Wildlife

For much of the nineteenth century, Ohio was racing toward the future. Forests that had covered nearly the entire state for thousands of years were cleared to make way for farms, towns, railroads, and industry. It was an era of incredible progress—one that transformed Ohio into an economic powerhouse. But progress came at a cost….

Long before canoe liveries lined the river, mountain bikes carved through forest trails, and cabins dotted the hillsides, the forests of Mohican belonged to wildlife that shaped Ohio’s wilderness — including the American black bear. Black bears once roamed across all of Ohio. Native peoples and early settlers regularly encountered them. But by the mid-1800s,…