Volney Rogers
| Volney Rogers | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
December 1, 1846 East Palestine, Ohio |
| Died | December 3, 1919 (aged 73) Cañon City, Colorado |
| Known for | Mill Creek Park |
Volney Rogers (December 1, 1846 – December 3, 1919) was a lawyer in Youngstown, Ohio, United States, who is known for his role in transforming Mill Creek "hollow" into one of the nation's most celebrated metropolitan parks. Rogers, a seminal figure in the history of America's state park system, served as counsel for the American Civic Association, a group dedicated to the preservation of Niagara Falls.
Rogers was born and raised in the farming community of East Palestine, in Columbiana County. After finishing school, he taught for one term and then studied telegraphy. Rogers took a position as an operator in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, and later served on a construction crew that strung a wire along the old National Pike from Pittsburgh to Baltimore. While employed as a telegrapher for the Pennsylvania legislature in Harrisburg, Rogers decided to study law. He was admitted to the bar in 1871, and formed a partnership with his brother, Disney Rogers. The business partners set up an office in downtown Youngstown.
An avid horseback rider, Rogers encountered Mill Creek Gorge during a jaunt through Youngstown Township in 1890. He was so impressed with its natural beauty that he took steps to preserve the gorge, which was then becoming a locus of timber production and the site of numerous stone quarries. An account published after Rogers' death describes the scene as follows: "Already, the sound of sawmill buzz saws could be heard in the distance, and Volney Rogers resolved to secure Mill Creek for a park for Youngstown for then, for now, and for the evercoming future".
Rogers secured options on much of the land and was able to purchase large tracts of it. This was no small task given that he was compelled to deal with more than 90 landowners. Once the land was secured, Rogers framed and promoted what he called the "Township Park Improvement Law". Upon the law's passage, Rogers turned over all of the land he had secured for park purposes. Rogers enlisted the help of his brother Bruce, who had studied landscape architecture; and Bruce Rogers became the first Mill Creek Park superintendent. The project also benefited from the contributions of well-known landscape architect Charles Eliot, and the park is considered one of his notable works.
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