ors . ▁ ▁A ▁number ▁of ▁ownership ▁changes ▁since ▁ 1 9 4 2 ▁have ▁left ▁the ▁track ▁in ▁various ▁corpor ate ▁hands . ▁Port ions ▁of ▁the ▁track ▁are ▁now ▁b ik ing ▁and ▁h ik ing ▁tra ils . ▁ ▁Found ing ▁Jacob ▁Per kins , ▁a ▁prominent ▁att orney ▁in ▁the ▁city ▁of ▁Warren ▁in ▁Tr umb ull ▁County , ▁Ohio , ▁was ▁the ▁leader ▁in ▁the ▁movement ▁to ▁build ▁a ▁rail road ▁between ▁Cleveland ▁( a ▁fast - g row ing ▁industrial ▁center ▁and ▁port ▁on ▁the ▁sh ores ▁of ▁Lake ▁Er ie ) ▁and ▁the ▁coal ▁fields ▁of ▁east - central ▁Ohio . ▁A ▁previous ▁road ▁to ▁that ▁area , ▁the ▁Ohio ▁and ▁Er ie ▁Rail road , ▁was ▁proposed ▁earlier ▁but ▁nothing ▁came ▁of ▁this ▁project . ▁Per kins ▁helped ▁incorpor ate ▁the ▁Cleveland ▁and ▁Mah oning ▁Rail road , ▁which ▁was ▁char tered ▁by ▁the ▁state ▁of ▁Ohio ▁on ▁February ▁ 2 2 , ▁ 1 8 4 8 . ▁It ▁was ▁author ized ▁to ▁build ▁a ▁rail ▁line ▁from ▁Cleveland ▁to ▁an ▁un spec ified ▁point ▁near ▁Warren . ▁Initial ly , ▁Per kins ▁attempted ▁to ▁interest ▁the ▁Ohio ▁and ▁Pennsylvania ▁Rail road ▁( O & P ) ▁into ▁building ▁the ▁line , ▁but ▁that ▁company ▁decl ined . ▁He ▁then ▁offered ▁the ▁char ter ▁to ▁the ▁Pitts burgh ▁and ▁Er ie ▁Rail road , ▁but ▁it ▁was ▁un inter ested ▁as ▁well . ▁ ▁The ▁state ▁re iss ued ▁the ▁char ter , ▁with