Although the Cherry Valley Arboretum is a peaceful, serene setting today, it was once the site of tremendous industry. Here, in the late 19th century and early 20th century, over 100 brick ovens built into the sides of hills operated day and night converting coal into coke. The coke produced here was then transported to nearby giant blast furnaces to produce iron. During that time period the Village of Leetonia was one of the largest producers of iron in the state of Ohio.
Although iron is ubiquitous in our man-made world, it does not exist in nature in a pure form. Instead it is found in iron ore, a combination of iron oxides and various other minerals. The most widely used method of converting iron ore to usable iron is by heating it to a high temperature in the presence of carbon and limestone. The carbon removes the oxygen from the iron oxides and the limestone removes the other minerals. The resulting product is called pig iron, which can then be further refined to form other types of iron and steel.
Unfortunately, carbon doesn't exist in nature in a usable form either. but it is abundant in coal. This is where the Leetonia Cherry Valley coke ovens came into play. The ovens burned coal in a high-temperature, low-oxygen environment and converted it to a brittle, gray, porous material called coke, which is about as close to pure carbon as you can get. The coke, when transported to the blast furnaces, became the source of both the heat and the carbon for converting iron ore into pig iron.
The coal used in the production of coke here was mined from coal veins that were from three to seven feet wide and 50 to 70 feet below the surface of the ground. These coal deposits were formed about 300 million years ago from decayed plant life that existed in bogs, swamps and ancient coastal shorelines. Over the years, layers of sediment were deposited on top of the decayed plant hydrocarbons, squeezing out the hydrogen and oxygen and leaving behind coal, a solid rock composed of mostly carbon. Millions of years later the coke ovens completed the process, converting the coal into coke that was up to 95% carbon.
The iron ore, of a type called kidney ore, was brought down by advancing glaciers thousands of years ago and deposited in wash deposits within ten miles west and south of here.
The coordinates above will take you to a sign at the Cherry Valley Arboretum. Take some time to read it and to explore the ovens themselves, but do not enter the ovens. While you're at it, have a picnic at the pavilion, hike the trails, and enjoy the native Ohio trees, plants, and wildflowers!
Park closes at sunset.
To claim credit for this Earthcache, you must answer the following questions: (Note: questions have been updated as of July 27, 2014)
- According to the sign at the posted coordinates, where were the pig-iron producing blast furnaces located?
- The nearby town of Teegarden (which no longer exists) provided an important mineral for the Leetonia operations. What was it?
- Take a look inside the ovens that line the parking lot and estimate the depth (i.e the distance from the front opening to the back wall) of the largest and smallest ovens. Do not enter the ovens; a rough estimate is good enough!
Although you might be able to find different answers to question #1 from different sources, only the answers at the posted coordinates will be accepted. Do not include your answers in your log. Instead, geo-mail them to me within 3 days of your visit. (Earthcaching rules require me to delete your log if I don't receive your answers in a reasonable amount of time).
Thanks to the Village of Leetonia for maintaining this historic site
and permitting this Earthcache!
REFERENCES:
- Village of Leetonia online slide show (Interesting 8-slide presentation of the history of Leetonia and the coke ovens.)
- Roadside Geology of Ohio (First printing) by Mark J. Camp. (This is an excellent book and a must-have for Ohio Earthcachers!)
- Worlds of Chemistry by James N. Lowe. (Practical information about the chemistry that affects our everyday lives.)
- MSN Encarta: Fossil Fuels (A detailed explanation of the formation of coal and other fossil fuels.)
- Village of Leetonia signage (Coordinates above. Detailed information on the operation of the coke ovens)