Vermilion’s Streetscape: A Photographic Journey
The Color of Red Is
Pictured in My Snapshots
By Anna Krejci
The city of Vermilion, Ohio is named after the Vermilion
River that parts the town and flows into Lake Erie. “Vermilion” is another word for red and comes
from French. French traders named the
river as such because, dating back, red clay was present in the environment
surrounding the Vermilion River and Native Americans created dye from the clay. Nowadays, red shale – which formed from the
red clay - can be seen in the cliffs that tower alongside the Vermilion River
in the Lorain County Metroparks Vermilion River Reservation at Mill Hollow.
A cliff wall sits above
the Vermilion River. This photo was
taken earlier this May from the Vermilion River Reservation at Mill Hollow.
Corey and I visited the Vermilion River Reservation and
downtown Vermilion earlier this May. We
enjoyed hiking on the trails at the reservation and shopping in downtown
Vermilion, as well as eating in the restaurants there. It was our first time
staying there, and it felt like a cozy resort town.
Vibrant and diverse color decorates the downtown streetscape
in Vermilion, but during my recent trip there, I was observant of the ruddy
features: the red-and-white-striped awnings on several storefronts; the red
flowers situated in a planter at Friendship Park; and the red Japanese maple
shading the decorative railway platform.
I made it my purpose on vacation to photograph red objects. I like photography exercises, so this was a
way to become even more immersed in this lakeside environment that is to the
west of Cleveland, yet not as far west as Sandusky.
Led by a red chair, this line-up of colorful seating is
adjacent to Main Street Beach on the Lake Erie shore and is in sight of
Vermilion’s lighthouse.
The lighthouse at Main Street Beach had visitors, which
included me. Its base is painted red;
the upper part is white. It had a
Fresnel lens that was lit at night. I
photographed the lighthouse and a set of pastel-colored Adirondack chairs – one
of them was red – that lined the greenspace behind the lighthouse.
As we learned, Vermilion was a community where lake boat
captains resided. A lot of the homes
look historic and lovely. At Friendship
Park, which is along Liberty Avenue and adjacent to the Ritter Public Library,
there are signs that explain the history of the shipping boats once constructed
in Vermilion. The town’s boat business
eventually became focused on recreational boating. At Friendship Park, there was an image of a
compass engraved into the stone patio.
At one corner, I photographed a planter that was filled with some
dainty, reddish-orange flowers that reminded me of the place name.
A planter is seen in Friendship Park in downtown Vermilion.
A red-and-white-striped awning covers the sidewalk outside
of one of the stores on Liberty Avenue.
We shopped at the stores downtown. Two shops had red and white awnings. To stand underneath them, and look up, made
me cheerful. The red awning, contrasting
with the blue sky and green leaves, pleased my eyes. Beneath the awning, I also felt the mild
breeze and the relaxation of spending a slow time observing my surroundings. While Vermilion had shops that sold apparel,
stones, jewelry and decorative items for a home, among other items, in the past
it had been known for its fishing industry.
Incidentally, Corey and I ate Lake Erie perch for lunch at one of the
restaurants. Stone and lumber industries
also generated wealth for the town in the past.
We made our way to the Main Line Rail platform in Victory
Park. The platform was a raised, wooden
deck with several benches on which train enthusiasts could perch
to watch the numerous freight trains pass.
There was a sign posted on a bulletin board at the platform that
informed me there were no passenger trains or train tour rides that departed
from there. I realized the platform was
erected for a nice piece of nostalgia and show.
There was a lovely red, Japanese maple planted beside the platform,
which I photographed. I was reminded of
the town’s place name by looking at the reach of its leafy branches.
This train-viewing platform is an interesting feature of
Vermilion. The city has many freight
trains that pass through.
So, Corey and I saw a lot of places in Vermilion and enjoyed the atmosphere all along. Part of my captivation with Vermilion and the history behind its name, is that I did not know the word vermilion was that of a color. The city’s history is most definitely intriguing to know, but I have a new appreciation for the vocabulary of colors. For red shades in my 64-count crayon box from childhood, I have maroon, red, violet red, brick red, red violet and wild strawberry. After this trip, I won’t forget about the color vermilion, or the city of Vermilion, anytime soon.
A section of wall in downtown has been painted red as well.
Source
Simonson, Bruce. “Geology of the Vermilion River Watershed.”
Living in the Vermilion River Watershed, 2013, pp. 8-12.
Simonson explains the naming of the Vermilion River, its geology and the Native Americans’ use of a pigment from the earth. The publication was produced by the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, Firelands Chapter and Oberlin College.
About Our Trip to Vermilion
Corey and I arrived in Vermilion from the east on U.S. Route 6. We had driven from Cleveland along the lake route, and we enjoyed the view of the water. We passed parks and rode through other interesting lakefront communities along the way. The weather was lovely, which made a big difference in a positive way.
We had made the Vermilion River the main attraction of our
trip, which we saw from the Vermilion River Reservation at Mill Hollow. You can
find more information on this property of the Lorain County Metroparks by
clicking on the link below.
https://www.loraincountymetroparks.com/vermilion-river-reservation
For other activities, like shopping, taking a self-guided
walking tour, visiting the local history museum, or dining in the restaurants
around downtown, you can find useful information by clicking on the link to Main Street Vermilion below.
