Field Notes Ohio

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117 parks in 7 regions

Mary Jane Thurston State Park

Grand Rapids · Wood & Henry Counties · Northwest Ohio
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
105acres
2.7trail miles
1928established

Visiting information you can trust

Content last reviewed
September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source
ODNR park finder (search this park)
Location confidence
Verified property location
Mary Jane Thurston State Park, 1466 State Rte 65, McClure
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets
ReserveOhio — camping and cabin bookings
Hunting or permits
Designated shoreline is open to trapping and waterfowl hunting, and part of the property is open to archery hunting only. A valid Ohio hunting license is required, and ODNR provides a hunting map for the park.

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

The story of this land

The Maumee is one of the oldest roads in the Midwest. The valley was rich hunting ground for many Native American nations, and as settlers pushed west, fighting followed. President Washington sent General Anthony Wayne, who built Fort Defiance in 1794 at the meeting of the Maumee and Auglaize rivers and then marched down the valley. At the Battle of Fallen Timbers, Wayne's army defeated the warriors led by Blue Jacket, which ended twenty years of conflict between the tribes and settlers.

The canal came next. The Miami and Erie Canal ran north from Cincinnati and met the Wabash and Erie Canal south of Defiance in 1845, at last linking Cincinnati to Lake Erie. To keep the canal filled, the state built a dam across the Maumee at Gilead in 1845, and the townspeople of Gilead were furious. An older, smaller dam already powered their mill, and the new one shorted it of water. They took matters into their own hands and destroyed the dam.

The compromise was a small feeder canal, the Gilead Side Cut Canal, which linked the town to the main canal, and a new dam. In 1855 the canal port of Gilead was incorporated as Grand Rapids. In 1928 a Grand Rapids schoolteacher named Mary Jane Thurston left fourteen acres to be used as a park. After several transfers and leases, the state dedicated Mary Jane Thurston State Park in 1968. The land was once part of the Great Black Swamp, 120 miles long and 30 to 40 miles wide, that drained by 1900 into some of the state's best farmland.

Things to do in the park

  • Camp at the family campground in electric sites or carry in your gear to the tent-only sites
  • Fish and paddle the Maumee State Scenic River; a launch ramp is at the marina
  • Rent a kayak at the park office in season
  • Walk the Storybook Trail, a children's story posted along a mowed path
  • Play the free 18-hole disc golf course or the archery range with static and 3-D targets
  • Sled the campground hill in winter when conditions allow

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Mary Jane Thurston State Park.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Grand Rapids, a canal village with a historic riverfront, shops and restaurants, about three miles away
  • Providence Metropark, across the river, with canal-era history
  • Sauder Village living history museum in Archbold
  • The Toledo Zoo and Toledo Mud Hens, about 40 minutes northeast
  • Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Meigs, near Maumee

Hiking trails

About 2.7 miles of short, easy trails: Blue (1.2 mi), Orange (0.5 mi), Yellow (0.5 mi) and the 0.45-mile Storybook Trail, plus the 0.3-mile towpath that continues into Grand Rapids.

Wildlife you might see

  • Bald eagles fishing the Maumee
  • Turtles basking on the marina banks and native frogs along the storybook trail
  • Waterfowl on the river, and trapping and waterfowl hunting in designated areas
  • Oak Openings-style sand ridges, wetlands and forest typical of the old Great Black Swamp region

Fishing

  • The Maumee River offers some of the best stream fishing in Ohio: walleye, white bass, smallmouth and largemouth bass, channel and flathead catfish, bullhead and crappie. Ohio fishing license required for ages 16 and up.

Hunting

Designated shoreline is open to trapping and waterfowl hunting, and part of the property is open to archery hunting only. A valid Ohio hunting license is required, and ODNR provides a hunting map for the park.

The Night the Town Blew Up the Dam

The canal builders promised prosperity, but not to everyone. When the state built a big new dam across the Maumee at Gilead in 1845 to feed its canal, the people of Gilead watched the water back away from their mill. The old, smaller dam had powered the mill just fine. The new one belonged to the canal. So one night the townspeople took the law into their own hands and blew it up.

