Some History of the Kerr Lock – Wabash-Erie canal This is part of a lock still visible on the Wabash Erie canal.
The canal was extended to the Ohio River. To lure Irish and German Immigrants to work on the Canal, the trustees offered land around the Canal for very attractive prices. This brought the necessary labor into the area, but it also brought conflicts. It was said that while building a section of the canal near Lagro, Indiana, a great riot broke out between Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants. It was so big that the State Military had to be brought in to settle it. Any future scuffles would result in jail time. The entire Canal opened officially on July 4th, 1843 to great fanfare.
The Canal saw its heyday during the 1850’s. While Fort Wayne was prospering from the canal, the upkeep of this great system was taking its toll.
A new less-costly source of transportation was on the horizon. A steam-powered machine placed on rails could transport goods a lot faster than the slower Canal. By the time of the Civil War, Canal use began to wane. Finally, in 1874 the last canal boat docked in Huntington, and the Great Waterway was abandoned. https://youtu.be/iJfntLTfZe0
