A dense swamp forest roughly the size of Connecticut once stretched across this region of Ohio and Indiana. A remnant of ancient Lake Maumee, this dense, soggy flatland supported abundant waterflow and wildlife, but blocked travel and settlement and remained largely uninhabited until it was cleared and drained for agriculture between 1860 and 1885. This marsh and other scattered remnants are all that remain of the Great Black Swamp. The area is managed for a variety of wetland wildlife and is one of the premier bird-watching sites in North America, with more than 300 species.