Ohio & Erie Canal presentation

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Kim Jurkovich from the Tuscarawas County Historical Society presented on Monday 4 Feb 2019 a history of the Ohio & Erie Canal.  She presented many interesting facts about the canal.  She started at the north end of county at Bolivar and ended at the south end at Newcomerstown.  A lot of interesting pictures were shown.  Below is a short synopsis of her presentation.

Canal was built between 1825 and 1934.  The portion in Tuscarawas County was built between 1826 and 1830.  Total cost of the canal was 4.3 million.  It radically changed the Ohio landscape in the areas it traveled through.  Locks 7 through 21 are located in Tuscarawas County and it followed the west bank of the Tuscarawas River for the most part in the county.  The first canal boat to use the canal in Tuscarawas County was “The Union” owned by Christian Deardorf in 1829.  The Dover Toll Office was 1 of 11 along the canal.  The top speed was 4 mph.  The State of Ohio had boats that traveled the canal for repairs and maintenance.  The flood of 1913 ended the canal era, but its death began with the first railroads.

For more information on the canal – A Documentary History of the Ohio & Erie Canal, Tuscarawas County ​by the Tuscarawas County Historical Society is $15.00.  This book is a detailed look at the Ohio & Erie Canal in Tuscarawas County from 1828-1913.   Picture