Thank you for posting your stories here on my blog. I'm certain we will all enjoy reading each others adventures along the canal.
Jeff Maximovich
The Johnny Apple Seed of the Ohio & Erie Canal
Certain stories are subject to ALL RIGHTS RESERVED which will be acknowledged at the beginning of the story. No part of a specific story may be produced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal. Any stories which fall under the terms listed, are not to be used for cinematic purposes without permission.
The Johnny Apple Seed of the Ohio & Erie Canal
Sold in most book stores use this ISBN #1424128765
2,142 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 401 – 600 of 2142 Newer› Newest»571- I also enjoy a challenge as W.A.Seed, but it would seem I'm stuck solid on posting 567, can we give a hint?
572--Between the years 1850 and 1860 Ohio supassed all other states in the buildong of railroads. As a result, net revenues from the canal fell below zero for the first time in 1856.Private leasing for a meager $20,075 per year restored a scant margin of profit fron 1861 to 1877.The state reclaimed the canal and after a thorough assesment it has gone into decline from which it would never recover.
573-The fate of Ohio's canals was sealed the same year its construction begun. The same year 1825 Charles Carroll, the last survivor signer of our Declaration of Independence drove the first spike in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
574-Although Portsmouth was the southern terminus of the Ohio and Erie Canal, it never acquired the industrial importance enjoyed by its northern counterpart, partly because it was so often besieged by annual flooding. A great effort went to force to control the rising water from continual assaults was finished in 1934 that include a great wall spanning 3 miles and of great height. In 1908 the Scioto River was redirected near the confluence, in doing so covered lock 54 called Red Bridge for it had a red bridge near its proximity crossing the Scioto connecting West Portsmouth, giving it its name. The river redirecting project destroyed any remains of the few loading docks and locks which dropped the boats into a slack-water making Portsmouth accessible to the canal.
I tend to feel after reading previous posting concerning Portsmouth that we as southern Ohioans are viewed as indigent in knowledge and livelihood. Southern Ohio never really evolved with the full strength of our states commerce hovering up north. Portsmouth was left behind in political strength as well; any important decisions for southern Ohio were made in Ross County at Chillicothe or Newark.
575-What did John D.Rockefeller and B.F.Goodrich have in common?
Here are statistics of both Marietta and Portsmouth in the early years of Ohio.
Marietta, a post town and seat of justice for Washington County. It was the earliest town of much importance settled in the state: it being laid out by the Ohio Company in August, 1787, and settled in April following, by eight families. It is beautifully situated on the western bank of the Ohio, immediately above the mouth of the Muskingum River in a township of the same name. It contains a large Presbyterian meeting house of handsome structure, an academy, the public county buildings, a printing office, a bank, about twenty mercantile stores, and 90 dwelling houses. The people of Marietta are characterized by politeness of address and urbanity of manners, which renders their society peculiarly agreeable to persons of taste and refinement. During 7 years, prior to1806, ship building was carried onto considerable extent. But since that period it has been suspended; but now (1816) recommencing. In March last, a large commercial and exporting company was here formed; and in April the Following, the schooner Maria, of fifty tons burden, cleared off this port to Boston, where she duly arrived. One serious inconvenience experienced by the people, is its almost annually overflowed; especially water, and several other streets; sometimes to the depth of eight to ten feet. The post here is a distributing office for the mail arriving direct form Washington City to the state. Distance, from Washington 315 miles west by north, 93east by north of Chillicothe, 186 in the same direction from Cincinnati, 109 southeasterly from Columbus, and 61 southeast from Zanesville.
Portsmouth, a flourishing post town, and seat of justice for Scioto County. It is advantageously situated for internal commerce, on the eastern bank of the Scioto River, just above the junction of the Ohio. It contains a courthouse and goal, a bank, six mercantile stores, and two commission warehouses, which do pretty extensive business. Distance 45 miles south from Chillicothe, and 90 in the same direction from Columbus.
576 Rockefeller was the son-n-law of Benjamin Franklin Goodrich (B.F.Goodrich).
577- What was the ultimate purpose of the Nimisila Reservoir?
578-Hey there Canalwayman I live along the Catawba River down here in South Carolina believe it or not, we have a canal. I'll bet you don't know its name!
579-I like the details about Portsmouth and Marietta from the early days, do you have anything worthwhile about Lake Erie?
580-South Carolina's Landsford canal was built during the 1820s. Its purpose to allow shallow-draught boats laden with goods and food-stuffs to bypass the rocky shoals that made navigating that portion of the Catawba difficult to impossible. Much of the stonework is visible today-was the work of Irish Masons under the direction of master contractor Robert Leckie from Scotland.
581-Going into the 20th century, the Portage Lakes was a summer time attraction and by then, many people began moving along its shores. It soon became a hot spot for water sports, fishing and a romantic get-away for some. The Portage Lakes was the most efficient water supply for the Ohio and Erie Canal derived by the use of gravity passing through a series of three levels holding billions of gallons for canal usage. In the years following the demise of the Ohio and Erie Canal, the water was aimed for industrial use and the state was able to collect revenue. Generally, there was no competition for its abundant water supply until the 1930s when the Midwest was hit by an extreme drought that lasted months, with no end in sight. The upper reservoirs which spilled into Long Lake, dropped 5 to 8 feet exposing an enormous amount of shoreline and people again were getting sick, mimicking the exposure a hundred years earlier at Summit Lake. The reservoirs were draining quickly, being consumed by Akron and Barberton’s industrial needs using millions of gallons daily as residents watched the lakes run empty. When Long Lake was nearly empty and no rain was in the forecast, the locals of the lakes region armed with Akron’s best attorneys placed an injunction to prevent further use of water for industry until the reservoirs refilled. This court action shut down Akron and Barberton’s major industries including O.C. Barber’s companies and Akron’s rubber industry. The answer came when the state came to the rescue and passed a bill in 1936 to add another reservoir to alleviate this from repeating itself. The Ohio Department of Public Works and the support of an army of WPA soldiers took on this monumental task. Nimisila sits as the highest of all the Portage Lakes and at 750 acres and 10 to 30 feet in depth, this will assure that situation will never re-occur. The reservoir opened in 1937-38. Barberton industrialists upset by the ability to have their water shut off, built dams and reservoirs in which they could circumvent this from ever happening to them again.
583-Years ago I happened to run across imfornation claiming a lift lock at the Bolivar Aqueduct. Can this be verified? I find it to be strange there is a lock without a number.
586- Responding to 583. I presume what you’re referring to is the western approach of the Tuscarawas Aqueduct. The Bolivar Aqueduct was at the connection of the Sandy and Beaver Canal in Bolivar and it did have a lift lock, part of the Sandy and Beaver Canal. That particular spot along the Ohio and Erie Canal can definitely raise questions concerning a lock placement. Anyone who’s ever investigated this particular place can really get the feel for the enormous amount of work in the areas to the east and west of the former span. The entire canal was built on a high fill on both sides leading to the edge of its abutments; it surely looks as if a lift lock was in place there at the aqueduct. Strangely enough, just by what’s left there, it would indicate the boats were lifted up to the crossing. The canal bed on the western approach has a high side with scattered fragments of blocks about which is the eastern end of the guard lock. Today, the lock is pretty much non-existent. Except for a few, the block work has disappeared, more than likely harvested. Not too far from there on Towpath Road, an individual has a large assortment of block stones for sale. By the looks of things at the river, these blocks have been gone sometime. It’s clear to see that scant repairs were made to the abutments by trying to give it a face lift to cover years of inner pressure and erosion by the rising river. The method of repair was done in red brick in places. By the looks of things, they had no real adhesion quality at all mating up to loose block work that was under constant pressure being pushed out of sequence by seasonal changes, roots and freezing. I could go on about this part of the canal for a week, but I’ll cut it down tonight. On the eastern side of the river lays the Tuscarawas Basin which is still in perfect condition with all its boarders intact. Rt.212 swings around the shape of the basin turning north then northeast. The canal kept heading north a bit then swings wide around to the east, then southeast, then south into Bolivar. The river still holds onto the past. Lying along its bottom are still parts of the aqueduct that can be found here and there walking its edge. Some pieces of lumber are sticking out of the water in various places. To walk the river to Bolivar is probably about 5 miles in my estimate. In doing so, I found a large amount of lumber piled years back along the swamps which connect to the river bordering I-77 as the river enters Bolivar from the north. The lumber was entwined with large trees which were uprooted and pushed into that spot. Looking back, the large timbers were probably washed down from the aqueduct. I feel as if the structure in posting 583 was a guard lock. If it were a lift lock, it would have had a number. The canal banks at the lock are about fifteen feet higher than usual for one reason or another. The guard lock probably was built to compensate its abnormal depth.
587- What's the history behind a Cincinnati judge who became the Governor of Ohio?
588- I object to having my listing of Joseph Baumeler discarded. I post regularly on this site. If my posting does not reappear, I'll never post again.
589-
To Mr.Maximovich.Sorry your 3-locks to Omega trip didn't go well. I've had a few sour explorations that were just as unfruitful. Having 5 participants is at least 2 too many if you're going to be trespassing & need to travel undetected.
If you only want to get to the structures in that section ,it can be done without much risk of problems.
Stoney Creek Aqueduct is the only hard to access site as far as I've guessed, Its past a big bend in the road & behind a house. Even the front yard of the house has "Keep out" signs! I doubt that there's much left.
Higby Guard lock is approx. 1000' south of the modern Higby road bridge over river. Hike the RR tracks & look to your left. It'll be difficult to see thru the foliage but its worth the effort.
In Omega,Wilsons Run culvert is under Ohio Rt 335. Follow the prism about a 1/4 mile north from the culvert & you'll be at the Moores Run site. The homeowner there will give permission if asked. Nothing but 1 stone block near the aqueduct site & a lot of rubble in the creek bed. There is a very corroded length of steel cable nearby that I thought may be left from the structure.--W.A.Seed
I was emailed and asked to remove all the postings concerning Joseph Baumeler do to its graphic nature, the stories of abuse weren't facts but speculation. I looked into this situation and found nothing which supported the stories to the extent of those posted. Sometimes those who post here get on a tangent and seldom forget the younger crowd watches this site. This email sent by a concerned parent. A third grader shouldn't have to have these things explained. I apologize to those who lost their posting. Post again, but don't get into such detail towards the negative side of Joseph Baumeler. I spent hours today looking over the life and times of Baumeler, he has plenty of good points as well. In the near future all the negative postings will be coming down.
590-It was George Washington who first envisioned an inland waterway linking Lake Erie with the Ohio River; he actually suggested such a plan in a letter to the Governor of Virginia and the House of Burgesses before the start of the Revolutionary War. But it was not until 1816 that the cause was taken in earnest by Judge Ethan Allen Brown. Of Cincinnati, who stumped the state and, in 1818, elected on a canal building platform.
I apologize to the readers who did not approve of my part in the description of life among the Society of the Separatist. -----Historian
591- Mr.Seed, after your detailed explanation of the area I don’t need to explore the Higby area any further, I’ll just ask you what I need to know (just kidding). The whole purpose behind this fact finding mission was to take pictures and hopefully uncover anything. It did turn into a real mess. I posted earlier today about what happened in detail, but removed it for the same reasons I pulled down other recent listings. Even I seem to forget sometimes we have an audience of many different age groups. I appreciate any thing you have to offer. I will soon return to the area in question and follow the verbal map you have given, and get plenty pictures for this site……Canalwayman.
592-For the biggest part the former towpath Ohio and Erie Canal is accessible. I was on the phone last evening with another canal explorer who’s done his fair share of walking; we went over a couple of his experiences from the 1970s. He was thrown off the Barberton PPG property and was asked to leave once approaching Newark. The places that were inaccessible when I walked through a couple years back may be open to the public by now with so much work being done making a straight through connections to Cleveland, completing the northern end. The steel mills were a hassle but I was granted permission, having to follow strict rules. Lock 42 was formerly located on steel mill property at the ship turn around area along with the weigh lock near Dille St. The weigh lock moved south from its original position to Dille St. originally located near the foot of the 3rd St.Bridge, closer to Kingsbury Run. This change took place when the Valley Railroad took over the canal bed around 1872 extending the mills to the shipping lanes at the Old River bed. The Steel mill property extends south to Harvard Road. To walk the former canal bed, (now tracks) coming from Cleveland to the limestone piles along Independence Road is nearly an attempt at suicide. So many angry homeless people live under the buildings and trestles who would like to lighten your load, who once tried. The sections below Akron following the canal from lock 9 up through 4 are not accessible unless you attempt going up through as I had done. I don’t recommend doing it; go around, for it held many dangers. Before going in, I had no idea at all what to expect. In my mind, I thought there would still be locks in the tunnel. Inside two rather steep water falls were the first obvious obstacles to cross with a few more of maybe 5 feet, those drops in elevation added together represent the total lockage drop. I measured the drop of each and then added them together, ending up as 57 feet combined. That measurement could be off; only because I was hanging over the edge dropping a weighted rope into the rushing water, pulling it up and then measuring. It took 5 months to build the courage to go up through that tunnel. I first entered the tunnel in January of 2005 from the lower end, just to get a feel for it. The water was low in comparison to the spring time level. I made a projection date to enter and complete a passage on June 1st. inside the tunnel it has a rise where the water doesn’t flow, its more of a mound of brick and aggregate on the eastern side of the tunnel, for being January the temperature was fairly warm inside in comparison to outside. Going in I had no idea that people were living on its dry side and even had a couch sitting high on the mound. It’s so noisy in there with the water crashing down from a 15 foot drop, it’s impossible to hear anything around you. I had no idea that I wasn’t alone until I made my return trip. Backing out heading towards lock 10, that’s when I seen homeless men sitting and just watching me. The water was nearly waste high and I felt safe in the water knowing they wouldn’t come in after me. After I left the tunnel, Laura was outside waiting resting on some blocks, she was horrified when the tunnel inhabitants come to the opening watching us, they then returned into the dark tunnel. They were probably just as bewildered as we were. That same day we had plenty of other problems while investigating through all the rubble north of lock 10. Laura, now my wife slipped and fell into the moving water, she reached out for help, and I grabbed her hand and pulled so hard, I pulled her arm clean out of the shoulder socket, immediately she was in agony. I could see St.Thomas Hospital off in the distance. My mind was working so fast trying to figure out how to get her out of there as she moaned in pain. I couldn’t risk carrying her across the running canal in fear of slipping again on ice covered rubble causing further injury. I thought about calling 911, if so, it would have made a major big deal involving so many rescue workers, but I was ready too. I asked Laura, can you hold on just a few minutes and she nodded yes. I carried her and pushed and carefully moved her up the steep grade directly west of lock 10 too safety. At the top sat a radiator shop tucked in behind Towell Cadillac, they got us to my truck, and then we made it to the hospital.
593, I posted about the Bolivar Aqueduct in listing 583. I was under the assumption the aqueduct along 212 was the Bolivar Aqueduct. Surprisingly, Bolivar had on as well at the Sandy and Beaver Canal, which I wasn't aware of. I'm a little new at canal research, so you'll be hearing from me often with inquiries. As I’m standing on the 212 bridge over the Tusc, about half the way to where the aqueduct remains are, what’s the pile of blocks to the right? J.S.
594- Canalwayman you may stick your neck out!
What was the significant difference in the design of the canal boat "State of Ohio" than the others?
595-To trivia guy. You bring allot to this sight with the variety of questions which are spread out in every direction. How about one for you? Give the name of the canal boat Governor Allen Trimble took passage on during the grand opening of the Ohio and Erie Canal July 3-4 1827.
596-To Watchful I. Ironically, Governor Trimble made the 13 hour voyage on the “State of Ohio” rather than to use the boat built in his honor. Governor Allen Trimble and a great party of dignitaries boarded the “State of Ohio” in Akron then set course for Boston where a boat named in his honor stood by, named the “Allen Trimble”. Near Cleveland they met the canal boat “Pioneer”. The “Allen Trimble” was built in Peninsula; the “Pioneer” was towed across Lake Erie from the Erie Canal system. I know the information on the State of Ohio; but sorry, by giving that information will give the answer to posting 594, which still remains un-answered.
