Tremont's Civil War Camp Cleveland

HISTORY: Tremont’s Camp Cleveland Housed Plenty of Characters

In July of 1862, Cleveland’s largest Civil War camp opened to instruct citizens on becoming soldiers.  It was a beautifully landscaped 35 1/2-acre site located in what is today known as Tremont. The land was owned by the Wade family and was known as University Heights, as there was a closed university in the area — Cleveland University — which was located at the current site of Gospel Press. Unfortunately there are no remains of the old university.

The Civil War camp’s location was between Hershel (now West 5th) and University (now West 7th) Streets and Railway and Marquardt Avenues.  Many called it the most beautiful camp in Ohio as it was well landscaped by the citizens of the Forest City. There were almost 200 buildings and a high of 4,151 volunteer soldiers occupied the barracks in December of 1862.  A total of 15,230 men would eventually be stationed there and this was approximately 5% of total 310,646 enlistments in Ohio.  There was a hospital on the grounds and, later during the war, the barracks would be used to house Confederate prisoners of war.

Lt William Dustin, a lieutenant in the 19th Ohio Volunteer Artillery, wrote following the war, “The camp was a table land above the city and admirably suited to the use of a camp of instruction.  It was as level as a floor and carpeted with grass. The capacious pine barracks held about 25 of the battery’s men. A row of six pine barracks fitted up with bunks, accommodated the men, and a single one at the rear was used for head quarters.”

The barracks were roughly 20X24 feet and high enough for two rows of berths.  There were over 150 barracks in total. There was a fine fresh water spring in a deep and shady ravine at the lower end of the camp and it furnished the men with an abundance of excellent water.

This may have been a military camp yet the atmosphere, especially during the beginning, was more that of social hotspot and gathering place.

Below are stories from letters and diaries of friends and relatives of individuals who were stationed there.  Many came from members of the 19th Ohio Volunteer Artillery unit and they moved into camp in August of 1862.  To put it mildly, these young men were having fun and blew off plenty of steam while they were stationed there.  This is a little known chapter of Cleveland’s history and one Clevelanders should better understand.

Theodore Tracie was also in the 19th OVA and in 1874 he wrote a book about the unit and below is the way he described the camp:

Barracks-life at Camp Cleveland was like a long-continued gala day and picnic. No day passed that did not bring lady relatives and friends of the members.  The camp was the favorite resort of the people of Cleveland, and bore a dreadfully unmilitary appearance.

Social pleasures were varied and pleasing; vocal and instrumental music could be heard day and night.  Billy Childs’ banjo solos kept the quarters thronged by day with lady visitors, and by night with admiring comrades. On more than one occasion bands from town came to play and there was lively singing, dancing, and conversation.

In addition, there were street vendors selling souvenirs and even a photographer who set up shop to take photographs of the soldiers in their new uniforms.  Baseball games were played on the parade grounds.   At one time or another it seems everyone in Cleveland came out to the camp.

A signing bonus of $50.00 was paid to each of the men who enlisted and as this was the first paycheck given to many, and many felt well to do.  Unfortunately it was reported many of the men wasted their funds on drink and tobacco.  An additional $50.00 bonus was to be paid at the end of the war.  Unsure what happened to those men who didn’t return home.

The boys grew restless under the inactivity, of camp life, and longed for marching orders.  “Camp life was all good enough in its way,” they murmured. “But we came out to fight the Rebels, and not waste our time feasting and flirting.”

Michael Houck of the 19^th OVLA - Christopher Whipple’s great great grandfather

 

Breaking Out of Camp

As the camp was located near the entertainment area of downtown, it was a favorite nighttime activity to try to leave the camp.  Since only 25 of the 144 men were permitted in town each night, many of the remaining 119 men found creative ways to get out.  On one night, 75 of the 144 men were in town to see a play.

Initially, there were no passes given; however, because too many men were seen in town each night, shortly thereafter a password was given to the guards and no one was permitted back into camp without it.  This didn’t work well as the guards were friends of everyone else and soon further restrictions were needed.

A written pass was given only by permission and only with good reason.  There was the “important business to be settled” before they left home excuse as well as “illness at home.” There was also “to take a bath” excuse and men walked to the stream outside of camp with towel and bucket. However, many didn’t return until the next morning.

Men also made mad dashes across the grounds hoping to return to their barrack before being caught. This made for great amusement by the other men as they watched their counter parts running across the yard. Even if they were caught, a bribe of liquor or money usually allowed one to pass to their cabin.

Eventually extra guard duty was issued for those who were caught.  If men were too intoxicated or caught too often they were often put in the Guard House.  Due to the number of absences, the guard house was seldom unoccupied.  Many might think being put in the guard house would be a punishment but these men took it with good cheer.  Feeling they didn’t have to perform guard duty or drills and being given beer and other luxuries through a window, some felt it was a nice break from the routine.

One evening the guard house had a little more activity than most.  Two men were brought back from town and, being extremely intoxicated, were immediately put in the guard house.  Shortly thereafter there were “strong noises emanating from the guard house.”  Then there was the sound of crashing lumber and “triumphant yells”; the two prisons had literally kicked down one of the walls to the guard house.  When everyone ran to see the commotion, they saw the two guilty parties congratulating themselves. The two were secured with ropes to keep them in place and the guard house was hastily repaired.  The next morning their real punishment was given.

