Travel through the history of Ohio's historic canals and follow its growth throughout the years told with hundreds of photographs. In the 1800s, the United States was a nation obsessed with finding a form of transportation that was the fastest, cheapest, and most reliable; at the time, canals were the answer. Canals broke through vast, open countryside, forested woodlands, and rolling hills to expose the heart of the nation to development. They took passengers and goods off of dusty or muddy roads and delivered them to their destinations faster and cheaper than by any other means. From Toledo to Cincinnati, the Miami and Erie Canal provided western Ohio with that sorely needed waterway and became part of the 1,000 miles of Ohio canals contributing to the national network of canals. Today, with the help of government, corporations, and citizens, many parts of the Ohio canal system have been preserved or restored and can be visited and experienced. Watered sections of canal quietly reflect a bygone era and lead an explorer down the towpaths of history.

Orphaned at the age of four, Adam Miller comes to live on his aunt's and uncle's farm in the wilderness of western Ohio in 1825. The area though is limited in trade and his uncle must accept the price he could get from local buyers for his farm products. As Adam gets older he realizes there are higher prices to be found; if only they could transport their grain to other markets located further away. Rumors of a new canal which can get farm produce to more lucrative markets faster and less expensively, spread to Adam's family farm. He sets out to learn more about the canal being dug between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. As Adam discovers his true identity, adopts a new career, and meets the love of his life along the Miami-Erie Canal, we see the wilderness of western Ohio develop into robust cities through faster transportation, increased trade, and successful business ventures.