597-The canal boat (State of Ohio) was built in Akron and was probably one of the first of many boats built on the Ohio and Erie Canal. The builders of the boat State of Ohio were named Alexander and Edward Wheeler. The builders were from the east and built the State Of Ohio in the only way they knew - the Chesapeake Bay log canoe type of construction
598-An alternative route by-passing Summit Lake was in favor by many canal planners and by the Canal Commission except for Alfred Kelley, who insisted the Summit Lake route be use. Which of Akron’s entrepreneurs took a portion of the alternate route and incorporated it for good use?
599-I read your book, quite adventurous! The pages hold questionable information about lock placement in the Massillon area. I spent all day in our local library viewing maps; I can’t find picture or a mention of a lock at Cemetery Run. Help me understand this, you say a canal lock is still in Navarre,I live here and never ran acrossed it yet
600- I speak for every historian thats been on the hunt for the former locks on the O & E. Because you haven't fell into the lock at Nickles Bakery along Canal St. in Navarre doesn't justify that its not there. Sharpen your skills or ask someone who does know and use wasted energy in a better way. The same goes for the old lock at Cemetery Run.
601- This sight will be coming to an end soon. I can tell by the change in the blog settings we’re nearly out of room. To make more room for productive reading, many postings will soon be gone. Do not be offended if your work goes. This sight needs a good cleansing anyhow. Please continue to post in a regular fashion and we'll continue on until the space runs out. Hopefully by then we had just about every conceivable question, answered, of the Ohio and Erie Canal. Another site will open later, on the Sandy and Beaver Canal.
602- I hope this site continues, if it would happen to go down please start another. Except for the negative postings it’s been a wonderful learning experience. I can't begin to express how this site has re-sparked the interest in the old Ohio and Erie Canal. I wish to say as a book buyer, I read all the reviews. After some consideration about Mr.Seed, I feel he's sincere at heart. Somewhere the two of you have forged a professional friendliness for the other. I respect the fortitude of every dedicated person and historian alike that has made this site a good one. Another story unfolded within the many postings, it's the best lesson of them all. Two people, who had an obvious dislike for each other, have gotten over it.
603 i agree with Ms.Ross of the Scioto County Canal Society about the wall spanning the distance beteen the abutments at River Lock 55. That port hole was a sewer pipe from West Portsmouth only.She respectfully acknowledges your opinions and stands in disagreement.
604-Everyone has their own opinion, we're still are allowed to have one. At lock 55 in Portsmouth, in the year1937, or about, the concrete wall was built spanning the opening of lock 55, thus preventing boat passage forever. The idea behind it was to hold back the Ohio River from entering the canal bed and flooding interior farmland. The port which was built in the wall had a copper door resembling hatch within a ship. While in use it could be opened to let out any water which made its way inland from flooding, or closed to keep the river out. I don't wish to cause bad feelings with my fellow researchers in southern Ohio on this subject but it is what it is concerning the port. The majority residents of West Portsmouth had only two methods of ridding sanitation when the port hole was constructed, them being an out house, or a septic system which is what they use today. I talked to water and sewage official from Portsmouth who assured me that West Portsmouth had no sewage run-off abilities in the 1930s. The hatch being made from copper to prevent corrosion was more than likely stolen and scrapped.
605- Responding to posting 600. I think who ever replied about the lock in Navarre covered it well, maybe a little sarcastic, but we can’t erase them all. There was certainly a lock at Cemetery Run and the following is a passage from the CSO. Beginning around 1907, the state refurbished the canal in this area by rebuilding or repairing many of the locks and most of the water control devices with concrete, and dredged the channel to a minimum depth of five feet. Contracts were let in 1908 to repair lock #5 and #5A. In 1909, the state removed lock #5A entirely, and the level of the canal was raised to a point below where Cemetery Run entered the canal (about a mile).They constructed a new lock, a concrete culvert to carry the run under the canal, and 500 feet of retaining wall.
That you live so close to Massillon go and investigate the area of the towpath where it bends to the west near Wal-Mart at Routes 30 and 21. You’ll find remains of the former lock in the immediate surroundings. You might have to go down into it some by doing so you’ll notice the main line sewer trunk coming from Massillon that cut through the lock. I believe the floor of the lock is directly below where the culvert spills from Cemetery Run. Another canal explorer claims the parts of the wings are on the hill at the bend of the towpath. I went and looked and it’s possible they are that.
606-By navigating this site and being a postal inspector I gravitated towards posting 273 parts 1 & 2. I studied, copied cross refferenced its contents for accuracy and its actually very accurate. Have you studied the history of the Post Master General in depth?
607 Were Asha Cutler and Canal Boat Annie real people?
608-Respoding to 579. I’ve written on this before on a previous blog, but since it’s not on this one, we’ll go-at –it again. Lake Erie: lies along about two thirds of the northern borders of the state, from its northeastern limit westwardly between it and Upper Canada. Jurisdictional however, between Canada and Ohio, run along the middle of it from east to west. Its circumference, following the various trendings of its shores, is 610 miles; and its greatest length is 290, from northeast to southwest. Only 160 miles, however, in a direct line, border upon the state of Ohio. Its average breadth is perhaps from 30 to 40 miles. This is a valuable sheet of inland water, and affords an extensive interior navigation. This Lake will ever be memorable, on account of a decisive naval victory gained upon it by the Americans over the English, in September, 1813, when the whole British Fleet was captured. The principal harbors on the Ohio side are those of, Painesville, Cleveland, Granger, Sandusky, and Croghanville, besides Put-in and Maumee Bays.
The subject has been contemplated, of endeavoring to turn the course of trade for a considerably portion of the western country, to New York City, through the medium of this lake, and a canal from its eastern extremity to Hudson’s River. And, with a view of effecting that object, the state of New York has commenced, and now, 1819, more than one forth completed that canal. But whether any such diversion of the present channel of trade can advantageously be accomplished, at least, to the extent which many have anticipated, remains yet to be ascertained; but the probability is in its favor.
610--I feel as if many of the boats which someone recently listed as being all of the known canal boats in posting 609 may have other types of vessels listed as well For instance, Annie Laurie, a river boat, plied the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers.. Although their list is more extensive than my own, I feel as if the list which we accumulated may be able to add to the known list of every canal boat. All the following listings of canal boats below were posted to the site by those who add to the historical value of this website along with my own.
I researched your list of canal boats which was rather extensive and thorough. Here I have only a few additions which close in on completing the list. The Star, the Sherman, Legal Tender, the Lester, the Rebecca, the Eagle, the Evening Star, the Steward,
-Boats of the Sandy & Beaver Canal. Alpine,Belle,Belle No.2,Benjamin Hanna,Bloomer,Brilliant,Buckeye,Canal Boat “48”,Clara Fisher,Comet,David Begges,Diurnal,Elkton No.1,Fairfield,Florah,General Taylor,George Abbott, George Oglevie,Gray Eagle,J.P.Hanna,John Hays,John Spear,Keystone,Lady Taylor,M.B.Lowery,Malvern,Mary Ann,Neptune,New Lisbon,New Lisbon 2,Ocean Wave,President,R.D.Carothers,Return,S.D.Black,Seabird,Star,Sultana,Swat Arrow,Telegraph,Thomas Fleming,Uncle Sam,W.B.Goodin,W.M.Roberts and WM Pettit.
I have some canal boats names to add to the list above that plied basically the Ohio and Erie Canal. As times changed and other canals were finally finished the same boats used the Sandy and Beaver, the Pennsylvania and Ohio and all of Ohio’s canals including the western canals. Usually the eastern Ohio boats stayed on their canals, as the same for the western boats. There was no connection between them, except for the use of the Ohio River or Lake Erie, either had a towpath. One of them was previously listed as those being on the Sandy and Beaver system, namely the “Fairfield”. The Fairfield was in home waters on the Ohio and Erie Canal. The “Big Sandy Beaver” “The Magnolia” and the “Cruiser” possibly belonged to the Sandy system.
The list as follows: Blooming Youth, Chippewa, Cashier, Minnehaha, L. Walzer, Allen Tremble, Pioneer, Constitution, Arrow, Pioneer, E.R.Held, Cat Of Camp Creek, Cupid, R.R.Porter, Messenger, Navarre, Boston, Carrier, Champion, Chillicothe, Independence, Sherman, General Grant, Corn Crib, Diver, Quickstep, Masonic, Waverly, Mercer, Ensign, Cataract, Emma, Otto, Sam Cave, Fulton, Governor Foster, Evening Star, Akron, S.C. Bliler, Legal Tender, The Star, Three Bothers, The Fairfield, Pilgrim, The Sylph, Tidal Wave, Amazon, Rosalia, Quaker, Rocket, Indiana, Montpelier, Sky Rocket, Tecumseh, Iron Valley, Monroe, Morning Star, Portage, Albatross, J.A.Garfield, Northern Star, Big Sandy Beaver, Irene, Ohio, The Belle Of Logan, Massillon, Circleville, Dick Gorman, Portsmouth, Sportsman, The Bluebird, Destroy, Twins, Emma, J.P.Sharp, Rutinger, Richmond, Athenium, Victory, Governor Cambel, Midnight Robbers, Cincinnati, Red Rover, U.S.Grant, Governor Brown, The Magnolia, The Cruiser, Western Star, Bantry, Seneca Chief, Black Strap, Robin Hood, Aristocrat, Tidewater, The Ark, Bowling Green, Free Trader, Indian Chief, Twin Sisters, Rising Sun, The Marine, Niagara, Captain Jinks, Nightingale, Westward Ho, Fairy Princess, The Queen City, The Hoosier, The Brooks, Pathfinder, The Wave, Davy Crocket, Yorktown, Valley Mills, Speedway, Little Robbie, Song Bird, The Corsair, Darby Ram, Fred Warner, Eden, The Troy, East Wind, Nova Scotia, Flying Cloud, J.P.Burton, Floating Artist, The Stranger, Forrest Road, George Stewart, Hurricane, Reform, Josh, The Rosalie, Locomotive, The Warren, Meteor, The Tom Marfield, Midnight, War Eagle Of Roscoe Village, Ocean Queen, Wild Horse Of Mill Creek, Palace, Shadow catcher, Paw Paw, Saw Log, Saloon of Yellow Bud, Pugtown, Rat of Portsmouth, DeCamp Statler, Chas.T.Hayman, Mohawk, Lady Hamilton, Excello, Strife, Rotman, Rapid Transit, W.T.McLean, Gadlance, H.W.Myers, Legacy, Col.Bachtell, Veteran, E.Moore, Shipe, River Mills, Monticello, St.Helena, Giraff, Massillon Mills, Dover Mills, Quaker Mills, Paris, Dredge boats 1,2,and 3, State boats 1 thru 5, Marfield Mills, Maggie Cast, Risor Bros, W.M.Baldwin, St.Louis, Col.Chapman, Billy Barger, Two Sisters, G.M.Reed Jr, The Friendly, The Charlotta, The Duck, Dick Gorman, Sand Piper, Liza Jane, Dora, Arvine, The Maine, Red Rover, Rebecca, Lester, The eagle, U.S.Grant, Lady Jane. The Nailer. I’ll bet if we took the time to cross reference these to listing 609 the number would grow.
611- Somewhere I read where you made the statement that New York City and Cleveland Ohio had the most waterfornt, or to be clearer, had more floating real-estate than any other North American City. Philadelphia had five miles of harbors, New Orleans had ten at their peak. That would be hard to swallow having Cleveland shipping more than New Orleans.
612- Are you ever going to give tours of different parts of the Ohio and Erie canal? I would go.
613'New Orleans by comparison to Cleveland moved very little in the way of freight. If the year was 1750, yes, New Orleans was the catch basin for everything moving through the Mississippi water shed included the Missouri and Ohio Rivers. If the year was 1900, Cleveland's waterfront was so vast at 16 miles of accumulated docks and wharfs, only New York water front was slightly larger. Cleveland was the industrial hub of North America and the largest shipping point along the Great Lakes. New Orleans was a mere fruit basket.
614 There is no way Cleveland’s docks accumulated 16 miles! Please be more explicit.
615 Cleveland’s wharfs spread east and west no further than a single mile along the shores of Lake Erie. The dockage was in perspective to its waterway inlets. Ten miles of frontage alone was on the Cuyahoga River by going in five miles to the furthest of the mills having both sides of the river continuous dockage. The Old River Bed and the berths out to the lake, including docks throughout the flats accumulate perhaps more than 16 miles. In 1905, The Plain Dealer boasted that Cleveland was the second largest industrial port in the Country and fourth in the world lineup.
616=Hello Canalwayman; We live here in Sciotoville and have recently joined the Scioto County Canal Society. I can’t seem to get a straight answer of the whereabouts of Cutlers Station. Where is it?
617-The following passage comes from an 1898 edition of the Chamber’s Encyclopedia, VOL, XV.
Thomas King, vice president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad company announced that, that corporation has decided to expend $1,000,000 in the city for terminal facilities. A contract was signed to the building of the first dock in the outer harbor, about 100 yards E of the entrance to the river, and extending from the shore a distance outward of 600 feet. where deep water is reached. The dock will be used by a coal company for handling coal by the cargo and supplying the steamboats with fuel. During the navigation season of 1894, Cleveland shipped 1,799,847 tons of ore. There were four regular ore receiving docks. The river frontage extended 16, miles. of which 5 m. was built up in substantial docks. More than 1m., of this dockage was taken up with passenger-boat landings, warehouses, and grain elevators, the remainder was used for furnaces, limekilns, and the handling of iron ore, coal, pig iron and lumber, which are the mainstays of the city’s commercial prosperity. Excepting New York, Cleveland claimed to own more floating property than any other city in the country.
618-Asha Cutler and Canal Boat Annie were life-long friends who often passed by each other waving at one another over the course of fifty years. Both unwed, they were in the same circumstance by taking up with a canal boat captain in the good years of the Ohio and Erie Canal. No one really knows where either hailed from, only where they ended up. Into the early years of the twentieth century, both continued the only way of life that was familiar, staying close to home on the mudlarked boat. the Massillon Mills along South Canal Street between Charles and Walnut Streets. This boat came to rest under the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad trestle until the 1920s. Both were reduced to being hobos and beggars, having no future and living in squalor aboard the leaning canal boat. In the late 20s, the canal bed was filling in and the boat was destroyed. Unwilling to live in the old folk’s home, they lived in the back allies of Massillon, living out of trash containers. No other records or stories exist except that they both lay to rest in Massillon’s porter’s field.
619-Cutlers Station was within Scioto County. The real purpose for places such as Cutlers Station were used as changing stations, a place where the canal boats could trade a worn out team of mules for a rested and well fed team on standby. These were more popular in the earlier years of the canal when things were just getting started and money was tight. The state ran several stations and through time the cost escalated, renting these animals become expensive. Canal boats soon changed and conformed putting a team of mules onboard resting, as another team pulled. This created problems for everyone by having unsanitary conditions onboard drawing flies and the smell was un-bearable, plus by having animals as part of the crew it cut down on room. I was given three names of changing stations in Scioto County and after some careful considerations towards what my fellow researchers believe in Portsmouth, it just makes no sense to have all them within a 16 mile stretch to the Ohio River. Cutlers Station was in Scioto County between Camp and Bear Creek Aqueducts. It’s the area between them where the road changes from the eastern to the western side of the former canal bed, in this section of no more than a mile or two, Cutlers Station sat in there. I was out there several times looking but I just cannot pin-point its exact whereabouts. Every town and village had them, they were mostly located at the local blacksmith shop who shoed horses and mules alike.
