Canal Fulton is a city in western
Stark County, Ohio
Stark County is a county located in the northeastern part of U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 374,853. Its county seat is Canton. The county was created in 1808 and organized the next year. It is named for John S ...
, United States, along the
Tuscarawas River
The Tuscarawas River is a principal tributary of the Muskingum River, 129.9 miles (209 km) long, in northeastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining ...
. The population was 5,325 at the time of the
2020 census. It is part of the
Canton–Massillon metropolitan area.
History
Canal Fulton traces its history to three villages that developed along the
Tuscarawas River
The Tuscarawas River is a principal tributary of the Muskingum River, 129.9 miles (209 km) long, in northeastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining ...
. Milan was platted on March 23, 1814, by Matthew Rowland who arrived by ox team. It was the first settlement west of the Tuscarawas River in Stark County. Fulton was platted on May 16, 1826, changed its name to Canal Fulton in 1832, and later incorporated as a village. The present name is an amalgamation of the
Ohio Canal
The Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed during the 1820s and early 1830s in Ohio. It connected Akron, Ohio, Akron with the Cuyahoga River near its outlet on Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland, and a few years later, with the Ohio ...
and the name of a local pioneer, Ben Fulton. In 1843, President
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...
visited.
Indigenous displacement
The land that would become Canal Fulton was part of broader territories shared between several Native American tribes, including
Wyandot
Wyandot may refer to:
Native American ethnography
* Wyandot people, who have been called Wyandotte, Huron, Wendat and Quendat
* Wyandot language, an Iroquoian language
* Wyandot Nation of Kansas, an unrecognized tribe and nonprofit organization ...
,
Lenape
The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada.
The Lenape's historica ...
(Delaware),
Shawnee
The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language.
Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...
,
Odawa (Ottawa),
Ojibwe (Chippewa),
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...
,
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
,
Eel River,
Wea
The Wea were a Miami–Illinois-speaking Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as being either closely related to the Miami tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami.
Today, the descendants of th ...
,
Kickapoo
The Kickapoo people (; Kickapoo: Kiikaapoa or Kiikaapoi; ) are an Algonquian-speaking Native American tribe and Indigenous people in Mexico, originating in the region south of the Great Lakes. There are three federally recognized Kickapoo trib ...
,
Piankishaw,
Munsee
The Munsee () are a subtribe and one of the three divisions of the Lenape. Historically, they lived along the upper portion of the Delaware River, the Minisink, and the adjacent country in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. They were prom ...
, and
Kaskaskia
The Kaskaskia were a historical Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. They were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation, also called the Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in ...
.
The United States pressed these nations to cede territory to the west of the Tuscarawas in 1785 and to the east in 1805, paving the way for settlers like Rowland to claim divisions.
The Treaty of Fort McIntosh in 1785 claimed land west of the Ohio to the Tuscarawas from Wyandot, Delaware, Shawnee, Ottawa, Chippewa, Potawatomi, Miami, Eel River, Wea, Kickapoo, Piankishaw, and Kaskaskia Native Americans. The
Land Ordinance of 1785
The Land Ordinance of 1785 was adopted by the United States Congress of the Confederation on May 20, 1785. It set up a standardized system whereby settlers could purchase title to farmland in the undeveloped west. Congress at the time did not hav ...
set the precedent for the division and distribution of these lands.
With the
Treaty of Fort Industry
The Treaty of Fort Industry was a successor treaty to the Treaty of Greenville, which moved the eastern boundary of Native Americans in the United States, Indian lands in northern Ohio from the Tuscarawas River and Cuyahoga River westward to a li ...
in July 4, 1805, Wyandot, Ottawa, Chippewa, Munsee, Delaware, Shawnee, and Potawatomi land east of the Tuscarawas was claimed by the United States and made open to white settlers.
With the
Treaty of Maumee Rapids in 1817 and the
Treaty of St. Mary’s in 1818, all lands in Ohio were claimed by the United States.
Frontier life
In the County of Stark just outside the
Connecticut Western Reserve
The Connecticut Western Reserve was a portion of land claimed by the Colony of Connecticut and later by the state of Connecticut in what is now mostly the northeastern region of Ohio. Warren, Ohio was the Historic Capital in Trumbull County. T ...
, on lands known as the
Congress Lands, frontier life was dangerous and difficult. Settlers encountered Native Americans attempting to defend their families and territory, confrontations with wild beasts, and difficulty in transportation.
Settlers arrived on canoe or foot from Cleveland by way of the Cuyahoga to the Portage to the Tuscarawas rivers or by ox-drawn cart following the state road from Pennsylvania to Canton then cutting wider Indian trails to their destination.
