Along the Canal

Last week I mentioned the Towpath Trail that is being constructed along the route of the old Ohio & Erie Canal.  The canal was dug by hand between 1825 and 1832 and connected the Ohio River in the south with Lake Erie in the north.  It was an important commercial route.  Goods could be transported via the Ohio River down the Mississippi River and from Lake Erie across New York state's Erie Canal  to the Hudson River and the east coast.  Ohio, which previously was a sparsely settled backwoods state, grew enormously in population and wealth.  Cleveland, at the northern end of the canal, became an important commercial center.  Eventually the railroad took the place of the canal.  By the early 20th century the canal was completely abandoned and much of it was filled in.

There is no trace of the canal along the portion of the trail that I walked near the Cleveland neighborhood of Tremont.  However farther south, in what is now the Cuyahoga Valley National Park you can still see a portion of the old canal.  Last Tuesday I parked my car at a trailhead and hiked another section of the Towpath Trail.

I began in the Cleveland suburb of Independence at the northern edge of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  For a short distance, as you walk south, the Cuyahoga River is to your right and the canal is to your left.

Not far from the trailhead are the remains of Lock 39.  There is a 395 foot difference in elevation between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio.  Along this stretch of the canal there were 44 locks which acted like elevators to raise or lower canal boats.  The boat would enter the lock and water would be pumped in or drained out to raise or lower the boat depending on which direction it was going.

This heron did not seem afraid of people passing by on the trail.  When I returned after several hours of hiking it was still there.  It seems to have claimed this spot in the canal as its own personal fishing hole.

This marker along the trail notes that the remains of a Native American village were found on the other side of the Cuyahoga River (on the other side of the trees on the horizon).

The village, which dates back to around the year 1000 was a part of what has been called the Whittlesey culture, named after a 19th century archaeologist, Charles Whittlesey.

Just beyond that marker was another path branching off from the Towpath Trail... the Hemlock Creek Trail.  I decided to check it out.

A bridge crosses the Cuyahoga River.

On the other side of the river are the tracks of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad which takes visitors on an excursion through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park south to Akron.  (You can read about my trip on the railroad last autumn HERE.)

The trail continues along the course of Hemlock Creek which flows into the Cuyahoga.

The trail is pleasant.  The autumn foliage this year is not spectacular, but some of the trees are colorful.

After about a mile and a half, I headed back to the Towpath Trail and continued walking south.  The Cuyahoga again flows close to the canal here.

I reached another lock...  Lock 38.  This one has been restored.  You can see the wooden gates and the beams with which the gates were opened and closed by hand.

Near the lock is this statue of a mule.  Teams of mules walked the towpath hauling the heavy canal boats behind them.  Although mules were slower than horses, mules had more endurance, and unlike horses, they would not work themselves to death.  When a mule was tired it would refuse to go any farther.  The canal boats carried an extra team of mules, and they would be switched every six hours.

This mid-19th century building, next to the lock, served as a tavern and a store.  It is now a small museum with exhibits on the canal.  Unfortunately it was closed (perhaps because of the pandemic) when I was there.

It was time for me to make the two mile hike back to my car.  I figured I walked a total of seven miles... good exercise and a very interesting hike.