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My Canal Journal
I'm about a week late on this update, but better late than never I suppose. I went to the dedication ceremony for the new Towpath bridge over I-77 in Bolivar last Saturday and I promised to give my impressions, so here they are. It was a nice morning as the rain held off until later in the afternoon. Much to my surprise, there were a large number of people who attended the event (250+ by the reports I read in the paper). It was nice to see that many people interested in what was going on. A tent was set up at Ft. Laurens and on display were a number of plans for trail development in Tuscarawas County, most of which involved the Towpath and canal. Dan Rice who runs the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition served as the master of ceremonies. A number of prominent politicians were on hand, including Ralph Regula who is pretty much responsible for the Towpath as it exists today. After a number of speeches and a 21 gun salute by the color guard of the 51st Ohio Volunteer Infantry Co. B and 8th Pennsylvania Fort Laurens detail, the first ribbon was cut at the entrance to the trail. Another ribbon cutting occurred shortly thereafter at the bridge itself. The Tuscarawas Valley Trojans marching band was also present for the ceremony. Although I didn't stick around for the guided hike or refreshments at the visitor center at Ft. Laurens, I'd have to say it was a very successful event. A variety of people showed up including bicyclists, hikers young and old, and lovers of local history. I was pleased to see a number of CSO members in attendance and got to meet a gentleman whom I've been in contact with via email for some time now after he emailed me from finding this page on the web. The only disappointing thing about the ceremony for me was that I was hoping someone might talk about a time table for the rest of the trail completion in Tuscarawas County. No one did which leads me to believe that the trail won't be completed in the county in the near future. Bummer. If you want to see pictures from the event, go to the Bolivar page of this site for a slideshow of the event. I'm still attempting to find time to take my bike down to the end of the current trail at Zoarville and check out the Zoar Valley Trail which will eventually be part of the Towpath. I want to see just how accessible it is. I was told at the bridge dedication that the trail is able to be tackled by bike but a mountain bike would be the best bet as the trail is a little rough. If it's anything like the southern end of the existing trail south of Lock 10, it shouldn't be too bad.
A couple of canal era buildings in Akron have been in the news quite a bit recently. The Richard Howe house is going to be renovated soon into a visitor center and offices for the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition. This isn't new - it's been in progress for quite some time while the money was being raised for the work. The news that came out this weekend is that the building is going to be moved from its present location at the corner of Exchange and High Streets two blocks west near Lock 1. The building will be restored to its original specifications with the move. Another Akron landmark, Young's Restaurant at the Manchester Road trailhead of the Towpath Trail, will be purchased by the City of Akron by the end of the year. It will eventually be restored and used as a visitor center. Plans are to get it ready to withstand the winter and then figure out how much renovation will cost. The building is only several years away from having been a working restaurant. Don't forget that the new bridge over I-77 at Ft. Laurens for the Towpath Trail will be officially dedicated this coming Saturday at 10:30 in the morning. This will also be the last weekend of the season for the Mustill Store in Akron. It will be open only one more time this year after that - Saturday, December 15 when Jack Gieck will sign copies of his new book Early Akron's Industrial Valley, a History of the Cascade Locks. If you haven't yet, please think about joining the Yahoo Group I set up (ohioanderiecanal). The more people that join, the better opportunity we'll have of sharing canal related events all around the state. Finally, there are some new photos on the construction slideshows. Enjoy.
Hello again. Time for a short update here. I went on a 30 mile Towpath bike ride yesterday (Hunt Farm to Canal Visitor Center and back) with some friends from work. Here's what I found out:
Another note of interest, or warning rather: the poison ivy along the trail in Tuscarawas County is particularly potent this year. I got a bad case of poison ivy from my trip down there last week. Be careful if you go off the trail there at all until the plants die. Since the dedication of the I-77 bridge is on October 27, some of you may be hiking down there. Be careful. I added a slideshow of construction shots of the Towpath Trail extension from Cascade Locks Park to downtown Akron in the construction update section of this page. I'll post all the pictures I take there and you can watch the construction progress right up until it opens next year. I'm going to make a similar one for the construction of the park at Lock 4 in downtown Akron. It'll be on the page about that lock. Some of you joined the new Yahoo group I set up - thanks. Please feel free to post any information about the canal there so I can put it up on the page. I'd like to get a network of people from all areas of the state that can post info there so this page can be more informative for people living outside my region of the state, Northeast Ohio. All you have to do to join is create a Yahoo account and join. Simple as that. you can email stories from your local online newspaper right to the group and I can then share it on this page. I think I have the bugs worked out of the links I posted to Yahoo Groups on this page. Get out on the trails - the weather has been warm and the leaves are turning colors. You just can't beat that.