Although, there are the remains of an old stable near Newark that’s interesting to say the least, to find this, you’ll be following the towpath heading west from lock 13, named Bowling Green and you’ll certainly run into it along a filled section of the canal heading towards Marne Road.
620-Yesterday a small group of researchers from Scioto County examined the structures along Warriors path-104. We had an interesting revelation at Camp Creek the former site of the aqueduct. Its span rest collapsed in the creek bed and it’s made of block stone and concrete. Unlike Bear Creek and Scioto Brush Creek which has block stones close to where they fell, Camp Creek has the entire span, mostly intact.
Cutlers station eluded us as well. Its certain it lied between Camp and Bear Creeks. The entire region now mostly fill, hides the past. After walking aimlessly throughout the area where we think we might have a slim clue where the station formerly was, we're convinced that hardly anything is left in which to go by. If anyone who watches this site has information which can draw us closer to the exact location of Cutlers Station, please post and we'll head back out and have another look.
621- As a Massillonian I often tried to under stand the means in which Sippo Creek assisted the canal, how did it tie in and where?
622-Sippo Creek has a quite busy and interesting past. Sippo Lake was dammed to be a continuous water supply for the James Duncan Mill that sat near the corner of Tremont and Erie St. This water supply was about 4 miles away and the water traveled by open stream into Massillon. The dam was exploded in 1848 by angry residents who were distraught about the mosquito infestation and disease which spawned at Sippo Lake. When the dam spilled open, Sippo Creek was then a raging river rising several feet out of its banks, destroying everything in its path. In Massillon, a grand celebration was being held at the newly-built Tremont House. Unknowing to the people at the gay festival, doom was descending on them by the changed peaceful and trickling Sippo Creek, now carrying buildings timbers and trees. It crashed into the Tremont House and washed out everything from there to the Tuscarawas River. The aftermath left the Ohio and Erie Canal crippled and out of service through Massillon and parts of northern Ohio. Ironically, the great flood of 1848 happened on George Washington’s birthday.
Before the ’48 flood, Sippo Creek was also considered a water supply for the Ohio and Erie Canal and tied into the canal near Erie and Tremont Streets. At that point water passed a sluice gate facing James Duncan’s Mill to operate a water wheel. That didn’t work well in drought conditions. James Duncan bored through the canal banks making a block stone culvert and continued the creek onto the mill. After the flood, some changes were made to Sippo Creek. The course remained as it was but ran through a ½ mile long tunnel below ground up to the SW corner of Tremont and Erie. It was there that the creek emerged from the tunnel to power the water wheel at Duncan’s Mill. Another change after the flood was that the waters of Sippo Creek passed below the canal bed to alleviate any further flood damage. A concrete culvert carried the water over Sippo Creek. The creek bed was exposed from Duncan’s Mill to the Tuscarawas River after passing through another culvert of the P.F.W. & C.R.W. Railroad about 50 yards from the river bank.
Massillon still has a perfect example of how a creek can pass below a canal. South of Tremont St., Wetmore Creek flows parallel to Wetmore St. and vanishes below Erie St. in the area of where the Ohio and Erie Canal formerly was.
623-I know the millrace along Sippo St. Strangely enough living here in Massillon my whole life, I had no inkling it was named Wetmore Creek. It’s weird that the north side of it sits Sippo St. and the south is Wetmore St... Is there a reason why the creek is lined and groomed with block stone? Could this have been Cemetery Run?
624- Wasn't it Captain Pearl Nye's boat stuck in the Roscoe Locks? I have a live bet going with my opponent claiming it was the Bantry. Do you know?
625- I can’t say with accuracy whose boat came to its final resting place in the triple locks... I’ve been told several boats sit out below the waters of the Roscoe Basin. The Bantry may have been one of them, Un-less someone knows differently. I often heard the canal boat Captain Jinks lies along the bottom there, who really knows? According to Jack Gieck’s book, the boat which got caught up in the triple locks was a state boat which had expired there. Its picture was taken in 1937, showing a boat stuck in the bowels of the locks.
About Pearl Nye, as the story goes, parts of that boat were removed for further use by Pearl Nye. Anything useable was put to use as part of his home above locks 26 & 27 at the Walhonding Aqueduct, he named, “Camp Charming”. Camp Charming was the last know residence of Captain Pearl Nye. I have some here-say stories about which sunken canal boat sits where, but none of its official. I was told the canal boat Reform, and the Strife, both rest in the Roscoe Basin or maybe it was the Munroe Basin, they probably do. These boats which plied the canal are somewhere, didn’t fly away, for the big part of them, they lay rotting somewhere on the murky bottoms. I can’t tell you how many boats are probably resting in both Nesmith and Summit Lakes. Last year I found what looks like part of a rudder near the Little Cuyahoga Feeder.
627
To 624 & 625-Some photos of Pearl Nyes "Camp Charming" shanty clearly show the stern section of "State Boat #2" incorporated into it.Its possible that materials from other derelict boats were used as well.- W.A.Seed
628-One town stands out among all others on the Ohio canal by having the canal pass directly through several of its buildings. Which town?
628 On the Ohio and Erie Canal the canal passed below the lower floors of Massillon's business district along Erie Street. During its hey-day through Massillon, the canal wasn't covered. After the northern canal improvement project was completed in the early 20th century, this sparked Massillon into building overtops the canal in the hopes the system could be brought back to life, pumping life back into a slumbering city. The buildings lower levels having the canal passages sported beautifully crafted archways along with them a terminal.
629-I pride myself in knowing Massillon. Dockage lined the wheat district during the busy days of the canal era. The wheat district was only about four blocks long. Today to outline the area it would be from about Federal to just beyond Tremont. Only a short section of buildings along the eastern side of Canal Street built overtop the canal. Today, Canal St. is known as 1st St. SW and it ends at Walnut. The buildings with the canal passing below them began at the corner of Main and Canal and going south, ended at Tremont. The canal through that section of Massillon ran closer to Canal St. than Erie. I was in conflict with some well-known historians a few years ago about the exact route of the canal through Massillon. They said it was more east towards Erie St. I said it ran along the former Canal St. I'm not trying to be smug or sarcastic by saying, “Why do you think it was called Canal St”. The misunderstanding came when I was asked if the canal byway signs are placed well in Massillon. My reply was no, they don't follow the canal, and actually they don't do a good job of it. I was emailed by an official involved in the sign placement and he explained that the signs through towns are put in places to get the traffic through without going up and down side streets. That made good sense.
I recommend going to Lawrence Machine Company on Charles St. and getting permission to go into the lower basement and examine the archways built for the canal boats along with the loading docks. This building was built after the reconstruction of the northern end of the canal from Dresden to Cleveland. The building formerly called the McCain Exchange building has evidence of the archways outside on the corner facing Charles St. Down in the basement, look for all the writing which was fingered into the wet cement back in 1937 about the former heavy weight boxer Joe Louis. Read what it says and make your own determination. At another location, I fell through the basement floor at the Keller Used Office equipment building at the corner of Lincoln Way and 1st Sw. I landed between the walls of the canal; a sewer trunk was put into the former canal bed. Follow 1st St. going south and you'll see the wall of the canal appear here and there. Massillon is alive with canal history. Down inside we brought up a shovel, several bottles, a bridal and all sorts of canal related things. You can see them by request at Keller Office equipment.
630-I took the time to do an active search on both Asha Cutler-Cutter and Canal Boat Annie. We threw the name Annie in front of many well known Irish names and come up with several who are buried in Massillon, they don’t fit the life style we’re looking for. We then cross referenced their names and searched the burial archives throughout Stark County as well. Massillon had a state hospital; we went to their records only to come up empty handed. All of the death records and burials are listed on microfilm with the names of those who are resting at Massillon’s potter’s fields, we have two fields. As a member of Massillon’s genealogy team we have the resources at hand. Jean Adkins our best, searched long and hard for anything. She doesn't have enough to go on. All records have been checked up into 1940. We need more to go on. I have a couple of stories that were passed down from other researchers, all hearsay, we need some facts. I learned something of interest going through the potter’s field records. Many corpses share the same ground by being stacked on top one another to save space. Many of those buried in potter’s field have no names or anything to go by leaving them as John & Jane Doe. Both Asha and Canal Boat Annie may be buried here in Massillon.
631-Another canal was covered only a short time during an 1888, Centennial Celebration here in Ohio. Where was it?
632 in response to 629. A correction is in order. The story although a good one has the McCain building listed wrongly. You have it listed as the McCain Exchange; it should be the McCain Grocery Wholesale building. McCain had other property in Massillon too.
633 The people of the young state of Ohio-admitted into the union in 1803-were mired in mud. A canal would give them a smooth highway through the forest, the advocates said, and an access to eastern markets. They were right about the markets. The price of wheat went up from 25 cents a bushel to $1 a bushel in Ohio after the completion of the canal.
634--Mr.Maximovich,I posted to this blog site two years back, its completely changed. You had a article you written about the results of draining Summit Lake which had great detail concerning the west Akron niebohoods. Would you re-list that. ---Kimberly
635
To 631- That would be Cincinnati. They even used Venetian style gondolas for the event.- W.A.Seed
636
To 623- The well groomed mill race north of Wetmore St. belonged to Massillon’s Flouring mill. By design it was lined with smooth block easy to dredge rather than loose aggregate to eliminate wash or sandbars in the canal. The Massillon Flouring Mill had apparently been directing its tailrace directly into the Tuscarawas River. In 1854, the state transferred a parcel of land to Jesse Rhodes to construct a tailrace that would allow water used by the mill to re-enter the canal at a point below the lower Massillon lock. The mill burned in 1866. In November of that year, the property was sold to a combination of western and local investors and the Massillon paper mill came into being.
637
Name the three proposed canal routes in the order they were presented.
638
The three proposed routes of the canals were as follows, one, the western canal which used the Miami and Maumee Rivers. Two, was to use the Sandusky and Scioto Rivers, a more centralized canal. The third was to use a northeastern canal by using the Cuyahoga, Tuscarawas and Muskingum River routes to the Ohio River by Marietta. The state legislature had many friends involved in the canal project who were soon to be displeased; to appease and satisfy them a new route was sought out. It was evident that a connection through internal canals could not connect the northeastern or central canals to the western canal system. It was clear that the northeastern and central canals could merge. The legislature was in an uproar and went undecided about which way to go with the canal proposal. Ohio could not afford two canals, but to pass the bill and satisfy the representatives. The legislation followed the recommendation of the Canal Commission who suggested digging two canals and connecting the other two proposed canals. Two canals, the western canal namely the Miami and Erie and the Ohio and Erie and Canals construction began soon after. The Ohio and Erie Canal followed its original proposed course to Dresden, then cut diagonally across the state to connect to the second canal proposal choice which was the centralized canal system using the Scioto River to the Ohio River. In the end, Alfred Kelley, the Canal Commissioner got his way, and brought the canal into his home town, Cleveland.
639
With the canal projects finally completed and operational, how many of our 88 counties were canalized?
640 Hey all you canal enthusiast where was Lonesome Road?
641
Could you be more specific about Lonesome Road there are many?
642
Lonesome Road covers many a trail from Warren to Wooster. Originally Indian trails in part, they were combined connecting Warren to Wooster, via Ravenna, stow, Munroe Falls, Cuyahoga Falls, passing Old Forge into Middlebury up the Buchtel Pike through the Portage Summit up Copley Hill passing Simon Perkins home then turning southwest using the Portage Trail into New Portage, to Johnsons Corners following an old Indian Trail we know now as Rt.585 on to Wooster.
643
642-I can't understand the route of the Lonesome Rd. especially the part where it goes through Cuyahoga Falls. Where was Old Forge?
Old Forge Canalwayman said...
644
643-I’ts obvious that Lonesome Road was close to the same route as the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal into Akron. Old Forge was the lower part of Akron slightly north and easterly along the Little Cuyahoga River near Arlington, Home and North Streets. Old Forge Field sat in the valley which separates downtown Akron from North Hill. Old Forge Field formerly the county fairground was named by location. Old Forge was originally a part of Tallmadge Township of Portage County before new towns and boundaries were established.
645
644
I looked into the matter of Old Forge a little further and made the determination that it may have been set up on Norton's Creek having several mills running in the area of Arlington and North Street. The Little Cuyahoga River appears to be formerly called Norton's Creek. Once walking the creek from Case Ave and Market St. from the former area of the Village of Middlebury, there is still the remnants of milling operations throughout beginning just feet boyong the inlet of the former Crosby millrace, to the intersection of North, Arlington and Home Avenues. Viewing an old map of Portage County dated 1838 names the Little Cuyahoga as we know, as a Creek, and shows a furnace and forge set up on the creek at the same place where (Ken Tools) sits now at Eastwood and Home Ave. having the creek directly behind them. That area of the little Cuyahoga has an awful lot of old block work in various places going back up stream towards Middlebury.
The following is from an 1810 Gazetteer topographical map.
Tallmadge, a flourishing post township of Portage County. The principal village is near the southwest corner, on Norton’s Creek, an excellent mill stream running northwesterly to the Cuyahoga River. Here is a furnace, a forge, and various mills and water machinery. Here is also a very respectable academy.
Interesting enough, Forge St. enters that particular area coming down from downtown Akron.
646
Canalwayman, not that i want to be corrective or smug, you may have it all wrong about Nortons Creek. Nortons Creek is at Johnston Corners bordering Barberton and Norton. "Sorry"!!
647
646- I wouldn’t place a bet that Norton’s Creek runs through Johnson’s Corners west of Barberton at old Rt. 5 and 585. Johnson set up a mill just down the hill to the north on Hudson Run. Strangely enough, I have contacted the Barberton Historical Society about misleading information at their historical marker at Johnson’s Corners. The sign says that Johnson set up a mill just down the hill on Wolf Creek. Anyone with historical background about the region should have picked up on that. Wolf Creek as does Hudson Run, passes below Rt.585. A mile and a half separate them. Hudson Run is further west and is dammed up by Columbia Lake at PPG. Wolf Creek is part of Pigeon Run that starts several miles away in Copley at Schocalog Lake to the north and merges with Hudson Run in Barberton, and then enters the Ohio and Erie Canal at the Barberton Aqueduct area. I would like to express what the Barberton Historical Society replied about the revelation about the confusion between Wolf Creek and Hudson Run at either Johnson’s or Johnston Corners (I get two spellings - who really knows). Their reply was this, the general public has no idea whatsoever what stream is where, you know and now we know, just let it go. My reply was, what if everyone made huge mistakes and had the same thought pattern as you, we’d be in trouble not knowing what’s accurate.
I spent all day going over this Norton’s Creek ordeal and I have come to the conclusion that the Little Cuyahoga undoubtedly was formerly Norton’s Creek. I have miles and pages of information on our lakes, streams and rivers, towns and counties. I can’t find anything that even list the Little Cuyahoga until the 1820s. I can find evidence that supports the stream being called Norton’s Creek.
Here as follows is an entry listed in the topographical report of Ohio in the year 1810. Norton’s Creek, a mill stream, rising in Suffield, and running across parts of Springfield, Tallmadge and Portage, in Portage County, falls into the Cuyahoga River, at its most southern bend.
We know where the most southern bend of the Cuyahoga River is at, and we know the only stream which enters there is the Little Cuyahoga. I have another example how names change. For instance, Chippewa Creek was formerly called Chippeway Creek.
1810 report says- Chippeway Creek; a stream running across the northeastern corner of Wayne County into the Tuscarawas River.
I found an old map of Savanna, now Clinton, and it shows a Chippeway Creek coming in from the west connecting with the Tuscarawas River barely to the south of Savanna, now Clinton. Names do change.
648
639-Only 33 of the 88 counties had canals.
649-Living in Manchester that’s just down the road from "Johnston’s Corners", I felt compelled to read the historical marker last evening and went down to see for myself its contents. The bronze marker does name the streams incorrectly. How many onlookers believe Wolf Creek was the stream powering Johnston's Mill when in-fact, it was Hudson Run? That's a sizeable mistake which calls for an immediate change.
