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Webster Station in Dayton in Montgomery County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
 

From Vision to Reality

— Patterson Boulevard Canal Parkway —

 
 
From Vision to Reality Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Craig Doda, May 4, 2024
1. From Vision to Reality Marker
Inscription.
Thomas Jefferson had envisioned, in 1787, an Ohio canal system that was part of a network of waterways linking the Ohio territory to the Atlantic Ocean. The vision was realized after Ohio Governor Ethan Allen Brown (1818-1822), a proponent of the canal, helped establish a Canal Commission in 1820, leading to the Canal Act of 1825. Accordingly, the state of Ohio authorized the construction of a canal between Cincinnati and the Mad River at or near Dayton, naming it the Miami Canal. The upper segment of the Canal was completed in Dayton in 1828. The lower segment of the canal opened in Cincinnati in 1829, providing access to the Ohio River. Construction continued northward through the 1830s until finally the newly named Miami Erie Canal was completed in 1845, terminating at Lake Erie in Toledo.

[Caption:]
Head of the Miami Canal in Dayton, Ohio, a watercolor painting by architect and painter Thomas Keelah Wharton, 1831. The painting shows a view of the canal approaching Dayton from the northeast. It provides a glimpse of the mills in the area soon after the completion of the canal.

 
Erected 2017.
 
Topics and series.
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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & CommerceWaterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the The Miami & Erie Canal series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1787.
 
Location. 39° 45.705′ N, 84° 11.211′ W. Marker is in Dayton, Ohio, in Montgomery County. It is in Webster Station. It is at the intersection of North Patterson Boulevard and East 2nd Street, on the right when traveling north on North Patterson Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 251 E 2nd St, Dayton OH 45402, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Miami Valley. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Miami Erie Canal in Dayton (here, next to this marker);
From Vision to Reality Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Craig Doda, May 4, 2024
2. From Vision to Reality Marker
The Canal and Industrial Growth (here, next to this marker); Trade at the Canal Basin (here, next to this marker); Commerce at the Canal Basin (here, next to this marker); Elephants in the Canal (here, next to this marker); The Need for Waterways (here, next to this marker); Location of the Canal in Dayton (here, next to this marker); Ambrose Winters Fountain (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dayton.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on May 16, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 16, 2024, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 151 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on May 16, 2024, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
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Jul. 29, 2026