The Canal Experience at Providence Metropark
| Street: U.S. Route 24 and Route 578 | ||
| Town: Grand Rapids | ||
| Region: Northwest | ||
| Phone: (419) 832-6004 | ||
| Email: scott.carpenter@metroparkstoledo.com | ||
| URL : www.metroparkstoledo.com | ||
| Description: | ||
Lake Erie provided a means of transportation in the early 1800s, but only for those who were able to make it to its shore. In the southern part of Ohio, the Ohio River had the same dilemma. Even more problematic was the issue of exporting and importing goods. Four years after New York broke ground on a canal connecting Lake Erie to New York City, Ohio's legislators decided to conduct a feasibility study of a canal system in Ohio. Three major canals were commissioned: the Ohio & Erie Canal linking Cleveland to the Ohio River, the Milan Ship Canal linking this grain port to Lake Erie, and the Miami & Erie Canal. |
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Work began on the Miami & Erie Canal in 1825, however, the canal was not first intended to connect Lake Erie and the Ohio River. The Miami Canal linked Cincinnati to Middletown in 1828 and to Dayton in 1830. Three years later, work began on an extension to Troy. It wasn't until 1845 that the canal finally reached Lake Erie. At that point, the canal only had about 10 years of economic prosperity before the railroads steamed in with their efficient and cost-effective transportation. |
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Towns sprouted along the canal, including Providence, a rowdy canal town on the north side of the Maumee River. Destroyed by fire, and later by a cholera epidemic, Providence once overshadowed its neighboring town, Gilead, across the river. Gilead hardly described this town of opportunity, so the name changed to Grand Rapids in 1868. |
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| The Canal Experience at Providence Metropark offers a 45-minute cruise on a 60-foot passenger canal boat. Historical characters describe life in the 1800s, and how the canal meant progress to folks who lived within the Great Black Swamp, swampland as large as Connecticut that once covered this region. The canal boat travels through an original limestone lock quarried from the Marblehead Peninsula. Other activities include an 1846 restored saw and grist mill complete with working antique machinery. Log sawing and flour grinding demonstrations are staged daily. Remains of the Miami & Erie Canal are also seen at Side Cut Metropark where three of the original six locks can be seen which once lowered canal boats into the Maumee River. | ||
| The Canal Experience at Providence Metropark is open May through October from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Friday; and noon to 4 p.m. on weekends. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Admission to the canal boat is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors age 60 and older, $3 for children age 12 and under, and free for those two years of age and younger. Providence Metropark offers hiking trails, fishing access and a picnic area. The metropark is open year-round, 7 a.m. to dusk. An 8-mile towpath trail connects Providence with Bend View and Farnsworth Metroparks. | ||
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| Latitude: + 41.4183 NORTH | ||
| Longitude: - 83.8631 WEST | ||
| Map: View Map | ||
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