Central Parkway in Cincinnati Ohio was once the path of the Miami Erie Canal.

Imagine a beautiful waterway that divided downtown Cincinnati nearly in two from the north to the south? The Miami and Erie Canal was begun in 1825 to connect the Ohio River at Cincinnati with Lake Erie near Toledo.
Canal construction went quickly but not easily. At the peak of construction, more than four thousand workers were laboring on the canals. Workers, mostly immigrants, earned thirty cents per day plus room and board. A typical day began at sunrise and did not end until sunset.
The canal as a whole enjoyed its greatest use during the 1850s. Soon, however, a faster, more efficient method of transportation overshadowed the canal: the railroad. By the late 19th century, the Miami-Erie Canal had been abandoned.
By 1920, the canal had begun to be dug up and replaced by the city's ill fated subway system.
Central Parkway opened in 1928 and is still used as a busy tree lined thoroughfare today.
Story by:
Laura Noyes owner of Riverside Food Tours
Join us on a 3 hour food and culture tour to learn more about the city and enjoy dining along the way!
Highest rated Food and Culture Tour in Cincinnati OH & Covington KY
www.riversidefoodtours.com/

[@Meded-bi5qd]

I am a nursing student who moved here in 2019. I love this city. This is such a special, special place.

[@shanepease1959]

It does exist all across the state i see it everyday. Some parts may have been moved or takin out but i drive by it eveyday in northwest ohio

[@lindak990]

Crime included

[@kevind8752]

@@shanepease1959 Delphos?

[@johnbrinkman3001]

U should have been here in the 70's

[@xaenon]

I used to work for Stearns & Foster. The factory was located literally alongside the canal, which is now I-75. There used to be a picture in the office lobby of the plant in its heyday.

[@chickenwing111]

They are restoring many of the old canals in the UK for pleasure boating and walking / bike paths.

[@williamsporing1500]

My grandfather told me he used to walk across the Ohio river before the dams. My other grandfather used to walk to Pittsburg and ride logs down to Cincinnati. Boy, Cincy sure has changed….

[@riversidefoodtourscincinna4116]

The Ohio river was much narrower before the 1937 flood.

[@kevind8752]

Prior to the dams the normal pool depth on the Ohio 12 feet on average; probably could walk across at times. After the dams the pool depth is 26 feet.

[@nivisundar662]

Woow! I wish the canal still existed

[@riversidefoodtourscincinna4116]

Me too. At least a section of it. It would be a great tourist attraction.

[@jdub2878]

@@brandoncook8975 Not necessarily. Chicago has a canal thru the center of it's downtown. Simply beautiful.

[@lindak990]

But with protection so people and animals won't fall in.

[@MichaelStVitus]

@@lindak990 Because people and animals are not as smart as they were then?

[@KayColeLynn]

@@lindak990I live close to a small part of it, but it’s actually became an amazing place for birds in the summer when we get a lot of rain

[@jimihendrix1575]

Amazing! Thank you.

[@thomash4447]

Here in NW Ohio there are still many miles of the canal you can visit, from where I am in Putnam Co, down through Spencerville and on to Ft Loramie to New Bremen etc. I'm about a mile and a half from the canal at Ottoville, OH. OH has some fantastic history.

[@riversidefoodtourscincinna4116]

I have heard that from others. I understand some towns have festivals called Canal Days and you can ride a short distance along the original canal.

[@thomash4447]

@@riversidefoodtourscincinna4116 Yes that is true as well.

[@kevind8752]

Have you seen the portion of the canal in Delphos?

[@thomash4447]

@@kevind8752 Yes, there are historical markers and Delphos even celebrates "Canal Days" every year. I live about 10 mins from there.

[@kevind8752]

@@thomash4447 I live in Cincinnati and have been to Delphos a few times; son in law is from there. We have been to Pioneer Days in Kalida too.

[@roywilmhoff]

My friend's grandmother told us about working in an office with a window overlooking the canal.

