Providence Metropark on the Maumee River connects the natural world with the stories of the people who lived there, their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. The Maumee is the reason the Miami and Erie Canal was located there in the mid-1800s, and the site was restored in 1996 to let visitors experience what that time was like. The Maumee River, sometimes known as the Miamis, or “Mother of the Lake,” has nurtured both wildlife and people throughout time. It is the largest river flowing into the Great Lakes and is also designated as an Ohio Scenic River. The river has also been a source of energy through changing technologies explored in the Isaac Ludwig Mill, where for years the site harnessed water power for grinding grain, sawing trees, and lighting whole towns.