Ohio's Canals
In the early 1800’s, Ohio was considered among the poorest of states. Its 1820 population of 800,000 was mostly farmers who had no outlets and no buyers for their produce. A canal system labeled “The Big Ditch” was proposed.
Governors Ethan Brown and Allen Trimble worked hard for canal approval. In 1822, a canal commission was formed and an engineer, James Geddes, was hired to survey possible routes. Money was raised by the sale of public lands.
We can only imagine the wrath of the cities and the editors of their papers when the routes were not located near their towns. Many argued that the idea itself was ridiculous. And others opposed the heavy borrowing necessary to finance the canals. When the system was completed, Ohio owed eighteen million dollars.
On July 4, 1825 after all preliminary planning was completed, an official opening ceremony took place in Newark. Great crowds turned out to hear military bands play and hear speeches by Senator Thomas Ewing, Governor Jeremiah Morrow and Dewitt Clinton, the “father” of the Erie Canal in New York.
The digging of the Ohio Canals took 20 years. The labor was performed by Irish and German immigrants. They got 30 cents a day plus food, whiskey, and lodging. Later wages rose to $26 a month and board. The canal system was called an “Irish graveyard” since diseases, chiefly malaria, took a heavy toll. The dimensions of the canal, as set by the state, were to be 40 feet wide at the top, 26 feet at the bottom with a depth of 4 feet. There was to be a ten foot wide tow path on one side and a five foot berm on the other.
Reservoirs to provide water for the canals were created at Portage Lakes, Buckeye Lake, St. Mary’s and Indian Lake. The locks averaged 6 to 12 feet of lift and were 90 feet long by 15 feet wide. From the Ohio River going north to Newark, the Ohio and Erie Canal had a lift of 413 feet. At its peak, almost a thousand miles of primary, side and feeder canal routes existed.
The closest canal to our area, the Miami and Erie canal, paralleled the Maumee River over to Wabash and then south to the Ohio River near Miami. A passenger could expect to spend 4 to 6 days on a trip from Toledo to Cincinnati. Passage through the locks took up most of the time. The trip cost $7 including meals. The cabin was a dining room by day and a dormitory at night. Mules towing the boats were changed every 15 miles.
The Miami and Erie Canal was completed in 1845, and remained a vital transportation link for passengers and cargo until the 1850’s when the competition from the railroads drove it out of business. It was abandoned in 1888, then from 1906 to 1909 it was restored. The 1913 flood badly damaged the structures. However, the portion from Grand Rapids to Maumee was maintained to generate electric power until 1929.
If our readers would like to visit a canal and learn about canal times, they would have an opportunity at Providence across the river from Grand Rapids, Ohio. There visitors will find a early section of the Miami-Erie Canal, which was built in 1839. It has been restored and offers authentic canal boat rides with a guide who talks about the heyday of the canal.
Providence was once a boomtown with five hotels and numerous saloons, but in 1843 it was devastated by fire. All that remains is a house, a church, and the Isaac Ludwig Mill.
Metro Parks of Toledo offers a number of programs for seniors throughout the summer on Wednesdays. On such program will be held on July 21, with a discussion of the Toledo War between Ohio and Michigan.
Fridays are Family Days. On July 16th there will be story telling about canal and frontier days and a ride on the canal boat. On Saturday, July 24th, there will be Basket-making taught by master craftsman, Marti Biker. These programs are offered on the Providence side of the Maumee River by Metro Parks of Toledo. Readers can learn more about them by calling (419) 832-6006.
Grand Rapids on the south side of the Maumee River is a small town with a peaceful park which offers access to the river and the rapids. When we were there, we met a fisherman with a string of two to five pound channel catfish. The tow path is now shaded by trees and offers a walk accompanied by the music of the rapids.
The downtown area has many interesting shops, including Another Tyme, with political buttons, dolls, needlework, milk glass, and fringed lamps; Dandy’s Lane offering several kinds of fudge, Christmas figures and teddy bears; LaRoe’s Restaurant, remarkable for its varied menu and the many portraits of local citizens done by Bill Kuhlman. Dominick Labino’s portrait is there.
Also in Grand Rapids is Labino’s glass studio, now operated by his understudy, Baker O’Brien. In the fall, on the second Sunday in October, Grand Rapids hosts an Applebutter Fest with pioneer demonstrations, historic crafts and food.
To travel to Grand Rapids from Tiffin, take State Route 6 past Bowling Green and turn right on Wapakoneta Road to Grand Rapids. It is a pleasant day trip of about 53 miles.
– Percy and Mary