19TH CENTURY U.S. CANALS

Ohio

 

 

Miami-Erie Canal-1

 

10 Mesmerizing Photos That Show Cincinnati’s Canal History Like Never Before
 

17 Curious Facts About the Miami and Erie Canal


A Brief History of New Bremen, Ohio
Includes a brief history of the canal and its impact on the community.

 

A Brief History Of Ottoville
Includes a brief history and description of the canal and the impact it had on the community.

 

"A Canal for the West: The Miami & Erie Canal" video


A Dayton History Experience

A collection of historical photos of the canal.


A History and Biographical Cyclopaedia of Butler County, Ohio – 1882
Reference to the canal is on page 136.

 

A Standard History of Allen County, Ohio – 1921
Reference to the canal is on page 160.

 

Acts of the State of Ohio, Part 2 - 1920
A 1920 act to abandon part of the canal between Toledo and Maumee begins on page 1138.
 

American Electrician, Volume 15 – 1903
An article about the experimental electrical traction systems tried out on the canal.   Historical photos.

 

Annual Report By Ohio. Board of Public Works – 1910
A list of toll collectors is on page 6; a list of lock tenders is on page 7; a status of construction is on page 11; financial statements begin on page 18; appropriations for reconstruction of the southen portion of the canal is on page 22.   Additional details appear throughout the rest of report.

 

Annual Report, Issues 66-69 by Ohio Public Works Dept. – 1905
A list of toll collectors and lock tenders begins on page 13; financial statements begin on page 18; a table of expenditures and recipts from 1829 through 1904 are on pages 33-36; a report on electrical haulage of boats on the canal begins on page 46; a listing of repairs begins on page 80; tonage statistics of goods transported begins on page 87. Additional details appear throughout the rest of report.

 

Annual Report of the Ohio Canal Commission – 1897
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Annual Report of the Ohio Canal Commission – 1904
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Annual Report of the State Engineer and Surveyor for the Year 1906
A brief history begins on page 1401.

 

Annual Reports for 1900
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Annual Reports for 1901
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Annual Reports for 1902
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Annual Reports for 1903
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Annual Reports for 1904
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Annual Reports for 1905
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Annual Reports for 1907
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Annual and Biennial Reports for 1909
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Boat on Miami and Erie Canal in Montgomery County, Ohio
A historical photo of the canal.

 

Canal boat photo


Canal Company in Trouble
A link to the .pdf file of a 1903 New York Times article about the canal.
 

Canal Index Page – Shelby County

Index to an extensive history of the canal.


Canal Near the Maumee River
A historical photo of the canal.

 

Canal Stories in the News
A set of newspaper articles about the canal from the late 1880s.
 

Canals
A brief history of the canal.   Includes a map and historical photos and postcards.

 

Canals

A brief history of the canal in Cincinnati.   Historical photos and postcards.
 

Canals for a Nation
A brief description and history of the canal. History of the Miami Extension Canal continues on page 130, and additional information begins on page 133.
 

Canals in Paulding County Ohio
A brief history of canals in the county.

 

Cincinnati: A Guide to the Queen City and Its Neighbors
A brief history of the canal and its impact on the region begins on page 58.  Additional history continues on page 207.

 

Cincinnati, Ohio Street Scenes
Two historical post cards, before and after removal of the canal.

 

Cincinnati Parks and Parkways
Historical photos are on pages 42 - 44.

 

Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine
A history of the development of a German neighborhood adjacent to the canal, after its completion.   Historical illustrations and photos on pages 10, 30 and 61.

 

Dayton Canals & Hydraulics: Front Street Backstory
A history of the hydraulic canals in Dayton.   Maps.

 

Dayton History Digital Collection
A collection of historical photos of the canal.

 

Detailed Statement of the Receipts and Disbursements of the Public Money at the Ohio State Treasury, for the Fiscal Years 1854 and 1855
Receipts from sales of canal lands in 1854 and 1855 are on pages 17 and 173, respectively.   Canal tolls, fines and water rents are on pages 21 and 177.   Receipts and expenditures begin on pages 37 and 193.

 

Digital Public Library of America
Links to historical photos.

 

Early Trade on Ohio’s Western Canal
An article begins on page 4 of the American Canal Society newsletter.

 

Executive Documents, Annual Reports, Part 1 - 1857
A report on the Northern, Middle and Southern Divisions of the canal begins on page 474.

 

Fifteenth Annual Report of the Board of Public Works – 1851
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Fifty-fourth Annual Report of the Board of Public Works – 1892
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Franklin
Historical photos of the canal are on pages 33, 34 and 60.