650
Contrary to what we believe and taught in school, Ohio had less than 20 counties when it was admitted into the union in 1803. Over the course of the next fifty years Ohio accumulated sixty more counties leaving the grand total at 88. Ohio was divided up more than any state, called the (land of broken promises) according to a publication about its early days. Why would Ohio be considered for that title?
651
Canalwayman I watch this site everyday. After reading the Little Cuyahoga River & Norton's Creek ordeal it set my wheels into motion feverishly hoping to correct your findings. I cannot find any mention of the Little Cuyahoga anywhere until the Ohio and Erie Canal was formed. Information exists thus proving that Norton's Creek was the original name. I challenge anyone to delve into this matter and prove any it differently.
652
In the old days existed Tawa town. What is it named today?
653
652 Tawa Town is now the county seat of Putnam County called Ottawa, Ohio.
654
Ohio could be thought of as the land of broken promises for many. I’ll try to put this into the right words. Ohio, before it became a state was looked upon as a useless overgrown tract of ground. Much of it was given away for rewards to repay soldiers for their part in fighting the British and their service in the Continental Army. Ohio lands were repeatedly given and taken from the native Indians. Every Treaty between the Indian tribes with the Continental Congress and the United States were never upheld. Ohio was divided up into several districts. It may have been the land of broken promises for the Indians, for it was mainly them who promises were made to and were inevitably were broken. Congress has carelessly given away Ohio land then re-giving it to someone else causing cross claim confusion. In some instances wars broke out between bordering states. Ohio and Michigan fought the Toledo Strip War and still has lasting effects today when our teams compete.
When Ohio was admitted into the union as an independent state, one of the terms of admission was that the fee simple to all the lands included within its limits, excepting those previously granted or sold, should vest in the United States. Different portions of them, at diver’s periods, have been granted or sold to various individuals, companies and bodies politic. The following are the names by which the lands are designated, on account of these different forms of transfer, namely: Congress lands, Connecticut reserve, Fire lands, Donation tract, French Grant, Ohio Companies purchase, Refugee tract, Symmes patent, United States Military tract and the Virginia Military tract. For the sale of Congress and United States military lands, these were subdivided into six land districts of Canton, Steubenville, Marietta, Zanesville, Chillicothe and Cincinnati.
655-I exhausted my search to prove you wrong on the Little Cuyahoga being Norton's Creek. I found information listing an "Aaron Norton" having set his enterprize on what we know as the Little Cuyahoga. I found an old map in the Summit County archives showing many mills on Norton's Creek. Below is an interesting piece of information.
DOCTOR ELIAKIM CROSBY, to whom Akron is more largely indebted for its manufacturing existence than to any other one man, was born in Litchfield, Conn., March 2, 1779. He was educated and for some time engaged in teaching in and about Litchfield. In 1806, he went to Buffalo, where he read medicine with a Dr. Chapin, allopathic, though in the early forties he embraced, and for a while practiced, the homeopathic system of medicine. About 1808 or 1809 he went to Simcoe, Canada, where he was married to Miss Marcia Beemer in 1810. In the war of 1812, Dr. Crosby entered the service of the United States as a surgeon in the army, in consequence of which leis property in Canada was confiscated by that government. In 1820 he removed with his family to Ohio, locating in the then enterprising village of Middlebury. Though giving some attention to the practice of medicine, he soon became interested in the various enterprises of the time, in connection with Mr. Henry Chittenden taking a contract upon the canal, between Bethlehem and Zoar, and for furnishing 16,000 bushels of water-lime for the construction of locks ill 1826-7. Previous to the completion of these contracts, Dr. Crosby purchased of Mr. Ralph Plum the Cuyahoga Furnace property, originally erected by( Aaron Norton) and Wm. Laird in 1817, on the present site of the Seiberling flouring mill. This purchase included the property on the opposite side of the Canton road, for many years past known as the "Aunt Betsy Stewart homestead," the doctor removing his family into the small frame house erected by Mr. Plum, and now doing service as a horse barn and carriage house.
656 Aaron Norton had mills all over northeast Ohio including the remnants at Graham Road and State Route 8 where a dam backed up Mud Creek. He moved into the Little Cuyahoga Valley and operated mills throughout. Norton bought up sections where the river flowed. He owned a large portion of the water rights giving the name Norton's Creek. The little Cuyahoga name was used later on.
657
Where was the Texas Culvert located?
658 -Judge Aaron Norton of Portage County is the first to settle Middlebury and he built great mills along his creek. Even today stands the remains of his handy work which lines both sides of the Little Cuyahoga River at Market and Case avenues. Goodyear Tire and Rubber formerly Sieberling Rubber bought the previous flouring mill owned by Laird and Norton. Back in our early days lands and streams alike were without title names the land owners named towns, rivers and streams.
659
To-657- Texas Culvert (aka Bad Creek Culvert) is a double arched structure located in Henry County.
W.A.Seed
660--
My father who's 96 years old is alive and well living in Navarre. He remembers playing in the lock before the Warehouse was consructed on top. It was a big ordeal then to remove the lock , he remembers a news article or his parents speaking of it because the state had to give permission to erect over it. He strongly refers to a basin between there and Bolivar where boats were laying around rotting away. Along canal St. the big deal was Herwick's Tavern and Hotel at Rochester Square they had dancing girls. Back in the 1920s the canal was all there and a boat was all broken down sitting below Italian town. Herwick's tavern had mooring rings made in the foundation which are there now. He remembers the canal lock was huge, deep and made of cement, they pushed the doors open and closed it. He was there when the river in Massillon was straightened in the 40s. My Father Earl, watches this site often.
661
Canalwayman had you heard mention that the Portage Lake Feeder is the exact division line of the Continental Divide?
662 What's the history on the Texas Creek Culvert? Which canal system is this structure sitting on?
663
To 662 James Durbin was the contractor that built the Texas/Bad Creek culvert as well as several other culverts & locks in that area in the early 1840's. When built,this was the Wabash & Erie canal. In 1845 the state combined it,the Miami Extension,& the Miami Canal segments & renamed them as the Miami & Erie canal.
The unique feature of the Texas culvert is that according to legend,Durbin was so proud of this double barreled culvert that he erected a monument to himself in its honor. This stone marker is still located up the enbankment above the culvert along US-24.
Although Durbins locks were rebuilt in concrete during the 1905-08 refurb period,his culverts still stand & support the heavy traffic of US-24.== W.A.Seed
664
At lock 1 in Akron. Called the northern tip of the Portage Summit- at its conception there would be business enough to warrant a new town General Simon Perkins reasoned. As intended the excess water coming down from the summit will inevitably run mills. Further more the new town needed markets to establish a town. Markets were to be at the summit level only and industry was reserved for its lower levels at its locks. Mustill Store sat out of range of being in Akron’s jurisdiction, the canal miss both Manchester and Middlebury, both! Would have been an easier route by-passing the Summit Lake issues?
665
To-634--Draining Summit Lake was the biggest blunder ever while digging the Ohio and Erie Canal. Driven by greed, Simon Perkins, engaging in underhanded negotiations, arranged with Alfred Kelley to assure passage through Summit Lake. This caused sickness and death despite warnings. Perkins and Kelley ignored the concerns which were predicted by canal engineers and Middlebury’s engineers alike. They stated that draining the lake will lead to sickness or worse. Before the canal could be dug, a surplus of 10 feet of water had to be drained away. Ironically, the northern end of Summit Lake already had a stream which led to the north; it reached to the edge of the land summit and fell into the Little Cuyahoga Valley. It was a creek without a name. This creek was also the course of the Ohio and Erie Canal to the northern end of the summit. Before the draining process began, it was deepened and widened to allow swift drainage. After the lake dropped as much as 10 feet, that triggered the excavation of a ¼ million tons of decay which was carried away and heaped up close by. The eastern shore was the designated shoreline that never materialized. The western side of the lake was an open, exposed shoreline which was stagnant and rotting. The swamp vegetation and muck began drying and the stench was unbearable. The winds picked up the fumes and swept them into Akron and the worst plague ever known here in Ohio originated on Summit Lake. The death toll was staggering. 1827 marks the year of the dreaded blacktongue fever which indiscriminately took life and left Akron a ghost town. Like cholera, it spread among the population and spread to all the hamlets and villages from Akron to Cleveland, killing nearly everyone in Peninsula and Boston. Doctors were afraid to enter the area and people were so sick they died trying to flee. This disease resembling typhus and malaria, killed quicker, killing all the canal diggers who were in the thick of it. The epidemic caused panic and mass hysteria and families left sick ones at home unattended and ran for their own lives. To make matters worse, the scores of rotting corpses added to the lingering stench. The canal digging came to an abrupt halt. Perkins and Kelley rushed to Columbus, clearly out of harm’s way and begged Governor Allen Trimble for help. The answer came when the Ohio Governor offered state prisoners an early-out option to dig the canal at Summit Lake. Unknowing to the prisoners was the killer disease lingering around the lake and no-one volunteered to tell them. It wasn’t too long until the prisoners soon figured out they were dead men and were shackled onto one another which made escape difficult. Today, the influential homes and upper class neighborhoods are west of Summit Lake - up-wind. To avoid the smoke stacks of Akron’s former rubber industry, the richer sections are built by design upwind as well. As the disease was fading and running its course, a Tallmadge doctor named Amos Wright, Jr., found a way to save those who weren’t too sick, saving better than 100 individuals who were under his care.
666
To 664-In the words of a well known modern day canal figure regarding the Continental Divide. He often performed a demonstration on the Portage Summit at the Portage Lakes Feeder. “It is here that Ray Hall likes to perform a dramatic little demonstration which proves that this confluence is located precisely on the north-south continental divide. Throwing a handful of leaves into the feeder, he will point out how they separate into two groups as they enter the canal, one cluster heading north to Lake Erie and the Atlantic Ocean via the St.Lawrence River, the other south to the Gulf of Mexico via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers”.
667
To 666. I understand what he’s trying to point out, but my feelings would be it proves nothing at all by dropping leaves into a feeder of an un-operational canal to begin with. I know the area well and the stillness of the water is only disturbed by the movement of the feeder spilling water in from Long Lake. The Portage Summit has the only watered section remaining of the canal running its full length in its original form. The southern end of the water summit draws water by gravity at Wolf Creek through a 48 inch pipe that drops the water into the former canal bed and its run-off meets the Tuscarawas River close-by. The northern end spills its water at lock-1 near Exchange St. and it discharges it into the Little Cuyahoga River further north. On the Summit several businesses today still extract water from the canal for industrial usage. The bulk of the water is drawn into Akron by the pull or gravity at lock-1. Everyday, the sludge and drifting particles are removed which are backs up behind its lock. I have been in there and seen its operation first hand, and the sludge gets thick, so thick, you would think you could walk out on it. All the trash that gets thrown in the canal and Summit Lake including balls toys and just about anything that floats will end up floating north to lock-1 by design, ending up in Akron.
The paragraph above will surely nullify the leaf experiment at the Portage Lake Feeder. In theory his demonstration sort of makes sense, it has certain hold backs, one being its an artificial water way that’s fueled by a stream that flows south to the Gulf of Mexico by nature, namely the Tuscarawas River. Not that a waterway cannot be dug crossing the divide, it can, but the flow separation is not where the leaf experiment unfolded. One area which is probably more than likely to be a better candidate is close in proximity to the Portage lakes. This other location also has a large standing body of water; from it has two streams, each going off in different directions. Springfield Lake situated in Summit County, formerly Portage County, it has a stream which is considered as the mouth of the Tuscarawas River and has another stream flowing away from it and connects to the Little Cuyahoga River northeast of the lake at a place along Massillon Road. One stream flows north, the other south. It’s my opinion that Springfield Lake sits on the St.Lawrence Seaway Continental Divide. The divide passes through Akron’s boundaries.
Here is a topographical listing of Springfield before 1820: Springfield, an agricultural township in the southern borders of Portage county, containing about 400 inhabitants. In this township is the pond or head springs of the Tuscarawas River. The pond supports two mills at streams going away. “There is our Continental Divide.”
688
667&666-I feel the leaf example of water flow is a poor example at the Portage Lakes Feeder. I was a long time member of the canal Society who's been disentachted for years now. I believe Ray Hall has passed on. He was a strong willed historian much like you Canalwayman. Back when the dropping leaves into the canal as a demonstration goes back nearly sixty years. If he were here to reply, even he would agree that wasn't a sharp example to be written about. You're both correct in your findings, yours being much more techical in content. To clarify this just go to any map and draw a line from Sprinfield Lake to the feeder area, you'll find it a straight shot. Springfield Lake is the point where the two rivers go there separate ways. Good luck!
November 5, 2008 8:25 AM
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669-Who takes care of monitoring the water at both ends of the summit?
670- Regarding Mr. Ray Hall. I don’t know him, or have I yet run across his work, but we share the same interest. I wasn’t trying to make light of his experiment, but in reality his location and theory makes good sense. I’d be certain that I also have highly unorthodox methods as well doing my own research. I’m sure that Ray Hall was probably a good researcher and I do apologize to anyone who feels as if I be-little his work. I would be really interested in knowing which publication the paragraph originated from in listing 666.
671
To 669--I’m going to reply to posting 669 which just appeared. The Ohio Division of Natural Resources controls the water at lock-1 and the Pinery Feeder gates at lock-36 and maybe the dam in the Gorge Metro Park. I’m certain they control all the setting at the Portage Lakes by monitoring and listening to the instruments at lock-1
The Northeast Ohio Chapter of the American Meteorological Society out of New Philadelphia controls the settings at Wolf Creek lock-1.
672
To-622 During the flood of 48' was any damage done to canal boats lining Massillon's canal?
"Toby"
673
To 672- I looked around and found something which mentions the Sippo Reservoir flood of 1848. I have this news article sent over outlining the event, but it’s cropped and I can't give a date when it ran. I'll start in the middle of the article near the part about canal boats.
“The unrelenting force with which the flood struck caused widespread damage and destruction throughout the city. The Tremont House, due to slightly elevation, was spared from complete undermining by the water. But even the building was nearly washed off its foundations on one side. A three-story warehouse a few blocks from the Tremont House was completely dissolved by the on-slaught and barrels of flour and various other dry goods were found buried in the silt or floating down stream in the Tuscarawas River for weeks to follow. Many other downtown homes and buildings were destroyed or badly damaged.
Boats in the canal were thrown around tike miniature fishing corks into whatever area the powerful current decided to carry them. Afterwards they were left high and dry; some were hundreds of yards from what was normally the waterway, when the flood subsided.”
I was emailed this short story overnight about this event from a local historian. He made it known to me, that it was a story passed down through the years. This gentleman now in his 80s has been a great source of information; he has roots going back to the Revolutionary War before Massillon and the canal were formed. Every week, I sing in the St. Mary’s Choir and Captain Jack Darnell’s descendent sits behind me.
As the story goes, the canal boats were lined up between Main and South Streets with many of the captains attending the great ball which was honoring George Washington’s birthday. The line-up of canal boats brought an elite group of people from Cleveland and the top brass and their wives from every canal community for this grand event. The Tremont house was just re-opened and was fully remodeled having the best accommodations known throughout Ohio. Just like what Paul Revere had down when the British were coming, the doors swung open and the festivities stopped along with the music, it was silent, then the man yelled and said listen, it sounds like thunder, the dam must have busted, within seconds the water was rising and the sound became so loud people ran fearing for their lives to high ground, behind them they heard crashing and snapping but couldn’t see in the dark, it was nearing midnight. The carriages and horses vanished within an instance, the oil lanterns were quickly washed away and in the midst of complete blackness the thunder only lasted about a minute, then all quiet except the trickling of a stream. The dim lights were still lit at the Tremont House showing some signs of the damage from their glow. The next morning revealed the destruction, it’s said that the canal banks were pushed through and slid several boats onto dry land and the canal was still running. Someone rode to Canal Fulton and shut the water off. Five or more boats were total losses and were reduced to a bundle of boards from barrel rolling end over end. Two boats were capsized lying in the Tuscarawas River; unable to salvage them they were dismantled for all that could be recovered. Another boat although damaged was afloat. The boat which was afloat was repaired on the river where it was moored. It was floated downstream when the river raised high enough to do so, and floated into Zoar and re-entered the canal. Wooden planks and destruction from the mishap began arriving in Roscoe Village three days later being swept on the slow current. In all, about 10 canal boats were lost. The canal banks were completely decimated, it took six weeks to get service restored on the canal, and from then on the Sippo flowed below the canal.
