From 1825 to 1913, Ohio farmers and manufacturers sought a canal route linking the Ohio River and Lake Erie to reach distant markets. Beginning in Cleveland, the Ohio-Erie Canal ran south the length of the state to Portsmouth. It was 308 miles long, 40 feet wide at the surface, and 4 feet deep. The canal opened for traffic along its entire length in 1832 and brought major change: population along the canal increased, commercial, political, and industrial growth in Ohio boomed, products from this previously isolated region gained access to world markets, profits for farmers and merchants increased, and the state economy was strengthened. With the rise of railroads in the 1860s, canals became obsolete because rail transportation was faster and more dependable, and the canal system ceased operating altogether after a disastrous flood in 1913. In Tuscarawas County, the canal section began at Summit Lake near Barberton and ran through the county to Dresden, dropping 238 feet in less than 109 miles. It crossed the Tuscarawas River and county line on an aqueduct north of Zoar, ran from Lock 7 in Zoar to Newcomerstown, where it left the county below Lock 21, and included 15 locks in Tuscarawas County.