The Mystery of Akron's Signal Tree

There might be more than meets the eye with this local tree!

As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad is focused on exploring our history and the connection to the peoples and places of our home, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Northeast Ohio.

Within Cascade Valley Metro Park, running right alongside the tracks of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, stands a tree with 3 distinct “trunks” known as the Signal Tree. 

Signal trees are also known as trail trees, crooked trees, prayer trees or culturally modified trees. They’re hardwood trees located throughout North America, particularly in the Great Lakes Region, that Native Americans intentionally shaped. 

Some people think the tree may have occurred naturally, but due to the distinct shape and variety of tree (a bur oak, unusual to find in Northeast Ohio), many believe Indigenous peoples may have shaped the sapling to mark the area.

Header and inset photos by Greg Habermann under Creative Commons 2.0 Attribution License

By intentionally bending and securing hardwood saplings, the unusual growth shape would grow large enough to flag areas of significant importance. The hardwoods would be long lasting to help navigate river systems, waterways and forests as peoples migrated through and around the Great Lakes, or to point out areas of significance, like mineral deposits or ceremonial locations.  

Indigenous people shaped trees by taking young, flexible hardwood saplings, bending them, and then securing them to the ground with leather straps or vines. A new branch would grow skyward, forming a new trunk. 

The Cascade Valley Metro Park Signal Tree is located near the path used to connect the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas rivers. The “Portage” trail, used to carry canoes over land, was a key link connecting waterways between the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, Ohio and Mississippi rivers, and the Indigenous peoples of these areas.

As part of the Gorge Metropark Restoration and dam deconstruction efforts, several areas within Cascade Valley and neighboring Gorge Metro Park are currently closed, but  when reopened, you can visit this tree in Cascade Valley Metro Park near the start of the Chuckery Trail. The closest CVSR station is Akron Northside Station.