Patterson Commons: The 1913 Flood and Aftermath

Patterson Commons: The 1913 Flood and Aftermath. . , The fate of the deteriorating Miami Erie Canal was being debated during the early twentieth century, with advocates such as John Patterson calling for it to be abandoned. The flood of 1913 eventually led to the closing of the Miami Erie Canal. The abandoned Miami Erie Canal took on the appearance of a debris and silt filled drain running through the heart of Dayton. In 1927, as plans for filling the canal were under-way, the Dayton Herald called the old waterway an "evil, foul-smelling muck." The abandonment of the canal set the stage for the construction of Patterson Boulevard on its bed, and to the twentieth century transformation of areas on its banks, including Patterson Commons., The Great Flood of 1913, as seen looking north toward the present-day Patterson Commons area from the Fifth Street bridge over Miami Erie Canal. Littered with floating debris, the Miami Erie Canal is indistinguishable from the flood waters inundating St. Clair Street. The S.N. Brown and Company carriage works has been replaced by the Dayton Electric Car Company. The Beaver Power Building on St. Clair Street is visible to the left.