Pearson
4600 Starr Avenue (entrance at Lallendorf Road and SR 2), Oregon
Pearson is one of the last remaining stands of the Great Black Swamp, a notorious forest so dense that development of northwest Ohio lagged 100 years behind the rest of the state. Soldiers in the War of 1812 sent home letters describing the swamp as a miserable stretch of water, mud and mosquitoes. Today, the Metropark is a much friendlier place, where purple cress, spring beauties, trillium, wild ginger and wild geranium bloom in spring. The thick woods and proximity to Lake Erie make Pearson a favorite stopover for a wide variety of migrating birds.
Buildings, shelters, bridges, ponds and a garden with a waterfall all were built by workers enrolled in Depression-era work programs, such as the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps.
Pedalboat rentals are available at Pearson Metropark, Oregon, noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from Memorial weekend through September. Fee: $5/half hour for four-passenger boats.
Video clip
Pearson
From the WGTE documentary " Toledo Stories: Metroparks of the Toledo Area"
(Highspeed connection recommended)
