Description: This is most likely a lock for the Miami and Erie Canal. The Miami and Erie Canal was a canal that connected the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio with Lake Erie in Toledo, Ohio. It consisted of 19 aqueducts, three guard locks, and 103 canal locks. One of the original locks (#17) is located in the Carillon Historical Park in Dayton, Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B09F06_025_001
Subjects: Canals--Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Dayton (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Pictorial works; Locks (Canal); Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Dayton (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1935-1940, this photograph shows an old lock on the Ohio and Erie Canal in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. Its caption reads "Old canal lock (detail of stone and iron work)." Work began on the Ohio and Erie Canal on July 4, 1825, at Licking Summit, just south of Newark, Ohio, and was completed in 1833. The Ohio and Erie Canal cost approximately ten thousand dollars per mile to complete, and the Miami and Erie Canal cost roughly twelve thousand dollars per mile to finish. The canals nearly bankrupted the state government, but they allowed Ohioans to prosper beginning in the 1830s all the way to the Civil War. Many recent immigrants to the United States, especially the Irish, survived thanks to jobs on the canals. Other people, like the residents of the communal society at Zoar, also helped construct canals to assist the survival of their community. Many of Ohio’s communities today, including Akron, began as towns for the canal workers. Most canals remained in operation in Ohio until late 1800s. There is a short stretch in the Muskingum Valley near Zanesville still in operation today. By the 1850s, however, canals were losing business to the railroads. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F05_003_1
Subjects: Locks (Canal); Canals--Ohio; Ohio and Erie Canal (Ohio); Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Tuscarawas County (Ohio)
Places: Tuscarawas County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1900, this photograph shows a lock on Miami and Erie Canal south of Dayton, Ohio, in Montgomery County. Work began on the Miami and Erie Canal in 1825 and was completed in 1845. During the peak of construction, more than four thousand laborers worked on the canal, generally earning 30 cents per day plus room and board. Many recent immigrants to the United States, especially the Irish, survived thanks to jobs on the canals. Other people, like the residents of the communal society at Zoar, also helped construct canals to assist the survival of their community. Many of Ohio’s communities today, including Akron, began as towns for the canal workers. Most canals remained in operation in Ohio until the late 1800s. There is a short stretch in the Muskingum Valley near Zanesville still in operation today. By the 1850s, however, canals were losing business to the railroads. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F06_007
Subjects: Locks (Canal); Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Dayton (Ohio); Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.
Places: Dayton (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photo shows the state of the Miami and Erie canal in the 1930s. The Miami and Erie Canal connected the Ohio River in Cincinnati and Lake Erie in Toledo and was completed in 1845. This scene demonstrates how multiple locks were used to transport large vessels up and down elevation changes along the waterway. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F07_007
Subjects: Canals--Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Locks (Canal); Dayton (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Pictorial works; Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Dayton (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)
 

Description: Original description reads: "This picture shows the Canal Lock west of the Aqueduct taken in March 23, 1911." This photograph shows a gate leading into a lock on the Miami and Erie Canal located near Dayton, Ohio. The Miami and Erie Canal connected the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio and Lake Erie in Toledo, Ohio and was completed in 1845. The locks were used to raise and lower boats between stretches of water that were of different levels. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F06_018
Subjects: Canals--Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Locks (Canal); Dayton (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Pictorial works; Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Dayton (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)
 

