Cleveland's Lighthouses
Author | : Janice B. Patterson |
Publisher | : Arcadia Publishing |
Total Pages | : 132 |
Release | : 2009 |
ISBN-10 | : 0738560561 |
ISBN-13 | : 9780738560564 |
Rating | : 4/5 (61 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: Missionary-geographer John Heckewelder was prophetic in the 1790s when he mapped the place where the Cuyahoga River flows into Lake Erie. He wrote, "Cujahaga will hereafter be a place of great importance." In 1796, surveyors arrived to plot a new town and named it after their superintendent, Moses Cleaveland. Soon Cleveland (the a was omitted on early maps) was a magnet for inventors and entrepreneurs. By 1829-1830, a lighthouse was necessary to support lake traffic spurred by shipbuilding, shipping, and population growth. A succession of taller, brighter structures has guided mariners into the Cleveland harbor, creating a splendid history. Remarkable people have tended these sometimes-silent sentinels through decades of calm nights and dramatic storms, subtly contributing to the region's growth and prosperity.