The Blanchard River has shaped the story of Findlay and Hancock County from the very beginning. The river stretches about 103 miles through northwestern Ohio, flowing north through Hancock County and then turning west through Findlay before joining the Auglaize River in Putnam County. It is named for Jean Jacques Blanchard, a French tailor who settled among the Shawnee people along the river in 1769, and the Shawnee name for the river was Sho-po-qua-te-sepe, meaning Taylor's River.

 

During the War of 1812, Fort Findlay was built on the south bank of the river and used as a supply depot. The river has always been central to life in Findlay, providing water, supporting industry, and offering a place of natural beauty in the heart of the city. Today the Blanchard River Water Trail offers visitors a chance to paddle through the same landscape that Native peoples, early settlers, and generations of Findlay residents have known and depended on for centuries.