Description: Caption reads: "Miami and Erie Canal. First Transportation System in Dayton (Except the Overland Stage Coach). Location: - East side of North Canal Street, looking west, just north of East Third Street. Photograph taken Summer of 1888. Reproduced by E. E. Brownell, B. E. E., Dayton, Ohio." During the late 1810s, Governor Thomas Worthington and Governor Ethan Allen Brown both supported internal improvements, especially canals. Both men believed that Ohioans needed quick and easy access to the Ohio River and to Lake Erie if they were to profit financially. In 1822, the Ohio legislature realized the importance of internal improvements and created a new Ohio Canal Commission. The Canal Commission eventually recommended a route starting at Lake Erie, passing through the Cuyahoga Valley, the Muskingum Valley, the Licking Valley, and then to the Ohio River along the Scioto Valley. The Commission also recommended a western route along the Miami and Maumee Valleys. By 1833, the Ohio and Erie Canal was complete, followed twelve years later by the Miami and Erie Canal. Once completed, thirty-three of Ohio's eighty-eight counties either had portions of canals running through them or quarries to mine rock for construction. The canals had many advantages to Ohioans. Most importantly, the cost to ship goods from the East Coast to Ohio and vice versa declined tremendously from 125 dollars per ton of goods to twenty-five dollars per ton of goods. Most canals remained in operation in Ohio until the late 1800s, their demise due in part to competition from the much speedier railroads. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F07_006
Subjects: Canals--Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Locks (Canal); Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History;
Places: Dayton (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is a photograph of a lock on the Ohio-Erie Canal in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. During the late 1810s, Governor Thomas Worthington and Governor Ethan Allen Brown both supported internal improvements, especially canals. Both men believed that Ohioans needed quick and easy access to the Ohio River and to Lake Erie if they were to profit financially. In 1822, the Ohio legislature realized the importance of internal improvements and created a new Ohio Canal Commission. The Canal Commission eventually recommended a route starting at Lake Erie, passing through the Cuyahoga Valley, the Muskingum Valley, the Licking Valley, and then to the Ohio River along the Scioto Valley. The Commission also recommended a western route along the Miami and Maumee Valleys. By 1833, the Ohio and Erie Canal was complete, followed twelve years later by the Miami and Erie Canal. Once completed, thirty-three of Ohio's eighty-eight counties either had portions of canals running through them or quarries to mine rock for construction. The canals had many advantages to Ohioans. Most importantly, the cost to ship goods from the East Coast to Ohio and vice versa declined tremendously from 125 dollars per ton of goods to twenty-five dollars per ton of goods. Most canals remained in operation in Ohio until the late 1800s, their demise due in part to competition from the much speedier railroads. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B14F03_020_001
Subjects: Tuscarawas County (Ohio)--History; Locks (Canal); Canals--Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History;
Places: Tuscarawas County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photo shows the state of the Miami and Erie canal in the 1930s. The remnants of this lock indicate it is certainly no longer used at this point in time. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F05_015
Subjects: Montgomery County (Ohio)--History; Locks (Canal); Canals--Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Montgomery County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1935-1940, this photograph shows a lock on the Ohio and Erie Canal in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B14F02_019_001
Subjects: Tuscarawas County (Ohio)--History; Locks (Canal); Canals Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Tuscarawas County (Ohio)
 

Description: A photograph of a lock on the Ohio-Erie Canal in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is the chamber itself (usually then called a caisson) that rises and falls. Locks are used to make a river more easily navigable, or to allow a canal to take a reasonably direct line across land that is not level. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B14F02_020_001
Subjects: Tuscarawas County (Ohio)--History; Locks (Canal); Canals--Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Tuscarawas County (Ohio)
 

Description: A photograph of a lock on the Ohio-Erie Canal in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is the chamber itself (usually then called a caisson) that rises and falls. Locks are used to make a river more easily navigable, or to allow a canal to take a reasonably direct line across land that is not level. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B14F02_024_001
Subjects: Tuscarawas County (Ohio)--History; Locks (Canal); Canals--Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Tuscarawas County (Ohio)
 

Description: The caption reads: "New Lock Tuscarawas 1907. This is a lock on the Ohio-Erie Canal in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is the chamber itself (usually then called a caisson) that rises and falls. Locks are used to make a river more easily navigable, or to allow a canal to take a reasonably direct line across land that is not level. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B14F02_027_001
Subjects: Tuscarawas County (Ohio)--History; Locks (Canal); Canals--Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Tuscarawas County (Ohio)