The officers chained 30 pound iron balls to their ankles and ordered them to sweep the camp.  While most of us would think this as punishment, these two did not.  They had a good ole time and had a great deal of fun and could be heard laughing as they swept.  Needless to say, there were some real characters at the camp.

There was usually more than one unit in the camp and, as expected, rivalries developed between units. They raided each other barracks and “took pistols and emptied flasks.”  Fortunately none of these ended in battles or brutalities and most units became lifelong friends after meeting at the camp.  My father was still visiting the farm of one of the unit members well into the 1960s.

It should be noted that one of the men’s favorite food in town was caviar.  Cleveland caviar was known as some of the finest available because, at the time, Lake Erie was full of sturgeon. Unfortunately, later in the 1880s and 1890s these 8 to 10 feet-long aquatic creatures were said to have interfered with the steel and other shipments and were fished out of the lake.  Currently there are only a small number of sturgeon left on the west end of the lake.

Camp Comes to Order

Slowly the camp came to order as the soldiers soon learned they were no longer their own masters.  Roll-call was called twice a day and required the attendance of all men. A guard duty had been instituted and, at first, guard duty was a novelty. With chest protruded, guards carried heavy Austrian rifles. But later on it was not uncommon for the night relief to find more than a few guards asleep on their post.

Drilling was also one of the daily duties.  Cannon and rifle squads were organized, and rather quickly the men became proficient in the drills and the use of their equipment.   The marching or foot drill was practiced each day, as well as zouave skirmish drills.  Zouave drills had more space between the men and other less visible tactics.  Overall the men were afforded a variety of military exercises.

This was a typical military camp as there were no mattresses on the bunks and not everyone had government issued blankets.  Fortunately the aid society supplied many of the men with blankets.  The food was rather bland; coffee, meat, dark bread, potatoes or some other dish.  There was no milk, butter, sugar or other simple pleasures available. 
While some men complained, most later realized this was better than what they would be receiving later in the war.

Departure From Camp

As the time of departure approached, the number of visitors increased greatly, until even the quietest men could boast of his warm personal friends.

This time was also used to make final visits, finishing up business matters too long delayed, and general preparations for departure.  Few thought they would serve longer than a year, and each one felt he held special immunities from death and disease, and had no doubt of their return home.

The crowds of visitors became larger every hour, and every man was a hero, with plenty of admirers. Then the last roll call in camp was called, absentees were accounted for, knapsacks were strapped on the shoulders, and the march was put in motion.  The military organizations in the city turned out as escort to honor their departure.

They marched down Superior Street and saw the streets and sidewalks filled with citizens.   Outstretched hands greeted them at every step, and every man was energized.

They felt the whole people of the Forest City were in the streets doing honor to her sons, and showering them with prayers and wishes for their safe return.  There was true spirit in the patriotic outpouring of those days!  However not everyone was happy and it was said about citizens and soldiers alike, “tears were shed like rain.”

Not all the stories were sad and below is one from Theodore Tracie.  It is reproduced in full as the story can’t be better written today:

Few seemed free from this emotional epidemic, was compelled to laugh as I saw an enthusiastic maiden lady of forty summers, glorious in spectacles and side-curls, clasp the hands of one of our modest boys, and after bidding him “good-bye!’ and “I pray that you will return home!’ suddenly kiss the youth with the most enthusiastic earnestness.  I leaned forward and innocently remarked to the favored youth, “sweetheart, of your, my boy?  Never mind; you can trust her while you’re away!” and was shocked when he replied: “No ! blame you; I never saw the girl; before in my life!”

The men were put on trains to Cincinnati and one unit member wrote the trip lasted only 12 hours.  12 hours was probably a short time relative to the number of days it took to travel there by horse and buggy. Trains during the Civil War had to stop every 30 minutes for water.  Their first stop was in Berea and their second was in Grafton.  At the first few stops friends wished the soldiers well.

Scenes such as this occurred many times over the next few years as there were at least 20 units organized or reorganized at Camp Cleveland and no one ever knew who would return and who would not.

US General Hospital – Cleveland

A 320 bed pavilion-style hospital, (pictured above) designated as the United States General Hospital at Cleveland, occupied 3.76 acres on the southeast corner of W 5th Street and Jefferson Avenue.  The hospital opened in December 1862; a total of 3,028 soldiers received care for gunshot wounds, illnesses, and diseases before it closed in July 1865.  Some of the 91 deceased patients lie buried in the federally owned plots at Woodland Cemetery.

Camp Closes

More than 11,000 soldiers were discharged at Camp Cleveland at war’s end.  The camp officially closed in August of 1865 and, in September, the hospital and camp buildings were dismantled and the lumber and government equipment were sold at a public auction.

In the last few years there were some buildings built in the Tremont area and it was reported Civil War buttons were found in ground.  Other than these small remnants, only photographs and written antidotes remain of this large, beautiful and important Civil War camp.

Hopefully the readers will find interest in these fun-loving, rambunctious individuals.  It should be remembered that these same individuals became part of Cleveland’s Greatest Generation.  Some of these individuals would later become part of Millionaires Row and were at least part of the city with the highest number of millionaires in the country.  Hopefully we can regain some of their energy and positive reinforcing comradery and return this region to respect and greatness.

