OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Ohio Canals (Part 6) *********************************************************************** OHGENWEB NOTICE: All distribution rights to this electronic data are reserved by the submitter. Reproduction or re-presentation of copyrighted material will require the permission of the copyright owner. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/oh/ *********************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 September 11, 2001 *********************************************************************** Historical Collections of Ohio The Kelley Family Collections Newspaper article, Plains Dealer compiled by S.J. Kelley-- 1925 And Then They Went West by Darlene E. Kelley 1998 *********************************************************************** Ohio's Canals -- Part 6. Growth of Canal Towns and Cities-- As the migration of people came from various other places, Ohio's population increased and new towns along the Canal routes grew abundantly. Population in the state of Ohio in 1800 was approximately 45,365. By 1810, there were 230,760. In 1820, 581,295 and in 1850 the population grew to 1,980,329. The economy was certainly enriched. For instance; Akron grew from 700 in 1820 to nearly 4,000 by 1857; Chillicothe from 2,416 to over 10,000: Cincinnati, from 2,602 to 200,000, the greatest growth; Circleville from 500 to 3,500; Cleveland from 400 to 60,000; Columbus from 1,400 to 25,000; Dayton from 1,139 to 16,000; Hamilton from 600 to 4,000; Newark from 700 to 4,000; Portsmouth from 500 to 5,000; Toledo from 500 to 14,003; and Zanesville from 2,000 to 12,000. It was never fully determined what the cost of the canals were in reality, however some estimates were that the State of Ohio lost around $ 13 million on the project as they funded smaller systems that were beyond their time before they were built. However, the profit to Ohio and its people in general is inestimable. The canal system opened Ohio and Ohioans to such economic and industrial improvements that Ohio was now a significant member and contributor to the economy and spread by the immigration and migration of the United States of America across the vast continent. List of Ohio Canals and their feeders -- Eastern Ohio ; Ohio and Erie Canal Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal Sandy and Beaver Canal Walhonding Canal Muskingham River Improvement Hocking Canal Ohio City Canal Middlebury Branch Canal Nimishellen & Sandy Canal Cuyahoga Feeder South Feeder Zoar Feeder & Sidecut Trenton Feeder Dresden Sidecut Granville Feeder Columbus Feeder Western Ohio; Miami Canal Miami Extension Canal Wabash & Erie Canal Miami & Erie Canal Warren County Canal Cincinnati & Whitewater Canal Gilead Sidecut Toledo ( Swan Creek ) Sidecut Maumee Sidecut Grand Reservoir Feeder Sidney Feeder Hamilton Sidecut Central Ohio Milan Canal ****************************************** Milan Canal -- This 3 mile long canal with 2 locks ran from Huran to Fries landing on the Hudson River from where it was navigable to lake Erie, bringing prosperity to the wheat growing region of Milan. It opened in 1840 with a mile long ship canal that opened up Milan as an interior port. Milan became second only to the Russian Port of Odessa in the export of wheat. The development of the canal greatly increased the export of the areas products, mainly wheat and flour to other regions of the country. The canal basin was formed by damming the Huron River. This provided enough water to supply the whole canal and operate the locks. In May of 1847 a line of wagons waiting to unload into the canal boats was over 6 miles long, over 35,000 bushels of produce were handled in that one day. Exports of wheat rose from 4,000 bushels before 1840 to 1.6 million bushels in 1847. This example is proof of how the canals in Ohio helped the economic growth of a poor State into a prosperous State wth links to markets in both the east and west of a fast growing and expanding country. The canal was closed when a davasting flood occurred in 1868. Ohio City Canal -- The community of Ohio City across from Cleveland, incorporated in 1836, authorized the building of a canal to promote the growth for their community. It entered the Cuyahoga River opposite the outlet of the Ohio & Erie Canal. It attracted warehouses and docks to its side of the river. Ohio City was soon absorbed into the fast growing City of Cleveland. Gilead Sidecut; It provided access to the Miami & Erie Canal for the town of Gilead, now Grand Rapids. It was 2/10 of a mile long with no locks or rise. Zoar Feeder & Sidecut; This canal was most profitable economically to the German religious community of Zoar, but also ultimately to be the reason for the demise of the religious sect. It was built by the Zoarites in order to avoid foreclosure on their property and connected the town of Zoar with the Ohio & Erie Canal. Directly due to the influence of the Canal the community built up a good wheat, flour, and iron ore industry and even purchased some canal boats of its own. However, the influx of new people from the canal business to the community, brought with it diseases, such as cholera, that had up until this time, been unknown in the community, and the prosperty of these people caused dissention amongst its members of the sect and then to its demise. Nimishellen & Sandy Canal; The Town of Canton, proposed the building of a canal alng the Nimishaellen River and Sandy Creek to join it with the Sandy