Wabash & Erie Canal Towpath
Trail Meeting Notes
November 21, 2006 Meeting at Honeywell Center
Opening Remarks
Tom Castaldi: Over the past several years, several persons have spoke of a vision to create a Wabash & Erie Canal Towpath Trail Corridor by means of connecting trails already developed or planning to be developed hike/bike/drive pathways in the counties through which the historic nineteenth century canal route once passed. At a “Joint Meeting of the Cornelius O’Brien Conference on Historic Preservation and Indiana Main Street,” held at the Wabash Honeywell Center during September 28-30, 2006, a small group was encouraged to call an exploratory meeting to learn of the interest in such a project. We thank the Charlie Creek Foundation for hosting this meeting and sponsoring this meeting place and space in the Honeywell Center today.
Trails are being developed today at a rapid rate and the interest is high among many who want to keep in good physical condition and seek different venues for recreation. A popular diversion from daily routines in a local gym fueled with a yearning to be out of doors, interested in learning more about the history that took place where they live all are reasons for the surge in well-planned trail systems. At the same time we are aware that there are some people not happy with pathways that might cross over private spaces.
Careful, patient and thoughtful planning must be employed for long-term success.
We sit on a gold mine of history that was the Wabash & Eerie Canal line. Some at this meeting can actually walk the route and know of its colorful stories, the contribution that the Wabash & Erie made to the development of Indiana and indeed to the western United States. It should not be continually overrun and destroyed from memory. A trail would mark its history by creating recreation, offer economic development such as restaurants, lodging and tourism that you all know is possible.
With each county on or contiguous to the old Wabash & Erie Canal towpath having produced or planning to develop a bike/hike/byway what is the likelihood that through communications and networking these county/city trails might one day connect one county with the other from Toledo, Ohio, to Evansville, Indiana?
Progress is already been made in many places:
Ohio has an active Maumee River Valley Heritage Corridor making its way from Toledo to Fort Wayne along the continuous Maumee River Valley.
Individual trail work has been completed in virtually all of the potential counties.
Is it time to gauge the interest of an idea that would link up each county with a marked route that celebrates why in fact we are connected together; what that line means to the existence of our cities and towns; and how we each might come to work together to learn if this concept should become a reality?
A beginning in Indiana includes the counties of Allen, Huntington, Wabash, Miami, Cass, Carroll and Tippecanoe. An expanded vision should not neglect a canal corridor touching Evansville on the Ohio River to the west and south and Toledo at Lake Erie toward the east.
Do we want a route that hikers/joggers can enjoy, that bikers can challenge over long distances, that in a car you could approximate the old canal towpath over its 468 mile length – the second longest canal in the world when it was completed in 1853 – that would intersect with other national trails offering new directions to any one who would like to take on its challenges.
Contributed Comments
Attendees contributed by commenting after a memo was read from:
Jim Ridenour past Director of National Parks who could not be present wrote, “I definitely think this is something worthwhile to be a part of. Going back to my DNR days (Jim was DNR Director from 1980-88) when I suggested that, someday, there would be a hiking/biking trail where you could walk the entire Wabash river corridor all the way to the Ohio. It sounded pretty far fetched then but when you look at what has been done by individual communities along the river it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to envision tying those efforts together into one major trail system – one major economic development project – one major tourism attraction – with all the things that might accompany such a trail – festivals, bed and breakfasts, restaurants – not to mention the physical fitness benefits.”
Donn Werling, Allen County Fort Wayne Historical Society Director is actively pursuing an east side of Maumee River by way as U.S. highway 24 is being rerouted and opening the opportunity for a byway that could connect with the State of Ohio at the Allen County line. Purdue University’s Bernie Dahl’s students have conducted a study to move forward a last chance to have a Wabash & Erie corridor and urged that we must bet our congress members on board with us.
Bill Wepler, Indiana State Museum spoke about his involvement with the Gronauer Lock project to preserve it for interpretative purposes and successes he has seen at the Whitewater Canal Historic Site.
Roger Goodman of Fort Wayne’s River Greenway consortium reported on the development of seven miles of towpath in western Allen County that follows much of its distance from Rockhill Park on Fort Wayne’s near west side to Interstate 69.
Dan McCain of Carroll County pressed the point that he has lived in both Allen and Carroll counties and experienced little communication between the two neglecting the fact that between these points there is an abundance of shared history. Within the city of Delphi, his Wabash & Erie Canal Association of Carroll County has installed a ten mile long trail system along the watered canal and has a towpath road trail that extends to the eastern edge of his county. We continue to lack the connection of trails between many counties and begin to take advantage of the opportunities that are offered with such an interaction.