Units at Camp Cleveland
Date Open:        July 1862
Location:         West 5th, Railroad St, West 7th, Marquardt St.

Units Organized:
1862
August     103rd OVI, 105th OVI, 19th Battery
September      107th  OVI
October     10th Cavalry, 20th Battery
December      6th Co. SS

1863
January     124th OVI, 7th Co. SS
February     5th Co. SS
July        86th OVI – Unit Reorganized
August     129th OVI
October    125th OVI
November    12th Cavalry

1864
April        60th OVI – Unit Reorganized
May        150th OVI, 164th OVI, 169th OVI
February     5th Co. SS
October    177th OVI, 2nd Light Battery

Originally Published by Cool Cleveland Memorial Day 2013 

All material the responsibility of Christopher C. Whipple 

 

M Houck - An Early Cleveland History

Michael Houck

(aka Hauck)

June 29, 1839 – June 22, 1916

 

Michael Houck – born June 29, 1839 on Washington St. in the part of present day Cleveland directly west of the Cuyahoga River.  At the time, this part of Cleveland was called Ohio City.  He was one of nine boys (no girls in family).  They roamed the flats – Whiskey Island was their playground –

His father owned & operated a spoke factory (made spokes for wagon and carriage wheels).  He (Michael) attended the first West High School – a stone building on or near W28th St. & present day Clinton Ave.  His maternal grandfather, an Austrian by the name of Pfalsgrafs who had fought against the Prussians  and lived with M. Houck’s family.  It was probably his tales of soldiering that incited the Houck boys into joining the Union Army to fight in the Civil War.  All nine joined – then later his father was drafted.  However because he had those nine sons in service he was able to get out of serving. 

 

M Houck’s lost his left eye in service and for this reason received one of the best pensions given Civil War Veterans to the end of his life – June 22, 1916.   about the times of the beginning of hostilities in Europe of World War I.  the news of which greatly disturbed the old man. 

 

He enlisted in the 19^th Ohio Battery Light Artillery organized by prominent men of the area under the direct command of Capt. Joseph Shields.  At the close of the war after being mustered out, he returned to Cleveland and work in the spoke factory.  He married Fredericka Gehring the daughter of a well known west Cleveland family and made his home on Gehring Ave in Cleveland until bad health sent him to the country.  There on Lorain Rd in what used to be Rocky River but is now Fairview Park, he started a small fruit farm specializing in strawberries and red raspberries. Because of the quality of his berries his entire crop was contracted for each spring by Cleveland’s fancy grocery – the Chandler & Rudd Co. which is still in existence today.

 

The above was written by Jean Wallace Whipple – one of M. Houck’s grand children

 

Below was written by John G. Whipple, Jean’s youngest child

The material for this biography was supplied to me by my mother Jean Wallace Whipple who was one of Michael Houck’s four grandchildren.  My mother, her two sisters, and their brother lived on the farm with Michael & Fredricka Houck and their parents lived next door.  They were told many stories about the Civil War and the 19^th OVA.  They often attended Ohio G.A.R. Conventions and reunions of the 19^th O.L.A.  Their father Charles Wallace was the maître d' at White’s Two Minute villa restaurant.  Mr White was the chewing gum king at the time and his fascination with horses and a 2 minute mile; this led to the name of his restaurant. 

The Power of the Ring - Alternatively - Preventing Arthritis

The Power of the Ring

Alternatively – Preventing Arthritis

 Before my mother passed away she told me the only finger she did not have arthritis in was her ring finger.  Upon telling this story to an apothecary friend, she said gold is used for arthritis.  The only problem was my mother’s rings were platinum, so I don’t know if it is the metal or simply the wearing of a ring that makes a difference.   The only I do know is everyone over the age of 70, I have mentioned it has agreed. 

In high school I broke my little finger and around the age of 40 it started becoming arthritic. Based on my mother’s advice, I purchased a simple gold ring with a running theme.   My wife didn’t like the idea of my wearing a pinky ring, but I said it was to help with arthritis.

As soon as I began wearing the ring, my finger began burning.  I didn’t know what was happening but I knew something was happening.  After wearing the ring for a few months, the ring was too big as my finger had gone down in size.  I took it to a jeweler and this is where the story gets more interesting.

I told the female jeweler who was about 50, what my mother had said.  I further explained it was working for me and it now needed to be downsized.   She had never heard this before and I suggested she ask her mother.  She mentioned her grandmother was still alive and it was suggested she ask her grandmother. 

A few days later when she saw me walking into in the store, she was white and acted as if she had seen a ghost.  My thought was the provided information surprised her.  She told me she had spoken to her grandmother and her grandmother had agreed, the only finger which was not arthritic was her ring finger!  The woman further explained, she had worked in the jewelry store for 30 years and had never heard this before.  Something tells me she will repeat this story to many, if not most of her clients. 

I don’t know what it is that prevents or heals arthritis by wearing a ring, but I believe any senior citizen who reads this story will agree.   It’s hoped that individuals who may have severely arthritic fingers, that this may help them reduce their arthritis.  Even preferably, there is further hope a scientific teacher or researcher may study this phenomenon to help understand why it can assist. 

