Common Ground - Western Reserve Land Conservancy

In 1905, Cleveland was the nation’s
sixth-largest city but not exactly a
sprawling metropolitan area. Parma,
Strongsville and Solon were filled with
farms. Even then, William Stinchcomb,
Cleveland’s 27-year-old chief engineer
of parks, envisioned what was coming.
Stinchcomb, writing in Cleveland’s
1905 annual report, recommended
“establishing an outer system of parks
and boulevards” through the Rocky and
Chagrin River valleys to preserve “some
of the finest stretches of natural park
lands to be found in the northern part
of Ohio. While all this is now entirely
outside of the city, it will be but a
short time before they will be inside
or very near the limits of a ‘Greater
Cleveland’ and it seems to me that
such fine stretches of natural parkway
should be secured for the benefit of the
entire public before private enterprise
or commercial industry places them
beyond reach.”
Four years later, Stinchcomb reiterated
his plea.
“The importance of conserving
our natural resources is now well
recognized,” he wrote. “Cannot it
8 CHAPTER 1 WHY PRESERVE OUR LAND
Extraordinary foresight created Emerald Necklace
courtesy Cleveland Press Collection/Cleveland State University
© DAVID LIAM KYLE
be truly said that these natural wild
beautiful valleys and glens which lie
adjacent to our rapidly growing urban
centers are a kind of ‘natural resource’
of ever increasing value to the public?”
Flash forward to today. The 22,000acre
Cleveland Metroparks stands as a
testament to Stinchcomb’s vision – and
as a community treasure in now fully
developed Cuyahoga County.
The Cleveland-born Stinchcomb became
the first engineer and executive
director of the Cleveland Metropolitan
Park System, now known as Cleveland
Metroparks. Stinchcomb’s vision began
to take shape when he hired the
nationally acclaimed Olmsted Brothers
landscape architecture firm to provide
assistance in designing what would
later be known as The Emerald
Necklace. The plan encouraged those
who owned land considered unsuitable
for typical development, such as glens
of rivers, to donate these areas to the
park.
Today, 16 Cleveland Metroparks
reservations encircle Cleveland from
North Chagrin to Brecksville to
Huntington Beach in Bay Village. They
are permanently preserved for the
public’s enjoyment – thanks to the
foresight of William Stinchcomb.
physical health of the community. In addition, it improves
quality of life for all and contributes to the region’s
scenic beauty: Who hasn’t marveled at the sight of rolling
farmland in Wayne County, the Lake Erie shoreline, the fall
colors in the Cleveland Metroparks or the daily wildlife
show in the Grand River Lowlands?
Preserved land also safeguards our clean drinking water
and air, protects against flooding and creates opportunities
for people to be outdoors. In turn, we derive physical,
psychological and emotional benefits from our natural
areas. One of our survey respondents noted: “Without a
landscape that provides our region with a healthy habitat
for people, plants and animals, our region will become
distressed and suffer. By preserving and restoring land and
water resources to create a healthy habitat, we can help
our region thrive today and into the future.”