The Ohio and Erie Canal EarthCache

This earthcache is pinned to the canal towpath in the center of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park on the geocaching map but it is meant to be completed anywhere in the 13 counties along its entire canal and towpath route from Cleveland to Portsmouth so that all Ohio history enthusiasts and towpath hikers and riders can participate in this cache. Only the locally-mined sandstone blocks of the canal locks have stood the test of time although the canal bed or towpath is still evident along most of its route. In some sections the canal is actually still filled with water and resembles the canal as it may have once appeared back in the early 1900's.

The purpose of this earthcache is to take the cacher on a short trip along the route of the historic canal route by selecting a canal lock to visit while also examining the sandstone for the earthcache aspect. You'll find that the canal locks have been numbered from the highest points at the Portage Lakes in Akron and Buckeye Lake near Hebron down toward the lowest points at Lake Erie, at the Ohio River, and in the central valley near Dresden. You'll also notice that waters north of Akron flow northward toward Lake Erie whereas waters south of Akron flow south toward the Ohio River due to a ridge through northern Ohio called the St. Lawrence River continental divide.

* = Poor Condition or Very Distant
** = Degraded Condition
*** = Average Condition
**** = Above Average Condition and Reasonably Convenient
***** = Excellent or Fully Functional Condition and Convenient

Of the original 146 locks, 78 can still be located and recognized as locks for this earthcache! I would consider those sites indicated with an “H” to be handicapped accessible with safe adjacent parking and those with a "P" are on private property requiring verbal permission for access. (Most lock owners are happy to allow visitors.) I took each of these 78 fixes while standing on the locks so I know that they're accurate!!!

When the Ohio and Erie Canal was finally completed it was over 308 miles long and used 146 locks to raise the canal boats over hills and to lower the canal boats into valleys. Dug entirely by hand, the canal bed took a decade to dig in its entirety. When completely filled, the canal bed was 40 ft wide across the surface, and only 4 ft deep. The locks used to lift the boats in the northern areas of Ohio were made primarily of Berea grit or Amherst sandstone blocks lined with timber planks. In the south, the finer grit Waverly sandstone was more readily available. A sandstone block quarry can be explored at Deep Lock Quarry Metro Park when visiting the Peninsula Lock 28 site to see, first hand, how the massive blocks were cut and moved. The canal boats could haul 10 tons of passengers or cargo, but were limited to a top horse-drawn speed of 4 MPH to help prevent the banks from eroding down into the canal basin and grounding the boat traffic.

Since its demise, most of the canal banks have been weathered away or the canals have been filled and replaced by railroad tracks although the sandstone blocks of the canal locks remain as monuments to Ohio's early commercial transportation.

During the profitable years over 1,000 canal boats carried on their trade along the canal and new towns were born along the way. Two canal boats, the St. Helena II in Canal Fulton and the Monticello III in Roscoe Village near Coshocton are still in operation giving passenger rides throughout the summer months.

Historical Signs

To claim this earthcache, please complete Items #1 and #2, below.

(1) Take a picture of yourself or your GPS near any 1 of the 78 listed canal locks clearly showing the lock in the foreground or background.

(2) At any lock, find what you consider to be an average sized block and measure its length, width, and height, in inches. Multiply the length x width x height and divide this number by 26,417 to convert the dimensions into volume and then through density into tons. Post the city and number of the lock that you photographed and the weight of the block that you selected. Extra pictures are encouraged.



THIS EARTHCACHE WAS PLACED BY A PLATINUM EARTHCACHE MASTER