CANALS OF OHIO
By 1820 the main industry of the State
of Ohio was agricultural. It soon became evident that the state suffered
from a severe lack of reliable transportation to move its products
to eastern markets. The National Road was completed only from
Cumberland to Wheeling and was an expensive method of transportation.
The Ohio-Mississippi river route was long and dangerous.
The opportunity to connect Ohio with
the prosperous eastern markets became a reality in 1817 when
New York broke ground on a canal connecting Lake Erie with the Hudson
River and New York City. On July 4, 1825, work began on several canals
in Ohio
By July 3, 1827,one could board a canal
boat in Akron and the next day arrived in Cleveland. By 1832 the
entire 308 mile route of the Ohio-Erie was open to traffic.
The Miami & Erie Canal was
not initially conceived as a route from Lake Erie to the Ohio River.
The Miami Canal was in operation from Middletown to Cincinnati in
1828, and in 1830, the 17 miles were completed to Dayton. The
"Miami Extension" to Troy was not started untill 1833. To satisfy
political demands additional segments were parceled out to
contractors until 1845 when the entire canal was open to traffic
from the Ohio River to Lake Erie.
The canals prospered until 1855, the
year revenue receipts were their highest. At its peak, Ohio's canal
system consisted of almost 1,000 miles of main line canals, feeders
and side cuts. Located in forty-four of Ohio's eighty-eight counties,
the canals touched the lives of all the state's citizens. After 1855
the impact of the railroads began to be felt, and by 1903 water
sales income from selling canal water to businesses and industries
exceeded the income from freight carried on the canal.
Various attempts at restoration were
made between 1904 and 1910, however, on March 23, 1913, Ohio's
canal system came to an abrupt end. After a winter of record snowfall,
storms dumped an abnormally heavy amount of rain on the state.
The flood caused the reservoirs to spill over into the canals, destroying
aqueducts, washing out banks, and devastating most of the locks.
Although Ohio achieved statehood in
1803, 15 years after the first permanent settlement in Marietta in 1788,
it was far from a developed and organized state. There were only 70,000
inhabitants. The population of Ohio increased to over 500,000 from 1810
to 1820 as a result of the successful conclusion of the War of 1812, which
removed the Indian threat from the region, but these settlers were spread
over a vast wilderness.
The young state of Ohio was not only
covered by a vast forest, but it was geographically isolated from the developed
eastern states by the Appalachian Mountains. The fledgling federal government
could offer little help. Its only effort, the building of the National
Road (U.S. 40), was built to Wheeling, West Virginia, by 1817, but it would
be 1833 before the road was completed to Columbus.
To the south, access to markets via
the Ohio and Mississippi rivers meant a risky and costly journey of over
1,000 miles. Since New Orleans was the destination of goods from all of
the developed areas in the Midwest and western parts of this nation, it
was frequently flooded with goods, resulting in unpredictable prices.
The idea of a canal linking the Ohio
River with Lake Erie was first suggested by George Washington. He outlined
the idea in a letter to the Virginia House of Burgesses prior to the Revolutionary
War. (What is now Ohio was then a part of Virginia).
Ohio's future development was at stake.
Clearing the land of huge and dense forests was a daunting task, so the
pioneer families tended to produce enough only to sustain themselves. Access
to emerging markets needed to be created so that production would be encouraged
beyond the level of mere subsistence. Hauling charges of $25 per ton by
roadway were projected to decrease to $3 on the canal. Corn selling for
12 cents a bushel would fetch 37 cents. Flour bringing 30 cents a barrel
in Cincinnati was worth $8 in New York. Transportation was indeed the key!
Standard specifications called for the
canal to be 28 feet wide at the bottom, 40 feet in width at the top, with
the water to be at least 4 feet deep. The tow path was 10 feet wide, and
the berm or 'heel' path (on the other side of the canal where a boat could
tie up) 5 feet. Banks were to be lined with clay. Locks on the Miami Canal
were made of limestone.
Since there were no contractors of the
size capable of bidding on and completing large sections of the canal,
the Canal Commission itself served as prime contractor. A section usually
consisted of a half mile or a single lock.
Timing was good for the work on the
canal. Capable contractors and workers were becoming available as a result
of the completion of New York's canals. Local businessmen and farmers put
in bids for the work as well. Keen competition resulted in many bids coming
in under the cost estimates.
The beginning of work gave an immediate
boost to Ohio's economy, and those of the many communities along the way.
Funds from the sale of state bonds were deposited locally to pay the workers,
thus benefiting area merchants as well.