 

Fun on the Old Canal
An account of life along the canal in New Bremen.

 

General Public Acts of Congress Respecting the Sale and Disposition of the Public Lands – 1838
An Act pertaining to the canal begins on page 447.

 

Hamilton
References to the canal are on pages 6, 29, 30 and 68.

 

Henry County History
Includes a brief history of the canal in the county,

 

Henry County Parks: Culverts: A Special Feature Found in the Canal Lands Along the Trail
A description and current photos of culverts still remaining in the county.
 

Henry County Parks: Rice Lock #42
Included in this blog is a description and current photos of the lock, upstream of Grand Rapids.
 

Hiking Ohio
A brief history and description of the canal, with a focus on the locks at Lockington, begins on page 210.  A description of the Miami and Erie Canal Corridor begins on page 253.

 

Historical Collections of Ohio: An Encyclopedia of the State ..., Volume 2 – 1891
A description of the anticipated economic benefits of the canal on Toledo is on page 406.

 

History of Auglaize County, Ohio – 1880
Reference to the canal is on page 81.

 

History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio – 1894
Reference to the canal is on page 64.

 

History of Delphos Canal Boat Owners
A listing of local canal boat owners and their respective boats.

 

History of Defiance County, Ohio – 1883
Reference to the canal is on page 106.

 

History of Hamilton County Ohio
A brief history of the canal, with a focus on its creation and early years.
 

History of the City of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, Volume 1 – 1909
Reference to the canal is on page 563.

 

History of the City of Toledo and Lucas County, Ohio – 1888
Reference to the canal is on page 444.

 

History of the Maumee River Basin - 1905
Links to references to the canal within the document.

 

History of the Maumee Valley - 1872
Links to references to the canal within the document.

 

Horse Shoe Bend, Maumee River, Napoleon, O.
A historical photo of the canal.

 

Images in Time – Toledo Lucas County Public Library
A collection of historical photos of the canal.

 

Internal Improvements and State Debt in Ohio – 1924
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Journal of the House of Representatives of the State of Ohio, Volume 94 – 1900
A report on the state canal system, including the Miami and Erie begins on page 132.

 

Legendary Locals of Tippecanoe to Tipp City
The role of the canal in the development of the community is begins on pages 7.

 

Life on the Canal
A collection of Delphos newspaper articles from the 1870s, some of which relate to the canal.
 

Lock 14 South on the Miami & Erie Canal - Troy, Ohio
Text of the historical marker at the lock site.   Current photo.

 

Lockington Locks
A brief description of the locks. Current photos.
 

Lockington Locks, Stairway of the Canal
An article begins on page 8 of the American Canal Society newsletter.

 

Maumee River
A description and history of the river, including reference to the canal.
 

Memoirs of Lucas County and the City of Toledo: From the Earliest Historical Times Down to the Present - 1910
A description of the canal in the Toledo area begins on page 105.

 

Miami Canal Contractor Document
A photograph of the 1826 document.

 

Miami Erie Canal, St. Marys, Ohio
A historical photo of the canal.

 

Miami-Erie Canal: Out of the Box

Links to blogs, maps and historical photos relating to the canal.  Enter the title in the search box to access.


Miami-Erie Canal Facts


Miami-Erie Canal Corridor Association
Home page of the association. Includes links to its newsletter.

 

Miami-Erie Canal Facts
 

Miami & Erie Canal
A brief history and description of the canal, including a detailed index of the canal structures.

 

Miami & Erie Canal

A brief history of the canal.    Map, historical and current photos.


Miami & Erie Canal

A brief history of the canal and detailed descriptions of the conditions of structures along the length of the canal.


Miami & Erie Canal and Cincinnati Subway

Historical photos of the canal and abandoned subway.


Miami & Erie Canal History: When and Where was Dayton’s Canal?

Includes historical photos.


Miami & Erie Canal Locks, Loramie Portage site vicinity, Lockington, Shelby County, OH
A historical photo of the former canal locks.

 

Miami & Erie Canal, Warren County Canal, and the Cincinnati Subway

Extensive histories of the three structures.


Miami and Erie Canal
A brief history and description of the canal. Current photo, map and links to related sites.
 

Miami and Erie Canal

Historical photos of the canal.


Miami and Erie Canal
Historical photos of the canal.
 

Miami and Erie Canal
A brief history and description of the canal. Map, historical and current photos and links to related sites.
 

