The Cowan Lake region was once a stronghold of the Miami and Shawnee Indians. After their defeat at the hands of General

Anthony Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, the Indian threat subsided and settlement began here. In 1797, the first settler in

the area, William Smalley, began clearing land for his home along the river which was later dammed to form Cowan Lake.

Smalley had been captured by the Indians when he was a small child and was forced to live with them until he was twenty years

old. He later fought in General Wayne's army, was recaptured, but luckily escaped with his life.

Cowan Creek was named for the area's first surveyor, John Cowan. A dam was completed across Cowan Creek in 1950, and in

1968, Cowan Lake was dedicated as a state park.