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August 8, 2005
OHIO’S NATURAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY COME ALIVE
AT BLACKHAND GORGE STATE NATURE PRESERVE
Canoe float and gorge hike on August 13 is next in Natural Areas Discovery Series
 COLUMBUS, OH - Visitors can walk in the steps of Native Americans, view the handiwork of pioneer Ohioans and revel at some of the state’s most striking geology at Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve in Licking County.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is hosting a canoe float and hike through the gorge from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 13. The event is part of the Natural Areas Discovery Series, sponsored by the ODNR Division of Natural Areas & Preserves.
The central feature of the 957-acre preserve is a narrow east-west gorge cut by the Licking River through Black Hand sandstone. At its deepest point, the gorge walls are 320 feet high. Historically, the area provided an important transportation route for Native Americans, as well as a source of flint for arrowheads, axe heads and other tools. The gorge derived its name from an early petroglyph, featuring a black hand, etched on a sandstone wall. Legend has it, that the petroglyph directed visiting Native Americans to the source of flint.
By 1929, the gorge had already witnessed the passing of the Ohio-Erie Canal, the steam-powered Central Ohio Railroad and the electric interurban trolley car. The petroglyph was destroyed along the way - a casualty of the canal’s construction. But the name Blackhand Gorge lingered on, as did the majesty of the preserve’s towering cliffs.
The 10 a.m. canoe float on August 13 will offer views of those cliffs from the Licking River, as well as an opportunity for visitors to leave their canoes and take a short hike into the preserve to see the Ohio-Erie Canal’s Lock 15. Canoes are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Participants will meet in the main parking lot at 9:30 a.m. Personal flotation devices will be available, but participants weighing less than 90 pounds must bring their own.
For additional information, contact Greg Seymour at Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve, 740-763-4411.
The next Natural Areas Discovery Series event is scheduled for Caesar Creek Gorge State Nature Preserve on August 20. For more information on the Natural Areas Discovery Series, visit the ODNR web site at ohiodnr.com
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