Exploring Our Heritage - Canals
By Paula Kimmel on Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 |
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the fourth in a series of articles about Huntington's past.
Elias Murray, nephew of Samuel Huntington (who Huntington is named for), dug the first shovelful of dirt for the Wabash and Erie Canal on February 22, 1832. George Washington’s birthday was chosen for the event as he was seen as the foremost promoter of American canals in that day.
Three weeks prior the Governor of Indiana, Noah Noble, approved an act which established the counties of Huntington, Wabash and Miami. This was in anticipation of a hoped for population growth in response to the development of the Wabash and Erie Canal. The land for the canal was granted by Congress on March 2, 1827 as a part of the Treaty of Paradise Spring.
The federal land grant for the canal extended into Ohio in order to connect it with the Miami and Erie Canal. It would be a navigable waterway for transportation of all kinds including shipping Indiana’s farmers’ products to the east coast. It was to be 30 feet wide and six feet deep from Toledo (Lake Erie) to Fort Wayne with a Landing Place at Huntington’s Forks of the Wabash. It would continue on to the mouth of the Tippecanoe River near Lafayette.
The first twenty-five mile section of the Wabash and Erie Canal to be completed ran from Fort Wayne to Huntington. The first canal boat, Indiana, reached Huntington and docked at Burke’s Lock on July 3, 1835. The next day, on July 4, the canal was officially open.
Many more canal boats were constructed and the canal opened the Huntington area for settlement by those from all over the country. Canal properties were maintained, crops and goods were transported and travelers taken care of. The town of Roanoke became a prominent shipping point and was the principal trading place between Fort Wayne and Wabash.
By 1852 the railroad was becoming a presence the canal could not compete with. The railroad path followed the Wabash River and the canal route. Because it was more efficient and could haul a greater amount of product at a higher speed, the canal was abandoned in 1873.
The route of the canal in Huntington County ran alongside U.S. Highway 24 and through downtown Huntington to Wabash and beyond. As the longest man-made waterway in America, the Wabash and Erie Canal helped to create our community as we know it today.
Enjoy Huntington’s Heritage Days Wednesday through Sunday next week!
Visit the new canal exhibit at the Huntington County Historical Museum, 315 Court Street, open during Heritage Days.
Comments...
Be the first to post a comment!
Post Your Comment!
Your email address will never be displayed or shared.
Once your comment has been reviewed, it will be published.