[@tomboard1]

I remember in my freshman year at UC going down into the subway. Parts of it were converted to fallout shelters. There were hundreds of 50 gallon drums of water stacked up but most of them were empty. I remember thinking, Planet of the Apes as I walked through. There were completed platforms with stairs going up into the ceiling. At one point we found a decomcamination center with showers and thousands of MREs. We took a barrel and filled it with the MREs The funniest part of the journey was getting that barrel through Nippert Stadium. A UC cop stopped us and asked what we were doing. We told him and he said, okay. So we took the whole thing back to Daniels Hall and even tried some of the MREs.

[@riversidefoodtourscincinna4116]

That's a great story!

[@patrickmoran5096]

Where they good ?

[@tomboard1]

@@patrickmoran5096 they were edible but I recall they sat in that barrel in our room the rest of the year.

[@TEHSTONEDPUMPKIN]

What a shame parts of it were not preserved. Would have given Cincinnati a unique identity, in the modern day, now its almost as indistinguishable from ever other Midwestern city. Such a shame.

[@monroetoolman]

There are still sections north of the city with remnants of a few locks. Just a wide ditch basically. Great for mosquitos.

[@claudermiller]

My grandfather and great grandparents lived on canal right at the bend. My grandfather worked at an electric company across from the current SCPA.

[@riversidefoodtourscincinna4116]

It would be fun to revisit those past times.

[@xyzyyz]

Sadly now it’s a poisonous ditch, thanks to a railway burn.

[@sportsfisher9677]

Very cool

[@bcats1309]

I dont remember the canal but I remember the subway cement air vents! They are gone now. We used to climb on them.

[@riversidefoodtourscincinna4116]

That's interesting. I'd like to see those.

[@paulbetka2966]

. WOW 😳 INTERESTING 👍🏻🤔🇺🇲🇺🇲🙏🏻

[@rudmad00]

The canal would have been much more peaceful, so much road noise behind her!

[@avenueb]

and now its asphalt.. it could have been tour boats like in Venice

[@riversidefoodtourscincinna4116]

That would be a great tourist attraction!

[@avenueb]

@@riversidefoodtourscincinna4116 correct, that and a trolley car system. and those crazy inclines

[@TEHSTONEDPUMPKIN]

Eh, I'd say Amsterdam would be a more apt comparison than Venice. Though I agree, pity they destroyed great history, just to replace it with the cancerous asphalt sprawl of modern metropolis.

[@thomasthesing7452]

Did the Grand lake St.Mary feed the canal with water?

[@thomash4447]

I believe there was a feeder from the lake, yes. I could have sworn I saw it on an old map of the canal.

[@whatthefunkwasithinking7645]

Does the city offer underground tours? If not, they should.

[@mikewuerth4218]

The problem is there are water mains running through the tunnels. If a water main ruptured while there was a tour in progress, they'd all drown. Twice a year, they shut off the water for maintenance. Only at those times did they consider it safe to run tours. I was on a tour, but it was at least 15 years ago.

[@HighPowerOptionsTrades]

🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁

[@raepatton876]

It wasn’t a joking reference to the Germans

[@lindak990]

Think of all the animals that fell in and drowned

[@jeremyspence7021]

You do know animals can swim?

[@05orbea]

In the video it was stated that the canal was called the Rhine River in a joking fashion toward German immigrants. How would one who had German ancestors in Cincinnati and with my last name being Smith, would not fine that comment as an INSULT?

[@sampaine00]

Do you sit down when you pee, Smith?

[@MrDorbel]

I find it very difficult to make out how that would be an insult!

[@tobeyknolls6924]

So you are insulted by remarks made by someone in the 1800s ?

[@stanmohr8601]

I am of German heritage. My great grandfather had a grocery store at 15th and republic. My fathers or grandfather never mentioned being insulted and neither do I. I remember worse named neighborhoods such as wop hill in Newport and my Italian friends never cried about it.

[@joeycarbone3754]

She is saying the neighborhood over the Rhine (OTR) was named by the German immigrants who referred to the canal as the Rhine river in Germany . They had to go “over the Rhine” to get home . If you can find an insult in that then you are really trying too hard .

[@corigliano53]

the clicking of your tongue at the end of every sentence is very agitating.