Beaver Canal. A furrow was dug along the route that was wide and deep enough for small craft and enthusiasim was high. However, due to the fact that the stream was too small to suppy the required water and two swift. The canal never came to fruition and thousands of dollars were lost. There would have been more locks per mile on the canal than any other exisiting canal at the time because the drop in the short distance from Canon to the Sandy Creek was so great. Dresden Sidecut; This sidecut entered the Ohio & Erie Canal at Webbsport, connecting the Muskingham River Improvement with the caal at Dresden. It had an aquaduct over Watakomica Creek that was 3 miles long with 3 locks with a total rise of 29 feet. Granville Feeder; Near Millersport on the LIcking Summit. It was 6 miles long with one lift lock of 10 feet rise and one guard lock. Toledo ( Swan Creek ) Sidecut & Maumee Sidecut; These two sidecuts wre near the mouth of the Maumee River and caused a great competition between the two communities.Both Toledo and Maumee were to have sidecuts from the Miami & Erie Canal to the Maumee River which was to give both direct access to Lake Erie. The direct river access was not used much due to the inability to control the Canal boats in the currents of the Maumee River. As with the southern terminus in Cincinnati, cargo was offloaded and trans-shipped to the lake. The Toledo ( Swan Creek ) Sidecut was one mile long, with two locks, having a rise of15 feet. One of three northern termini of the Maimi & Erie Canal, the Toledo Sidecut, by 1871, became the sole northern terminus for the canal , due to acts of the legislature, that closed the Manhatten Extension and the main canal north of Swan Creek in 1871 and the Maumee Sidecut in 1864. The Maumee Sidecut was 1 1/2 miles long with 6 locks, having a total rise of 63 feet. It left the main channel 8 1/2 miles south of the head of the Toledo Sidecut and " locked " into the Maumee River at a point directly across from Perrysburg. A rock bar, allowing only shallow river traffic to travel the sidecut. This led to the decision in 1864 to abandon the connection to the river. Sidney Feeder ; The Sidney feeder was 14 miles long, with no locks or rise. It followed the Great Miami River from Loramie Creek through Sidney to Port Jefferson. A dam across the river at Port Jefferson, fed the feeder. Lewiston Reservoir, now Indian Lake, was created at the head of the Great Miami and became the principal water source for the summit. The water flowed down the river for 18 miles before it entered into the feeder at Port Jefferson. The Columbus Feeder; This feeder was begun on April 20,1827. It was 12 miles long, which connected Columbus with the main line of the Ohio & Erie Canal. It took 4 years to complete. The water supply came from the dam across the Scioto River in Columbus with several locks. It joined the Ohio & Erie at Lockbourne through 8 locks. The first mile was built by convicts from the State Penitentiary. The first boat the " Governor Brown " was traveled on the canal September 23, 1831. The Trenton Feeder; This feeder was three miles long with one guard lock and no rise. Hamilton Sidecut; It was 6/10 of a mile long which included no locks or rise. Grand Reservoir ( St Mary's ) Feeder This feeder was designed to tap into the resources of several natural springs and the Beaver Creek, allowing some 50 miles of the Miami Extenson to be supplied with water in the dry season. It was started in 1837. It became a long process tat met with great controversy from the local residents. It was to become the largest man-made body of water in the world at that time. It covered more than 15,748 acres and spanned from 9 miles long to 2 to 5 miles wide. It was formed by building dams or large embankments across the eastern and western ends of a natural valley. Between 10 to 20 feet high, these embankments were finished in 1842 and the valley was finally closed. With 4,000 acres of low lying swampy land and the rest timbered, the original plan was to clear all the trees in the valley before filling the reservoir. However, the legislature felt that it was an unnecessary expense and ceased all clearing. In the spring of 1843, the reservoir was allowed to fill with water. In an effort to bring attention to the half submerged, rotting timber, local residnts caused a breach in the western enbankment, that drained the reservoir. Damages cost the State $17,000, causing the commerce reduced on the canal until the reservoir was refilled. Eventually the State, had the trees sawed off at the water line, creating an unseen hazzard to boats and fishermen on the reservoir. The tree stumps were not removed until recent times and the reservoir is now a very productive recreational area. The feeder itself from the reservoir to the canal was three miles long and entered the canal between locks # 11 and # 12 at St Mary's. The feeder was navigable and a wooden lock in the eastern embankment of the reservoir allowed canal traffic and boats to be lifted to Lake level and to travel the reservoir to Celina and Montezuma.There was no towpath along the lake and therefore, canal crews were required to take their animals on board and to use long poles to navigate the reservoir. The wooden lock was replced in 1852 with one built of Dayton stone. A return feeder was constructed the same year between locks # 6and # 7 to return excess canal water to the reservor. ********************************************* to be continued in part 7.