Members of the commission immediately
recognized an opportunity to generate additional revenue. They obtained
sites for mill operations on the canal, and leased them to local businessmen.
On October 11, 1834, it was reported that 26 mill sites had been leased
between Dayton and the Ohio River, with state revenues topping $5,000 per
year. About 150 more sites were projected for construction between Piqua
and Defiance.
Teams of oxen and mules provided the
power to haul away the material and deliver stone. The laborers worked
with wooden scoops, shovels, and wheelbarrows. Much of western Ohio was
covered by virgin forests during this time. The canal builders often encountered
trees with a diameter of seven feet or more. These giants had to be cut
down, and the stumps removed by hand. The men lived near the work site
in shanty towns where unsanitary conditions and disease were common. Working
conditions were miserable during much of the year, with freezing temperatures
in the winter and the threat of malaria, cholera, and other diseases in
the summer. It was said that for each mile of the canal, at least one worker
died of sickness or winter exposure. Farmers who owned a team of oxen or
horses were paid $1.25 a day to work on the canal. With land prices then
at about the same price per acre one such farmer amassed almost 600 acres
of land by providing such services.
The canal bisected many roads along
the way. Travelers on the roads had to have a way across the canal. In
many cases, this problem was solved with a 'swing' or 'bump' bridge. This
bridge would allow a horse and buggy or wagon to pass over the canal. Canal
boats would approach the bridge and bump the structure, pivoting it out
of the way. Some bridges were more substantial in character.
The most daunting task involved planning
and building the canal to traverse the highest point between the Ohio River
and Lake Erie at what is now the village of Lockington. This point, known
as the Loramie Summit, is 512 feet above the Ohio River. In or near the
village of Lockington alone, 6 locks were constructed to raise the level
of the canal water 67 feet.
Locks were 80 feet long and 14 feet
wide. Huge limestone blocks, weighing up to 500 pounds, were cut and hauled
into place. Massive gates of white oak were installed. The locks were tied
into the earth with long foundation stones. Most had wooden floors, which
never rotted as long as they were covered by canal waters. After a canal
boat was floated into the lock, and the gate closed, water was pumped in,
raising the boat to the height necessary for it to pass out the other side
of the lock and continue its journey. The typical lock on the canal had
a lift of 10 feet, although Lock No. 1 at Lockington had a lift of 15 feet.
Many locks and other locations on the
canal had mills. These mills used water discharged by the locks to turn
massive grinding wheels, which ground grain produced by local farmers.
Excessive water usage was an occasional problem.
The route for the canal was chosen
because of the proximity of natural water sources, such as the Great Miami
River. But other man-made water sources were needed. A total of five were
proposed for the area known as the 'Loramie Summit,' but only three were
built. The canal project thus included the construction of two reservoirs
to supply canal water in our area, Lake Loramie and Lewistown. Digging
out these mosquito-infested swamps to create lakes capable of holding water
was particularly tough work.
The third reservoir, in Mercer County,
is known as Grand Lake St. Marys. It was the largest man-made lake in the
world until the construction of Hoover Dam in Arizona in the 1930s.
There were several other specially engineered
structures associated with the canal. Culverts to carry the canal across
a river were needed. One culvert carried the canal over Turtle Creek.
The earthen embankment for the culvert was a half mile long. It carried
the canal over stream at a height of 50 feet above the creek level. Because
of its double-barreled construction, it was considered one of the most
important engineering feats of the entire Ohio canal system.
Building of the canal was a labor-intensive
effort. Many local farmers worked on the project. However, the local labor
market was insufficient. The canal planners and contractors turned to immigrants
as a source of labor. Although many had arrived to work on the canals from
New York, more workers were needed. Canal Commission members went on recruiting
trips to Germany. With the promise of inexpensive and fertile land being
available, and the chance to escape mandatory military service in Europe,
thousands responded. After an ocean voyage of 10 to 12 weeks, they were
processed at a port of entry on the east coast, usually Baltimore. Most
of the immigrants walked or rode in a wagon to Pittsburgh. The families
then faced a five day boat trip to Cincinnati, which acted as a clearinghouse.
The influx of German immigrants after
1836 did much to speed up the progress of the canal construction and the
settlement of area villages. Just over 6,000 Germans immigrated to the
United States between 1821 and 1830. That number swelled to over 950,00
in the 1850s.
The prevailing wage for the local canal
worker was between 30 and 50 cents for a work day spanning sunrise to sunset.
Because whiskey was believed to be a remedy for various diseases, contractors
offered it in addition to wages. The contractor who could offer the most
'jiggers' of whiskey could hire the most workers.
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