Miami and Erie Canal Deep Cut

Miami and Erie Canal, Deep Cut
Deep Cut in 2008
Location Allen / Auglaize counties, Ohio, USA
Nearest city Spencerville, Ohio
Coordinates 40°41′15″N 84°21′55″W / 40.68750°N 84.36528°W / 40.68750; -84.36528Coordinates: 40°41′15″N 84°21′55″W / 40.68750°N 84.36528°W / 40.68750; -84.36528
Area 2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built 1825 (1825)
Architect Unknown
NRHP reference # 66000603
Significant dates
Added to NRHP October 15, 1966[1]
Designated NHL January 29, 1964[2]

The Miami and Erie Canal Deep Cut is a well-preserved long section of the Miami and Erie Canal near Spencerville in western Ohio. The 6,600-foot (2,000 m) segment represents one of the major construction efforts of the canal; in order to avoid using locks to go over a ridge, the canal was dug deeply into it, far more than the 5-foot (1.5 m) depth of the canal itself. Workers dug the canal bed up to 52 feet (16 m) into the blue clay ridge that separated the St. Marys and Auglaize River watersheds.[3] It is a United States National Historic Landmark.[2] The cut is owned by the state and managed by MetroParks as Deep Cut Historical Park, with multi-use trails and a picnic area.

Description and history

The Miami and Erie Canal was one of Ohio's two major artificial waterways. Built between 1825 and 1845, the canal stretched from Cincinnati to Toledo, by way of Dayton; the canal brought settlers into western Ohio and provided access to markets for farmers. Construction of the canal, in particular the cut, was an extremely labor-intensive job, performed by local hires, convicted criminals, and Irish immigrants.[3] The advent of railroads gradually rendered the canal system obsolete.[4]

The Deep Cut is located two miles (3 km) south of Spencerville on State Route 66. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964.[2][3] The boundaries of the National Historic Landmark area are State Route 66, Mendon Road, Route 66A, and Henne Road,[3] spanning the Allen/Auglaize county line.[5]

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 3 "Miami and Erie Canal Deep Cut". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2008-01-19. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Joseph S. Mendinghall & S.S. Bradford (1974). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Miami and Erie "Deep Cut" Canal / Miami and Erie Canal" (pdf). National Park Service. and Accompanying six photos, from 1962 and 1974 (32 KB)
  4. ↑ Foster, Ellsworth D. & Hughes, James Laughlin (1922). The American Educator. Ralph Durham Company. p. 823.
  5. ↑ DeLorme. Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer. 7th ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2004, 45. ISBN 0-89933-281-1.
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