The Miami and Erie Canal Deep Cut is a well-preserved long section of the

Miami and Erie Canal The Miami and Erie Canal was a canal that ran from Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, creating a water route between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Construction on the canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1845 at a cost to the state government of $ ...

near Spencerville in western

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. The segment represents one of the major construction efforts of the canal; in order to avoid using

locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

to go over a ridge, the canal was dug deeply into it, far more than the depth of the canal itself. Workers dug the canal bed up to into the blue clay ridge that separated the St. Marys and

Auglaize River The Auglaize River (Shawnee: ''Kathinakithiipi'') is a tributary of the Maumee River in northwestern Ohio in the United States. It drains a primarily rural farming area in the watershed of Lake Erie. The name of the river was derived from the ...

watersheds. It is a United States

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

. The cut is owned by the state and managed jointly by Johnny Appleseed MetroParks and the Heritage Trails Park District as Deep Cut Historical Park, with multi-use trails and a picnic area.

Description and history

The

was one of

's two major artificial

waterway A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary b ...

s. Built between 1825 and 1845, the canal stretched from

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Orur ...

, by way of

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

; the canal brought settlers into western Ohio and provided access to markets for farmers. Construction of the canal, in particular the cut, was an extremely labor-intensive job, performed by local hires, convicted criminals, and Irish immigrants. The advent of railroads gradually rendered the canal system obsolete. The Deep Cut is located two miles (3 km) south of Spencerville on

State Route 66 The following highways are numbered 66: Australia * Barkly Highway (Northern Territory) * Riddoch Highway Canada * Alberta Highway 66 * Highway 66 (Ontario) Finland * Kantatie 66 (Orivesi — Lapua) France * A66 autoroute Germany * Bundes ...

. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964. and The boundaries of the National Historic Landmark area are State Route 66, Mendon Road, Route 66A, and Henne Road, spanning the

Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univer ...

/ Auglaize county line.DeLorme. ''Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer''. 7th ed.

Yarmouth Yarmouth may refer to: Places Canada *Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia **Yarmouth, Nova Scotia **Municipality of the District of Yarmouth **Yarmouth (provincial electoral district) **Yarmouth (electoral district) * Yarmouth Township, Ontario *New ...

DeLorme DeLorme is the producer of personal satellite tracking, messaging, and navigation technology. The company’s main product, ''inReach'', integrates GPS and satellite technologies. ''inReach'' provides the ability to send and receive text messages ...

, 2004, 45. . Deep Cut 1.jpg Deep Cut 2.jpg Deep Cut 3.jpg Deep Cut 4.jpg

References

External links

Deep Cut Historical Park
- Village of Spencerville
Wayside.com - Markers and photos for the Miami and Erie Canal Deep Cut
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miami And Erie Canal Deep Cut National Historic Landmarks in Ohio Transportation in Allen County, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Allen County, Ohio Transportation in Auglaize County, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Auglaize County, Ohio Protected areas of Allen County, Ohio Parks in Ohio 1825 establishments in Ohio Canals on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio