Miami-Erie Canal Corridor Association Information

**Miami-Erie Canal Fact Sheet**
History: • In 1825, the Ohio Legislature approved funding to construct an Ohio Canal system. • It took 20 years, from 1825 to 1845, to complete the Miami-Erie Canal. • The primary work force consisted of Irish, German and French immigrants who labored on the canal for 30 cents a day, food, whiskey and shelter. • The world’s first offshore oil well was drilled in the man-made canal reservoir of Grand Lake St. Marys. • Increased competition from railroad companies doomed the Ohio canals, and the last section of the Miami-Erie Canal was abandoned in 1929. Engineering: • The Miami-Erie Canal utilized 105 locks to raise and lower the canal boats along the 250-mile waterway. • Loramie Summit, 21 miles in length, was the high point of the canal -- 521 feet above the Ohio River and 395 feet above Lake Erie. • The average canal boat was 78 feet long, 14 feet-10 inches wide, and cost approximately $2,100. • The Ohio canals were dug by hand, with picks and shovels. Occasionally, teams of horses and oxen were used to power slip scoops and pull wagons. • The Deep Cut, 6,600 feet in length, was the deepest excavation made along the Miami-Erie Canal, and ranged from five to 52 feet deep. •Three man-made lakes, Grand Lake St. Marys, Lake Loramie, and Indian Lake along with the Miami, Mad, St. Marys and Auglaize Rivers served as the primary sources of water for the canal. Recreation: • The canals not only carried people and freight, but served as swimming and fishing holes and ice rinks in the winter months. • Today, there are three state parks, numerous local parks, state historical markers and community trails along the Miami-Erie Canal. • Portions of the Miami-Erie Canal towpath are currently part of the Buckeye Trail and the North Country Trail. Current Canal Status: • Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) assumed responsibility for all state-owned canal lands in 1989, and the Division of Water operates all hydraulically active sections. • In conjunction with ODNR, cities, villages, townships, park districts, and other political subdivisions are rejuvenating the canal and enhancing sections for economic, educational and recreational purposes. The historic Miami-Erie Canal is coming alive again!

**Miami-Erie Canal Corridor Authority Schedule of Events**
Dec. 15, 1999 (Wednesday) -- MECCA Board meeting (public welcome); 7 p.m. at Matt's Restaurant Meeting Room (back room) at 202 E. Spring St.; St. Marys. Jan. 19, 2000 (Wednesday) -- MECCA Board meeting (public welcome); 7 p.m. at the Delphos Canal Commission Museum in Delphos. Feb. 19, 2000 (Saturday) -- MECCA Volunteer Work Day. Interested should meet at 9 a.m. at the canal in Lock 2. Work to be done includes cutting back brush, improvements to towpath trail and picking up litter and debris. Everyone is encouraged to pitch in and help out. All particpants must sign a work release with the Ohio Departmetn of Natural Resources.

**MECCA Links of Interest**
Canal Links The Ohio Canal Society The American Canal Society Parks and Recreation Links The Buckeye Trail Association The North Country Trail Association Government Links The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Water Canals Page The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Water Home Page Tourism Links

**MECCA History Book Committee**
A committee of the Miami-Erie Canal Corridor Association has been working for several months to compile historical information which will be published in a history book about the Miami-Erie Canal. Anyone interest in joining the committee is welcome and encouraged. We need people interested in writing, editing, research, typesetting, etc. The book will be published by MECCA with proceeds going toward the organization. The committee is looking for any interesting story, photo, artifact or anecdote relating to the canal. Plans for the book are a compilation of short stories, lots of photos , and as many personal remembrances as we can come up with. If you would like to get involved with the committee or if you have materials to submit for possible publication, please contact MECCA at P.O. Box 722, St. Marys, Ohio; or e-mail your comments to mjwriter@bright.net.

**The Latest News From MECCA**
Board Members Needed The Miami-Erie Canal Corridor Association (MECCA) is seeking persons wishing to serve on the Board of Trustees. There are numerous projects underway and in the planning stages. Help is needed to recruit and coordinate volunteers. The MECCA Board meets once a month, usually in St. Marys, and board members typically serve on one or two subcommittees. MECCA is dedicated to the preservation, promotion and utilization of the Miami-Erie Canal Corridor through western Ohio. Some of the activities the board is currently working on includes: state and federal designations; recreational hikes; quarterly newsletters; a history book; a traveling canal boat museum; a video about the canal; membership drives; fundraising; and much more. If you are interested in getting involved in any capacity, please drop us a line at P.O.; Box 722, St. Marys, Ohio, 45885; e-mail us at mjwriter@bright.net or attend any of our regularly scheduled board meetings. The dates are listed on this site at Activities. MECCA to Ponder Designations for Canal The Miami-Erie Canal Corridor Association (MECCA) moved closer to obtaining designations for the canal corridor, which will hopefully lead to funding for future enhancement projects. MECCA Executive Director Ben Richard has completed the initial application for the Ohio Department of Development -- Ohio Heritage Area Program. At the October Board of Trustees meeting, funds were allocated to begin the process of adding the canal corridor from Delphos to Piqua to an existing Ohio Scenic Byway that runs through Auglaize and Mercer County. The National Heritage Corridor Committee and the Executive Committee will be meeting with the National Parks Service in St. Marys this month to discuss future steps need for National Heritage Corridor designation. The MECCA Board also discussed plans for a replica canal boat museum. Dale Grimes Sr., who designed and built the "Belle of St. Marys" canal boat, which resided in St. Marys' Memorial Park, has volunteered design work on a new replica boat. This boat will travel on wheels and contain historical information about the canal. Plans call for metal frame, which will make the boat light enough for highway travel. MECCA hopes to fund the project through grants and donations, and then use the boat for area schools, festivals and major events associated with the Ohio Bicentennial in 2003. The boat project will be discussed further at MECCA's next board meeting Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. in Matt's Restaurant in St. Marys. Anyone interested in encouraged to attend.

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