Galion

History

The region was first inhabited by Native American tribes up until the first settlers, Benjamin Leveridge and his two sons, arrived in 1817. In 1820, William Hosford and his two sons, Asa and Horace, settled on land outside of the area. It was not until Colonel James Kilbourne decided to "lay out a town half way between Columbus and the Lakes" that the crossroads of Portland and Main street were settled by the Hosford family. This crossing was known by various names including: Moccasin, Horseshoe, Hard Scrabble, Spang Town, Hosfords and Goshen. However, in 1824 the town petitioned for a post office using the name Goshen and later changed to Galion by the postmaster general, John McLean, due to a town already being named Goshen in Ohio. The etymology of the name Galion is uncertain. A post office called Galion has been in operation since 1825. Asa Hosford is considered the "Father of Galion" due to his work as a state legislator in which he did work to get a rail line through the area that was completed in 1851. In 2005, Galion, Ohio, faced a major financial scandal when its former finance director, William Bauer, confessed to embezzling at least $87,000 from the city. Bauer’s mismanagement left the town $11 million in debt, resulting in significant cuts to city services. Programs such as the D.A.R.E. antidrug initiative were eliminated, police cruisers and computers were sold, and road projects were scrapped. Residents faced higher taxes and utility costs, while volunteers stepped in to clean parks and fund community events. Bauer, who had been finance director since 1985, admitted to stealing money due to a gambling addiction and credit card problems. He attempted suicide before being sentenced and was blinded in the attempt. Bauer later pleaded guilty to five…

Geography

Galion is located in the southeastern corner of Crawford County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Galion lies just south of a continental divide. The Olentangy River begins near and runs through Galion, and then winds southward toward Columbus and eventually empties into the Scioto River, a tributary of the Ohio and thus of the Mississippi. However, Lake Galion, which lies just north of town, is part of the Sandusky River watershed, which drains via Lakes Erie and Ontario into the Saint Lawrence River.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  6,024
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,946
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,068
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  4,676
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,675
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  4,370
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,133
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,764

Most recent

• M 3 — 2011-06-05
  5 km W of Lodi, Ohio
• M 2.7 — 2010-05-14
  1 km ENE of Gibsonburg, Ohio