I took a drive down to Tuscarawas County yesterday to see the new bridge over I-77. It looks really nice. It's come a long way since I rode across it in June. I also hadn't realized how close it was to the original location of the towpath. As you approach the bridge from Ft. Laurens, the canal prism is visible to your left. Once you cross the bridge, the canal prism can be seen on the right as it heads towards Lock 7. With a little road riding, you can now follow the path of the canal from Massillon to Zoar without much problem. I also checked out the recently opened Zoarville Station Fink Through Truss Bridge. It's been beautifully restored and makes the important link from the end of the Towpath Trail in Zoarville to the Zoar Valley Trail (one day to be the Towpath Trail itself). It looks like the trail on the south side of the Tuscarawas River could be ridden on by an off road bicycle but I didn't get a chance to do so. Pictures of all of this as well as some new shots of the trail construction in Akron have been added to the slideshow. I was inspired by Henry's oetowpath Yahoo group to start my own Yahoo Group for anyone interested in the Ohio & Erie Canal. The reason I did this is to better let everyone know when I make page updates and to get information about canal activities in all parts of the state. Since I live in the Akron area, most of what I know is centered around this area. I never seen to have much information about canal activities in the central and southern parts of the state. Now members of the the group can post information about these parts of the state and I can post it here as well. If you're on my mailing list for this page, expect to receive an invitation to the group since that will be my new way of letting you know when I've done updates. Here's how you can join:
Hey, look at this! I actually have some canal news that doesn't pertain to NE Ohio. The Newark Advocate reported yesterday that the property where Lock 9 North (Licking Summit) was located has been sold to a museum group called The Works. There is a building there that is going to be torn down and the building sits on the location of Lock 9. Apparently, if any remains of the lock are found, they are going to preserve them. That would be pretty cool. If you want to read the article, follow this link: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071001/UPDATES01/71001026/1002/ So that got me looking around for various Ohio newspaper articles on canal activities. I found this article: http://www.chillicothegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007709300327. Oh yeah, I started posting the slide shows on the individual pages, starting with the Mustill Store page and the Memorial Parkway page. Let me know what you think.
Just a quick note here. Henry, the gentleman who runs the oetowpath Yahoo Group that I mentioned before, posted a video on YouTube that was very nicely done. It was shot early one morning in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park on the Towpath Trail and Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. I thought it captured the spirit of the the trail and tracks quite nicely. And so, I've posted it here. Enjoy!
Cleveland: According to the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, the final 6 miles of the Towpath from Harvard Avenue to Lake Erie are in the planning stages. The trail will be built in phases starting at Harvard Avenue and heading north. Phase I is in the planning stages and construction is scheduled to begin in 2010. Hopes are that the whole thing will be completed by 2015. A very interesting web site showing the path of the trail can be viewed here.
Steelyard Commons: A new section of the Towpath Trail is now open in Cleveland in the new Steelyard Commons complex. This is Phase II of the extension from Harvard Avenue to Canal Basin Park. There are two routes for the trail through the retail development - one that runs behind the strip mall and the other that passes along the front of the shops. It is just a short distance north of the Harvard Road Trailhead. The two trails will be connected by 2011 (June 2007) Cascade Locks Park: The end of the current trail connects with downtown Akron via a pedestrian walkway up Beech Street, up Howard Street, and down Main Street where it connects with Lock 3 Park. The bike and ADA accessible trail is under construction to the intersection of Ash and Quaker Streets (August 2007) and is scheduled to be open in August of 2008 (ABJ 8/13/2007). The part from Lock 2 Park to the same intersection is complete (September 2007). The completion of the Beech Street Trailhead is scheduled for 2007 (April 2006 - City of Akron 2006 Capital Investment and Community Development Plan). Watch the construction happen right before your eyes!
Akron: Construction of the Towpath Trail from Summit Lake to Wilbeth Road was to begin this summer and be completed in 2008 (ABJ May 2007). It will include a 14 foot wide floating boardwalk that will be similar to the floating towpath of the canal era. Engineering for the other section of the unfinished trail from Bartges Street to Advanced Elastomer Systems is underway (ABJ Spring 2007). Construction of this section of the trial is scheduled for 2010. Reconstruction of the bridge for Bartges Street over the canal is scheduled for 2008 and will facilitate the construction of the Towpath Trail under Bartges Street (City of Akron 2007 Capital Investment and Community Development Plan). South Akron and New Franklin: Construction of the Towpath from Wilbeth Road to Waterloo Road including a trailhead at Wilbeth Road is scheduled for 2008 (City of Akron 2007 Capital Investment and Community Development Plan). Construction of the Towpath Trail under Waterloo Road is underway. Money has been appropriated to purchase the land necessary to complete the trail from the completed underpass at Manchester Road to Waterloo Road. Construction should begin shortly after the property is bought (Spring 2007). PPG Phase 2: The trailhead at Vanderhoof Road is complete. Construction of the trail from Vanderhoof Road to Snyder Avenue has begun (August 2007) and will be completed in 2008. It will contain three bridges, three boardwalks, and a railroad underpass (Akron Beacon Journal 09/05/2006).
Tuscarawas County: Land has been acquired to construct the Towpath Trail from Bolivar to its current terminus south of I-77. Land has also been acquired to build the Towpath from the Tuscarawas-Stark County border to Bolivar along the original alignment of the canal. The bridge over I-77 from Fort Laurens to the current start of the trail is complete. The dedication of the bridge is planned for October 27.
In Bolivar, the trail will enter the county after crossing the bridge at the aqueduct site. A new trailhead will be constructed at an expanded city park off of the CanalWay Ohio National Scenic Byway. The trail will follow the historic route of the towpath until it gets to where I-77 runs in that location. There will be a connector trail that will serve as a historic homes walking trail. A new Canal Park will be built in the historic district between I-77 and SR 212 and it will serve as a trailhead. Eventually, the park will also be the start of the Sandy and Beaver Canal Trail that will run east from Bolivar. West of the intersection of I-77 and SR 212 will be a wetlands boardwalk and the trail will follow next to I-77 until it crosses to the north side of the canal on the bridge at Ft. Laurens. The existing visitor center at Ft. Laurens will be a Towpath trailhead and the trail will connect to the bridge crossing I-77.
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