The state rebuilt it, and by some accounts the dam was blown up more than once. Finally the two sides made a deal. The state dug a small side canal to connect Gilead to the main canal, and the town got its own canal port. Ten years later, in 1855, Gilead was incorporated under a new name: Grand Rapids.

Behind the legend

ODNR and the See Ohio First history site both tell it this way. The accounts differ on how many times the dam was destroyed. ODNR says the citizens destroyed it on one night. The See Ohio First history site says residents dynamited it several times. What is not in question is the outcome: the Gilead Side Cut Canal, which is a real surviving remnant, and the town's new name.

The park itself is a footnote to that story. It was not built on old canal land, since the canal ran on the opposite bank, and its founder was a schoolteacher, Mary Jane Thurston, who left the first fourteen acres in 1928 on the condition that it be used as a park.

If you go

Walk the 0.3-mile towpath from the park into Grand Rapids and look for the remains of the side cut canal along the way. Then stand at Providence Dam across the river and picture the townspeople with their dynamite.

Historic sites near Mary Jane Thurston State Park

Forts, villages, furnaces and lighthouses within reach of this park. Tap one for its story and visiting details.

Fort Meigs

Perrysburg · Wood County · Northwest Ohio
A reconstructed War of 1812 log fort overlooking the Maumee River, with blockhouses, batteries and a museum.
National Historic Landmark
About 17 miles from this park · 1813

Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis

Maumee & Toledo · Lucas County · Northwest Ohio
The decisive 1794 battle that ended the Northwest Indian War, and the British fort next door.
National Historic Site (affiliated with the National Park Service)
About 20 miles from this park · 1794

Road trips through Mary Jane Thurston State Park

Scenic byways and heritage drives that pass this park or run close to it.

Maumee Valley Scenic Byway

Northwest Ohio
Camping on the river.
Scenic byway59 miles
1 day · Defiance to Maumee, at Fort Miamis

Oddities near Mary Jane Thurston State Park

Roadside curiosities, legends and giant things within reach of this park.

Tower of VW Beetles

Defiance · Defiance County
Five 1960s Volkswagen Beetles stacked on end in the lot of Pack Rat's Pawn Shop.
Stack of cars
About 30 miles from this park

The Buckeye Trail at Mary Jane Thurston State Park

Ohio's 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop passes through or beside this park. Tap a section for its route, camping, water and resupply.

21 Defiance Section

55 miles · Paulding, Defiance, Henry, Lucas
Electric and tent-only camping on the river
2 parksTrail towns

Campsites

Electric site
Family campground on the Maumee River · pets allowed on all sites · reserve up to six months ahead
$31–35/night
Tent-only site (non-electric)
Carry-in sites, with parking away from the tent site · pit toilets at camp, showers at the marina
$25–29/night

On site

  • Marina with launch ramp and seasonal kayak rentals
  • Day Lodge for groups of up to 50 (reservable)
  • Two riverside picnic areas with grills and restrooms
  • Playground, basketball and sand volleyball courts
  • Park office in McClure; the same office also runs Van Buren State Park
Continue to ReserveOhio →
Field Notes Ohio isn't connected to ReserveOhio, so it can't hold a site or take payment. Tapping through opens it in a new tab — search "Mary Jane Thurston State Park" there to finish reserving.
Prefer the phone?419-832-7662

The park office handles both Mary Jane Thurston and Van Buren State Park, so the number is shared. Day lodge restrooms close in winter. The Maumee is a river, so check water levels and current before you paddle or launch, and call the office for river conditions.

Restaurants nearby

Knucklehead's Kafe
Burgers, ribs and steaks in the historic village; closed Monday and Tuesday
Directions
Wild Side Brewing Company
Brewery with wood-fired and Detroit-style pizza; open Tuesday to Sunday
Directions
Mama Theresa's Italian Restaurant
Wood-fired pizza and famous meatballs; open Thursday to Sunday
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Marathon Gas
Small-town station in Grand Rapids, close to the park
Directions
Speedway
24 hours, about 12 miles northeast
Directions

Details last checked 2026-09-22. Confirm hours and prices before you go.