Miami and Erie Canal

United States Migration  Canals  New York  Erie Canal



Background
The Miami and Erie Canal was a canal in Ohio that ran about 274 miles (441 km) from Toledo to Cincinnati and created a water route from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. Construction on the canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1845 at a cost to the state government of $8,062,680.07. At its peak, it included 19 aqueducts, three guard locks, 103 canal locks, multiple feeder canals, and a few man-made water reservoirs. The canal climbed 395 feet (120 m) above Lake Erie and 513 feet (156 m) above the Ohio River to reach a topographical peak called the Loramie Summit which extended 19 miles (31 km) between New Bremen, Ohio to lock 1-S in Lockington, north of Piqua, Miami County, Ohio. Boats up to eighty feet long were towed along the canal by using either donkeys, horses, or oxen walking on a prepared towpath along the bank at a rate of four to five miles per hour. The usage of the canal gradually declined during the late 19th century due to competition from railroads and was permanently abandoned for commercial use in 1913 after a historic flood severely damaged it. Only a small fraction of the canal remains today along with its towpath and locks