Miami and Erie Canal
Excerpt of a history of the canal.  Includes many historical photos.

 

Miami and Erie Canal

A brief history of the canal.   Historical photos.


Miami and Erie Canal Basin - Cincinnati Photos
Historical photos of the canal.
 

Miami and Erie Canal Corridor Association


Miami and Erie Canal Deep Cut
A brief history and description of the canal feature.
 

Miami and Erie Canal facts for kids


Miami and Erie Canal Historical Marker in Delphos
Photo of the marker.
 

Miami and Erie Canal Images
A set of historical and current photos and maps.

 

Miami and Erie Canal Images


Miami and Erie Canal in Dayton
A historical photo of the canal.

 

Miami and Erie Canal: Navigating across Ohio
A brief history of the canal.   Historical photos.

 

Miami and Erie Canal Photos
An extensive collection of historical photos and related documents.

 

Miami and Erie Canal Photos
A small set of historical post cards of the canal.

 

Miami and Erie Canal Photos – Cincinnati
Historical photos of the canal.

 

Miami and Erie Canal Photos - Maumee and Toledo
A set of historical photos of the canal in and near these cities.
 

Miami and Erie Canal Repair Ledger
A ledger chronicling the daily repairs and maintenance required on the canal near Piqua.

 

Miami Canal - Miami , Ohio – 1826
A statement of work performed on a section of the canal.

 

Miami Township
Includes maps of  the canal on pages 18, 23 and 56; historical photos on pages 57, 58, 59, 60, 65.

 

Miami Valley Views

The article begins on page 20 of the May, 2014 issue of the Canal Society of Indiana newsletter.


Middletown Ohio
Excerpt of a history of the town.   Includes a photo of a historical plaque for the canal on page 126.

 

Middletown: The Steel City
Historical photos of the canal on page 15.

 

Militiamen at a Riot
An 1887 newspaper article about the blowing up of one of the canal's reserviors.

 

Mitchell's Compendium of the Internal Improvements of the United States – 1835
A brief description begins on page 68.

 

New Bremen & The Miami-Erie Canal
A brief history of the community, canal and the economic impact of the canal on the commuity.

 

New York Public Library Digital Collections
Includes a link to a historical illustration.

 

Ohio Historic Places Dictionary, Volume 2
Descriptions of the "Deep Cut" at Spencerville are on page 15; a canal historic district near West Chester on page 99; the historical mill at Providence Metro Park on page 923 and the Lockington Locks historical area on page 1013.

 

Ohio Memory
A collection of historical photos, maps and documents.

 

Ohio: The Ohio Guide
Wages of the canal builders is on page 54; a brief history of the state canals begins on page 69; of the Miami and Erie Canal continuing on pages 198, 269 and 282.

 

Ohio Water Power Information
Includes a brief history and description of this and other Ohio canals.

 

Paulding County, Ohio
A brief history and description of the county, including reference to the canal.
 

Photograph of the Miami and Erie Canal, Middletown, Ohio, 1927 March


Proceedings of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association
An extensive history of the canal, including the difficulties of construction, begins on page 349.
 

Remembering the Erie Canal in Over-the-Rhine

Historical photos of the canal in this Cincinnati neighborhood.


Report of the Canal Commission – 1894-1895
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Searching for the old Miami and Erie Canal
An extensive 1987 newspaper article about the history of the canal begins on page 5.  Includes a map, historical and current photos.

 

Sixtieth Annual Report of the Board of Public Works – 1898
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Sixty-third Annual Report of the Board of Public Works – 1901
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Sixty-fourth Annual Report of the Board of Public Works – 1902
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Sixty-fifth Annual Report of the Board of Public Works – 1903
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Sixty-sixth Annual Report of the Board of Public Works – 1904
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Sixty-seventh Annual Report of the Board of Public Works – 1905
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Sixty-eighth Annual Report of the Board of Public Works – 1906
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Sixty-ninth Annual Report of the Board of Public Works – 1907
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Seventieth Annual Report of the Board of Public Works – 1908
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Seventy-first Annual Report of the Board of Public Works – 1909
An index of links referencing the canal in the report.

 

Small Deep Cut Canal
A historical photo of the canal.

 

St. Marys Ohio History

Includes a brief history of the canal and reservoir.


Take a Trip on the Canal

A description of some of the former and remaining features of the canal.


Taylorsville MetroPark
A history of the park, the former site of an important transportation community in the state.
 

 To Miami-Erie Canal-2

Rev. September, 2025