Land survey
Foresighted surveyors while platting Stark County had included “Fractions” of land west of the Tuscarawas. The surveying went according to the laws of the Land Ordinance of 1785, which provided for six-mile square townships to be created in the newly acquired land, the township would then be divided into one-square mile sections, with each section encompassing 640 acres. Each section received its own number. Section sixteen was set aside for a public school. The federal government reserved sections eight, eleven, twenty-six, and twenty-nine to provide veterans of th
American Revolution with land bountiesfor their service during the war. The government would sell the remaining sections at public auction. The minimum bid was 640 dollars per section or one dollar for every acre of land in each section.
The fraction in the northwest part of
Stark County was settled before the land on the east bank of the Tuscarawas. The west side of the river was chosen because of the roads that already existed (old Cleveland-Massillon Road also known as the “army road” or “territorial road” because it was cut during the War of 1812, when the Government needed access to Fort Meigs). Also, it was believed the west side had better quality soil. However, the primary reason the west side of river was chosen was because east of the Tusc, the surveys were in two-section areas (with additional surveying the responsibility of the settler) and west of the River the surveys were done on a one-section basis. Most settlers only wanted to farm (and purchase) a one-section area.
Rowland's purchase
Matthew Rowland purchased one of these fractions of land and recorded the proprietorship at Canton on March 23, 1814. Rowlan
platted the townand offered the 79 lots for sale at a public auction in Canton.
The town was named
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
, after the Lombardian city of Milan in Italy. It was fashionable at the time to
name frontier towns after European cities (witness Paris, Ohio, founded in Stark two months before Milan).
Developing the region
Rowland’s son-in-law built the first structure in Milan (a log cabin), and Rowland soon added a gristmill and a sawmill. Neither was very successful.
The Township that Milan would become a part of was laid off in December 1815. Lawrence Township was named after Captain James Lawrence famous for his last words during the War of 1812 battle between the American Chesapeake, and the British frigate the Shannon, “Don’t Give up the Ship”. These words are now the township’s motto.
Milan was the only village in the township until th
building of the canalbetween 1826 and 1828, which brought about the town of Fulton on the other side of the river. Milan boasted churches, cemeteries, and a grocery built to service the hundreds of canal workers. Fulton surpassed Milan though and the prefix Canal was added.
For a brief time with the coming of the B & O railroad, Milan once again eclipsed the Port of Canal Fulton. American transportation such as it is, even this balance was tipped again because all the main highways favored the Fulton side of the river. Today Milan no longer exists as it incorporated into Canal Fulton in 1853. It is, however, a quiet residential area, and most in Canal Fulton are aware of the little village’s beginnings.
In 1850 the first permanent community school began operation and railroad operations began. In 1853, Canal Fulton absorbed both Milan and West Fulton.
In 1855, Union School building was completed and had two rooms accommodating 100 students. In 1869, the construction of railroad was completed on the west side of the river. 1870 Addition built at Union School. In 1873, The warehouse converted to Opera House.
In 1874, Canal Fulton approves organization of a fire department, although one was in existence in the early 1800s. Fire department gets first modern steam-operated pumper. In 1875, Sts. Philip and James School founded.
In 1876, German immigrants came to area as strikebreakers for coal industry. In 1886, new school built to accommodate 12 grades.
Geography
Canal Fulton is located along the
Tuscarawas River
The Tuscarawas River is a principal tributary of the Muskingum River, 129.9 miles (209 km) long, in northeastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining ...
.
[DeLorme (1991), ''Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer'', Yarmouth, Maine ]
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2020, there were 5,325 people of 2,294 households residing in the city. The population per square mile was 1,629 and the average household size was 2.25.
The population included 19.7% age 65 and over, 16.4% under 18, and 5.9% under 5 years. The racial makeup of the city was 97% White alone, 0.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population.
Of those residents age 25 and older, 95.8% had graduated high school or higher and 27.5% had earned their Bachelor's degree or higher. The median per capita income was $34, 518 and 12.2% of residents were living in poverty.
2010 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 5,479 people, 2,186 households, and 1,488 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 2,362 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.0%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.6%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.1%
Native American, 0.4%
Asian, 0.2% from
other races, and 1.7% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.
There were 2,186 households, of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.9% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.95.
The median age in the city was 40.3 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.4% were from 25 to 44; 25.9% were from 45 to 64; and 17.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 5,061 people, 1,823 households, and 1,349 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,925 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.27%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.91%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.16%
Native American, 0.41%
Asian, 0.18% from
other races, and 1.07% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population.
There were 1,823 households, out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the city the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,359, and the median income for a family was $51,914. Males had a median income of $42,331 versus $23,540 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $21,266. About 3.2% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
References
External links
City websiteCanal Fulton TourismCanal Fulton Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control
Cities in Stark County, Ohio
Cities in Ohio
1814 establishments in Ohio
Populated places established in 1814