The above story was the writings of a fellow historian who had knowledge of the 1848, Massillon Flood who shared with us what was described by witnesses who actually saw first hand what unfolded that night.
674
I understand there was alot of controversy about how and when the dam busted, what's anyones take on the matter?
675
How many canal divisions were here in Ohio? What were they, who was the commissioner of division-1 on the Miami and Erie Canal before 1830?
676
To 675- I'm not sure what you mean by divisions. Samuel Forrer was appointed resident engineer of the Miami Canal (Cincinnati to Dayton) in 1825. I don't think anyone actually held the title of commissioner for any of the individual canals in Ohio.Correct me if I'm wrong.--W.A.Seed
676- To Trivia Guy. These questions put us into motion finding the correct response. On the Ohio and Erie Canal there was the northern and Southern division. The northern extended from the locks at the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland to the lower lock number 18 in Lockville. Lockville to Portsmouth was division 2. There were several sub-divisions within each division. Bolivar to Roscoe the distance of 55 miles was a sub-division. The Walhonding was another and the Hocking Canal was one also. On the Miami and Erie Canal, I believe the northern division was from Manhattan to the state line. On the northern division of the Wabash and Erie Canal it was from Terre Haute to the Ohio line. The southern division of the same canal system was from Terre Haute to Evansville. I don't know them all. The records having this information can be found in the Public works reports which they do include who held the positions of the Canal Commissioners. Trivia Guy, we love your questions they keep things moving, although I had a hard time figuring out what you were looking for this time, keep up the good work.
The northern and southern divisions of the O & E moved around. Before 1859 Lockville separated the two, after that it changed to Lockburn, Newark ending up at Dresden.
677-M.T.Williams was the commissioner of first division on the Miami and Erie Canal 1827 to 35.
678- I read somewhere you took the position saying the Sandy and Beaver Canal was an assistance feeder to the Ohio and Erie Canal. I really can't comprehend that as being factual. Could we have some proof rather than random personal analysis, how about something chiseled in granite?
679- The Muskingum Improvement is division # 3. The Ohio and Erie Canal is the Grand Division. The O&E is made up as four units as follows; Sub # 1, Cleveland to Navarre, 73 miles. Sub # 2, Navarre to Dresden 77, miles. Sub # 3, Dresden side cut to Lockbourne 93, miles. Sub # 4, Lockbourne to Portsmouth with it the Columbus Feeder totaling 100 ¾ miles.
680
The aqueducts of the Ohio and Erie Canal are fascinating and the culverts were designed to withstand so much pressure from above. In the great time frame of the Ohio and Erie Canal, how well did the aqueducts hold up. Give me what you can muster up, for it will be used in the classroom.
681
To 678-How are we over at the Canalway Coalition today? I just don’t swing words around to pass the day away. I take this historic site very seriously, it consumes much more of my time than I expected. I worked hard getting this site off the ground, hoping it will run on its own with other historians answering request. It’s beginning to work well, but any road has bumps. Your wording as follows: “Could we have some proof rather than random personal analysis, how about something chiseled in granite?” From that sentence, I’ll take it for “Granite” that you are just naïve about the connection of the Bolivar Aqueduct to the Ohio and Erie Canal in Tuscarawas County.
I have my chisel ready to go, and I’ll start on this piece of granite right now.
“The Sandy and Beaver Canal, extending from Bolivar on the Ohio and Erie Canal, to Sandyville a distance of six miles, became a portion of the public works of this state by an act of the General Assembly, April11th, 1856, which Authorized and required the Board of Public Works, in the name, for the use for the state of Ohio to take possession of and adopt as a part of the Public Works of this state, as a FEEDER to the Ohio and Erie Canal”.
Aqueducts annual reports//canalwayman said...
684
To 680- On this Canal Stories Home page look for the Google Annual Canal Reports. Go to the pages of 80 through 83 and you'll find the information about the Aqueducts. Someday I hope to enhance this site by adding similar sources.
685
As a resident of Circleville of Pickaway County my schooling years never touched base with any of our surrounding cultures and history. Our historical dept is rather sparse with only some pictures and descriptions that are in such dilapidated condition I can’t make heads or tails of it. The library has more about the canal in other spots than here. Is it true that two pike roads criss-crossed the old fortification and below that crossing is a shrine?
686
The pictorial section on this web site has three or four pictures of the foundations where the Circleville Aqueduct was formerly at. The pictures show islands in the middle of the Scioto, that’s not what we found. Our investigation turned up two supports still upright and shore foundations along its banks. I would go back in and reevaluate this area and re-list the pictures or at least show them.
687
Mr.Canalwayman I couldn't help but to see the negative activity here yesterday. You don't need to defend yourself to anyone or give away an explanation. I review all the historic canal sites and believe me, this is the place to be. Keep up the good work and continue bringing us the great history of the Ohio and Erie Canal.
M.Feller
688
To 685&686--Responding to what’s left at the former site of the Circleville Aqueduct at lock -32. For those who don’t know, the Circleville Aqueduct was the conduit span that carried the canal boats over the Scioto River in Pickaway County. It was the longest lasting wooden span that withstood time and the flood of 1913. It fell two years after the great flood by an act of arson carried out by an angry gambler who was mishandled and was beaten by the casino owners and law officials alike. Circleville had the worst reputation for violence and bad woman and gambling and poison rot-gut whiskey. The Local sheriff’s were paid off by the gambling halls, which carried out the dirty work. The gambler felt as if he was cheated and his intentions were to get revenge.
I assure you the pictures are correct, I’ll explain why, because I know what you’re getting at. The aqueduct remains are no more than 200 yards south of the 22 bridge, but down stream a few years ago as I was looking for timber remains of the span, I stumbled across two supports reaching up out of the river. The supports are exactly parallel to where the Circleville Feeder meets the canal, but on the river. I never made an inquirer of their origin, perhaps they were an old bridge or a railroad supports.
I have heard a story of an alter which was buried below the court house in Circleville, or be-it a sacred Indian shrine of some type. The court house is built directly in the middle of the former circular layout. I’ll give a short piece concerning this matter.
Circleville, a lively post town and County seat of Pickaway County, lying on the east bank of the Scioto River. It was laid off in the year 1810. Within one of the old circular fortifications: from which circumstance it derived its name. The town plat, however, includes parts of a square fort on the east and adjoining the circular one, besides two streets encompassing both. The round fort consist of two circular, but parallel walls, whose tops are apparently, about 50 feet asunder. There was originally but one rectangular opening or passage into the circular fort, and that was on the east side from the square one. The latter has seven avenues leading into it, exclusively of that which communicates with the circle: there is one at every corner and one on each side equidistant from the angular openings. These avenues are each 12 to 15 feet wide, and the walls, on either hand, immediate rise to their usual height; which is above 20 feet. But the great road leading from Columbus to Chillicothe, now runs directly across the middle of the circle from north to south; and this again is crossed, in the center, by another principal street running due east and west. In the center of the circle, at that point of intersection of these streets, is erected an elegant brick octagonal court house.
689
Both the Miami and Ohio and Erie canals have a structure by the same name. Name it.
What’s right and wrong about this posting?
Piketon, a post town and seat of justice for Pike County. It was laid out early 1815, on the eastern side of the Scioto River, 19 miles below or south from Chillicothe, on the great road leading thence forth to Portsmouth, and 26, miles above that just mentioned.
691
Piketon originally called Jefferson, it was the county seat of Pike County from 1815-1845, when it was decided by James Emmitt, a wealthy local entrepreneur, to move the county seat to Waverly due to its closer proximity to the then new Ohio & Erie Canal. It is not a large town, but a village. Pike County was named in honor of Zebulon Pike who discovered Pikes Peek.
Waverly is a village located in, and the county seat of Pike County, Ohio, United States. The population was at 4,433 at the 2000 census. The town was formed in 1829, as the construction of the Ohio and Erie Canal along the west bank of the Scioto River brought new growth to the area. In 1861 the county seat was moved here from Piketon.
Zebulon Montgomery Pike Jr. (January 5, 1779 – April 27, 1813) was an American soldier and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. His Pike expedition, often compared to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, mapped much of the southern portion of the Louisiana Purchase.
692
Responding to 691-That posting has some conflicting information about the dates when the county seat changed. All three sources are from Wikipedia which cannot be relied upon as a reliable source to go on. Although the Waverly posting seems in good order giving the assuming date of 1861 when the county seat was vacated in Piketon. The posting claims that Piketon held the seat from 1815 to 45 which is incorrect, its 1861. Zebulon Pike, in or around 1806 while doing an expedition on the eastern planes of the western frontier in a land not then known as Colorado discovered a great blue mountain with a snow capped peak he named in his name Pike’s Peak. Colorado was admitted into the union late as the 38th state.
693
To 689-both the Miami and Eire and the Ohio Canal have within a Sunfish Aqueduct.
694
Name the proposed canal which was planned to go north from Warren on the P & O Canal to Ashtabula at Lake Erie.
695-I love this sight although I really expected to read some actual canal stories. Would you or anyone involved place them time to time.
696
To 683 & 689- The M&E & the O&E canals both had a Mill Creek Aqueduct too.
Some information for all the readers of this blog: Lock 9 in Newark has recently been unearthed. Much of it has been reburied but there are still visible remains that can be seen roughly across the street from the Works museum.---W.A.Seed
697
Mr.Seed. I'll make it a point to get to this wonderful site this week. Anytime the past is unfolded its worth the time to look it over. I'd be certain that you're aware that some of lock-7 still rest in Lockport.
698
To 697-Mr Maximovich: Unfortunately that visible remnant of Lock 7 (some say 8) has been removed recently !!.-- W.A.Seed
699
Port of Newark. By 1849, this canal town was flourishing mainly due to the Ohio and Erie Canal. Newark was so busy, boats often waited days to off load at the Second Street warehouses. To pass the time away for many of the crew, they frequented the many back alley taverns and saloons nicknaming the Port of Newark, “Fighters Alley”. Newark had the reputation for gambling and women and was the busiest section throughout the Licking reservoir region.
First Canal Boat never launched: The Licking County canal system never saw the first canal boat built in Licking County. Built in 1827-1828 in Hebron, the canal boat, “Licking Summit”, never completed her maiden voyage. On July 4, 1828, under the command of Joshua Smith, the boat began her maiden voyage. The crew soon found that she was too big to pass through the locks. This slight misjudgment of measuring was longed to be the laughing stock along the canal and throughout the state. Anytime something didn’t work or was measured wrongly, it immediately referred back to the Joshua measure. Not only too big to pass through the locks, she drew so much water that the owner finally had to anchor her at Hebron basin stuck in the mud. The final fate of the big boat was first that of a saloon and then became a boat of prostitution. The boat of ill-repute was later destroyed by a group of angry church-going women who often found that their husbands were patrons and set it afire.
700-Would someone give a good explanation of a turnbridge, towbidge and a changebridge? This web-page has been discussed here at school.
701
Many famous people traveled by canal. Between 1839 and 1835, ex-president John Quincy Adams came to Newark to lecture on education. He came by stage to Portsmouth and by canal to Hebron, where he was met by a number of Newark citizens. He held his lecture at the First Presbyterian Church. Licking County struggled. Local farmers fell on hard times with no way to expand by moving their goods further than the confines of the county. Once the canal was finalized, the farmers immediately received three fold for their goods. Within a year, Newark became an upstanding community with a strong commerce and it was no different than any town which is successful, having its darker side as well. Newark was a wide-open gambler’s haven along its water front. Loaded with bars and prostitution mimicking the old west, many gun-toting gangsters roamed the wharfs. Killing became a real concern and in about 1850, a local act was written to close the gambling halls and stop the prostitution. The Women’s Temperance League campaigned to stop the water front behavior and was successful for a short time. Their actions nearly broke Newark’s retail district as shops quickly were closed and the canal boat crews and drinking with prostitution moved elsewhere. Newark then nearly financially busted, and the fine ladies of the Temperance League were feeling the bite as well. The women’s league, feeling the pinch themselves, repealed their decision, ultimately bringing back the drinking, the rowdiness and prostitution and soon after, the town was again alive and all was well.
702
Life on the canal; I wish to say this story was copied as told and the person whom it generated from was probably a real person of the canal. It’s been copied and sent to a Mr. E. W. Harriman of Akron and eventually somehow found me. Over the course of years I have often ran articles searching for canal stories. Many of them are quickly generated and hold no real associated similarities to the proper era, many do.
So many people think the life on a canal boat was a great life. I am trying to forget my canal boat childhood days, but they haunt me; live them over everyday---flies all day, mosquitoes all night. No one could sleep for the horses stomping at mosquitoes would bite sore shoulders. No ice, no tissues, no hot running water, no wash machine, used washboard, no screens; saved dishwater to do dishes all day. At each lock I would fill the jugs to last till the next lock. No springs on bed—a straw tick on bare boards to sleep, two bunks under the steering deck. At night would put our clothe on table so if boat leaked our clothe would be dry to put on. People today don’t know what its like to be poor, or hardships. The man was the boss. He spoke only once. No back talk from the kids, we need He-men today. If a woman would of dressed like they do now he would have spanked here bare behind and threw her in the canal. Mother had two everyday dresses, one good one. I had three dresses. Man had one suit, two pair’s overalls, three shirts. Heels and toes out of stockin’s. No closet to put our clothe in so we had none. Our hands always dirty.
Tow line would get in water, then on towpath. To stop the boat would have to pull line hand over hand, the tie off to a tree, or drive a stake on the towpath. Every saloon along the canal I was to get a bucket of beer. I still get afraid when I took a team over float bridge as water would come up to horses knees. We had to chase flies off our food before we could put in in our mouths. Spoon of butter on molded bread. Mothers would chew food then put food from her mouth to baby mouth. We dredged canal from Barberton to Massillon in 1909, started in 1907. We had our boat housed over, had 7 rooms. Five men on a dredge boat. I done the dishes, made the beds, rowed a boat each day for five miles round trip. Men would not use canal water to wash face too muddy. Two locks north of Clinton took three months to take dredge through the locks. When we are boating coal a dry dock was between locks. Put our boat on to paint and fill the cracks. I watched the parade last July. I want to see if this month if I am able to do so. I talked to some people last year. When I told them I lived on a canal boat they looked at me as if I was crazy. I watched the canal boat being built; I would like to see them put boat in canal.
Sincerely yours,
Mrs. Sylvia Charlote Klinger
703-Was there a sheriff hung by the neck in Canal dover?
704
Licking County History: From the north platform of the B&O Depot can be seen the abutments of the east end of the aqueduct and the outline of the canal to the railroad tracks. Extensive filling was necessary as the state strip had been excavated. A spur of the track to the now abandoned freight offices is held in by a retaining wall near the north side of the lock. On the south wall of the Flinn & Fisher restaurant on the east side of 1st St., is a tablet bearing this inscription: “Lock #9 of Ohio Canal. W. L. Williams, acting commissioner; D.S. Bates, chief engineer; J.Ridgway, resident do; C.E. Fohl, assistant do; S.E. McCracken, contractor A.D. 1848.”
