); Valley View Veterans Honor Roll (approx. ¾ mile away); Ride the Rails (approx. ¾ mile away); Valley View Village Town Hall (approx. ¾ mile away); Route to the Coalfields (approx. ¾ mile away); Industrial Cleveland (approx. ¾ mile away); Growing the community (approx. 0.9 miles away); Lock 38 (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Valley View.

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, September 24, 2019

3. South Park Village Marker

marker as seen from what used to be Stone Road, now the Hemlock Creek Trail

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, September 24, 2019

4. South Park Village Marker

the Trail Sign, where the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail crosses the new Hemlock Crek Trail. Note the fancy ironwork on the posts.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 26, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 25, 2019, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,459 times since then and 157 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 25, 2019, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.