At the time John Patterson developed Hills & Dales as a respite from city living. the best view of the Miami Valley was from a spot on the hilltop ridge called Inspiration Point, where Ridgeway and Oak Knoll Drives now intersect. Those expansive views have since been obscured by development and tree growth, however a chimney is marks the spot of the original scenic camp.
The Hills and Dales Ridges
Adapted from "An introduction to the geology of Dayton and vicinity, with special reference to the gravel ridge area south of the city, including Hills and dales and Moraine park"
In the Hills and Dales, the Adirondack, Panorama and Watershed ridges unite near Inspiration point, in a region of high land in which the gravel and sand deposits form an almost continuous sheet.
These are not the only impressive examples of long and narrow gravel ridges. The Hills and Dales owe their chief charm to their presence. One of the chief ridges, the Adirondack ridge, extends in a southeasterly direction, in a remarkably straight course, as far as Inspiration Point. This is a distance of a mile and a half, along which the crest of the ridge rises and falls, widens and narrows, and yet maintains within narrow limits the same course. The views toward the west extend over comparatively flat or gently rolling grounds.
