West Branch State Park is a public recreation area located east of

Ravenna, Ohio Ravenna is a city in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Akron. It was formed from portions of Ravenna Township in the Connecticut Western Reserve. The population was 11,323 in the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Por ...

, on the west branch of the

Mahoning River The Mahoning River is a river located in northeastern Ohio and a small portion of western Pennsylvania. Flowing primarily through several Ohio counties, it crosses the state line into Pennsylvania before joining with the Shenango River to form the ...

. The park encompasses more than of land and of water mainly in Charlestown, Edinburg, and

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

townships, with additional land in neighboring

Palmyra Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early secon ...

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the c ...

, and Rootstown townships. Activities include boating, fishing, and swimming on the Michael J. Kirwan Reservoir, hiking, and camping.

History

In early days, Native Americans and some early settlers used the

as a source for salt. Captain John Campbell who led militia in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

opened the oldest brick land office building around 1810. Before the reservoir was made, the building was moved out of the area. Kirwan Reservoir from boat launch at West Branch State Park

Kirwan Reservoir from boat launch at West Branch State Park

The

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

constructed the Michael J. Kirwan Reservoir in 1965. The reservoir was developed for recreation, water supply, flood control, and fish and wildlife management. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers then leased the land to the state of Ohio to be used as a state park. West Branch State Park was officially opened in 1966.

Recreation

The park offers swimming, fishing, camping, boating, of hiking trails, of bridle trails, and of mountain biking trails, winter recreation, and seasonal hunting for deer, small game, and waterfowl.

References

External links

West Branch State Park
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
West Branch State Park Map
Ohio Department of Natural Resources {{authority control State parks of Ohio Protected areas of Portage County, Ohio Protected areas established in 1966 1966 establishments in Ohio