Secret Spot: The Mystery of Akron's Signal Tree

A tree grows in Akron, and it stands above all the others. The Signal Tree is the subject of a mystery older than America itself, and it still eludes us today.

When visitors to the Cascade Valley Metro Park‘s Chuckery Trail round the corner, they’re surprised to see an 85-foot tall tree towering over a clearing with outstretched limbs. It’s clear that they’re in the presence of something special, but exactly what is still unknown.

A Curious Appearance

The Akron Signal Tree is approximately 300-350 years old. It predates the city of Akron, Ohio statehood, and even the founding of the United States. According to Mike Johnson, chief of conservation for the Summit County Metro Parks, the presence of the tree is curious enough. “It’s a bur oak, which is an unusual species for our area,” he told the Record-Courier in 2018.

Akron Signal Tree's unique shape — Was the Signal Tree’s shape natural or intentional?

Native American Signal

At the center of its mystery is the tree’s distinctive shape. The trunk and two main branches form a unique, three-forked base. It’s unknown whether this shape is natural or shaped by an accident. Others believe that Native Americans may have shaped the tree’s growth pattern. “The tree might have been physically manipulated by American Indians to use on a transportation route,” said Johnson.

Either way, the tree was used as a signal by Native Americans. With a distinctive shape and massive size, the tree was an clear marker for those passing by. According to a 1986 plaque at the site, “Trees with unusual shapes were often used by Indians as landmarks to identify important trails.”

Significant Connections

The plaque states that the tree marked the northernmost point of the Portage Trail. The trail connected the north-flowing Cuyahoga River and south-flowing Tuscarawas River. The Cuyahoga River used to be located closer to the Signal Tree, and the tree marked where Native Americans could remove their canoes from the river and carry them eight miles south to Summit Lake. This is how tribes including the Erie, Seneca, Shawnee, Ottawa, Delaware, and Mingo traveled to the Ohio River. This system was a significant connection between the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes through the Ohio River west to the Mississippi River. White settlers later followed in their footsteps, using the Signal Tree to find the path.

The Cuyahoga River near Akron's Signal Tree — The Cuyahoga River near the Signal Tree

Yet the location of the Portage Trail isn’t the only explanation for the Signal Tree’s meaning. According to Mike Greene, Summit Metro Parks Education & Recreation Manager, “It could mark a gathering place, maybe for ceremonies. It could show the way to another area or trail. It could mark the previous location of the river, or good hunting and fishing grounds.”

Holding on to Secrets

The Signal Tree continues to stand strong, despite suffering damage in a 2003 storm. Davey Tree Expert Co. has tended to the tree for more than 40 years, and is sponsoring the cost for a few years to give the Summit County Metro Parks a reprieve. Davey Tree tests, fertilizes, and prunes the tree and installs cables to support it. While it has lost one-third of its mass, new growth is replacing what was lost.

A protective fence surrounds the tree, but that doesn’t stop visitors from climbing it to pose for photos. Their impact on one worn tree limb is unmistakable. Still, Davey Tree Assistant District Manager Jake LeBarre says that based on testing, the tree could live another 300 years.

The Akron Signal Tree remains a spectacular place to visit and reflect on all it has seen over the centuries: the shifting of the Cuyahoga’s course, the growth and decline of the surrounding urban area, and the changing faces from those first Native Americans to hikers of today. It’s age, shape, and function are still a mystery, and hopefully the Signal Tree will hold on to its secrets for many years to come.

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