This is a one-volume history of the Ohio and Erie Canal. It chronicles the events leading up to construction, as well as public opinion of the canal system, the modification made to traditional boat designs, and much more.

The people who lived and worked on and alongside the Ohio and Erie canal had a vocabulary of their own. This text lists the terms they used to describe the boats, crews and canals - these have been taken from the official reports of the Ohio Canal Commissioners and the Board of Public Works.

Original essays on the past, present, and future of the Ohio & Erie Canal Combining original essays based on the past, present, and future of the Ohio & Erie Canal, Canal Fever showcases the research and writing of the best and most knowledgeable canal historians, archaeologists, and enthusiasts. Each contributor brings his or her expertise to tell the canal's story in three parts: the canal era--the creation of the canal and its importance to Ohio's early growth; the canal's decline--the decades when the canal was merely a ditch and path in backyards all over northeast Ohio; and finally the rediscovery of this old transportation system and its transformation into a popular recreational resource, the Ohio & Erie Canalway. Included are many voices from the past, such as canalers, travelers, and immigrants, stories of canal use through various periods, and current interviews with many individuals involved in the recent revitalization of the canal. Accompanying the essays are a varied and interesting selection of photographs of sites, events, and people, as well as original maps and drawings by artist Chuck Ayers. Canal Fever takes a broad approach to the canal and what it has meant to Ohio from its original function in the state's growth its present-day function in revitalizing our region. Canal buffs, historians, educators, engineers, and those interested in urban revitalization will appreciate its extensive use of primary source materials and will welcome this comprehensive collection.

The construction of the Erie Canal may truly be described as a major event in the growth of the young United States. At a time when the internal links among the states were scanty, the canal's planners boldly projected a system of transportation that would strike from the eastern seaboard, penetrate the frontier, and forge a bond between the East and the growing settlements of the West. In this comprehensive history, Ronald E. Shaw portrays the development of the canal as viewed by its contemporaries, who rightly saw it as an engineering marvel and an achievement of great economic and social significance not only for New York but also for the nation.

This book is a profusely illustrated interpretation of life along Ohio's 19th-century canal system: the Miami & Erie Canal with its multiple feeders in central and eastern Ohio. Gieck recounts the efforts of people involved in the planning and building of the canal system and draws an admiring yet candid picture of the canalers who made their livelihood upon the canal waters. Designed in an oversized format, this beautiful volume will be welcomed by historians and engineers as well as by all those who find in the surviving canals a fascinating symbol of Ohio's heritage.