Ohio and Erie Canal
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The Ohio and Erie Canal was built in the 1800s and connected the Ohio River at Portsmouth and Lake Erie at Cleveland, Ohio. The canal included dozens of locks rising from the south to peak at Akron before heading to the lake. The canal was once a major means of goods transport between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River System, linking the northeastern United States with the western half of the country. As a teenager, James Garfield worked as a helmsman, driving horses to pull barges along the canal. After repeatedly falling into the canal on the job, Garfield became ill, and decided to go to college instead.
The canal, which was prone to flooding, was gradually replaced by railroads. The canal closed for commerce in 1913. Parts of the canal were filled in and used for other purposes. There has been a renewal of interest in the canal in Northeast Ohio with the creation of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.
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