The Cincinnati–Pittsburgh stagecoach road served the area, and several settlers established water-powered industries in the gorge. The town of Clifton prospered from the textile mill, grist mills, and sawmills there.
By the late 19th century, most of the industrial activity in the area had ceased. Water was no longer an economical source of power, and many mills were abandoned. However, one of the grist mills, built in 1802, is still in operation: the Clifton Mill, in the village of Clifton, is open to visitors.
In 1896, John Bryan, a businessman, purchased 335 acres (136 ha) along the Clifton Gorge area and called the land "Riverside Farm". This part of the Little Miami River was a vital, economical source of power for the early settlers in the 19th century. In 1918, he bequeathed Riverside Farm to the state of Ohio, "to be cultivated by the state as a forestry, botanic and wildlife reserve park and experiment station", which would bear his name. In May 1925, John Bryan's land became one of the state's first forest parks. In 1949, John Bryan State Park was transferred to the newly created Division of Parks and Recreation, part of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. John Bryan State Park and the adjoining Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve overlook the Little Miami River gorge, which the United States Department of the Interior designated a National Natural Landmark.[3][2]
^"Clifton Gorge". National Natural Landmarks. National Park Service. Retrieved November 3, 2020. ...exemplary of interglacial and postglacial canyon-cutting into the dolomites of the Niagara Escarpment.
