Lake Logan in Hocking Hills State Park

One of the best fishing lakes in Ohio awaits sportsmen in Hocking County at Lake Logan State Park. The lake sports northern pike, bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish and shuteye. Lake Logan Isa day-use park that provides scenic picnic areas and secluded walking paths to enjoy the wooded beauty of Ohio's hill country.

Nature of the Area

Much time has passed since the region surrounding Lake Logan was first uplifted from the ancient sea that once covered most of Ohio. This unglaciated plateau in the southeastern part of testate is Ohio's oldest landscape as the glaciers never invaded the region. Lake Logan State Park lies in the Hocking Valley, formed by the Hocking River. The Hocking was a major outlet for glacial melt waters. These waters deposited large amounts of outwash material, primarily sand and gravel, which strongly affected the type of biological communities present today.

The forest surrounding Lake Logan is for the most part an oak-hickory association. White and black oak, tulip tree, shagbark and pignut hickory are the most dominant species. The forest floor is dotted with a variety of wildflowers such as fire pink, wintergreen, bluets and spring beauties. Ground cover plants include greenbriar, blueberry and numerous ferns and fungi.

Lake Logan is home to the raccoon, opossum, skunk, red-backed salamander, gray squirrel, box turtle, white-tailed deer and wild turkey. Many birds frequent the area such as the turkey vulture, red-tailed hawk, barn owl, pileated woodpecker, Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, wood thrush and scarlet tanager. Various species of waterfowl can be viewed during migration.

History of the Area

Lake Logan is located in Hocking County in southeastern Ohio. This territory once belonged to the Wyandot Indians, who had a large village known as Old town on the Hocking River, one mile above the city of Logan. Logan was established by Thomas Worthington in 1816 and named for the Mingo Chief, James John Logan, who was well known at first for his friendship with the whites and later for his bitter animosity toward them following the murder of his entire family by a frontier trapper named Greathouse.

The Hocking River provided sufficient water power for the purpose of operating grist and sawmills particularly at the falls above Logan. The town of Logan was slow to progress until the opening of the Hocking Canal, a branch of the Ohio-Erie Canal, in1838. Several industries prospered due to the rich mineral resources of the Hocking Valley.

The discovery of immense quantities of coal led to the flourishing mining industry. Towns appeared and vanished as quickly as mines opened and closed.

It was soon found that iron ore could be extracted from the sandstone bedrock of the area. At its height during the Civil War, Ohio was the leading producer of iron for implements and weapons. No less than forty-six furnaces were firing in Ohio's six-county Hanging Rock Iron Region.

The clay soils of the Hocking Valley helped Ohio become a leader in clay products. The firebrick industry of the valley manufactured such products as clay tile, building and paving bricks and clay sewer pipe. Evidence of the industry can be seen in the many brick houses and abandoned kilns of the area. Clay is still an important industry in the region.

Lake Logan was developed in 1955 for recreational purposes. The area was administered by the ODNR Division of Wildlife until1964, when jurisdiction was transferred to the Division of Parks and Recreation. Originally known as Hocking Lake, it was re-named Lake Logan to reflect the Indian heritage of the area and to avoid confusion with nearby Hocking Hills State Park and Forest.