On March 2, 1827, Congress provided a land grant to encourage Indiana
to build the Wabash & Erie Canal. The original plan was to link
the navigable water of the Maumee with the Wabash through the seven
mile portage at Fort Wayne. Work began five years later on February 22,
1832 in Fort Wayne. Construction proceeded west as the canal reached
Huntington by 1835, Logansport in 1838, and Lafayette in 1841. Work was
also performed east toward the Ohio line, but the canal did not open to
Toledo until 1843. A second federal land grant enabled the canal to
reach Terre Haute by 1849.
At Evansville, 20 miles of the Central Canal had been completed north
by 1839. The W & E was extended south in the late 1840's
through the abandoned Cross-Cut Canal works to Worthington and then
south following the old proposed Central Canal route. The connection
with the Evansville segment was completed in 1853 forming the longest
canal in the United States. By 1860, portions south of Terre Haute were
closed and the process of decline continued northward. In 1876, the
canal was auctioned off by the trustees. ....more
Trail Info:
Located at the far northern edge of Wesselman Park, stretching
"originally" from the Boonville Trail in the nature preserve to the
tennis court area on the north western edge of the park. You can enter
from the north parking area as noted on the map, there is a large trail
opening there that heads up towards the canal and splits east and west.
Location: Located at the far north
edge of Wesselman Park
Directions: Google Maps Surface: Dirt, mulch added for mud
and drainage.
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