This 103-mi (166-km) long tributary of Lake Erie is a classic industrial river, with, however, one monumental distinction: it caught fire–twice. The first fire, in 1959, burned for eight days; fireboats merely spread the blaze. Typical of the times, a November 1959 article in Fortune seemed to glorify the industrial pollution here, with words and a portfolio of drawings reminiscent of Charles Dickens. Inspired by feelings of space and excitement, the artist stated: "It is a great expanse, with a smoky cast over everything, smudged with orange dust from the ore–an overall brown color." Clevelanders consoled themselves that the foul water at least symbolized prosperous times.

The second fire occurred on June 22, 1969, as several miles of river along the lowland industrial section called "the Flats" ignited, fed by bunker oil, trash, and tree limbs trapped by a bridge 6 mi (9.7 km) upstream. This fire, along with the...