Akron in Summit County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Signal Tree

Photographed by Craig Doda, January 19, 2020

1. The Signal Tree Marker

Inscription. Trees with unusual shapes were often, used by Indians as landmarks to identify important trails. This 300 year old Bur Oak (Guercus Macrocarpa) marked the northernmost point of the Portage Trail, which connected the Cuyahoga (whose course was once much” closer to the tree) and Tuscarawas Rivers. The Erie, Seneca, Shawnee, Ottawa, Delaware and Mingo tribes traveled to the Ohio River by this route. They removed their canoes from the Cuyahoga River here and carried them overland for eight miles--south to Summit Lake. Later, white settlers used the same signal tree to find their way between the rivers.

Erected 1986.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Roads & Vehicles • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Historic Trees series list.

Location. 41° 7.217′ N, 81° 31.067′ W. Marker is in Akron, Ohio, in Summit County. It is on Chuckery Trail 0.1 miles west of Peck Road, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal

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address: 1062 Chuckery Trail, Akron OH 44310, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Cleveland

and in the Western Reserve.

It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and 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 markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Chestnut Hill Veterans Memorial Garden (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Power of Water (approx. 1.1 miles away); Where The Fun Is (approx. 1.2 miles away); More than a Metro Park (approx. 1.3 miles away); Treaty of Fort McIntosh Boundary Line (approx. 1.6 miles away); The Gate Lodge, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens (approx. 1.6 miles away); 09.11.2001 (approx. 1.8 miles away); Portage Path North Terminus (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Akron.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Stan Hywet Hall (was approx. 1.6 miles away

The Signal Tree image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Doda, January 19, 2020

2. The Signal Tree

but has been confirmed missing).

Photographed by Craig Doda, January 19, 2020

3. The Signal Tree Marker

Photographed by Craig Doda, January 19, 2020

4. The Signal Tree Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on January 24, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 29, 2020, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,472 times since then and 90 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 29, 2020, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. 3, 4. submitted on January 7, 2023, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.