There is one downside to this information.  When my wife heard the above power of a ring, she smiled and waved her fingers in front of me and said, “I need ten rings….” 

Enjoy…

 

White’s Two Minute Villa and the invention of chewing gum

This was written by my grandmother in about 1950.  its a great story about William J. White who invented modern day chewing gum.  This story provides a great insight to the parties at White's Two Minute Villa.  It was so named as Mr. White wanted to race a horse that could run a mile under two minutes.  He was able to accomplish this but that's another story. 

 At the turn of the last century, White’s Yucatan Gum, wrapped in pink paper which was encircled by a narrow yellow band, was one of the few chewing gums on the market.

It is a generally accepted fact that W.J. White made the first gum in his own home from his own formula, and that Mrs. White sold it from door to door using a little hand pulled cart to carry her stock of gum. 

This could have been true for only a short time as before 1890, the White were enormously wealthy people.  In fact, Mr. White was spoken of as “Millionaire White” as often as “Chewing Gum White”

Those of us who remember Rockport, Ohio at about 1900 (especially that part of Rockport where Wooster Road crosses Lorain Road and winds down into the Metropolitan Park) will remember White’s Two Minute Villas at the top of Wooster Road hill, and White’s Stock Farm at the foot of the hill. 

Mr. White, like many wealthy men, had become interested in thoroughbred horses, especially race horses.  (He named his villa, “White’s Two Minute Villa” as he wanted to his horses to run a mile under 2 minutes – he would later have a horse succeed at this)  It was on his farm which is now part of the Metropolitan Park, that he bred, raised, and trained his race horses.  One of his most famous race horses was “Star Pointer” and is buried somewhere in what is now the golf course.  The race track, where his trainers worked the horses, is now part of the golf course.  And the old, red brick building near the entrance to the golf course was, I believe, Star Pointer’s stable.  My grandfather’s farm adjoined White’s Stock Farm, and as very little children, we used to watch the horses working out on the race track, from the part of our farm which overlooked the valley. 

The very early years of my life were closely tied to the White’s Stock Farm and White’s Two Minute Villas.  About 1890 a young man (my father) had come from his home on a farm in southern Ohio (New Philadelphia area – his grandfather Mr. Kneisley had earlier founded New Philadelphia)  to manage White’s Tow Minute Villa.  (His brother in law was manager of the Stock Farm and was in sending for Papa.)

Papa met and married a young woman of the community (my mother) and they lived with her parents on a nearby farm where my two sisters, my brother and I were born.

The Villa was a private inn run solely as a place where the Whites could bring and entertain their friends.  It was a rambling wooden structure, the first floor encircled by a wide porch.  There were bedrooms upstairs, and on the first floor, a parlor, dining room and kitchen.   A gramophone with its horn shaped like a morning glory was the outstanding furnishing in the parlor as far as I was concerned.  It stood on a stand near the entrance to the dining room,  and Eli (who was in charge of the dinning room ) spent a great deal of the time holding me up to peer into the horn to find the voice.  How well I remember Eli!  Standing just inside the wide entrance to the dining room, immaculate in the white coat during the day.  Straight and proud in a perfectly tailored black coat for the evening meal, his flashing smile and eep bow welcomed every guest. 

The Villa was known for its service, and its excellent food – its baked whitefish, its steaks, and fried chicken.  Bthe the clambakes in the late summer and early fall were worth coming to.  And come people did!

This was, of course, in the dirt road era before the automobile so Mr. White’s guests were brought to the clambakes in conveyances we call “Tally-Hos”.  These were topless rigs, or carriages with rows of seats along the sides, each carriage having room for eight or ten gaily dressed ladies and men.  Every lady was a Gibson Girl picture in her lace-trimmed dress, huge puffed sleeves, lace-trimmed hat atop a pompadour, and, crowning touch, a lace-trimmed parasol which matched her hat and dress.  The carriages were horse drawn,  and driven by a liveried driver beside whom sat another man in matching livery.  The second man carried a horn on which he blew at intervals.  The sound of the horn never failed to bring us children running to stand wide-eyed at the fence beside the road until the carriages were out of sight around the corner.

Then it was time for us to go into the house to be buttoned into our good dresses so we, too, could go to the clambake.  Later, if we could keep our eyes open, we stayed to watch the dancing and listen to the music of the Andy Braggs’ Band.  No clambake at the Villa was complete unless Any Braggs furnished the music.

These are the gay remembrances of day a half a century ago.  Sometime about 1904 or 1905, Mr. White disposed of both the Farm and the Villa.  His interests were now confined almost entirely to the East.  The Villa became a public road house – both an eye sore and an ear sore to the people of the community.  It burned to the ground a few years later and was never rebuilt. 

Papa’s connection with the Villa stopped when Mr. White sold it.  But I have two very tangible reminders of those gay, long ago days hanging on my wall in my dining room.  There are two very beautiful china plates given to Papa by Miss Josephine, buyer of china and glass ware for the Bowman Company in Cleveland, when he was the manager of White’s Two Minute Villas in old Rockport, Ohio..