“On the west side of 1st St. is a bit of canal bed covered with greenery and a danger sign to motorists with a warning against using the place as a dump. Continuing westward, the old jail is on the left, then a filling station facing 2nd St. This is on once was state land.” The people’s market house occupies the next block, with Louis Jeffries, wholesale commission merchant, on the west side of 3rd St. The 4th St. filling station, Styron-Beggs, and the skating rink occupy the next section, and above 5th St. we see another filling station, a store and barns for the city housing. Canal St. ends at Farmer’s Alley, now 6th St. where we find a cement building with this inscription. “Newark Gospel Tabernacle. Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone-Eph.2-22, Dedicated to the Lord Jesus 1932”.
705
In 1861, just about the time President Lincoln was calling for volunteers to enlist for ninety days to put down the rebellion, a small Akron boy, age ten years, started his career along the towpaths of the Ohio Canal. That boy was John Paul. He later became well known along the entire length of the canal from Cleveland to Barberton to Columbus to Portsmouth. He was known as Captain John Paul, owner and pilot of various boats.
Thirty years after he made his first trip, between Christmas and New Years Day in 1891 he stopped. The new Magic City town-site caught the spirit of opportunity prevailing here and decided to settle here and help build the city of Barberton. He opened a coal yard on the site of the present Henry Coal & Ice property and became Barberton’s first coal dealer.
706
To 694.It appears that two canal system proposals never materialized here in Ohio. In the north eastern end of the state a canal proposal was set in motion to the state legislature to add another canal system from Niles to Ashtabula at Lake Erie. This estimated 70 mile long canal was going to be named the Pittsburgh Canal and its water supply was to be Mosquito Creek and Lake. The proposal came to a stop when Pennsylvania built the Beaver Division Canal which connected both of Ohio's Sandy and Beaver and the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal within its borders. With the addition of the Shenango and the Conneaut Line, Pennsylvania finally connected to Lake Erie by-passing Ohio to the lake. The other canal never got any further than a completed survey and mapping and plenty of arguments. This proposed canal was to connect at Sandusky Bay then head due south. It was to pass through the county of Sandusky, Seneca, Wyandot, Marion, Delaware and tie in to Columbus in Franklin County. The water supply would have been the Sandusky River and the Scioto; they met in Marion County then on to Columbus then ending at the Ohio River at Portsmouth 90 miles further south.
Riggs said...
707-to-695-When the turn bridge was designed its base was built outward protruding into the canal having its pivot point on land. By doing so caused a bottle-neck and closed in the passage for boats to pass. A turn bridge was commonly used when a roadway or railroad crossed the canal and clearances were a problem. To operate, the bridge would swing 90 deg. in either direction until it lined up parallel with the canal allowing passage.
A tow bridge usually accompanied a culvert or aqueduct allowing the team and man alike to safely walk next to the waterway above a stream or river.
A change bridge was a walkway for man or animal to change from one side of the canal to the other without going in.
A cross over bridge was located at the locks lower end to enable the lock tender or passengers to cross over the lock chamber. With the bridge at only one end and Whalen gates at each end, the lock tender would tend to carefully maneuver the gates to cross over in some cases.
November 10, 2008 12:07 PM
708
Trivia guy said...
When the Ohio and Erie was in its final stages of planning an alternative Manchester route was under consideration by passing Akron, which route would have been used?
November 10, 2008 12:20 PM
709
To 708--It was never initially proposed that the canal passed over the Portage land summit following the Portage path. Many dangerous possibilities surfaced when Alfred Kelley and General Simon Perkins almost singlehandedly proposed and passed a plan for the Summit Lake passage despite overwhelming opposition. Summit Lake was much higher than the canal. By draining it held an imminent risk. Two other routes known to be the Manchester and the Middlebury routes were better choices. Ultimately, the third route was initiated despite argumentative conflict. The Middlebury route proposal used the Tuscarawas River as the water supply filling the necessary lockage climbing to the Springfield Lake summit then descending into Middlebury, then further dropping into the Little Cuyahoga Valley with the aid of ten locks. If in fact that route was chosen, Akron would have never existed. Another route was considered which used the same Middlebury route. This other option passed through Middlebury and headed along the upper Little Cuyahoga valley ridge rather than use lockage to drop into the river. Instead, it went north and dropped into the Big Cuyahoga at Manchester. If this route was chosen, again, Akron would not have been as significant. Cuyahoga Falls formerly known as Manchester, was suggested as the least expensive route. Manchester had enough water to fulfill any needs dropping the canal into Cuyahoga River Valley.
The town was initially called Manchester but was renamed Cuyahoga Falls at the request of the Post Master General who said that another town called Manchester sits along the Ohio River in Adam’s County that was established first.
710
To 709 -Growing up and playing along the Cuyahoga Rivers set mind in motion wondering about the so called Manchester Route. This is over my head a little and I looked around and went over this last evening with a few colleagues that can't say or be certain whether the posting holds any actual fact. I would think making a connection in Cuyahoga Falls would be digging a canal through the most treacherous conditions anywhere in the state that I'm aware of. The Big Cuyahoga River has mixed consistencies, basically a rather smooth running river until it begins speeding up dropping through gorges near Kent and them runs a slight series of rapids until reaching Cuyahoga Falls where the river turns violent descending a couple hundred feet through steep canyons for miles heading into the Cuyahoga Valley below. I can't see where by-passing Akron to connect in Manchester would be easier by any means. The passage through the Black Hand gorge in comparison to what would have been required using the Big Cuyahoga as a canal route would have been so minimal by comparison.
711-Knowing Akron fairly well makes one re-think the path of the O&E. Where were the other options? Before Summit Lake was drained down only it lies between Manchester Road and Lakeshore Boulevard as we know them today. The eastern and western sides are yet now steep bluffs.
713- i was under the assumption there was no locks on the final stretch of the P&O from Cuyahoga falls into downtown Akron. walking about, i never seen hide-nor-hair that gives any indication a lock was ever present.
714
I read recently that the Pennsylvania Canal still flows below Main Street in Akron. Seeing what you done and judging by all the pictures below, have you seen it this.
715
To 714- I had often been asked if the P&O still flows below Main St. in Akron and the answer is no, it doesn’t. Contrary to what’s being written on the subject, the canal bed has been filled in although a main sewer trunk now lies in the former canal bed according to Akron’s sewage division. Northern Ohio has no shortage of canal researchers who have been over the former P&O Canal. They know enough to realize the canal ends next to Mill Paper products coming from the east where a discharge tube carries any leftover water into the Little Cuyahoga River. Any water in that section is just run-off from the hills above. The water has been shut off since the 1880s and stopped at Main St. By 1930, all of the canal east of Akron was filled except for some sections above North St which remain the same today. The section from Old Forge running parallel to Forge St. towards Akron was filled in by the 1950s.The sections still left are no more than stagnant stretches of the former P&O. To the east coming from Middlebury, that part of the Crosby Mill race was completely filled in by the 1930s up to bank St. The canal bed re-appears from time to time continuing towards Arlington and the North Street area. On North Arlington Street near the connection of North and Home avenues sits a CXS railroad station. Follow its track about 75 yards east then cut in south no more than 30 yards and snoop around some. You’ll find where the Crosby Mill Race ended by going into a rather large underground tube. According to maps, that’s where the water entered a tunnel and discharged into the P&O Canal as a feeder. The Crosby Mill race was no more than a10 to 20 foot wide stream transferring the water of the Little Cuyahoga from Middlebury to Akron. It dropped down a long chute to pick up speed to run the mills beginning at lock-5 at the area north of Akron named the Cascade. Cascade developed north of lock-5 on the eastern side of the canal and ended just beyond the Mustill Store at lock-15. From my experiences under Akron, I never saw a connection to another canal from below. I did see light coming in from curb sewers above and manhole covers at different places. In other places, street runoff sewers connected but they were relatively small in diameter. When the canal was in force, Akron tied its runoff sewers into the canal along the staircase as well as the Little Cuyahoga River. This caused or aided the destruction during the 1913 flood. Today, below are still some small run off sewers and its possible that discharge sewage dumps are in it as well with the staggering amount of trash collected on the second level from the bottom.
717-At the end of 1903, the aggregate of canal receipts amounted to $16, 953, 103, 96 and expenditures 412, 063, 849, 47 and the U.S.Government Commission estimated that the receipts should have been $25,000,000 over and above the expenditures. The state has still left some $15,000,000 worth of canal lands that should be preserved for revenue and park development. My concern lies here, why didn't the state return the lands to those who donated the thousands of acres?
718- how about a brief history lesson on Tuscarawas County and the impact the Ohio canal had on it?
719
Revised Canal route// canalwayman said...
716
To 711-When Summit Lake was at its original depth somewhere about 10 feet deeper than today’s level, it would have been much wider thus covering more acreage. The western side of the lake would have touched the steep hills on its shoreline. The eastern side has rolling hills but more towards the northern end of the lake. Because of terrain difficulties and the soft mushy shoreline that was exposed during the drainage the floating towpath was invented; there was no other option than to do so if Summit Lake was going to be used.
I was email this last evening about the proposed Manchester route for the Ohio and Erie Canal, we know of Manchester as Cuyahoga Falls. Manchester’s boarders may have extended further south to the area of Old Forge back in the canal era. It would have been less effort to use and follow the Little Cuyahoga River from Middlebury to the bottom by using the stream to assist lockage, or just use the stream and canalized it rather than dig the canal through Summit Lake. I have walked the Little Cuyahoga from below Goodyear on E. Market St. in Middlebury all the way to the Mustill Store, basically in the middle of the stream. This river was groomed at one time for another purpose beginning in Middlebury.
Today, November, 12th 2008. I’m setting out on the P&O Canal again, this time heading to and near Old Forge and have a look around. I received a letter and the person behind it says that about 700 feet north-east of a stream called Camp Brook he found a lock in there back in the fifties playing. This individual born in the thirties is going to meet me this morning and well see what unfolds. I have covered this ground a hundred times having good maps, but who knows. Back in there once, I stumble across hundreds of blocks buried deep in trees and partially in a ravine but they didn’t match where they should have been to be considered a lock. This time with the information by Terry Woods, a well known explorer, I have a very detailed written map of the lock positions, all 53 of them on this canal system.
November 12, 2008 4:48 AM
720- Right here on this site you have made reference many times about the canal being re-borne from Cleveland to Dresden and leaving anything south of Dresden to wither away. I never heard of such things.
721--Hey canalwayman, give an opinion about a partial article dated April 19, 1995 in the local newspaper. The topic is Tuscarawas County.
The section of the canal which runs through Tuscarawas County was 109 miles in length with 30 locks and a drop in elevation of 238 feet. It crossed the Tuscarawas River and the county line on an aqueduct north of Zoar. This section started at Summit Lake in Akron and extended to Dresden. When newspapers screw things up as they had done here, shouldn't they at least come back with the stuff the next day.
Harold-New Philly
We continually keep vigil of this site, great work!!!
722
To Harold. Unfortunately the local paper wouldn’t know if the information is good or not. In this case, they probably depended on the local historical society for input. How many thousands believe that article? You’d be surprised. So here’s our chance to straighten it up by giving the real stuff.
The Ohio and Erie Canal enters Tuscarawas County at Bolivar around mile 80. What I mean by mile 80 is quite simple - the canal begins at Lake Erie as mile 1, ending at Portsmouth, better than 300 miles to the south. The canal flowed about 28 or so miles through Tuscarawas County to just beyond Newcomerstown then went into Coshocton County at about the lock-22 area named Sedam/Suydam’s lock. Only 15 locks where within the confines of Tuscarawas County. From Summit Lake, the distance is about 109 miles to Dresden Junction. That’s close to being correct. The article is still semi-correct. If it said the canal held 30 locks from Summit Lake to Dresden, that would be closer to fact and it should have specified that 15 locks were in the county. In fact, there were 33 locks including the side cut on the stretch from Summit Lake to Dresden.
723
To 720-Barberton news paper dated July12, 1907.
“CLEVELAND SHIPPERS TO SEND GOODS THROUGH CANAL.
Big Cleveland shippers are preparing to go back to the transportation facilities of the early days. Boats will be running this summer between Cleveland and Marietta, through the canal at Clinton, and by next season a fleet of 25 will be in operation.
The first step in this project is the incorporation of the Ohio canal & Transportation Co., of Cleveland, capitalization at $75,000... A large amount of money will be spent to carry out their plans. Plans for boats are now being made. The mule will be a back number to propel the new craft as gasoline or steam will be used.
Nearly $100,000 has been spent in improving the canal from Cleveland to Akron... The canal from Barberton to Dresden is already navigable. If the plans mature as outlined, the historic canal once more be the scene of unusual novelties”.
During the later part of 1912, work was going on trying to get the triple locks at Dresden Junction re-fitted and a slackwater pool below them re-dug to accept river boats which included new docks and wharfs at the junction to the Muskingum River. Things were moving along well, then the Ohio General Assembly and Legislature put a hold on the canal founds. Again this stopped progress at Dresden. The town’s people were disappointed once more. The project was put on the back burner by some of those in Columbus who had strong ties to the railway system. The railways stringently opposed the reconstruction and plans to overhaul or use the canal system for commercial use. The railways strong will, clout and money permanently put a lid on any further ideas which may surface pertaining advancements of canal usage. This angered many state representatives and the battle was heating up towards the Railroad Commission and just as things getting hot in the state house, with both sides ready to do battle, the flood of 1913, hit hard. Hastily a decision was made to call the Ohio and Erie Canal a total loss. This ended the impending war about any future use or expansion of the Ohio and Erie Canal. The state quickly looked over all the options and came to a decision that the insurance pay off was staggering and the money could be used somewhere else.
723
When the railways begin arriving the leaders within our capital immediately had the good sense to know the canals systems were coming to an end. The determination of a few die-hards kept the waters moving in the canal. One –by-one canals failed as the railroad systems quickly transposed business from the established canal network Some state legislators and representatives alike, felt compelled out of respect to at least keep the Ohio and Erie system alive remembering what greatness it brought our state. Nearly every canal system within our borders succumbed to age and deterioration and loss of revenue. It was the loss of financial strength which determined the life of each canal. Actually the Ohio and Erie Canal paid off, no others. The southern end of the O&E closed years ahead of the flood of 1913, for financial reasons. The devoted representatives of the sparsely lit canal wanted to bring it back too life. The plan was to convert the existing canal to equal New York’s Barge Canal. This never materialized. The Ohio and Erie Canal slumbered into its later years, instead of abandonment it paid off once more in the form of a huge financial settlement after the storm destroyed its northern end.
724
The Ohio and Erie Canal was in competition with what other transportation route trying to complete construction on-time, and be ahead of the other. Who won the race?
727
To 703-Walter m. Blake, who as Tuscarawas County sheriff hanged John Funston at a public execution in New Philadelphia in 1825 for the murder of William Cartmell a Post Boy, and later established Blake's Mills, he was one of the canal contractors. Others included Samuel Shane of Dover and Elisha Jones of New Philadelphia.
Blake’s Mill was originally set up on Sugar Creek at the spillway to the river. Blake leased the land from Christian Deardorff and brother who owned the property and sold the water rights to the Ohio and Erie Canal Commission for their use. This caused problems for Blake who got fed up with the water being shut off to operate his water wheel by Deardorff to assure the canal had plentiful water. Blake’s Mill was moved to the other side of the Tuscarawas River to Lockport an area east of Blakesfield named after him. The mill was set up as Blake’s Mill at lock-13.
732
What the heck is a "multi member"? That name would have described the star of an adult movie I'd seen years ago...
