Waterville in Lucas County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge
⎯⎯⎯
Roche De Bout, Roche De Boeuf

Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, May 14, 2010

1. Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge

Inscription.
Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge The Lima and Toledo Traction Company Bridge was construted in 1907 by the National Bridge Company of Indianapolis, and it was considered to be a revolutionary type of bridge construction. The Old Electric Bridge, as it was called, was built of steel reinforced concrete and filled with earth. In fact, for this period some considered the bridge to be the longest such railroad bridge in the world. Twelve spans of Roman aqueduct architectural design anchor the 1220-foot bridge in solid river bedrock. The bridge linked Lucas and Wood counties and connected a busy Toledo with points south by means of an electric trolley. This Interurban Bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Roche De Bout/Roche De Boeuf The once-massive limestone rock outcropping standing in the Maumee River has marked may events in the history of the valley. It was a legendary site for Native Americans and the place where they gathered before the Battle of Fallen Timbers in August 1794. Early records indicate a nearby French settlement in the 1700s was called both Roche de Bout and Roche de Boeuf, but for the last hundred years or so the latter has been most frequently used for both the rock and the lost settlement. About one-third of the rock

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was destroyed when the railroad bridge was built which caused a great controversy.

Erected 2001 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, Waterville Historical Society, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 35-48.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • Landmarks • Natural Features • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1907.

Location. 41° 29.266′ N, 83° 43.78′ W. Marker is in Waterville, Ohio, in Lucas County. It is on South River Road north of Anthony Wayne Trail (U.S. 24), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Waterville OH 43566, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Lake Erie Shore

and in the Toledo Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

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 Viceroyalty of New France,

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: Bowling Green Fault (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fort Deposit / Roche de Bout (approx. ¼ mile away); Roche de Bout (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Towpath Trail (approx. 0.3 miles away); Stitt Park (approx. ¾ mile away); Fort Miamis Reserve/Miltonville

Roche De Bout/Roche De Boeuf Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, May 14, 2010

2. Roche De Bout/Roche De Boeuf Marker

(approx. 0.8 miles away); Waterville Civil War Monument (approx. 0.8 miles away); Wakeman Hall / Waterville Historical Society (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Waterville.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Site of Fort Deposit / Roche de Boeuf (was about 500 feet away but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . . Building the Bridge. How it was done many years ago (Submitted on August 16, 2010, by Dennis Lamont of Birmingham, Florence Township, Ohio.)

Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge / Roche De Bout/Roche De Boeuf image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, May 14, 2010

3. Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge / Roche De Bout/Roche De Boeuf

View of the Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge with Roche De Bout seen about in the middle of the bridge.

Roche De Bout/Roche De Boeuf image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, May 14, 2010

4. Roche De Bout/Roche De Boeuf

Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge / Roche De Bout/Roche De Boeuf Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, May 14, 2010

5. Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge / Roche De Bout/Roche De Boeuf Marker

View looking south of the historical marker at the southern end of a small parking lot that over looks the Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge, along the west bank of the Maumee River. In the opening, just beyond the trees, is the Anthony Wayne Trail (SR 53).

Photographed by John A. Current, circa 2009

6. Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge

Photo title: "The Death of History"

Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge / Wood County image. Click for full size.

Photographed by John A. Current, circa June 1986

7. Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge / Wood County

Taken near what was once the settlement of Middleton.

Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge / Lucas County image. Click for full size.

Photographed by John A. Current, circa 2007

8. Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge / Lucas County

An abandoned historical landmark. Ignored now, missed later.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, March 21, 2016

9. Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge / Roche De Bout/Roche De Boeuf Marker

View of the Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge, and Roche De Bout/Roche De Boeuf, as seen from the Lucas County side of the river.

Roche De Bout Overlook image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Doda, June 11, 2024

10. Roche De Bout Overlook

Photographed by Craig Doda, June 11, 2024

11. Roche De Bout Overlook

Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 17, 2010, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. This page has been viewed 5,700 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 18, 2010, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. 6, 7, 8. submitted on August 9, 2012, by John A. Current of Weston, Ohio. 9. submitted on March 23, 2016, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. 10, 11. submitted on June 20, 2024, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.

Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge⎯⎯⎯Roche De Bout, Roche De Boeuf

Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge
⎯⎯⎯
Roche De Bout, Roche De Boeuf