Historical Marker: The Miami and Erie Canal
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
This marker indicates the route of the Miami and Erie Canal, which once flowed on what is now East and West Central Parkway, then south on Eggleston Avenue to the Ohio River (see map below). The canal was built between 1825-1845 and the cost of millions of dollars. The endpoint at the river marked the southern terminus of the canal, which ran all way to Lake Erie. In all, the canal stretched roughly 224 miles (some sources state 250 miles), starting in Toledo and heading south through Defiance, Piqua, and Dayton, before finally reaching Cincinnati. The canal had numerous locks, aqueducts, feeder canals, and man-made reservoirs. Its purpose was to provide easy transport of goods to the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Horses, mule, and oxen pulled boats along the river.
Images
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Sources
"The Miami and Erie Canal." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed March 6, 2017. http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=43960.
"Miami and Erie Canal." Ohio History Central. March 6, 2017. http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Miami_and_Erie_Canal.
"Miami and Erie Canal." Touring Ohio. Accessed March 6, 2017. http://touringohio.com/day-trips/miami-erie-canal.html.
Photo and Cincinnati map image: Wikimedia Commons; Ohio map: Ohio Department of Natural Resources