McDannell Run is named for a family who had several farmsteads where this small stream crosses East Lake Road. Some histories of Erie County also refer to it as Three Mile Creek, its distance east of Perry Square. Its watershed lies between those of Cemetery Run (on the west) and Four Mile Creek (on the east). Its course is comprised of alternating urbanized and natural sections, though scouring from storm water runoff and various sources of pollution compromise water quality throughout. As development proceeds in its upper reaches, the stream is likely to be at even greater risk.

McDannell Run rises on the first ridge south of Lake Erie, at the southern boundary of the City of Erie. Its watershed drains much of Southeast Erie including residential neighborhoods near McClelland Avenue, the Erie Industrial Park, the former Kanty College property, and other extensive tracts of yet undeveloped land. North of East 38th Street the main branch of the creek is largely open, passing through wetlands and the future McClelland Park. Construction of the East Side Access Highway here may increase runoff or alter the drainage patterns in ways yet unknown. From East 26th to East 10th Streets, the course of McDannell Run was mostly tubed in the 1970s (although its footprints can be readily seen). Several branches drain the Buffalo Road area, from east of Downing Avenue into the Wesleyville Borough. Near the former Conrail tracks the creek is briefly visible in the “Franklin Flats” at the south end of Bernard Dombrowski viaduct and on the southwest corner of the General Electric property. It then enters the Erie Housing Authority?s Franklin Terrace Apartments complex in a tube paralleling Franklin Avenue before emerging at East 10th Street. From here McDannell Run flows free and in its original course, now partially landscaped, through the Terrace.

At East Lake Road, the creek originally meandered west along the highway right-of-way for several blocks before crossing at the low point (at Ricardo?s Restaurant, where another branch of the creek comes in from the south) and cutting an arc between Chautauqua and Eagle Point Boulevards. With construction of the interurban railroad and the East Lake Road boulevard in the early 20th Century its course was straightened. North of East 4th Street McDannell Run enters a remnant of the mixed wetland hardwood forest which once covered its entire route, though the area straddling the Lawrence Park Township ? City of Erie border is slated for condominium development. For now, a hiking trail used by generations of children from the Erie Lakeside neighborhood lines its course. Descending layers of shale in a series of gentle waterfalls and riffles, McDannell Run finally tumbles over a 15′ cascade and across a perennial beach to share its waters with Lake Erie.

HENRY RICHARD OBERMANNS

Site 1: Beachfront Access

At the beachfront access, numerous geological processes and features can be observed. On windy days, with large waves crashing on the shore and the bluffs, listen carefully and you will hear the grinding, chattering sound of rocks scraping against each other as the water moves across the beach. Note how rounded and broken the loose rocks higher on the banks are. On such days, the tremendous erosive power of the waves is quite obvious. On quieter days, note the rounded rock and try to picture in your mind the grinding power of the waves.

Observe the color and banded patterns in the rock exposed in the bluff and at the waterline. Notice the different patterns. From the water line up the bluff about four feet, the rock shows a distinct pattern of alternate black and light gray layers. Higher up, this pattern stops and the layers are thicker and of a more uniform rusty brown color. The lower striped layers are sometimes called zebra rock. They are formed from very fine sediments in areas either farther out from shore or restricted near-shore areas where heavier sediments cannot reach.

The dark layers contain more organic materials and indicate stagnant, oxygen-poor water. Evidence of these conditions is confirmed by the occurrence of pyrite crystals in these layers. The pyrite is difficult to find, and most people will not be able to find any, but it occurs as small blebs and concretions from 5 mm to 10 cm in size.

Look for pale, brassy, metallic blebs or crystals in the rock.

The upper layers of rock are composed of somewhat larger sediments, and thicker layers. This indicates that more sediments were coming in and periods of stagnation were not occuring. These layers also contain an unusual geologic formation of cone-in-cone concretions. These concretions occur in a layer at about eye level from the water line. Cone-in-cone concretions are not particularly common, but many can be found here in the North East shales. Commonly, they range in size from 25 to 75 cm across and 5-7 cm thick. Further south, in the Girard Shales, concretions 5 m across and 1/2 m thick can be found.
If weather and waves allow, proceed along the bluffs to the mouth of Seven Mile Creek. Cone-in-cone concretions and pyrite occur all along this stretch. If waves are high, use the alternate route marked on the map.

Site 2: Mouth of Seven Mile Creek

Depending on recent creek levels, gravel and sand bars are usually present at the mouth of the creek. These are deposited as the current strength dissipates in the lake and sediment drops out of the water. This is just one example of how sediments are transported and deposited. As you move upstream toward the bridge, keep watching for pyrite in the lower rocks at water level and cone-in-cone rocks higher up.

