The park takes the name from an ambitious businessman responsible for the preservation of much of the area as a state preserve. After purchasing 335 acres in 1896 along the gorge, Bryan called the land \"Riverside Farm.\"
The Little Miami River was a vital economic source of industrial development for the early communities in the 1800s. Several enterprises began establishing water-powered industries in the gorge - as the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh road served the area. particularly,the town of Clifton prospered due to the establishment of textile mill, grist mills and sawmills.