Miami and Erie Canal
In 1825, the Ohio Legislature approved funding to construct an Ohio water works system. In 1825 began the construction of the Miami Canal fron Cincinnati to Dayton. In the 1830s it was decided to extend the canal to Lake Erie at Toledo; the canal was renamed the Miami and Erie Canal. It took from 1825 to 1845 to complete the Miami-Erie Canal & have it operational.
The
Miami and Erie Canal was a
canal that connected the
Ohio River in
Cincinnati,
Ohio with
Lake Erie in
Toledo, Ohio. It consisted of 19
aqueducts, 3
guard locks and 103
canal locks. Each lock measured 90 by 15 feet and they collectively raised the canal 395 feet above Lake Erie and 513 feet above the Ohio River. The peak of the canal was called the
Loramie Summit and extended 19 miles between
New Bremen, Ohio to lock 1-S in
Lockington north of
Piqua, Ohio. The system consisted of 301.49 miles of canal channel and was completed at a cost of $8,062,680.07 in 1845. Boats were towed along the canal using either
donkeys or
horses walking on a prepared
towpath along the bank. The boats typically travelled at a rate of 4 to 5 miles per hour.
Grand Lake St. Marys, an
artificial lake west of
St. Marys, Ohio was originally constructed as a
reservoir to supply water for the canal. Lake Loramie in Shelby County was also constucted as a reservoir for the canal. Indian Lake in Logan County was greatly enlarged to provide a steadier supply of water for the Sidney feeder. All three lakes are still used for recreation.
* 4 ft. water depth.
* 40 ft. wide at water level.
* 10 ft. wide towpath in addition to mandated outer slopes.
* All slopes are 4-1/2 ft. horizontal to 4 ft. perpendicular.
* The canal could handle boats up to 32 ft. long and 14 ft. wide.
Completed just before most of the
railroads in Ohio were built, the canal competed with railroads through much of its useful life. Ice in the winter, as well as the slowness of the boats, made it fairly impractical compared to railroads, and by 1906, the canal had largely ceased to operate. A catastrophic flood of the
Great Miami River in
1913 and the subsequent
flood control measures constructed by the
Miami Conservancy District destroyed much of the canal infrastructure along the southern portion of the route where it paralleled the
Great Miami River. One of the original locks (#17) is located in the
Carillon Historical Park in Dayton, Ohio. An unrestored, but complete lock is located just off main street (State Route 571) in
Tipp City.
Much of the original towpath served as the
right-of-way for the
Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad, an electric
interurban streetcar that operated until
1940. Part of the right-of-way was converted to the Wright-Lockland Highway (now part of
Interstate 75).[
1]
From 1920 to 1925 $6 million dollars was spent to use the bed of the canal to build a downtown subway. The surface was paved over to form Central Parkway. Funds ran out before the
Cincinnati Subway was completed.
The following is a list of towns and cities (arranged North to South) along the Miami and Erie Canal.
*
Toledo, Ohio*
Waterville, Ohio*
Providence, Ohio*
Texas, Ohio*
Napoleon, Ohio*
Florida, Ohio*
Defiance, Ohio*
Junction, Ohio*
Melrose, Ohio*
Ottoville, Ohio*
Delphos, Ohio*
Spencerville, Ohio*
St. Marys, Ohio*
New Bremen, Ohio*
Minster, Ohio*
Fort Loramie, Ohio*
Port Jefferson, Ohio (North end of the Sidney Feeder)
*
Sidney, Ohio (Middle section of the feeder)
*
Lockington, Ohio (Southern end junction of the Sidney Feeder)
*
Piqua, Ohio*
Tipp City, Ohio*
Huber Heights, Ohio*
Dayton, Ohio*
Moraine, Ohio*
Alexandersville, Ohio*
West Carrollton, Ohio*
Miamisburg, Ohio*
Franklin, Ohio*
Middletown, Ohio*
Cincinnati, Ohio*
Map of canals in Ohio, the Miami and Erie Canal is on the left*
Ohio Department of Natural Resources guide to the Miami and Erie Canal
