This week’s Slow River goes back to a raw April day in Cleveland in 2018. We had noticed scholastic rowing teams navigating their way around a small bump on the surface of the water - a bump that wasn’t moving. River veterans surmised it was a tree that had been driven into the riverbed 28 feet below by a passing freighter. So the tree became a permanent obstacle (instead of floating down the river to the lake).

We had previously noticed a Great Lakes Construction Co. barge installing fenders for the RTA Cuyahoga River Viaduct piers and we wondered if that nearby horsepower could be brought to bear on the obstacle. A call to The Port of Cleveland set the stage for the tree pull that few imagined would turn in to such a whopper.

The Port of Cleveland is a sponsor of the July 24 Blazing Paddles Paddlefest on Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River. Learn more about the kayak, paddleboard, and canoe recreational celebration of Cleveland’s hardworking, scenic, and historic Cuyahoga River by visiting our website (Learn More/Register).

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