1980s - Bob Mills - Piqua, Ohio

ever since expanding the horizons of California Outdoors Bob Mills has traveled to a number of interesting places outside of California in tonight's report Bob shows us how the people in his hometown of Ohio are holding on to their heritage here's an interesting little side trip if you're ever back in Western Ohio and it's also a good example of how one area is holding on to its past history and tradition just north of Dayton the Ohio Historical Society of Piqua has restored a portion of the old Miami Erie Canal and rebuilt one of the old flat bottom Canal boats 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence immigrants flocked to the fertile Acres of Ohio cleared land and raised crops but people were starving amidst Planet there was no way to get the crops to Market that's why the Miami Erie Canal was built starting in 1825. a major engineering feat in its day considering it had to be built with pick and shovel there were no earth-moving machines back then 53 locks were needed to raise the canal 512 feet from its starting place at Cincinnati on the Ohio River the little German Town of New Bremen was the top of the hill from here the canal dropped another 374 feet through 50 locks till it reached the level of Lake Erie many of the locks are in remarkable condition after 150 years Township Trustee Jim kite points out on lock 8 that most of them were 90 feet long by 15 feet wide and raised or lowered the canal boats about 10 feet at a time lock 14 still has water flowing over it and it serves as a recreational area for fishermen because many of the Canal builders were of German descent a lot a little european-like towns grew up along the banks and my hometown of Saint Mary's Canal water turned the wheels of the flower Mill the paper mill in the spoke quarks but the famous St Mary's blankets are no longer made here at the Woolen Mill the sign is just barely readable under a layer of paint but each spring and fall attorney Eldon Montague and his brother Bernard lead nature walks along the Towpath of the old Miami Erie Canal the same Towpath that was trod by so many mules pulling Canal boats back 150 years ago before the railroads and before the four-lane interstates the people of this area are keeping alive their past history and Legacy of the Monumental Miami Erie Canal it's nice to be able to report a little history from this part of Western Ohio for the news this is Bob Mills Outdoors reporting from my hometown St Mary's Ohio