Dug by hand from 1825 to 1832, the Ohio and Erie Canal was the first canal west of the Appalachian Mountains. It connected Lake Erie to the Ohio River, providing a key link in an interstate shipping route that helped the nation grow as people and products flowed across America. Canal towns became major commercial centers, and Ohio grew in population and wealth. The first 110 miles of this waterway endure through the Ohio and Erie Canalway, where the canal’s lasting impact can be explored along three spines: the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, the Towpath Trail, and America’s Byway. In the 1800s, mules walked the towpath to pull canal boats, which usually traveled at four miles per hour and were considered rapid transit in the mid-1800s.
