Beverly Kerr
Columnist
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson discussed the idea of a canal from Lake Erie to the Ohio River back in 1784. It wasn t until July 4, 1825, that ground was broken for the Ohio-Erie Canal in Newark to move goods more efficiently across Ohio.
Amazing as it seems these canals were hand-dug with shovels and wheelbarrows and sometimes mules pulling drag lines. The canal was about 40 feet wide at water level and 26 feet wide at the bottom, with a depth of about 4 foot. Farmers and townspeople started digging the canal but were grateful for assistance from German and Irish immigrants.