| New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, the
inspiration behind the canal system in his state, was on hand in Middletown to help turn
the first spade of earth on the Miami Canal as part of a ceremony on July 21, 1825. The
Ohio Canal Commission had carefully planned the construction in the months prior to that,
however. Canal commissioner Micajah Williams of Cincinnati planned the Miami Canal route and supervised its construction. The commission hired talented surveyors, some of whom were from Europe. Samuel Forrer (at right) surveyed much of the canal route through Shelby County, Ohio. Standard specifications called for the canal to be 28 feet wide at the bottom, 40 feet in width at the top, with the water to be at least 4 feet deep. The tow path was 10 feet wide, and the berm or 'heel' path (on the other side of the canal where a boat could tie up) 5 feet. Banks were to be lined with clay. Locks on the Miami Canal were made of limestone. |
Samuel Forrer |
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[Back] [Next] [Up] [New Search] 'Canal' segment written in December, 1998 by Rich Wallace |