The Mentor & Mistress - the story of Daisy Jenks

The Mentor and Mistress

(Alternatively the story of Daisy Jenks)

Recently during lunch at the Union Club, a friend asked me about one of Cleveland’s most influential families; the Van Sweringens.  Without a thought, I said “it’s hard to understand the Vans without first understanding their Mentor and Mistress”.  He was surprised and asked, ‘for both’?  I responded in the affirmative and said she was also married to Ben.  Her name was Louise “Daisy” Davidson Jenks and her story is as important to Cleveland’s history as anyone who has ever lived in Cleveland.  Unfortunately there are few in Cleveland who know of her and most think of her in a poor light.  Hopefully this small piece will shed some light on the importance and influence of this woman and her husband.

Her husband was Ben Jenks and he was quiet and was tall and thin.  Ben was always sure not to eat or drink too much, as the rest of his family were overweight and he didn’t want to become so.  He initially had lumber yard and a development corporation, but went on to law school.  He was old friends with the Vans and became their attorney.

Daisy Davidson became his wife and was the more outgoing of the two.  She was eleven years younger than Ben.  She was a red head and a bright woman who Herbert Harwood described her in his book Invisible Giants,  as a woman who “…had a mind of her own”.   She was not thin however not overly large and was said to have ‘made the most of her looks’.    She was reported to be a red head and when I inquired about this, the response from one of her friends, was ‘it was from a bottle’. 

Daisy and her husband Ben had a land development company and helped the Vans get into development. If you know the history of the Vans Sweringens, you know they built many of Cleveland’s private schools, churches, country clubs and downtown landmarks.   They also laid out many of greater Cleveland’s streets and neighborhoods.  They also remodeled the Greenbrier in West Virginia and it still shows their influence.  However their fortunes did not take off until they began buying railroads.  This was the heyday of railroads and if someone had the brains to run them, they could be a success.  By some accounts they were the largest railroad owners in the country.  It’s been said this was under the tutoring of Daisy and her husband Ben.  As a friend of theirs once stated, “The Jenks were the brains behind the Van’s”. 

Their railroad company was a large company and based in Cleveland.  A descendent of one of the senior executives of the Vanesse Company retold the story that on more than one occasion executives from the company were required to attend a company function.  The entertainment of the evening at the Vaness company function was Daisy dancing.  While most of the executives in attendance were embarrassed or annoyed by the display, the Vans were seated in the front row.

Daisy and her husband Ben initially lived on Lee Rd.   When the Van’s moved to Hunting Valley they moved there.  Many Clevelanders know the Van Sweringens lived in Hunting Valley and on Daisy Hill.  However few realize it was name for Daisy Jenks.  Evidence of this can be found as there is a tunnel between the Jenk’s home and the Van Sweringens home.  This tunnel exists to this day.  No one can be certain what the tunnel was designed for, however according to gossip by at least one of the prominent neighbors it was said, “the one Jenk’s boy certainly resembles the Van’s”.

When it was first mentioned I was writing about Daisy, my friend who knew Daisy, informed me she was wild.  When it was inquired as to why, the response was she had a large nude in her bathroom.  When it commented this was pretty wild, she said I didn’t understand.  When questioned why, the response was the nude painting was of herself.  One can only image what individuals thought of this in the 1920’s and 1930’s. 

During a recent dinner party the above story was told and a woman at the table grew quiet and looked down.  I challenged her and said ‘you know someone who has  this’  She agreed she did.  When I questioned why she did this, the response was simply her friend felt she would never look this good again and wanted to preserve the way she looked.  These are some confident women. 

After the Van’s had passed away and the Jenks down sided they moved to the Moreland Courts apartments.  My aunt visited her there and said the apartment was as big as a house and rather  lavish.  My aunt grew visiting with the Van Sweringen and Daisy’s at their homes and apartments.  Later in life, my aunt’s father would visit Daisy in Arizona.  Daisy had moved there due to her arthritis and because her children lived there.  It’s uncertain if she is buried there or in the Cleveland area.    

There is another story which needs to be mentioned.  There was another Hunting Valley neighbor of the Vans and the Jenks, who was just starting out in building his own vast fortune.  He and his wife were religious individuals and didn’t approve of the Vans’ and the Jenks’ behavior.  During their long lives whenever they had a female dog they always named her ‘Daisy’. 

Many feel Daisy came from a simple or less to do family.  This is not the case as she came from a good family named Davidson and her brother had tremendous success in gold mining in Johannesburg, South Africa.  Her brother would often come back to Cleveland to visit.  A friend who met him, said he was a large man who was ‘filthy rich’. 

Another friend of mine attended medical school in Johannesburg and I asked if there were Davidson’s in Johannesburg.  He said there was a rather prominent family in Johannesburg name Davidson.  I asked if they were still in gold mining and he said they were.  Needless to say he was rather surprised to find they were originally from Cleveland.    

Whatever you might think of Daisy’s personal life, please don’t judge her too harsh.  The influence she had over the Van’s and therefore the shape and building of Cleveland and the surrounding areas was tremendous.  Its a shame more appreciation isn’t given for everything the Van Sweringen’s built and created for the Cleveland area and I hope one day more recognition will be given to these two brothers.  If this is the case, we can only hope some recognition goes to Daisy and her husband for all the assistance they gave to Mantis and Oris. 

