The Cuyahoga is a generally slow moving river with some extreme whitewater in it's middle section. It leads into Lake Erie, which makes its tumultuous history all the more important. The Cuyahoga River was a dumping ground for industrial pollution for many years and it was one of the most polluted rivers in the United States. It was so polluted with oil that it caught fire over a dozen times. The 1969 Cuyahoga River fire (which was a fairly uneventful 30 minute incident) became famous. Cleveland's Mayer Carl Stokes (the first Black mayer of a major US city) demanded national attention after the 1969 fire, so the pollution issue couldn't be brushed under the rug once again. Time magazine published an article about the fire and they incorrectly showed a picture of the 1952 Cuyahoga River fire. Ironically the 1952 fire that they pictured was much more destructive - it caused over a million dollars in damages - and it garnered basically no national interest. Congress established the Environmental Protection Agency and strengthened the Clean Water Act in 1970. Today (2022) the 1969 fire is celebrated as a catalyst for the US environmental movement and the Cuyahoga River is greatly improved - the EPA even deemed its fish safe to eat...once a month.
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