I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 412 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine 
the suitability and feasibility of establishing the Western Reserve Herit-
age Area. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 26, 2005 
Mr. RYAN of Ohio introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Resources 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 
study to determine the suitability and feasibility of estab-
lishing the Western Reserve Heritage Area. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Western Reserve Her-
itage Areas Study Act’’. 
SEC. 2. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STUDY REGARDING THE 
WESTERN RESERVE, OHIO. 
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) The area that encompasses the modern-day 
counties of Trumbull, Mahoning, Ashtabula, Por-
tage, Geagua, Lake, Cuyahoga, Summit, Medina, 
Huron, Lorain, Erie, Ottawa, and Ashland in Ohio 
with the rich history in what was once the Western 
Reserve, has made a unique contribution to the cul-
tural, political and industrial development of the 
United States. 
(2) The Western Reserve is distinctive as the 
land settled by the people of Connecticut after the 
Revolutionary War. The Western Reserve holds a 
unique mark as the original wilderness land of the 
West that many settlers migrated to in order to 
begin life outside of the original 13 colonies. 
(3) The Western Reserve played a significant 
role in providing land to the people of Connecticut 
whose property and land was destroyed during the 
Revolution. These settlers were descendants of the 
brave immigrants who came to the Americas in the 
17th century. 
(4) The Western Reserve offered a new destina-
tion for those who moved west in search of land and 
prosperity. The agricultural and industrial base that 
began in the Western Reserve still lives strong in 
these prosperous and historical counties.
(5) The heritage of the Western Reserve re-
mains transfixed in the counties of Trumbull, 
Mahoning, Ashtabula, Portage, Geagua, Lake, Cuya-
hoga, Summit, Medina, Huron, Lorain, Erie, Ot-
tawa, and Ashland in Ohio. The people of these 
counties are proud of their heritage as shown 
through the unwavering attempts to preserve agri-
cultural land and the industrial foundation that has 
been embedded in this region since the establishment 
of the Western Reserve. Throughout these counties, 
historical sites, and markers preserve the unique tra-
ditions and customs of its original heritage. 
(6) The counties that encompass the Western 
Reserve continue to maintain a strong connection to 
its historic past as seen through its preservation of 
its local heritage, including historic homes, buildings, 
and centers of public gatherings. 
(7) There is a need for assistance for the pres-
ervation and promotion of the significance of the 
Western Reserve as the natural, historic and cul-
tural 
heritage 
of 
the 
counties 
of 
Trumbull, 
Mahoning, Ashtabula, Portage, Geagua, Lake, Cuya-
hoga, Summit, Medina, Huron, Lorain, Erie, Ottawa 
and Ashland in Ohio.