At Rambler Reserve, our name does two things: it tells you what we do, and it tells you exactly where we come from. We’ve already talked about what it means to ramble—to wander, to explore, and to get lost in the long-winded stories of this city. But today, we’re digging into the second half of our name.
The "Reserve."
If you look at the history of Northeast Ohio, you’ll realize that the grit, the architecture, and the very foundation of our streets all tie back to a massive, post-Revolutionary War land grab known as the Connecticut Western Reserve.
A Piece of New England in the Midwest
To understand the Reserve, you have to rewind to the late 1700s. After the American Revolution, the newly formed states were squabbling over who owned the vast, uncharted wilderness west of Pennsylvania. Connecticut, a tiny state with massive ambitions, held a charter from the British Crown granting them land that stretched all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
Eventually, the federal government stepped in and told the states to surrender their western claims so the country could organize. Connecticut agreed, but with one major catch: they kept a 120-mile strip of land south of Lake Erie. They "reserved" it for themselves. This wild, forested frontier officially became the Connecticut Western Reserve.
Charting the Wilderness
In 1795, the state sold most of this land to a group of investors called the Connecticut Land Company for $1.2 million. They needed to map it, divide it, and sell it to pioneers looking for a fresh start.
Enter Moses Cleaveland. In the summer of 1796, Cleaveland led a rugged surveying party across the frontier. They battled disease, unpredictable weather, and exhaustion to map out townships in strict five-mile squares. When Cleaveland finally reached the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, he stepped off his boat, looked at the marshy, forested riverbank, and decided it was the perfect place for a capital city. He named it after himself, laid out a New England-style public square, and promptly went back to Connecticut, never to return.
(Legend has it the "a" in Cleaveland was dropped years later by a local newspaper printer because the full name wouldn't fit on the masthead—a very on-brand piece of practical Cleveland history).
The Legacy We Ramble Through Today
The surveyors and early pioneers who settled the Western Reserve brought their New England roots with them, and you can still see it in the bones of our region today.
When you ramble through the area, take a look at the architecture. The classic white steepled churches, the colonial-style homes, and the central public squares found in surrounding towns—all of it was imported by those early East Coast settlers. Even the grid-like layout of our oldest streets is a direct result of those first surveying maps drawn up in the dirt in 1796.
We chose the name Rambler Reserve because we are obsessed with that foundational grit. We are built for the explorers who want to uncover the layers of history hidden right in our own backyard. When you head out to trace those old surveyor lines, wander the historic public squares, or explore the architectural marvels left behind by early Ohioans, you need gear built for the journey. Throw on The Garfield Memorial Heavyweight T-shirt - Ivory to celebrate some of the city's finest historic stone craftsmanship, and top it off with the matching vintage-inspired JAG Cap. Or, if you're reflecting on the dense frontier those original surveyors first encountered, grab the Cleveland The Heart of Forest City Washed Cap. They are our nod to the territory we call home, and the perfect uniform for dusting off the stories of the past.