Roughly Half A Century Ago, Cleveland's River Caught Fire And Inspired The Nation
By Nikki Rhoades|Published June 20, 2019
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Nikki Rhoades
Author
Nikki is a lifelong Ohioan with a love for literature. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Akron and has enjoyed publishing her written work since 2007. She has a love of travel and does so frequently, though she believes that home is where the heart is — she continues to work in and around Cleveland as a digital content specialist to this day, working on everything from commercial scripts and social media posts to grassroots marketing initiatives.
June 22, 1969 was a day that shocked the world. Word spread of the Cuyahoga River fire, but Clevelanders hardly took notice. It wasn’t until Time Magazine published an exposé on the event that the entire nation took pause and began considering how we could improve our environment. The shocking publication helped fuel movements that led to the passage of the National Environment Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency. Half a century has passed. Our river is cleaner, our nation’s environment has largely improved, and Cleveland is significantly less polluted. How is it that this event has remained relevant despite the years that have passed? The truth lies not just in this one event, but in a series of fires that plagued the Cuyahoga River for decades.
When the Cuyahoga River caught fire in 1969, it was such a common occurrence that nobody even photographed it.
Both the photos in this article and the photos in that year's Time Magazine did not originate from the 1969 fire. While photos do not exist of the iconic 1969 fire, a multitude of photos hearken back to the river's previous 13 or so combustions. A polluted river—and the explosive side effects that come with the pollution—were merely seen as side effects of an industrialized community.
The most destructive blaze took place in 1952 (pictured), and it was the sole Cuyahoga River event featured across news platforms throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
While only 13 fires were documented between 1868 and the present, more could have easily occurred without locals taking much notice. The river, often polluted with oil, was largely seen as a sewage site by area residents.
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Thanks to a dedicated team of firefighters, most of the fires on the Cuyahoga River caused little damage.
The most destructive fire took place in 1912. In this tragic event, five people lost their lives. The slick, gray river would go on to cause over a million dollars in damages in the destructive 1952 inferno.
The fire in 1969 is said to have only damaged a nearby railroad bridge. As the local media did not arrive until well after the river fire was under control, there was little to say about the blaze... until Time Magazine learned of the fire and used it to spark a movement.
So what was it that made the 1969 fire so notable? The truth lies in the attitudes of the era.
Cleveland, like much of the nation, was growing ever more aware of their environmental state. The entire nation was experiencing a shift favoring reducing and reusing over dumping and polluting, and industry was changing to favor technology.
The Cuyahoga River is iconic in many ways—indigenous peoples hunted on its shores, Moses Cleaveland landed at its mouth, and our nation once considered this body of water to be its most polluted.
Cleveland's river was formed under the conditions of the last glacial retreat, but its legacy of infamy is a mere half century old. Its infamous fires helped earned Cleveland the "Mistake on the Lake" nickname, and it also shifted attitudes in our nation and throughout the world toward one of preservation.
The legacy of the great fire lingers over Cleveland today, resulting in both a delicious beer by Great Lakes Brewing Co. and a legacy of infamy that is permanently intertwined with Cleveland's identity... though it's a legacy we continue to work to overcome.
Cleveland changed exponentially following this infamous fire. So, too, did the nation change. This notable event has gone down in local history as shameful, but, to a certain extent, it was a necessary evil that helped usher in an era of eco-awareness.
The blaze that started the most metaphorical fires took place right here on the Cuyahoga River in 1969, half a century ago but a whole world away from Cleveland’s modern state. Do you remember the events following this iconic fire? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