Bob Schmidt, Canal Society of Indiana president noted this project is a lot broader that just canals This surge of interest is going on everywhere and perhaps we have the best of history to interpret. Bob and Carolyn have been active with Aboite New Trails and Towpath Trails in the Allen County area.
Carolyn Schmidt, Canal Society of Indiana Hoosier Packet newsletter editor and Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor board member said that in her travels to world and national canal conferences, she has seen a lot going on with trails in the US, Canada and in Europe. Most have been grass roots level motivated. Her Packet readers often express surprise that there is so much information about canals to report.
Angie Quinn, ARCH Director of Fort Wayne’s historic preservation organization mentioned the recently completed revised map of the four trails that make up Allen County’s Heritage Trail. That she has completed a National Registration nomination for a Wabash & Erie’s Vermilyea House that includes a quarter mile of canal. She is currently working on a revised historic nomination for the Richardville House named for its owner the Miami civil chief that owned the portage over which the canal operated, and Wildwood Park neighborhood. Bob Schmidt added that there are several extant canal landmark homes such as the Vermilyea along the canal corridor including Sterns Fisher House in Wabash County and Reed Case House in Carroll County.
Stanton Lambert, Executive Director for Lafayette’s Wabash Enhancement Corp., stressed our exceptional water feature positioned ideally for improvements such as trails that offer recreation as an economic development opportunity. Stan mentioned that growing industry places “quality of life” as an essential and primary feature when seeking a new location to build or expand. He reminded all that the Wabash drains over a quarter of the state and that it is uninhibited by dams as far north as Huntington. “Any state,” he said, “can have trails, but we sit on a unique corridor that can be used to improve the quality of life for all our citizens.”
Dick Kudner, President of the Maumee River Valley Heritage Corridor (MRVHC) whose interest extends from Toledo on Lake Erie to Fort Wayne at the junction of the Saint Mary’s and Saint Joseph rivers that form the Maumee through west including the site of the portage in western Allen County . As the largest river that flows into any of the Great Lakes, the Maumee was fundamental to the success of the Wabash & Erie. Dick spoke of his organization’s mission to identify the historic, natural resources and recreational opportunities for the 6,000 square miles drained by the Maumee. There is a MRVHC management plan in place and to date has over 60 miles of Ohio State Scenic Maumee Byway in Ohio. MRVHC mission includes working with Indiana to expand extend the opportunities these improvements bring to communities. Already the Maumee Corridor connects in one way or another with the North Country National Scenic Trail that starts in NY State, follows the Buckeye Trail (a 1,435 mile hiking trail that circles the state of Ohio) and ends in North Dakota; also intersected is the Wabash Cannon Ball Trail from Toledo to Montpelier, Ind. Dick offered to be of whatever service he and his organization may bring going forward.
Michael Beauchamp, a Wabash businessman and land owner of a five mile section of the towpath, has paddled or motor boated nearly 5,000 miles on a variety of streams, rivers and lakes. He has come to understand that communities that have a water asset - developing their history or natural areas – are the ones that take pride in their community. They improve the lives of everyone who experience them, while others he noticed neglect their waters and all they touch suffer. Mike reinforced Stan’s comments that when real estate is being considered for economic gains, it’s quality of life that the companies are seeking.
Ron Woodward, Wabash County Historian and retired teacher. He has several community volunteer positions to his credit. Ron reminded the meeting that in 1981 he participated in establishing the Upper Wabash Trail that tracked natural, geographical and history of the area between Fort Wayne and Lafayette. A few copies of the printed Trail document survive, however, photostat copies can be produced for any one who may be interested.
Trula Frank, Wabash County Convention Visitors Bureau, spoke about the advantages of a trail that in the case of her county knits well into a ninety-two mile bike trail along seventeen historic sites. Maps are in place for the Paradise springs River Walk being extended to Canal Street in downtown Wabash. Good tourism goes hand in hand with recreation and interpretative education programs.
Heather Allen is the Associate County Historian and a Wabash native. She has been associated with the Wabash County Historical Museum, local history projects and has offered her help with trail development as it progresses.
Cathy Compton Wright, of Historic Landmarks of Indiana whose office is in downtown Wabash, referred to the progress of the Wabash Spring Trail. Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana has established a North Central Field Office in Wabash to assist people and towns in saving and restoring historic places in seven counties: Wabash, Miami, Howard, Grant, Huntington, Wells, and Adams. Cathy’s organization has made significant advances in helping preserve important structures and other sites that when taken in combination with the natural physical geography so greatly appreciated by hikers/bikers/joggers who seek out trails for their personal well being.
