The Vermilion River is a river in northern Ohio in the United States. It is long and is a tributary of Lake Erie, draining an area of . The name alludes to the reddish clay that is the predominant local soil along its route. The river is commonly muddy after rains. The river receives returns of stocked steelhead trout from the ODNR each fall through spring. This is the westernmost river, in Ohio, that the ODNR stocks yearly with steelhead trout. During the end of spring the fish return to lake Erie for the summer and will return to the river in the fall. The river is also home to smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, rock bass, channel catfish, bullhead, longnose gar, various suckers, bluegill, sunfish, carp, crappie, freshwater drum, various minnows and darters, crayfish, and a variety of aquatic insects. Course The Vermilion River flows from Mud Lake in the town of Bailey Lakes in Ashland County and follows a generally northward course through Huron, Erie and Lorain counties, past the towns of Savannah and Wakeman. It enters Lake Erie in Erie County at the city of Vermilion. A short distance before the river enters Lake Erie, near State Route 2, it passes through a deep gorge. The Vermilion rest area along the northern (westbound) side of Route 2 features a short nature trail leading to an overview of the gorge. A major archaeological site, known as the Franks Site, sits atop the gorge walls; it was once a large village of the Erie tribe. Three short tributaries are known as branches or forks of the Vermilion River. The Southwest Branch Vermilion River and the East Branch Vermilion River join the Vermilion in Huron County. The East Fork Vermilion River rises in Lorain County and joins the Vermilion in Erie County. Variant names The United States Board on Geographic Names settled on "Vermilion River" as the stream's official name in 1899. According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Vermilion River has also been known as: Oulame Thepy Vermillion River River en Grys History The Vermilion River (formerly spelled "Vermillion"- double 'L') has been known by that name since at least 1760 in explorer George Croghan's journal, and was also recorded by that name in Montressor's 1764 journal of the Bradstreet expedition; and its location is denoted correctly on a 1778 map by Hutchins. In Croghan's 1760 journal, he records