THE CASTALIA STATE FISH HATCHERY--

Recognize the above location?  It is, what once was, the locally famous Blue Hole in Castalia, OH.  Long closed as a tourist attraction, I have fuzzy childhood memories of this marvelous pool being protected by a pedestrian wall with paved walkways in a nicely landscaped setting.

I remember peering into its ever-darkening, aquamarine depths and pondering the reality of a hole with no known bottom--as the marketing wizards of the day described it; a truly a menacing concept to a youngster and his lively imagination.

Today Mother Nature largely has reclaimed the site and the outflow (foreground) now serves as part of the water supply for the state's Castalia Fish Hatchery.

We were there one recent day during advertised business hours hoping to do a story on the facility but were denied access to all of the interior. We were invited, by a sign in the unoccupied office, to do a self-guided tour then encountered signs on every door demanding we stay outside.

The only human activity was a couple of fellows with high pressure water cleaning this raceway which stretches from the facilitiy's, hatchery buildings to the outlet stream (below)...

--which, itself, hosts this amazing ichthyological phenomenon...

...of hundreds of rainbow trout, evidently escapees of the upstream hatchery, who choose to hang around because they find the location to their liking.  The next lower photo is Sue's view as she stands on the bridge which is located on Homegardner Road at the entrance to the hatchery just off SR 269 north of Castalia.

Really curious?  Click here for a peek at the state's hatcheries including Castalia.