June 22, 1969: Umm, the Cuyahoga River's on Fire … Again
Described the Cuyahoga as a river that “oozes rather than flows” and a place where a person “does not drown but decays.” Hyperbole, perhaps, but effective.The fact is the Cuyahoga River was badly polluted and the factories and industries around Cleveland were the chief culprits. It’s very telling of the mindset of the time that Cleveland fire chief William Barry described the burning river as “a run of the mill fire.” Neither Cleveland daily treated it as major news.
But magazine did, and the image of a burning river next to a major American city was alarming. This incident played a significant role in the passage of the Clean Water Act and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Source: Wikipedia, Pratie Place
Photo: A fire tug fights flames on the Cuyahoga River near downtown Cleveland, Ohio, where oil and other industrial wastes caught fire June 25, 1952. (AP)
This article first appeared on Wired.com June 22, 2007.
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Cuyahoga River Fire - News
Fire Dept Rescue Team Scott Simmons - Brock Murphy and David Moore Lt. photo by Robert J. Lucas There's plenty of fun to be had on the Cuyahoga River. Taking the proper precautions before getting your feet wet is the best way to ensure that fun stays
1969: The Cuyahoga River catches fire near Cleveland, Ohio. Unrestricted dumping of waste by local industries, leaving the river clotted with oil and other combustible effluent, is blamed. Actually, the famous fire (famous mainly because
A Kent Police Department Patrolman made a snap decision and saved a teen from drowning in the Cuyahoga River. Saturday evening, Officer Jim Ennemoser heard an emergency call for the fire department over the scanner,
Ennemoser is credited with pulling three people out of the Cuyahoga River earlier this month, as well as working with a fellow officer to pull a man out of the river in a separate incident. And, for the first time ever, he entered a competition with K9
"Recent incidents have shown that much of the public do not understand the dangers of moving water," Kent Fire Lt. Dave Moore said in an email. Moore leads the Portage County Water Rescue Team. "Like all natural resources, our portion of the Cuyahoga
Burn, Baby, Burn « Little Bits of History
June 22, 1969: The Cuyahoga River in Northeastern Ohio catches fire. The river meanders through the Cuyahoga Valley for 100 miles and empties into Lake Erie. Moses Cleaveland, a surveyor, found the mouth of the river in 1796 and liked the area so much he settled there and established his eponymous town. For a very short time, the Cuyahoga River was the western border of the United States.
Industrial pollution wasn’t new in the 20 century. The river had caught fire several times before. In 1868, 1883, 1887, 1912, 1922, 1936, 1941, 1948, 1952, and in 1969. The fire in 1952 did between $1 and $1.5 million in damages to boats and riverfront property. The 1969 fire was much smaller. It was under control and extinguished within 30 minutes and did only $50,000 in damages. It is thought the fire started from a passing train throwing sparks that set fire to an oil slick. It was rather a non-event in Cleveland at the time with only the local fire patrol acting to put out the fire.
Small stories were buried in the local papers. However, Time Magazine article.
In 1963 the Cleveland area was already concerned with cleaning up the river when they instituted the Cuyahoga River Basin Water Quality Committee. In 1968 the city of Cleveland passed a $100 million bond with the money going to clean up the river. In that same year, the federal government spent $160 million for the entire nation. Businesses were encouraged to clean up their effluvium and many did so voluntarily or due to pressure from the community. The river was improving, as can be inferred from the differences in damages between the 1952 fire and this one. Efforts have continued to improve the beautiful river and in 1998 the Cuyahoga River was one of 14 listed as American Heritage Rivers. While the river is beautiful in spots, the EPA continues to monitor problem areas – areas of stagnation and with unsafe levels of pollution.
, August 1969“The lower Cuyahoga has no visible life, not even low forms such as leeches and sludge worms that usually thrive on wastes.” – The Federal Water Pollution Control Administration
“I will never forget a photograph of flames, fire, shooting right out of the water in downtown Cleveland. It was the summer of 1969 and the Cuyahoga River was burning.” – EPA Administrator, Carol Browner
“What a terrible reflection on our city.
RT : 42 yrs ago this week Cuyahoga River caught fire, helping lead to the Clean Water Act plus this! 
RT : 42 yrs ago this week Cuyahoga River caught fire, helping lead to the Clean Water Act plus this! 
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Real import of the Cuyahoga River fire? As inspiration for Randy Newman.
RT : 42 yrs ago this week Cuyahoga River caught fire, helping lead to the Clean Water Act plus this! Cuyahoga River Fire - Bookshelf
American space/American place, geographies of the contemporary United States
This explains why the Cuyahoga River fire became an environmental myth, ... The poetic potential of the Cuyahoga River fire was not at first appreciated. ...Great Events from History II.: 1966-1973
THE CUYAHOGA RIVER BURSTS INTO FLAMES Categories of event: Disasters; ... of Event The Cuyahoga River fire occurred at approximately 12:00 noon on Sunday, ...Break through, from the death of environmentalism to the politics of possibility
the Cuyahoga River fire of 1969. It was of a far more serious fire in 1952 that burned for three days and caused $1.5 million in damage. ...Break Through, Why We Can't Leave Saving the Planet to Environmentalists
the Cuyahoga River fire of 1969. It was of a far more serious fire in 1952 that burned for three days and caused $1.5 million in damage. ...Pollution
Clean Rivers: The Cuyahoga River Fire, A Case Study The Cuyahoga River in Ohio has been an important shipping route for many years. It was, at one time, ...Complete Information Directory
Cuyahoga River - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Outside of Ohio, the river is most famous for being "the river that caught fire", helping to spur the ... The 1969 Cuyahoga River fire helped spur an avalanche of water ...
Cuyahoga River Fire - Ohio History Central - A product of the ...
On June 22, 1969, an oil slick and debris in the Cuyahoga River caught fire in Cleveland, Ohio, drawing national attention to environmental problems in Ohio and ...
Cuyahoga River fire 40 years ago ignited an ongoing cleanup ...
It was only a flare-up of oily debris, quickly doused, but the Cuyahoga River fire of June 22, 1969, has stayed with us for 40 years, for good as well as ill.
Pratie Place: The Cuyahoga River Fire of 1969
On June 23, 1969, Cleveland's oily, contaminated Cuyahoga River caught fire. ... The fire was attributed to wastes dumped into the river by the waterfront industries. ...
Cuyahoga River: Information from Answers.com
Cuyahoga River River, northeastern Ohio, U.S. It flows past Akron , where it drops into a deep valley and turns north, emptying into Lake Erie at