Hope that observation doesn't get me bleeped off again. I was wondering if you'd found anything when you checked out the possible lock site on the P&O earlier this week? The one afternoon I'd spent on that canal a while back yielded nothing but dubious culvert structures & short stretches of cat-tailed filled prism. The only locks I know of include the one in Kent & another one that was filled a few years back & is located behind a ice cream parlor (or restaurant)
W.A.Seed
733
To 732- Mr. Seed we’re fine. The section of the P&O Canal that I covered was only a small stretch, but regardless it kept me out there for six hours. Once again I covered an area from downtown Akron to Bettes Corners. On this outing I was fortunate enough to have something tangible to work with by means of a real person and these maps from a 1950s Quine’s publication. Interesting enough, a lock has been recently uncovered along Forge St. but it was destroyed in the digging process unknowing to the excavators what they had there. I followed this map closely and kept track of my footsteps, and where it indicated a lock was supposed to be there was evidence which is fairly conclusive except for one area which took me by surprise. To make a good example of this, I’m certain that you found the Tomlinson Lock sites where locks 41& 42 are present and lock 43 has only the lower course of blocks left to view. This same scenario unfolded out on the P & O the other day when I found myself unexpectedly standing near the lower course of blocks. I can’t explain to someone who’s not involved in this type of discovery the exhilaration of finding something like this. It measured exactly, all of 100 feet in length. Further north I found a rather long piece of lumber which matches the dimensions of a push beam which operated the doors at a lock. This piece of lumber has evidence of how it was shaped hewed from what looks like an axe. The fellow who went in with me had a strong memory of the whole place. I got in there before he arrived and pretty much located most of the remains ahead of him. When he arrived we talked things over and then we set into the area east of Home Ave. He was careful and took his time climbing around. He stopped momentarily to get his bearings and then took me to a few former lock sites and he was dead accurate about where to go. He said that back in the 1950s more of the lock remains were in there. I took him over the long stretch of block stones and he remembered them sticking up much higher. Overall it was a great time for both of us.
738
To 724- The canal system beat the national Pike across Ohio. On July4,1825 at the very hour DeWitt Clinton was using a spade at Licking Summit to start the Ohio Canal, a similar ceremony was underway in front of Belmont County Courthouse at Clairsville. Work was beginning on the Ohio portion of the National Road.
Three years later on the same date, July 4th was a notable date to be remembered concerning Ohio transportation. On that very day as the Independence Day parade was carrying on in Baltimore Maryland in 1828 a ceremony of doom was being held behind closed doors which would seal the fate of Ohio's canals. The meeting was held at the offices of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad who would soon follow the towpath of the Ohio and Erie Canal.
740
Which canal system was given a leeway of ten years to complete.
741 to 714-I was determined to chase down the information to prove that a conduit still yet carries the P & O below Main St. Akron, contrary to you're claim it doesn't. What I learned was this, the water quit flowing down Main St. after the 1913 flood, it was then the whole system abandoned.
I located this fine piece dated 1898 which comes in great detail on the subject.
As a mill race, however, conveying the waters of the Little Cuyahoga River, Springfield lake etc., from ancient Middlebury, now the populous Sixth Ward, of Akron, to the several extensive flouring mills of the city, it is still doing valuable service, though hidden from sight by a substantial conduit through Main, and that portion of Mill Street, east of Howard…. Peace to the "ashes" of the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal.
Welcome aboard---New Member!
742-This site is great. My family tree goes back several generations here in Cuyahoga Falls. My great, great grandfather worked ditch repair employed by the Ohio Water company on the cross cut canal. Have you ever come across anything?
743
It would seem all the efforts here are bound to northern Ohio; there is more to the canal than the northern end. Chillicothe was once a city ahead of its time and we were the strength of southern Ohio. Our archive dept needs some work and is very limited on the canal system. As a member of a nearby canal association and being new we are limited on funds and privileged information. I strongly feel that Ohio's history should be an open book for all, not hand picked organizations. I teach history and I just can’t find what's needed here in town, information is vacant in comparison to our northern libraries. Please, if at all possible describe the canal passage going in and out of town. I'm completely lost on the mill races.
744
What was the deciding factor closing the lower end of the Ohio and Erie canal?
746
To 744-Inevitably, the railways closed the Ohio and Erie Canal. Because of the deficit and lack of income from the canal, the state leased the canal out to private enterprise. The state and its people suffered before the railways arrived through the long winter months as goods became scarce on the mercantile shelves waiting for spring to arrive. Price gouging was common going into the winter months by the store owners knowing well the consumers would pay their price. The economy was up and down constantly along the canal system. Any word that the canal had failure drove the price of goods sky high. The people were growing tired of the headaches involved with freight via the canal. Before the railways were put into action here in Ohio the railroads sent their emissaries into the towns and sold the ideas to the people of Ohio who stood behind the idea of this new and year round method of transportation and means to bring goods to market, basically pennies on the dollar. The rail system done just that, and gave the people of the state a chance to climb on-board and see not only Ohio but the nation as a whole. By 1860, Ohioans felt relief going into the winter months brought by the railways and soon the canal was almost forgotten and became a hindrance more than anything else.
On the canal, it seemed that the yearly flooding was costing the state millions in lost revenues repairing an overwhelming amount of flood damage. The canal numbers were in the black and any decision to pour money into it was a bad one. The canal began to crumble under it new operators in the early 1860s who basically let it fall into complete disarray. This left a multitude of canal boat abandoned and were left to rot where they sunk in the mud. Six years before the 1913 flood another flood of staggering magnitude hit Ohio and nearly wiped the canal out. This flood put the system down; it was that flood that killed the southern end of the Ohio and Erie Canal. The canals longest stretch above Chillicothe was breeched and the few boats which were left in the canal were abandoned the same. The canal boat “Duck” sat resting right in the thick of things downtown Chillicothe until it was burned to the ground, as was the same destiny for many others boats. In southern Ohio the biggest canal break do to the 1907 flood was the great 3 mile break that was near Camp Sherman then called the Minear Farm. Dear Creek Aqueduct floated away. Every southern Ohio dam and aqueduct except the Circleville span fell or was badly hurt. The longest dam on any of our feeder rivers named the Tomlinson Dam, spanned over 500 feet was washed away along with it was the Circleville Dam to the north. All of the southern Ohio structures have been scantly repaired over the course of the previous 40 years since the canal was leased away. The 1913 flood just finished things off, but by then Chillicothe had already removed and filled all reminders that a canal ran through town.
I will re-post the several listings which have been deleted. On our replies from now on please give a subject matter if at all possible. You could even do it as follows; (Anonymous: two bends in the rivers). Use that as an example please.
FINANCIAL CONCERNS AFTER THE CANAL CLOSED
747
Near its end the canal projected a total loss over its life. However, one assessment totaling up all the operating cost and gains from 1827 to 1903 show a profit of nearly $5,000,000. Based on its revenues accumulated from 1903 to 1912, the insurance paid a scant $1,000,000 after the flood of 1913.
November 16, 2008 9:39 AM
“CROSS CUT CANAL” THAT CUYAHOGA FALLS RESIDENT GRANDFATHER WORKED ON
748
To 742- Your great, great grandfather worked for either of the following tending the towpath, the Akron Hydraulic Co. or the Mahoning Railroad Co. Here as follows an appendage from archives retrieved in the Summit County Library main branch. A partial report: To this enjoyment the south Main Street people, through whose lands the canal ran, put an emphatic demurrer one night, in the spring of 1874, by filling the canal with earth at the Exchange St.Bridge, and tapping the towing path at one or two points further north, and discharging the waters of the lower levels into the bottom lands, and into the Ohio and Erie Canal on the west. Legal proceedings against the supposed nocturnal violators of the law were instituted, but finally abandoned, and that portion of the canal also reverted to the contiguous land owners and it was that year that the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal became a thing of the past.
November 16, 2008 10:06 AM
CHILLICOTHE AND THE ARRIVAL OF THE RAILWAYS
749
During the 1800s, Chillicothe became a busy economic center. While agriculture was the backbone of the local economy, other industries, especially papermaking, contributed to the town's prosperity. In 1831, the Ohio and Erie Canal connected Chillicothe more closely with other parts of the state, expanding the city's markets. Chillicothe entered the railroad age in 1852, when the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad entered the town. As the railroad acquired new owners, including the Cincinnati, Washington, and Baltimore Railroad Company and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, Chillicothe residents acquired even more markets for their goods. Usually, railroads quickly drove canal companies out of business. The principal reason for this was that railroads could transfer people and supplies at a much quicker rate and for a cheaper price than the canals. In the case of Chillicothe, however, the railroads and the canal peacefully coexisted. The railroads generally ran from the East to the West, while the canal handled business from the north to the south. The canal remained in operation until 1907, when a flood severely damaged it and forced it to close.
November 16, 2008 10:41 AM
QUESTIONS ABOUT GARFIELD LOCK AND BENDS IN THE RIVERS
750
Which of our Presidents were directly involved in building a canal lift lock?
751
Two canal towns along major rivers experienced severe flooding caused by a tight bend in the river what were the names. What was carried out to alleviate this situation?
November 16, 2008 2:25 PM
BENDS IN THE TWO RIVERS752
The bend in the river caused a great amount of flooding in both Chillicothe being flooded by the nearby Scioto and up North along the Tuscarawas Massillon was often effected by rising waters. Both re-routed the original course of the river preventing that scenario from developing further more.
November 17, 2008 5:29 AM
GARFIELD DAUGHERTY LOCK
753
The Garfield Daugherty lock # 20 lies east of Newcomerstown. Strangely enough the lock bears the name of our former and 20th President. As legend may tell, Abram Garfield, James father worked two contracts in the Newcomerstown area and never completed his contract as he agreed too. I don’t think that Abram Garfield lifted a finger in the locks construction. . Ultimately the lock connected the Garfield name to it out of respect some years after his presidency.
November 17, 2008 5:41 AM
CAMP SHERMAN-CHILLICOTHE 754
World War I contributed immensely to Chillicothe's growth. In 1917, the United States government established Camp Sherman on the outskirts of the city on the former Ohio and Erie Canal. Within a few months, more than two thousand buildings had been built. They housed soldiers in training for duty in World War I. The city's population swelled from sixteen thousand people to approximately sixty thousand people practically overnight.
755
To-740-Outside of preliminary surveys, under the auspices of the Canal Commission of Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal, nothing further was accomplished for the period of nearly eight years. Interest in the project at length having revived, on the 29th day of February, 1835 the charter was renewed with an amendment, giving the company ten years from December 31, 1835 in which to complete the work; Pennsylvania taking similar action April 13, 1835.
756- You often mention that the Circleville Aqueduct survived the life of the Ohio and Erie Canal, Tinkers Creek was another.==Joel
757
Today, Tinkers Creek Aqueduct is the only aqueduct which remains of the four original aqueducts in the Cuyahoga Valley. Of Furnace Run Aqueduct, Mill Creek Aqueduct, Peninsula Aqueduct, and (? Yellow Creek ?) Aqueduct; Mill Creek Aqueduct, of modern construction, is the only aqueduct which still carries Ohio and Erie Canal water. After 102 years of flooding, weathering, and deterioration, Tinkers Creek Aqueduct was removed in 2007. The National Park Service is currently working on Phase II of the project to reconstruct it from modern materials.
758
To 757-On the subject of Aqueducts, I sometimes wonder who decides what a culvert is or what is an aqueduct. For instance, the Rocky Fork Culvert in size alone is more of an aqueduct than most aqueducts are along the Ohio and Erie Canal. Yellow Creek Culvert in comparison is relatively small next to Rocky Fork. It appears that to be named an aqueduct; generally, it must have a span supported high above a stream or river by one or more columns, except in the case of the Barberton Aqueduct. Today, it’s only known to a few of us who actually have seen the Barberton Aqueduct. It sits in nearly perfect condition in the swamps east of PPG. For those who are interested in having a look, just go to the tracks on Snyder Avenue. Go in along the tracks and walk in 900 paces to the south and turn in about fifty yards to the east. That is the safe route to use. I previously picked up the canal to the south of Wolf Creek and followed it where it’s still watered running parallel to both the tracks and the river running between the two. While making my way along the towpath, I was startled by a large deer and he fled. I had to get to low ground to go around an obstacle and the ground was covered by a foot of water. It began feeling soft and mushy. I heard snapping and struggling and a faint scream of some type of an animal and further down, a deer was fighting for its life, sinking with only his front shoulder and neck exposed. This animal was running from me and it went directly into the quick sand. I set off in its direction and before I knew it, I was in to my chest and I couldn’t feel anything solid below my feet. One thing which stands out was the smell. The smell was horrendous, it being rotted vegetation and swamp muck. I tried getting traction scraping the black muck and I was trying to grab clumps of grass which easily pulled out. It was the buoyancy of my backpack that kept me from going under, but it drove my face into the muck, which I believe was quick sand. Only five feet prior to going in, the ground was solid. I always kept a rope and hook while investigating swampy areas. I launched the rope back over my shoulders as I was slowing going in deeper and after several attempts it caught something strong enough to latch on and I pulled myself to safety. Unknowingly to me then, I later heard that a member of the CSO was lost and was never found working the same area. I can visualize what happened. This is a very interesting area. One can see that Wolf Creek flowed below the structure at one time and looking in the immediate area are the remains of rather large clay sewer pipes made nearby long ago. They’re still in great condition. The whole place is waist- deep in water that’s backed up by a beaver dam at the northern end of the aqueduct. The swamp can be easily avoided by coming in off the tracks as in the instructions above. The northern end of the structure has channels enabling a slide valve to run within them which could shut the water off if need be. Blocks are scantly scattered about, mostly going south. The canal disappears south of the aqueduct and if you’re looking to pick it up again just continue south along the tracks next to the Tuscarawas River and you’ll soon find it. The Barberton Aqueduct and Rocky Fork Culvert are in nearly perfect condition compared to Tinkers Creek.
759 Mr. Appleseed, You mentioned Quine's Old Forge publication in your post about the structures along the P&O canal. Quine has another fascinating book that he published about the old Wolf Ledge. For those who don't know, Wolf Run flowed through a 30 foot ravine that ran from east to west in spicertown, which was filled in during the 1920's. Quine mentions that one of the routes considered for the P&O (and later, one of the railroads) was through this ravine.
760
Mr.Canaldog, if memory is correct, I believe that you approached this topic before as another option into Akron. I would think it was ruled out because of the lack of water on that elevation. But obviously, Wolf Run carved out Wolfs Ledges leaving a deep ravine, for it alone must have left considerations and possibilities to by-pass Summit Lake. Up until now, I had no idea of a ravine or that the area was filled in and that’s how the name Wolfs Ledges originated. I have followed those tracks from where they turn south above the Little Cuyahoga area heading towards the university and you’ll often find an out-cropping of ledges here and there.
761
This Saturday the 22nd of November, a small group of us are meeting at Starbucks across from Wal-mart in Massillon at 9: am. we're driving into Bolivar and are going to walk the towpath returning into Massillon. The purpose is to raise funds for a certain ministry who wishes to conduct his services in our prisons.
You’re welcome to come along. This walk will take several hours to complete, so if you’re up to it we’ll see you there.
761
I'll see you there "canalbiker"
762
Mr.Canaldog. I found a stream without a name coming from the southeast which is probably Wolfs Run. This map is dated 1866. From what I see, the stream passes below Washington St. and below a trestle of the Cleveland, Zanesville, and Cincinnati Atlantic & Great Western Railroad, ending at Main and Chestnut Streets at the southeast corner of the Lower Basin near lock-1. The map indicates that it’s a sizable stream. To be considered to be a (run) the dictionary has a run listed as a fast swift moving stream. If that be the case here, it would have been sufficient. We know well the circumstances to why Summit Lake was favored over all other routes. It was fueled by Simon Perkins and Alfred Kelley, but we won’t get into that.
Canaldog, you brought out a good point, and by doing so we learned something new.
“Welcome Back”
763- I believe that stream is active today and its waters meet the canal through the tunnel at lock 2 coming from the east.
764
-We have an article out of Tuscarawas County which contradicts your work, as follows; Tuscarawas County is a paradise for canal lovers, because the county has more remains of the old Ohio and Erie Canal than any other county in the state, except, Summit County.
Eleven of the 15 locks are still in existence, as are the two feeders dams built across the Tuscarawas River, Zoar Dam at Zoar and the Hilton Dam near Tuscarawas.
I believe the feeder at Tuscarawas was named Trenton.
