Simeon and Katharine Prior were married 10 months before the end of the American Revolution and for twenty years they made a life in New England, where their ancestors had lived since 1634. And then in 1802, Simeon having heard about the land beyond the Ohio during his service in the American Revolution, suddenly traded his land for a track of wilderness identified only as lot 25 in the Connecticut Western Reserve. He along with Katharine and their ten children spent more than forty days traveling to their new home on America's western frontier. The Prior Family established their settlement in 1802. And then almost nobody else settled in this remote location of the Cuyahoga Valley wilderness, directly adjacent to Indian territory, until after the Treaty of Fort Industry was signed. between the United States and the Indian nations of Wyandot (Huron), Ottawa, Ojibwe (Chippewa), Munsee, Lenape (Delaware), Potawatomi, and Shawnee on July 4, 1805. Significant numbers of settlers did not arrive until after the War of 1812. For the Priors, this meant their isolation at the edge of the frontier continued for ten years after their arrival. Simeon's musings about what lead him and Katharine to move their family into what they knew to be harm's way is poignant: "What of the many chances against us and should we survive the perils of the boisterous lake and the distressing sickness usually attendant in a new settlement, we might fall before the tomahawk and scalping knife, for well I knew that many a settlement was established in blood." Going further back in this family's history, it is sobering to think about what has transpired in the 385 years since these first pioneer families arrived on the shores of what is now the United States. The New World that the first colonists and their offspring found was a fundamentally difficult and generally violent place all the way up until after the Spanish-American War of 1898, when the American military finally began to focus outside of its borders. Bloody conflicts large and small on American soil between rival colonial powers, rival colonies, communities, neighbors, and indigenous peoples all shaped the colonial era and the first hundred years of United States history. To paint this span of time with a single brush that portrays in simplistic terms what happened or how people thought and behaved is astonishingly deceptive. What is amazing is that anyone survived at all. But survive they did.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) is part of a national movement to establish parks that are readily accessible to city-dwellers. After a vigorous grassroots campaign, Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area was signed into being by President Gerald Ford in December 1974 and in 2000 became Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Stretching between Cleveland and Akron in heavily urbanized northeastern Ohio, CVNP has been called a Green-Shrouded Miracle, preserving precious green space and offering a retreat to more than 3,200,000 visitors each year. In succinct, readable prose complemented by stunning photographs, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Handbook provides a brief but comprehensive history of the park - the people, the land, the ecology, and the politics that led to its creation. Author Carolyn Platt and staff from CVNP included historic and contemporary photographs and illustrations to enhance this handbook.

Draws on contemporary accounts and a wealth of studies to produce this history of the Cuyahoga Valley. Tully pays special attention to how settlers' notions of private property--and the impulse to own and develop the land--clashed with more collective social organizations of American Indians. He also documents the ecological cost of settlement, long before heavy industry laid waste to the region. --From publisher description.

Profiles fifty cycling routes throughout the world and offers two hundred ideas for bike rides, including a Bavarian beer ride, a sightseeing trip through Sri Lanka, and a Sierra Nevada traverse.

**A New York Times Bestseller!** Based on the wildly popular Instagram account, Subpar Parks features both the greatest hits and brand-new content, all celebrating the incredible beauty and variety of America’s national parks juxtaposed with the clueless and hilarious one-star reviews posted by visitors. Subpar Parks, both on the popular Instagram page and in this humorous, informative, and collectible book, combines two things that seem like they might not work together yet somehow harmonize perfectly: beautiful illustrations and informative, amusing text celebrating each national park paired with the one-star reviews disappointed tourists have left online. Millions of visitors each year enjoy Glacier National Park, but for one visitor, it was simply "Too cold for me!" Another saw the mind-boggling vistas of Bryce Canyon as "Too spiky!" Never mind the person who visited the thermal pools at Yellowstone National Park and left thinking, “Save yourself some money, boil some water at home.” Featuring more than 50 percent new material, the book will include more depth and insight into the most popular parks, such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Acadia National Parks; anecdotes and tips from rangers; and much more about author Amber Share's personal love and connection to the outdoors. Equal parts humor and love for the national parks and the great outdoors, it's the perfect gift for anyone who loves to spend time outside as well as have a good read (and laugh) once they come indoors.

On January 1 of 2016, Stefanie Payne, a creative professional working at NASA Headquarters, and Jonathan Irish, a photographer with National Geographic, left their lives in Washington, D.C. and hit the open road on an expedition to explore and document all 59 of America's national parks during the centennial celebration of the U.S. National Park Service - 59 parks in 52 weeks - the Greatest American Road Trip. Captured in more than 300,000 digital photographs, written stories, and videos shared by the national and international media, their project resulted in an incredible view of America's National Park System seen in its 100th year. 'A Year in the National Parks, The Greatest American Road Trip' is a gorgeous visual journey through our cherished public lands, detailing a rich tapestry of what makes each park special, as seen along an epic journey to visit them all within one special celebratory year.

Many changes have taken place in the decade since Follow the Blue Blazes was first published, changes in the trails themselves and in the way we hike them. The Buckeye Trail still wends its way around the state of Ohio, following the course marked out by the characteristic blue blazes on trees and signposts along the way. In the intervening years, however, sections of the trail have changed their route, added amenities, or just grown more interesting. From the startling rock formations and graceful waterfalls of Old Man’s Cave, to Native American mounds, battlefields, and scenic rivers, Connie and Robert J. Pond provide a captivating guide to often-overlooked treasures around the state. Each chapter features an overview of a 100-mile section of the trail and three self-guided featured hikes. The overviews and the accompanying maps may be read consecutively to acquaint the reader with the entire course of the trail. But most readers will best enjoy the trail by taking the guide along on one of the featured hikes. Each route is outlined on an easy-to-read map with GPS coordinates and waypoints to guide the hiker, as well as explicit directions from parking lot to trailhead. The Buckeye Trail is readily accessible from Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, Cleveland, and Akron. Even a short trip can lead to an adventure near your own backyard.

In this seasonal treasure, Newbery Medalist Susan Cooper’s beloved poem heralds the winter solstice, illuminated by Caldecott Honoree Carson Ellis’s strikingly resonant illustrations. So the shortest day came, and the year died . . . As the sun set on the shortest day of the year, early people would gather to prepare for the long night ahead. They built fires and lit candles. They played music, bringing their own light to the darkness, while wondering if the sun would ever rise again. Written for a theatrical production that has become a ritual in itself, Susan Cooper’s poem "The Shortest Day" captures the magic behind the returning of the light, the yearning for traditions that connect us with generations that have gone before — and the hope for peace that we carry into the future. Richly illustrated by Carson Ellis with a universality that spans the centuries, this beautiful book evokes the joy and community found in the ongoing mystery of life when we celebrate light, thankfulness, and festivity at a time of rebirth. Welcome Yule!

All aboard! The sun is down...the Goodnight Train is leaving town! Join the many parents and caregivers who enjoy reading The Goodnight Train again and again and have responded with thousands of 5-star reviews. This is a fun and effective bedtime book that both adults and kids love. Roll that corner, rock that curve, and soar past mermaids, leaping sheep, and even ice-cream clouds... With soothing, lyrical words and magical illustrations, this picture book presents a nighttime fantasy that's guaranteed to make even the most resistant sleeper snuggle up tight. Plus don't miss the companion books: Goodnight Train Rolls On and Santa and the Goodnight Train!

"This enchanting and informative picture book explores the vital connections between the layers of an ecosystem, relating how every tree, flower, plant, and animal connect to one another in spiraling circles of life."--