Running Hazards

Every long distance runner faces the hazards of cars, animals, weather, terrain and such, however I wondered how many other runners have had trouble with the… police.  Specifically, I am referring to being pulled over for running.  As much as I would like to say it was for speeding, we all know for a 40 something year old running, this is simply not the case.  The cause of our offense was not running in a single file.  While the reasoning behind these laws is understandable, their enforcement leaves something to be desired.  In our case, each of our offenses were either on a 2 or 4 lane road and early on Sunday mornings.  On this stretch of road we were pulled over three times. Each with an interesting story of their own.

Police Encounter Number One

The first time was warm Sunday morning and toward the end of a 14 mile run and on the 4 lane section of road.  As we are cold weather runners, warm weather is particularly hard on us.  Near the end, an older policeman (I believe he was a sergeant) turned on his lights.  Being the only male in the group and the son of a politician, I agreed to speak with him. 

He began easy enough and stated, “There is a law which requires you to be single file” 

I responded “Yes Sir”, and before I tell what I said next, a little background is necessary.

We are fortunate that our town, has 5 roads which intersect the metroparks.  At the time,  there was no sidewalks on any of them.  I had been lobbying the city council for some time to add sidewalks to easily travel the one mile distance to the metroparks.  I would see families driving with their bikes on bike racks to the park to go riding. 

For this reason, my answer was something similar to, “Yes Sir, I understand, but it would be nice if we had some sidewalks”

I am a nice guy but what he said next really put me into orbit.

In the most sarcastic voice imaginable, he stated, “Well we don’t have any, do we?”

As I mentioned, I am nice guy but when he said this I had had enough and after 14 miles of hot weather running, I wasn’t in the mood to put up with smart-aleck remarks.   

So I retorted, “Put some in!!!”  

I waited to a response and while I knew he wanted to say something, there was no response forthcoming.  What I did see was an officer that was moving in his seat, face turning red, and hands gripping the wheel tighter.  He was upset and I believe he was particularly upset as he couldn’t respond to me. So I rejoined my group and we started off.  We were in single file with the middle runner being a little out so as not to trip each other. 

He again pulled up next to us and screamed “I said single file!!!”

“We are” I yelled back.

Shortly we arrived at an intersection and as we were turning east, the light was green and we proceeded.  Our friend from the police was stopped by the perpendicular red light and thought we had crossed through the red light and again turned on his flashers.  We simply ran on and he shortly realized his mistake. 

Now I have the most respect for police officers and appreciate every day the job they do.  That day I simply crossed the line after being a little tired.  I have re-told this story many times and once a friend asked why after being such as smart-ass, I hadn’t been arrested.  After a minute of thought I simply shrugged my shoulders and said, “Probably the only reason I wasn’t arrested is that I smelled too bad and the he didn’t want me in his car”.

Police encounter Number 2:

This was on another Sunday morning run out to the metro parks.  Sure enough a policeman pulled up and this time spoke politely to please run in a single file. Fortunately it was a different police officer and we agreed and kept running. 

 I need to mention, as we are each professionals and parents as soon as any car is in the area we do run single file.  I felt we were being harassed and knew this second occurrence would not be the end of it.  I contacted a couple of media outlets and a few had interest in a story. 

I also checked the city ordnances to make sure there is an ordnance requiring runners to run single file.  Much to my chagrin there is such an ordnance in our town.  To go further I had an attorney friend look into Ohio statutes and found in Ohio runners can not run on interstates and some other information.  Runners in many states don’t have too many rights. 

I had done my home work and the next time I would be ready.  I wanted a ticket. 

Police Encounter Number 3:

This was started innocent enough and on our way to the metro parks, a green pickup truck, slowed down moved toward us.  She moved close to us, so close that she crossed the white line on the side of the road and forced us into the gravel and grass off the edge of the road. When she was right next to us, she sped up.  As this normally happens when there is another car on the other side of the road, I assumed there was car in the other lane and she was simply moving over to be safe from the other vehicle.  I turned to look and unbelievably, there was no other cars on the road.  It seemed that this driver didn’t like runners.

So in my ornery way, I turned around and let her know she was number 1, in a most ungentlemanly way.  The other runners and I ran on talking about how dangerous cars and trucks are to runners. 

Sure enough a mile or two down the road, we get pulled over by a police officer who had his lights flashing and the officer was upset.  He said we weren’t single file and I started to argue.  The officer was argumentative and upset so I knew this wasn’t just about us not running single file, so I asked, “Sir what is this about?”

To which he responded “You flipped off my wife….” 

At this point I couldn’t help but to laugh, which didn’t help matters.  And he yelled, “do you want a ticket?”

As I had already alerted the media, I responded, “Yes”. 

This threw him off and he asked for some id.  I obviously didn’t have any. 

The other runners started lobbying for me not to get a ticket.  I had not forewarned them that I wanted one.  He agreed to let me go.   Not before he started trying to get us riled up by talking about sensitive issues in our town.  We ran on.

While I stated we have been pulled over 3 times, this is not the end of the story.  As I mentioned my father was Mayor and I know the Mayor of our town and was going to call him and complain.  However I thought it was better to start with the Police Chief.  So I called him.

He kept me on hold for about 10 minutes (thank goodness for speaker phones) and finally picked up.

We talked for a while and as he used to be a runner it was a pretty light hearted conversation.  I let him know we didn’t like being pulled over and he stated there had been complaints by doctors, attorneys and other professionals that we were slowing down traffic.  I didn’t challenge him on this but as we run with doctors, attorneys and other professional, and know most are rather accommodating to a 3 to 5 second delay which might be caused by runners. 

