Day Four- Canal Fulton

21 miles- In 1817 a canal was started to connect the Hudson River with Lake Erie. Known as the Erie Canal, it opened in 1825 and immediately increased commerce and the fortunes of those that lived near it. Seeing the vast potential of this new transportation system, the state of Ohio decided they need a canal system of their own. One that would connect Lake Erie with the Ohio River. They broke ground in 1825 and completed the 308 mile project by 1832. Suddenly one could make the trip from Cleveland to Cincinnati in a mere 80 hours instead of the several weeks journey it had been.

Dug by Irish and German immigrants, the 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep canal was dug with picks and shovels. The workers moved over 260 million cubic feet of soil weighing over 9.6 million tons.

The towns along the O&E Canal, like Fulton (which renamed itself Canal Fulton) went on to prosper. Along with all the goods coming in from the east coast, coal, lumber, and grain were being shipped back. It was reported that at harvest time wagons would be lined up for more than three miles waiting to unload grain onto the barges in Canal Fulton.

Because the canal was flat water, it was necessary to move barges up or down as the terrain required. For this, a series of 146 locks were installed along the canal. Only one of these remains operational, Number 4 near Canal Fulton. The town also has a working canal boat that they use in the summer for rides.

My journey today took me to Canal Fulton and along the towpath for the O&E Canal. To get there I had to walk a lot of roads in the rain. But I did have a nice conversation with Gary, a distance cyclist, who hailed me from his front yard.

Although the rain was light much of the morning, it was coming down pretty hard after lunch. So it was somewhat soggy getting my tent set up in the free campsite by the canal. Located about 5 miles north of Canal Fulton in a piece of forest, it is only a few hundred feet from the RxR tracks. It may not be a restful night, but at least I’m warm and dry in my tent.

Until tomorrow, Happy Trails!