Beth Stein, Charlie Creek Foundation, sees a canal corridor with its national implications and attraction as good for increased visitor numbers to advance the mission of the Charlie Creek Foundation’s Dr. Ford Historic Home, Paradise Creek area, gardens and downtown attractions. We want to support such collaborations because working with others we enhance our own projects and the by doing so magnify the opportunities for us all.
Ron James, Executive Director Wabash River Heritage Corridor Commission, (WRHCC) described his 19 county organization and explained that Allen County was included because of the Portage and the Little Wabash River) Jay and Adams through Gibson into Posey counties. His river corridor separates fro m the Canal Corridor at Terre Haute, However, the Wabash River is wonderfully connected with the canal. We need to make such a trail visionary to make understood its multi-use capability. We need a vision across that corridor that ties these as a concept. They become a string of pearls that over the past fifteen years has provided $13.4 million for 54 projects, 32 of which have been trails. Currently there are no moneys in the WRHCC’s fund, albeit some $4 million was authorized by the legislature that has not been made available. We’re behind the idea of a Wabash & Erie Canal Corridor because we see a river road marked with the scenes of the towpath. If you’re interested in getting projects moving forward, get in touch with your legislator.
Brian Stirm, Purdue University Aviation and volunteer for Delphi Historic Trails. Brian’s avocation follows transportation especially the interurban and rails that followed the canal towpath and leads toward the next phase of airways. He sees double-duty chore for history that both follows the evolution of transportation as well as celebrates its recreational contributions.
GENERAL DISCUSSION
In the discussions that followed, it was agreed by those in attendance that the idea of a Wabash & Erie Canal Corridor was worth pursuing for all the reasons stated. Ron James made the appeal for the need for more voices with defined structures and the assets for projects that have been waiting.
He introduced the notion that Banks of the
Wabash is an umbrella organization that may be considered since it is dedicated to preserving, enhancing, and promoting the significant historical and natural recourses of the Wabash River Heritage Corridor. It has the structure in place for this group to work within and become eligible for future networking and financial benefits.
RESOLUTION
Bob Schmidt and Beth Stein supported inviting the Banks of the Wabash to make a presentation at our next gathering. Donn Werling proposed the following resolution that was unanimously approved by a voice vote of those present.
Resolve, That an interpretive restoration and/or re-creation of the Wabash & Erie Canal Towpath Trail and Heritage Area along the rivers of history fro the banks of the Maumee on Lake Erie to the banks of the Wabash extending to Lafayette is an:
· Investment in health through improved access to recreation and the
· Preservation and enjoyment of our nation’s heritage, and
· Gift to generations to come through the wise use of heritage and a
· Recreational resources that will foster sustainable economic development
○ Battle to battle: Battle of Fallen Timbers National Battlefield by the Maumee to the
Battle of Tippecanoe, a National Historic Landmark site by the Wabash
○ Port to port: Lafayette – the practical head of navigation of the Wabash-Toledo-Great Lakes & the route to Canada from the Gulf of Mexico for millennia. Its strategic geography was not lost on President George Washington and the founding fathers. Forward thinking such as this led to the construction of the longest canal in the Western hemisphere that opened up the rich farmland of much the Old Northwest and populating the West.
○ Fort to Forts: From the 18th century French Fort Quiatenon at Lafayette to the 19th century fort of William Henry Harrison at Fort Meigs on the Maumee eight forts constructed by three countries plus palisade forts that defended one of the greatest concentrations of American natives detail the struggles through three major wars and over a hundred battles that determined the ultimate course of history and the expansion into the Old Northwest of the United States of America.
○ Indiana – Land of Indians, centered at Kekionga (present-day Fort Wayne) the largest Indian Confederacy of the mid-continent that defeated two President Washington generals one of which became the greatest reversal of battle ever (over twice that of General Custer) led by Chief Little Turtle. Having met with four U.S. presidents, and five times may well have created and tipped the balance in the War of 1812, the Miami Little Turtle became a patriot and was buried in Fort Wayne with full military honors.
Therefore, let the above be recognized as being of both continental and watershed importance by the states and Congress so that preservation, celebration, recreation and education along this linear heritage area be made available to all.
Wabash & Erie Canal Corridor Acting chair ________________________
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