Whitewater Canal

Click pics to enlarge.

January 30th 2005

Today Mike and I decided to go check out the entrance to an old canal tunnel near North Bend, Ohio

The following is taken from http://www.cincinnati-transit.net/

Whitewater Canal Tunnel

The Whitewater Canal Tunnel is the oldest tunnel in the Cincinnati area and one of only 12 canal tunnels in the United States. According to conflicting accounts, the tunnel measures either 1,782ft. or 1,872ft in length, with a bore diameter of about 18ft. The east portal is located about 1/4 mile from Taylor High School, and the west portal is near the William Henry Harrison monument. The 25 mile canal connected the Whitewater River in Indiana with downtown Cincinnati, terminating at the intersection of 3rd St. and Plum St. It was built from 1839-43, and six workers died during construction of the tunnel. The canal operated until 1865, at which point much of its right-of-way was purchased by railroads. The tunnel was utilized by the railroads for a short time after the Civil War until a bypass was built around the hill.

The tunnel has been filled almost to the top with silt for several decades, making it impassable. Additionally, a 729ft. section of the tunnel collapsed in the 1950's during construction of U.S. 50 above. A local group has raised $50,000 and will work with engineering students from the University of Cincinnati to dig out the silt, with the hope of restoring a section of the canal. Recently in summer 2000 a path was cut to the east portal and a historical marker placed beside Miami Ave, and the tunnel portal can now be visited by the public. In early 2001 the tunnel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

These are the pictures I took today. Man, that's allot of silt !!!

Above picture shows how much of the tunnel is under silt.

Here is an artists rendition taken from
http://www.uc.edu/info-services/canal.htm

We thought we might find a dump near one end, as the workers who built it in the 1840's had to have been here for quite awhile. We tried to find the other end and couldn't. We peeked up it and could see for 30 feet or so before the blackness took over. Mika said he's crawled long distances in smaller cracks while caving, so maybe we'll come back in the spring and see if it opens up deeper in somewhere.

In January 1850, a young man named John Towner headed west from Brookville, Indiana to the gold fields of California. The first leg of the journey was by boat on the Whitewater Canal to Cincinnati. The following excerpt from his journal provides a vivid description of the North Bend tunnel.

. . . we soon arrived at the entrance of the tunnel. This subterranean passage is, to the best of my belief, about a quarter of a mile in length, being dug through a large hill. It is a damp and gloomy place and is not calculated to produce very pleasant sensations; in many places the water drips through from above to such an extent as to resemble a shower of rain. There were ropes fastened overhead, by which means boats were pulled through. I remained on deck during our entire passage through this gloomy place having determined to see everything which was to be seen.

Source: Journal of John Towner, Indiana State Library, Indiana Division.

Until then, I have a new permission at an 1870's place right on the Avenue. No big garages in the back yard.

Springtime...Bring-it-on !!!