I told him I understood that we sometimes might slow down traffic and we do the best we can to avoid that.  But then I asked about those drivers which intentionally slow down and swerve toward the runners. 

In his biggest voice he said, “I want to know about those individuals”

A small smile came over me and I asked, “are you sure?”

He responded, “Yes !!!”

“Okay… there is a woman that works in the police department (I found this out after later) and she drives a green pick up truck and she is married to officer XX.”   There was a pause

 “There is no officer XX”, he responded,

I asked him to check again.

He then said “Oh”, followed by another pregnant pause. 

He quickly ended the phone call and I knew Sunday was going to be an interesting run.

Sure enough on the 1 mile of road to the metro parks, we had 4 police officers pass us and stare at us, but to their credit, none pulled us over.  It’s been four years of running since that phone call and I can happily report, we have not been pulled over since. 

I guess the moral of the story is, if you’re feeling harassed by the police, other drivers or any group or individuals; stand up for your rights and keep your fingers crossed…  Runners have a right to the road when there are no sidewalks or bikepaths.

Good luck and be safe in your running….

Saving Cleveland...

This was published in Nov 2009 and since that time I realized it should be title as the biggest Opportunity rather than the biggest issue.  Please read as a positive way to enhance Cleveland and its citizens.  thanks, Chris

The Biggest Issue with Cleveland is…

low self esteem.  This been caused primarily by condition known as a self fulfilling prophecy.  As any teacher or educator knows, if you think and say something is awful or unworthy long enough, over time people come to believe it.  Unfortunately too many in Northeast Ohio have heard for too long that this area has so many deficiencies, that no2 many believe it to be true and tell others outside the region the same. 

A recent conversation demonstrates how a self fulfilling prophecy works.  A good friend of mine works for a medium sized owner of retail centers.  He was complaining how the activity at one east side shopping was not as good as they wanted.  Needless to say, the next time I needed something, I was hesitant to shop at their center.  I went to one down the street, where I had heard things were booming.  How much better it would have been for his plaza, if he had stated sales at the stores were doing well and they were actively searching to fill the empty stores. I would have much more inclined to shop at his plaza. 

Now apply this to the city and region.  How many times have we heard bad, derogatory or sarcastic news and information about our region.  This came mostly from our lone daily periodical.  There is an outdated adage in news industry, ’bad news sells’ and former editors of this media lived by this shortsighted thinking.  Unfortunately why they may have increased their circulation temporarily, they and the region in the long run lost and continue to lose.  It is no surprise that this periodical is struggling to attract young readers. 

The new editors  seem wiser concerning the long term growth of news paper, but its too early to accuracy judge their style.  Recent studies have shown the best way for local news outlets to survive is to be more local; not a surprising revelation.  A recent example illustrates they are not doing as well as they could be at being more local. In the spring a team from a local suburb took 1^st place in a National Science competition.  They were #1 in the country!!!  What a statement about the schools and parent involvement in our area.  Unfortunately there was little mention of it.  If this had been a sports team, think of the coverage.  But even if there wasn’t wide regional interest, think of not only how many papers this would have sold to friends and family.  Additionally how much pride local Clevelanders would have taken in this home town team.  We can only hope our lone paper can become more local and more positive.

The local paper is not the only reason the region views itself so poorly.  At fault are also too many community leaders who are equally as negative.  Because my family and I live here, I am hesitant to name specific individuals, but I’m certain each of us know at least one civic or business leader who is says nothing but negative statements about this area.  Why it’s difficult to change people opinions, it’s probably more effective to simply not give these negative individuals your ear.  By not listening, you’re not encouraging their bad behavior.  Additionally if you want to have some fun, regardless of their status, you can always simply smile and walk away.  The smile will let them know, you understand these individuals are misguided and misinformed.     

This is so pervasive that many of us don't realize when it shows up blatantly in our every days lives.  For example, examine the local brewery which has named a beverage after one of the city’s more notorious event.  My family owed a brewery in this town and they would have never named one of their beverages in such a way.  It makes Clevelanders believe the Cuyahoga River is the only river in the world which caught fire.  Rivers in Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and scores of other cities have caught fire.  Why not rename this beer, Burning RIVERS, so it’s understood ours is not the only region whose river caught fire.  Unfortunately the Cuyahoga River was turned into a politicians publicity stint.  It helped bring a national change, but why were we the only city to publicize it.  Maybe 40 years later its time to publicize all the American rivers or lakes which have burned.  Cleveland is not alone in this dark chapter in American history. 

Unfortunately this happens almost everyday in the Cleveland area and here a just a few examples of this daily misinformation.    

A friend of mine was interviewing for a profession’s position at a division of  Case Western Reserve University and during the interview the interviewer asked, “would you be willing to move to Cleveland?”  What this interviewer did not know is my friend had grown up here and loved this area.  As I have lived in different areas of this country and individuals have always talked highly of their areas.  How could a world class institution such as Case Western Reserve speak so poorly about this fantastic area?  They may need  retraining of their hiring managers.

