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Deer Creek State Park
State Park Information
Deer Creek State Park
20635 Waterloo Rd
Mt Sterling, 43143-9501
State Park Overview
Nature of the Area
Deer Creek State Park lies on the eastern edge of the great till plains of Ohio. These plains receive their name from the glacial debris, or till, which is a mixture of sand, silt and gravel that was deposited by the glaciers. As glaciers advanced across the northern two-thirds of Ohio, most hills and valleys were covered and filled in by the till, leaving this part of Ohio relatively flat.
Today, these rich plains in the parks region support corn, soybeans and wheat. The first settlers to the area did not find these open fields. Except for a few small prairie openings, the region was covered by dense woodlands. A regrowth of the original woodlands can be found scattered along the ridge tops and creek bottoms of the park.
Wildflowers abound in the fields and woodlands of the till plains. In spring, common flowers are Dutchmans breeches, rue anemone, trillium, spring beauty and bloodroot. Summer months produce thimbleweed, wild lettuce, jewelweed and daisy fleabane. In autumn, the most abundant flowers are aster, goldenrod and chicory, whose roots were used by settlers to make a coffee-like beverage.
The best known animals of the Deer Creek area include amphibians such as the chorus frog, spring peeper and American toad. Reptiles include box and painted turtles, black rat snake and eastern garter snake. Numerous mammals inhabit the park. Most of them are small and include the red fox, raccoon, opossum, woodchuck, skunk, rabbit, deer mouse and white-tailed deer. Deer Creek is known for its population of ring-ecked pheasant. Other birds of the area include eastern meadowlark, song sparrow, cowbird, eastern bluebird, barn swallow and woodcock.
Camping
Trails
Picnicking
Boating
Swimming
Fishing and Hunting
The lake at Deer Creek is famous for its early spring saugeye fishing below the dam. Excellent catches of catfish, largemouth bass and crappie also entice the angler.
The lake provides excellent waterfowl hunting. Twelve hunting blinds are issued each season on a lottery basis. Hunting is permitted in the state wildlife area adjacent to the park for pheasant, rabbit, squirrel and deer.
History of the Area
On a long ridge that once overlooked Deer Creek and its valley, researchers have discovered evidence of a camp of an ancient Indian tribe. The nomads who camped here around 2,000 B.C. were hunters and gatherers and used this camp periodically throughout the year. Since agriculture was not practiced by the nomads, they moved on after they depleted the plant or animal food supplies in a locale. Burial sites - the camp indicate it was inhabited over a period of time.
In more recent years - cottage owned by Harry M. Daugherty, the attorney general under President Warren G. Harding, overlooked the valley. The rustic one and one-half story cottage was built in 1918. The President was said to have visited this cottage which now bears his name.
The completion of the dam in 1968 created the lake with the park officially opening in 1974.
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