Olentangy Origins

The Olentangy River flows into Columbus from the north. It is fed from it's origin in Morrow County near the Richland County line and flows into Crawford County, the city of Galion, then back into Morrow County, Delaware County and finally Franklin County and Columbus where it empties into the Scioto River near downtown Columbus at Confluence Park.

Sunday we traced the river to what we believe is it's origin. Near the village of Blooming Grove, it appears the river begins as a combination of run off and possibly a spring in a farm field near Blooming Grove Road near Route 97. We believe the pool of water in the left of the photo is a spring, while the sunken area in the center of the photo is the beginning of the field run off.It crosses under Blooming Grove road and from there, it meanders in a mostly northern and western direction through farm fields and finally crosses under Route 97 as it heads toward Galion.

Finding the origins of rivers, since they are prominent landmarks in Columbus, is interesting in a different way. Earlier last fall, we found the marked origins of the Scioto River. We hope to one day to take the trip to Minnesota and find the origins of the Mississippi.