I found this map in a collection and I thought it was quite a decent map. Ron is a very good canal historian and this reflects his research. I searched for it on the web but didn’t see anyone offering it, so I contacted Ron and asked if we could post it. And he said sure. Thank you Ron.
I am not certain about the canal of the future. Was that in the works at one time? I will add this to the maps section on the homepage.
This map was included in a long article I wrote in 1983 for the Western PA Genealogy society. I included the names of canal boats, their captains, and typical cargos. Gave an overview of the Indian canoes, French fur traders, settler rafts, pioneer arks, regional 19th century canals, steamboat era. This was based partly on exploratory and field walks, in large part research thru old P&O Canal toll collector books I viewed in 1979 at the Arms Family Museum in Youngstown, Ohio. The indicated possible future waterway is what got me into canal history, because a Lake to River Canal was the perennial goal of regional and national leaders for 250 years, starting with George Washington. In the 1820s several feasibility surveys were conducted. A thousand miles of towpath canals and 1,200 miles in Pennsylvania were constructed by states and private companies from 1825 to the 1840s. Greatly aided in the regional development. The iron, coal and later steel industries developed in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys. Researched Congressional studies for a waterway conducted from 1880s to 1965, wrote numerous letters, drew illustrative maps and charts for 15 years urging a modern Lake Erie- Ohio River waterway thru Youngstown and Warren, volunteered on the late US Rep James Traficant’s “Final Link” canal group. Which made several “dog-and -pony” , also on radio and television presentations in the region. We got a recon study done by the Pittsburgh District US Army Corps of Engineers in 1986 to 1994. Found feasible but very costly. Would have been 120 miles long 18 feet deep, 250 foot wide canal, with summit reservoir on the Grand River, with 10 sets of locks and dams from lake port of Ashtabula to the Ohio River ” big loads afloat” at Beaver, PA. Did a voluntary survey of the canal at Canal Fulton in 1980 after the 1970 wooden replica boat St Helena II sank. After retirement from consulting career in Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown, I worked summers as a crew member and historian on the replica horse-drawn replica canal boat operation in Canal Fulton, Stark County, Ohio on remnants of the abandoned big ditch since 1913 Ohio and Erie Canal. Was an enjoyable experience. Knew well Canal Society of Ohio deceased members Terry Woods, Ted Kasper, and many others, and for several yrs was a ACS member along with the Canal Society of Ohio and the Pennsylvania Canal Society. Regards.
This is terrific! This is going to be a very useful resource for us here in NCM Archives when it comes to quickly finding where the various Ohio canals are/were, and seeing the links to canals in western Pa.
Thanks!