Made in Ohio, Produced for America

Made in Ohio, Produced for America. . The Ohio and Erie Canal connected the Cascade Mills to markets in Ohio and beyond. Boats carried flour packed in barrels and paper bags north to Cleveland, or south to Portsmouth. In Cleveland, flour could be transferred to Lake Erie steamers for shipment to New York's Erie Canal and further east. From Portsmouth, it could be transported down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans. , This connection made flour produced in Akron available to the nation. In 1880, when Schumacher's business was near its peak, flour and meal represented Ohio's largest industry in terms of value of product produced, just edging out iron and steel. , In the latter half of the 19th century, railroads began moving goods once shipped exclusively on the canal. Schumacher owned railroad yards in downtown Akron near present day Quaker Square Inn at The University of Akron. Even with railroads, some businesses still transported bulk goods by canal. The convenient location of the canal to Cascade Mills suggests that Schumacher continued to ship at least some flour by canal.