Preserve Description

Located along the banks of the Maumee River, Blue Cast Springs is in an area with a rich history of Native American settlement. Several ravines running through the upland forest feed into the river. Bluffs 30 feet high offer vistas of the river and one of its islands. Large trees along the riverbank are home to an active blue heron rookery.

This property was the site of a natural spring once thought to have healthful properties. In 1901, New Haven businessman Henry F. Schnelker purchased the land where he bottled and sold spring water and aspired to open a sanitarium. Although later owners realized his dream, the enterprise was short-lived. Financial troubles closed the sanitarium by the 1920s, and it later fell into disrepair. Today visitors can still see the building’s foundation.