The Miami Erie Canal

The Miami Erie Canal. . Canals were an integral part of the early settlement of the Ohio frontier. The Miami Erie Canal, part of by which you now stand, was built in the 1830s and connected Cincinnati with Toledo - A distance of 250 miles. The canal era (1825-1850) brought about the first big boom to the agricultural, industrial, and urban development of Ohio., The construction of 813 miles of canal must have been a herculean task indeed. Financed by wealthy New Engenders, the canal was excavated by immigrants of German and Irish origin. When completed, the stubby horse-drawn, barges traveled at a speed of 3 miles an hour, making the trip from Cincinnati to Toledo in three days., Although canals were instrumental in the early cultural development of Ohio, the advent of the faster more efficient steam locomotive quickly brought about the canals ultimate demise. Many sections of the Ohio canals have been destroyed. The remaining sections are important landscape features and worthy of preservation for they offer prime wildlife habitat and add a touch of cultural history to the diverse Ohio landscape.