This story was given to me by one of the true bright spots in the area, Positively Cleveland and their media contact Samantha Fryberger.  It appeared in The Miami Heard in the spring 2008.   Assistant travel editor Marjie Lambert wrote that she had an idyllic day in Cleveland, visiting the Rock Hall and drifting lazily on a Lake Erie sunset cruise. Then the boat's DJ started to explain how the city wasn't as bad as its passengers might think. This caused Lambert to note, "I wondered how much longer Clevelanders - with their pretty lake and cleaned-up river, classic baseball stadium and terrific rock 'n' roll museum - would feel compelled to go on the defensive in the company of tourists who, after all, had voluntarily chosen to visit their hometown."

Most people who complain about Cleveland have not lived anywhere else and don’t know what and how treasures are contained here.    

Please remember the Economist magazine; a respected international publication ranked Cleveland the most livable city in the United States.  If this was any city in the south they would have t-shirts, banners, parades about this ranking.  We need to begin to understand the way outsiders understand, the beauty and quality of our region. 

Below is a short (emphasis on short) list of benefits that this area contains.   

3 Major Sports Teams: Indians, Cavs, Browns.  How many cities have 3 major sports teams.  There are a total of 61 cities or regions with at least one profession sports program.  However there are only 17 which have at least 3.  We are only 1 of 17 that has this much sports coverage.  Not a bad place to be and think of all those regions that don’t even have one. 

 
Here are some of the often overlooked national if not international gems of our region. 

Park system – this is one of the largest and most beautiful in the country, however because its not in Cleveland proper, it many times is overlooked.

Water – we reside on one of the planets great wonders; a GREAT lake.  Recent studies have shown that the country of India may run out of water  by 2050, especially with the global warming occurring.  Many writes have call water the  21^st century oil.  Remember if anyone ever calls Cleveland the mistake on the lake, simply reply, “At least we have a lake…”.

Affordable housing and living – this is one of the most economical affordable areas in the world and recently new immigrants have been moving here just for this reason.  This country has been built by immigrants and we should welcome all that come our way. 

Commute time – most people’s commutes are short and easy.  This is not the case in so many areas across the country. 

Rich History – John D Rockefeller vacationed here even after he ‘moved’ to New York.  The reasons he vacationed here still exist; the art museum, the orchestra, the lake, the good hospitals, the good schools and so many other lasting treasures. 

The greatest legacy from our Western Reserve ancestors  was the region’s emphasis on education.  The area has what I like to call a great “Intellectual Infrastructure”.  The region is replete with high quality primary, secondary, private, public, undergraduate, graduate, post graduate and beyond.  Any well educated person understands learning never ends and this area abounds with continuous learning opportunities.  This is one reason so many wealthy individuals continue to live in this area.    

 
If we want this region to prosper we need to take a more positive outlook of ourselves. There are two reasons, one has to do with tourism and the other has to do with simple and positive job growth. 

People might shrug off tourism, however recent economic studies have shown that tourism is the largest industry in the world.  The state of Florida does not have a state income tax due to the economic impact of tourism.  The states of California, Texas, South Carolina all  have healthy tourism industries.  In the winter it might be hard to attract people outside of the University Circle area, however during the summer, we certainly have some of the finest weather around.  It’s for this reason we need to save the Air Show from leaving.  Its one of the few in the country and it brings Cleveland millions of tourism dollars. 

The other reason is pure and simple economic and job growth.  When this writer lived in North Carolina he heard the following story many times.  Whether or not it is true, I can’t be sure however it bears repeating.  The story concerns a woman working at a convenient store when someone riding a motorcycle came in. He asked her how she liked the town and she talked excitedly and enthusiastically about how much she loved the town.  The stranger was a business owner who moved a company division there and all the jobs with it.  Whether or not this is true doesn’t matter, what matters is this story is told over and over again in the growing regions of this country and not told in the older most established and more culturally rich and sophisticated regions of this country. 

Also at issue is how the national media is continually putting Cleveland in an incorrect and poor spotlight.  How many times have surveys written something derogatory about Cleveland; many of these are not only incorrect but they’re also libelous.  Unfortunately this is a late 20^th and early 21^st century issue and there seems to be no organization in charge of correcting these mistakes.  Unfortunately, Cleveland City Hall doesn’t do it, nor do the County Commissioners but I have often wondered why the large foundations who are charged with helping and improving the Cleveland area, don’t look at this recent issue.  They have some great minds on their staff and boards and if they wanted to put an end to this they certainly could do so.  Very little in the short term could more positively impact this area than correcting erroneous statements about our area.   

When discussing Cleveland’s need for an improved self image with a well respected business and civic leader, he simply stated one of the city’s sports teams needs to in a championship.  This will certainly help; think of how happy the region is after a Browns win, or a Cavs or Indians playoff win.  This will help but as I can’t assist those teams winning games or championships, I'll continue to do what I can do to help this region; write.  In many ways, this conversation was the genesis of this article. 

No one article will change people’s feeling, but it’s a strong hope that this article will start people thinking about this topic and hopefully get some thinkers and resources on this important issue.  I know that if Clevelanders won’t stand up for our region, no one else will.  The first thing to do in making this place a better place to live, work and raise families is to realize how fortunate we are to have all of the resources (natural and man made) that are located here. We’re not have a GREAT Lake, but we’re in a GREAT Region.