765
To 764-I know that piece and even have it in my New Philadelphia files. It’s no big deal here about whether the name is correct or not concerning this feeder. I was convinced the same that the Hilton Dam was in Tuscarawas going by readings from other researchers. But then I was called to a Jackson Township home of the grand daughter of one of the Dailey Bros. of Bolivar who rebuilt several structures in Stark and Tuscarawas Counties. The Dailey Brothers rebuilt several of the local locks including number-6 in Navarre. We went over several pictures that they needed to have identified for posterity reasons. They copied and handed me every thing they had for helping them figure out this maze of confusion. Some of the pictures were recognized by their familiar surroundings, others were labeled as to where they were working. One picture stood out so well, as it depicted the men working on a narrow dam using wheel barrows. I immediately knew this was the dam near Mill St. in New Philadelphia called the Hilton dam. When the water is low the picture is a clone made by comparison. The researcher who made the statement in posting 764 and I discussed this, and he now agrees that the Trenton Dam and Feeder, not the Hilton Dam sits at the bottom of River Bottoms Road in Tuscarawas Township.
767---Did the city of Akron replace their sewage systems after the 1913 flood wiped them out? Does the mainline sewer trunk sit in the canal bed? One more!Has or does Akron discharge sewage into the Cuyahoga river?
768-629-Two other buildings the canal passed below of were Zoar lock # 8 at mile 83, Judge Chaney's Empire Mills lock #19 halfway between canal Wichester & Groveport at mile 211.
769
Known as chaney's mill lock 19 name its former name.
770
Lock 19 was originally named the Prentiss lock being built on the Prentiss Farm. Chaney later moved from the lock-19 location and set up his operations at lock-21 where ha again set up his mill. Lock-19 crossed over the canal and towpath. The old mill was converted to a flouring mill, previously a wool carding mill. Both of these were west of Canal Winchester.
771
To-767-Akron immediately went into action after the 1913 flood and designed a new water treatment plant. It wasn't until 1914 that the plans were complete. The building of the plant began; it was better than a year before the sewage was channeled to this facility by the use of a 60 inch sewer trunk. It was then Akron quit dumping 100 pct, of the waste into the Little Cuyahoga River. Within a decade it became apparent the new facility was overwhelmed and an addition was added into the treatment plant. With Akron’s rapid expansion and the call was made for a much larger diameter trunk to carry the load into the valley. The first of the main line trunks went down Akron Peninsula Rd and Cuyahoga Falls was connected to it. The second one followed the bed of the Ohio and Erie Canal using Riverview Rd. paralleling both the Little and Big Cuyahoga Rivers. Akron has always discharged their over flow into the Little Cuyahoga River. These day's they have made an attempt to catch as much sewage as possible by building a catch basin along the L.Cuyahoga River. Even with that, the discharge still blows out into the river if the pressure gets to high. A siphon tube carries the overflow below the river into the catch basin. To keep the siphon tube from exploding under severe hydraulic pressure it’s necessary to do just that by discharging into the river in a heavy downpour condition... The siphon tube is what’s used to transfer the waste to the new holding tank. To see this overflow valve from the inside, go to the home page of this sight and lock for the lock section and then to lock 21 on the first stretch, then look at the overflow valve. This valve was placed at the former site of lock-21. I got inside to have a look and followed the tube down and below the river, not too smart. I came back at a heavy downpour and to my surprise the discharge was tremendous going into the river at the overflow valve. The reasoning behind this discharge valve is to prevent any of the sewer trunks from exploding under pressure. If that would happen then we'd have a real mess somewhere else. The main line sewer trunk we have now was built from 1922 to 26.
772-771-I would think locks 20,21,22,23 were removed to make room for the sewer line.
773-Hey canalwayman, where was the dam located for the Chuckery race? I was hoping you had something to go by which may lead a trail.
774
There is a lot of good information out there about Eliakim Crosby's work. I know his dam sat where the big dam now sits in the gorge. The big dam along with the Ohio Edison facility up river was the power source for the Electric Light and Traction Company that once powered Akron and Cuyahoga Falls’ street cars a century ago. I haven't put too much time into researching the Chuckery Race, but I had followed its course to where it ended near Uhler Ave. With some imagination you can visualize where it formerly was. The name of the company behind this mill race and ideas was called the PORTAGE CANAL AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY.
775
To-768- The explanation for having a covered bridge at Zoar and Chaney’s Mill is the following: In some circumstances where a boat was unable to moor up to a mill for lack of a basin or pool or perhaps a millrace stood between the canals, a crossover was needed. If that circumstance existed, the mill built a span over and above the canal from the millhouse to the far banks of the towpath allowing a good ten feet of walking surface. Within the crossover bridge were trap doors which opened, allowing access to the boats waiting below. The bridges were built using the Smith truss design which gave them great strength. Above the doors were block and tackle pulleys which sat on rollers that could easily pick up a load from the warehouse and trolley it to the loading doors and visa versa. Grain and corn were moved along the canal in crib baskets which carried about 500 pounds per basket and were about 3 feet square. I never seen one but this information was passed down from another source who is a well-known historian. The baskets had a strap at each of its corners to be conjoined onto a hook and then hoisted up. The boats could moor in the channel for exchanging cargo all the same. In many circumstances, a bridge was built over the millrace giving access to the channel.
776
To 772-Those were the only locks that I'm aware of which were removed to make way for the sewer trunk. Up the canal near locks 10 & 11 it’s clear the sewer mains are running below the canal and through the concrete walls which were put in place after the flood to give the water direction. Immediately after the 1913 flood the waters were still flooding the lands around the locks and was running freely coming down from Summit Lake. Lock-1 was obliterated and Summit Lake was draining at a rapid rate until it ran low. That caused a great concern being a health risk. The water had to be stopped; in doing so the northern channel coming from the lake was blocked using anything available. Summit Lake dropped to the point the water was trickling down the canal, and Long Lake was breached severely at the towpath, and was empty as well. Portage Landing was washed away as well as the feeder. The sewage system and storm drains in Akron were incorporated to spill into the canal in the 1880s along with main sewage lines spilling directly into the river. The path of the concrete corridor through the staircase as we know today isn’t the true course of the original canal.
Would you please re-post the history of the old mill at lock 4.
. 779- Concerning posting 777 - I was discussing this with a couple of canal historians last evening about the name given to the Old Maid, of “Old Maid's Kitchen” who may have cooked for the construction laborers. I can't prove either way whether she existed or not. By erasing that posting takes away the ability to use this blog to tell a story. Who ever posted it never said it was a known fact. I now feel that it is not important for one to reveal his source. There are hundreds of stories pertaining to the canal that are impossible to verify and were spread by word of mouth. I understand that Old Maids Kitchen was used for the headquarters when the dam project unfolded while building the dam that sits in the Gorge Metro Park now. From what I understand, the cave was the kitchen where the men assembled to eat while working the site. I don't know, it may have been. The name Old Maids Kitchen may have originated on the later of the two dam projects, the first being the Chuckery race dug and built along the river in the 1840s. We must be more open-minded – remember, this site is called CANAL STORIES not canal facts.
(Note) Today a few of us are walking from Bolivar into Massillon following the old towpath.
780 Chuckery Dam Location
According to both Lane and Grismer, The Chuckery dam was located near Prospect Street, approximately one mile further upstream from the current hydroelectric dam. It was located at Anchor Rock. The dam was later rebuilt and used by the Marathon Rubber Company. To the east (upstream) of the power plant, the sandstone wall which lined the chuckery is still intact and visible in many places. I have seen some fascinating photos taken of this area someone from the canal society many years ago. He accessed this area by a rickety staircase that is no longer there.
Today the remains can be seen in aerial photos of the area. It would be a very interesting, though treacherous place to investigate. The area seems to be pretty inaccessable.
781
It’s always good to get back out there on the towpath. A few of us hit the towpath this morning at Bolivar starting at about 10 a.m. and stayed on the canal just past 2:30 p.m., arriving in Massillon. The one fellow’s dog was a little skittish and was afraid of me. By the time we completed our walk, that dog was my best friend. He got used to me and loved the little snacks I slipped him and from then on, we developed a friendship. The towpath from the Rt. 212 point going north stays true to course as we weaved our way through the countryside going onto Massillon. The only place where the towpath and walking path actually are separated was near the water treatment plant north of Wal Mart. The walking path turned north away from the true course for a hundred yards, then east again running parallel to it. Long ago, the canal and towpath ran along the bottom of the hill on the far side of the water treatment plant against the hill. Where the walking path makes a sharp left or takes the northerly direction just below the high fill at Rt.21, you can find some block stone lying about and down in the gully from the former questionable Massillon lock at Cemetery Run. Cemetery Run caused plenty of problems during the canal era by wash going into the canal after a heavy rain causing sand bars which brought movement on the canal to an abrupt halt. To eradicate this problem, the canal was built over the run by digging a channel flowing below instead of into it.
782
To 780. I’ve been down along the river to the furthest point as possible near the bridge at Prospect St. My reasoning for being in there was to check out the remains of the High Glens Amusement Park that once sat down in there. I was held back from going further by the swift current and the steep cliffs. Along the river bottom there is a great wall rising which is built of block stone that runs towards the power plant. I distinctly remember it because the different dates that are chiseled into it. Looking around, it’s also clear some thing was built through there. Many holes drilled in the stone work and on the cliff walls which have lagging bolts that are still visible sticking out. I took the time to examine my surroundings and came to the conclusion that a manufacturing facility was actually hanging to the steep walls with legs reaching to the rocks below for stability. It’s been thirty five of more years since I was in there, but it’s all coming back now. Along the eastern side of the river we stood in a water fall coming from above. Route 8 wasn’t there then. I do remember a cut-out or a deep depression very similar to Mary Campbell’s Cave which had a large overhanging portion of stone as a canopy. We as kids lived in the gorge and swam, dove off the Bailey Rd. Bridge and found the staircase carved from stone which led into the river along Front Street. I recently revisited the staircase at Front St. I noticed the deep cave has collapsed. This cave, now just huge rocks and rubble, can be seen easily this time of year from the stone wall on Front St. or easier yet from High Glens Trail. From High Glens Trail, the block wall across the river on the opposite side can be spotted running about ten feet above the water.
To get down in there, we entered from Howe Rd. going in next to the Edison building with the stacks, then descended to the bottom and then headed north looking for High Glens Park. There was evidence that a stream paralleled the river. Long ago, I went up on top where Route 8 sits now and a creek was flowing the water over the area where the water fell at the deep cave. My brother and I found railroad train wheels and parts of trains which somehow ended up in the gorge. When the big pipe was removed in I believe 1969, all of the scrap and wreckage was removed also. Interestingly enough, at the observation platform at the big dam, there are many large stones we used to rest on in the summer months. Below the deck are the names of many of my friends that are carved in there for eternity. Some of them are gone now, a couple died in Viet Nam. I can remember the dam before it was rebuilt; you could enter at many of the doors and move through it freely. On its lower level, you could go into the water and crawl into a lower chamber of the dam where it had long passages going deeply into its bowels. I can remember these giant concrete doors that held back the river from coming through - they leaked. I understand nowadays what they were. When the dam was under construction, they ran the diversionary river below the dam and built on top as the river flowed as usual. Once the dam was completed, they slid these huge concrete slabs down the outside of the dam on the river side closing off the diversionary river, then the water filled the reservoir, backing up the river beyond the Edison plant. I played in there like so many kids from North Hill, exploring anything and everything in the park. A friend of mine fell onto the high voltage lines down in there and all the power went off in North Akron His name was Nelson and he was only about 14-years-old. We did some wild things. For instance, when the dam was shut off, we often walked across the top of the dry water fall. We sat up there all the time and spent our best young years in the gorge.
I have a friend who lived near the opening of the High Glens Trail a couple doors up from the tavern in the Falls. He was thirty years older than me and his grandfather built their house in the 1880s with the river in their backyard. He’s the one who sparked my interest in the amusement park. He showed me the water turbine which powered the roller coaster, then later powered Vaughn Machine where the Sheraton sits now. You can see the gear head intake below the observation deck at the Sheraton today. If you look closely, you can see where the supports connected the rocks below that supported the former structures .Below is a small piece about the area.
This 155-acre Metro Park was made possible in 1930, when the Northern Ohio Traction & Light Company, the predecessor of Ohio Edison, donated 144 acres of land to Metro Parks. Previously, the area hosted a park of a different sort – the High Bridge Glens Amusement Park, which opened in 1882 and featured a thrilling rollercoaster and a dance hall.
783-You're definitely a man of adventure' that must have been a real experience coming through the tunnel under Akron. Do we have any other experiences you’d like too share?
784-I also was born and raised on the Hill. Born in 1925 puts me a little ahead of you. The gorge was our playground as well. There was a cave a bit smaller than Campbell’s cave northeast of the power plant which mimics it as well. I feel that Old Maids kitchen was may have been their. How would we know any different?
784 extensions- I was told as a boy that Old Maids Kitchen is the bricked up in-accessible cave at the bend before entering Campbell’s cave, as the story goes. I haven't been in there in 40 years but I can still remember seeing and heard tales about Old Maids Kitchen. I would tend to think rather than it being up river above the power plant the kitchen was in the blocked up cave.
785- I never really gave it much thought myself until reading posting 784. We climbed into that cave from the top and the park ranger caught us. From what I can remember, the lower section had a passage but we were caught before we even got started in. The ranger kept our ropes and called our parents. The ranger told us that some boys entered, then never came back out and that’s why they closed it off, whether it’s true or not, only the ranger knows. He may have made that up hoping to prevent us from trying that again. He called it Old Maids Kitchen.
786--I had a pretty interesting life; research has always been a big part of it. Our family has property in New Mexico. Stemming from that, we spent endless days in the mountains. Long ago, gold was found at Victoria Peak. It was hidden by the Indians who more than likely stole it by ambushing a Spanish caravan out on the desert floor of the Jornada Del Muarta. In English it translates to the Journey Of death. The area I just mentioned ran along the desert between two mountain ranges away from the Rio Grande River, a place where the Indians would waylay them. My ancestry knew the man who found the gold. He took a few bars into the nearby town and the word got out. Soon enough, the government expanded the bounds of White Sands and jumped the claims of those who worked the area of Victoria Peak. The government found this gold and removed it. Many miners headed into the hills and worked the area bordering the government land looking for the lost gold from the seven lost cities of Cibola. My relatives back in the 40s set claims above the desert floor, 28 of them in all. Our claims are in plain view of Victoria Peak up in the Turtle Mountains. Back in the 80s, I worked those claims in search of gold. We were following a 400 foot section of drill rod which broke loose and fell into an open void. We dug and blasted endlessly trying to locate this. Months turned into two years and it about wore me out. About the time I was ready to throw in the towel, one of the miners revealed this beautiful Spanish gold bar with a turned around backward Spanish mark. I could go on forever on this subject; as a matter of fact this will be a book someday. While staying in those hills, I constantly investigated the surrounding hills for openings. I found several and kept track of them over the course of the years up there. Some of them I took the time to investigate and some are waiting to be explored. We found a place called the slave cave, an area where the Spaniards kept the captive Indians their whole lives to dig or die. Hundreds of years ago, the Spaniards faced defeat from the Moors. From that, King Phillip of Spain ordered the riches of Spain to be taken across the seas into the new land called Nuevo Espana- New Mexico, to hide the riches. Over time, the bishops who knew the whereabouts, either died or were murdered and the Indians stole and hid these riches out of sight. There are several different stories; no one really knows for sure what happened. I worked like a fool killing myself, hoping for riches as the others had for decades and they still will for many years to come. Looking back, it was well worth all the heartache and turmoil. I have been shot at by use of a long range rifle, been stalked by others in the hills and nearly eaten by a pack of wild coyotes. Somehow, I always got through. I have priceless artifacts from the southwest that cannot even be identified. They are in the form of terra cotta figurines.
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