The Big Creek Chronicles
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Historical
Notes &
Articles
Prehistoric Seabed to Modern Day Tributary: The Geologic History of Big Creek
Amanda McGee (former) Vertebrate Paleontology Collections Manager, Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Birth of Big Creek
Roy Larick
Bluestone Heights
Rattlesnake stories
from Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 10, 1895
System of Parks
from Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 10, 1895
South Siders Want Jennings Avenue Extended Through the Valley of Big Creek
from The Plain Dealer, October 13, 1898
Bridges
from Bridges of Metropolitan Cleveland, Sara Ruth Watson and John R. Wolfs,
1981
How Dynamite Streamlines Streams
from American Forests, August, 1935 (not specific to Big Creek)
Cleveland Police Firing Range in "Baby's Boot" Bend
from Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 1951
Big Creek in Brookside Park and Zoo:
Flooding
from Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 6, 1929Relocation of Brookside Zoo Urged by Architect,
from Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 19, 1937Improvements underway at Brookside Park,
September 21, 1948. Cleveland Press Collection
Cleveland State University. Michael Schwartz Library. Special CollectionsMayor Burke and Zoo Director Fletcher Reynolds Inspecting Big Creek,
August 8, 1947. Cleveland Press Collection
Cleveland State University. Michael Schwartz Library. Special CollectionsCovering of Big Creek Culvert
from Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 14, 1949165 Zoo Reptiles Drown; 2 Saved
from Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 22, 1959Rainforest flood plain issue:
Zoo work paid for, but not completed RainForest project stalls as costs skyrocket
from The Plain Dealer, January 28, 1990RainForest flooding a worry Metroparks to hire firm to protect $27 million project
from The Plain Dealer, February 15, 1990Metroparks board gives OK for flood damage study at zoo
from The Plain Dealer, March 14, 1990Dikes urged to protect zoo RainForest
from The Plain Dealer, May 3, 1990Park board OKs work to finish RainForest
from The Plain Dealer, June 22, 1990
"Because the addition will be built beside Big Creek and will be in a flood plain, its walls will be designed with special valves and grouting to withstand possible flooding, McNaught [John R. McNaught, project executive with Turner Construction Co.] said."Zoo Prepares for RainForest
from The Plain Dealer, April 26, 1992
"The face of the zoo's open area also will change dramatically. A 7-foot-high earthen mound, part of the protection plan for the new structure in the flood plain, will be built where the present brick walkway is. A new path bordered with trees will be built on top of it for pedestrians going to and from the RainForest. There will also be a flood wall at the north end of the building beside Big Creek. Dirt levees will be built around the other three sides of the new structure, although those will be landscaped and unobtrusive."Flood plan boosts cost of RainForest
from The Plain Dealer, September 28, 1990Sewer Line Rupture Damages Zoo
from The Plain Dealer, September 13, 1991Flooding Closes Zoo
by Peter Zicari, from Cleveland.com, August 7, 2007
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo closed today because of flooding, the worst since 1994, spokeswoman Sue Allen said.
Between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., Big Creek -- a tributary of the Cuyahoga that flows through the lower portion of the zoo -- overflowed its banks, Allen said. Director Steve Taylor decided to close the zoo at 11 a.m.
The zoo animals in the flooded area were moved inside or to higher ground, she said. All are fine.
Day campers also moved to higher ground until their parents picked them up, she said. And a few visitors went home as water crept into the parking lot and the box office.
"It was like a monsoon when I came into work this morning," Allen said.Water Overwhems Metroparks Zoo
from Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 1, 2011Flooding Closes Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
by James Ewinger, The Plain Dealer, Feb. 07, 2017
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo reports on its that the zoo and RainForest are closed until further notice because of nearby flooding.
Dr. Christopher Kuhar, the zoo's executive director, said in an email moments ago that "we closed proactively to ensure safety and vehicle safety. There is no flooding at the zoo."
Jacqueline Gerling, the Metroparks communications director, said water is rising inside the Brookside Reservation that abuts the zoo.
Snow melt contributed significantly to the flooding, according to Jennifer Grieser, senior natural resources manager for the zoo. Brookside Reservation lies at the bottom of the 30-square-mile Big Creek watershed, running through seven communities in Cuyahoga County.
Big Creek rose 2-1/2 feet in 90 minutes during the storm Tuesday morning.Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's 1959 flood was a lesson
James Ewinger, The Plain Dealer, from Cleveland.com, February 9, 2017