Site 3: Bridge

Under the bridge, observe the ramp-like surface of the rock and how the layers of rock are bent upward. This is one side of an anitcline, formed as rock was laterally compressed and folded. Proceed up this small ramp and look very closely at all the rock surfaces. While very few fossils occur in this section of the rock, two kinds of trace fossils, or tracks of small animals are abundant here. The smaller little lines were most likely formed by some kind of worm crawling in the mud as they strongely resemble the squiggly lines modern worms leave in mud.

The larger (wider) tracks were most likely made by some type of arthropod as it crawled around looking for a meal in the mud. Possible candidates for these tracks are trilobites, crabs or eurypterids. No body fossils have as yet been found to determine what exactly made these tracks.

Site 4: Anticline and Falls

As you approach the bend in the stream, look closely at the bank where site 4 is marked on the map. You will notice how the rock is bent. This is a cross section view of an anticline where both sides or limbs can be seen, and parts of the crest or middle have been eroded away.

anticline

Notice how the edge of the falls parallels the trace of the center of the anticline. Where the rock was broken, it provided a weak area in the rock. The moving water could more easily erode this rock and the rock downstream from the broken rock, creating this small waterfall.

Site 5: Cone-in-Cone Layer

At the layer forming the top of the waterfall, keep a very sharp eye out for exposed cone-in-cone concretions. You will now see the top side instead of the cross sections seen in the bluff along the lake. Look for round, slightly domed, circular objects with a surface marked by many small circles.

Cone

Please do not damage or disturb any of these exposed concretions. Help preserve them for the next person to see.
Proceed up the creek and round the bend to Site 6, keeping an eye out for the abundant trace fossils described at Site 3.

Site 6: Falls and Pool

Stretching across the creek at Site 6 is the crest of another anticline that actually may be a small fault. Look at the exposed west bank and the line of bent and broken rock can be seen. Note how the moving water has been able to more easily erode the broken rock through the stream-bed, creating a large pool. If not for this geologic structure, this set of falls and pool would not have formed here.

If you happen to be here when the steelhead trout and salmon are running, this pool may be full of very large fish, resting as they move up the stream.

Site 7: Diagonal Joint Structure

At this site, a waterfall and ledge cut diagonally across the stream. This is caused by a large set of cracks in the rock that can be seen at the base of the ledge. Cracks of this type are called joints and differ from faults in that no movement has occurred on either side of the joint. Just as with faults, joints create a weak place in hte rock where moving water can more easily pluck out rock from the stream bed.

Site 8:

This is another anticline exposed along the streambed.

Site 9: The Big Bend

If you look at how close the stream-cut wall is to the road, the potential for erosion to eventually undercut the road becomes obvious. During the stream’s flood stage, erosion along the bank can be severe. A particular geologic feature along the streambed will eventually solve this problem. The question is whether geologic time and human time will intersect soon enough. If you stand up on the bank along Kraus Trail, notice that the flow of water during regular stream level is along the inside of the bend. Normal flow patterns would put the flow on the outside of the bend.

Look closely at the inside of the bend where the water is flowing; a very small anticline can be seen. The water is flowing on the side of the fold that dips away from the bend. The rock has been slightly broken away, deepening the channel, keeping regular flow levels to the inside of the bend. If erosion continues to cut into the far side of the anticline, this new channel will enlarge and accommodate larger flows of water. Geologically, this could take several hundreds of years. Flood stage waters will still continue to erode the outside of the bend. The big question is if this shifting channel will cause enough change, in time to prevent further erosion to the bend that will threaten the road. Only time will tell.

Site 10: The Footbridge and Falls

If you started the trail at Site 1 and moved up to Site 10, the best scenery as saved for last. This waterfall and pool are the largest at Glinodo. The footbridge provides a convenient overlook to see this waterfall. Geologically, Site 10 is very similar to Site 6. However, the intensity of rock fracturing at the crest of the anticline is more severe, allowing more rock to be more easily eroded. It is possible that this is actually a fault. The low bank and overgrowth on the stream’s banks makes it difficult to tell if movement has actually occurred. The narrow band of disrupted rock and the intensity are very strong indicators that this is a fault.

The folded rock just below the falls is bent in the correct pattern for a normal fault. However, the water and streambed rubble hide the other side, making it difficult to tell what has happened. In spite of this, it is clear that a geologic structure has caused the formation of this scenic spot.

If you have the inclination, see if you can find any more geologic features on upstream to Route 5. There are also several small features down-stream that are not described in the trail guide. It’s your turn to see what you can find!