The Canal and Industrial Growth

The Canal and Industrial Growth. . , With the establishment of Cooper Hydraulics in 1838 near Fifth and Wyandot streets, the canal became a resource for commercial hydraulic power. In addition to existing mills near the rivers, new mills and factories opened further south between Third and Sixth streets. These establishments included the Osceola and Oregon Mills, the Cooper Cotton Factory, and the Sachs-Prudens Brewing Company. By the late nineteenth century, the banks of the canal were lined with industrial plants., Among the industries in Dayton that relied on hydraulic power was the large Barney and Smith Car Works, located northeast of the Basin. Barney and Smith was second only to Chicago's Pullman company in manufacturing railroad cars. Ironically, the company used the power harnessed from the canal to help propagate the railroad, which contributed to the demise of the waterway itself., The Cooper Cotton Mills, later known as the Phillips Cotton Factory (left image) and the Osceola Mills (right image) were two of the many factories near Fifth and Sixth streets, east of the Miami Erie Canal. Both buildings have been demolished. The Osceola Mill building was removed for the construction of the Fifth Street elevated railroad in about 1930.