Forgotten Passages

[@TheCritterWindow]

We visit Metamora a couple times a year. The blue grass festival is a can't miss.

[@daveweiss5647]

Very cool... i wish they could restore all the canals like in England so people can travel them again...

[@AdventureswithRoger]

I know I’d buy a ticket on a long tour!

[@OscarVaughn]

Oh heck yea I've been saying this for years now. I love the history of it all and I would definitely take a long tour through the canals.

[@billywood9717]

In 6th grade, I think it was, we took a field trip to Metamora. I live in Anderson. We took a train ride down to Metamora and rode the canal. Such a awesome memory! The history of my town and the rest of Indiana doesn't have enough people like Roger putting a spotlight on our history! Excellent video as always, Roger!!

[@AdventureswithRoger]

Thanks, Billy!

[@angietorok8389]

Man! I love Metamora. My husband visited there several times over the summer before we moved to Wisconsin. If you get a chance, and you like blue grass, check out the Opry House there. Its inexpensive entertainment and you can get a home cooked meal for about $5-$10. This is a wonder place and the locals and shop owners are incredibly friendly.

[@ryanosourus]

Somehow I missed this one, I think it dropped while I was on vacation. No big deal I just get two “new to me” videos.

[@freebird1292]

Roger, Your videos on Indiana are the BEST!!

[@blmi5591]

I think so too! Although I haven't seen any other channels about Indiana.

[@addieandkaysenfamilyadvent1418]

Very interesting, had no idea about this endeavor. Wish they could have finished it. Never been on a canal boat.

[@AdventureswithRoger]

@@addieandkaysenfamilyadvent1418 Very relaxing experience! I’ve been on one pulled by horses, and this electric motor version at Delphi. Delphi is definitely the more quiet of the two.

[@McLeeast]

Your style is quality craftsmanship at its finest.

[@weekendmom]

Cool video.

[@railroadcei]

Terrific video! Brings back a lot a memories. I think there was a canal station in Petersburg next to the Sub Way restaurant.

[@ginamaria2579]

Incredible. I wish more places understood the importance of History . Excellent video Roger 👍

[@AdventureswithRoger]

Thank-you, Gina!

[@nancyM1313-Boo]

I really liked your video of Indiana's history. Thanks. Very well done and lovely narration. Have a great Wednesday Roger🌹🕊

[@angietorok8389]

If I was a rich woman, Metamora would have their boat back. I loved the fact that it was still horse-drawn.

[@AdventureswithRoger]

I’m hoping the video gets out there someone with money says, “Metamora is worth saving.”

[@blmi5591]

When I lived in Frederic MD I loved my hikes along C&D Canal- it is so beautiful there. I knew about the Canal in Indianapolis but have no idea there are more pieces of it( Although I visited Metamora but had no idea that is all the same Canal).Thanks for the video!

[@raymondtonns2521]

thanks for another look into the history of Indiana. i live not far from N Y's Erie canal .New York State operates the Barge canal. plenty of operating locks. if you have the time read George Walter's "the Loomis Gang" a true story about the times of the canals and hop growing in New York thanks Ray

[@AdventureswithRoger]

It’s too bad these aren’t connected like they used to be. I would book a trip across states.!

[@tiptopdadddy]

Excellent video. There’s a working Aqueduct in Indy near the Pic-A-Part north of west 16th St. Unrestored sections of canal run next to MLK Blvd. I’ve also explored sections near Rockville and Wabash. I wish our state would do more heritage preservation.

[@AdventureswithRoger]

History is a hard sell these days. It’s not taught in schools, so there’s little or no appreciation of preserving, and learning from it. Out of all the films I produce, American history gets the least amount of views. I do them anyway as I believe it’s important. Someday, in a generation or two, maybe someone will wonder about the past again.

[@jeffhaskett2766]

@@AdventureswithRoger If the rest of the world would get it's act together, I would be more inclined to not pay attention to it and watch more of your videos and Townsend's as well.

[@LindaFaulkner-d7g]

Roger, I just ❤ love your tours of Indiana. I wish someone would do the same of Michigan. 😊

[@AdventureswithRoger]

Hoping to see Michigan in a few months.

[@cranerigging3604]

Great story and history Roger ! I was over at Worley tractor salvage at Campbellsburg Indiana today and was looking at the rail road bed behind the yard that used to be ... Track's & ties all gone now but the stone base fill remains yet .

[@AdventureswithRoger]

There’s a place at Salem where they’ve stacked hundreds of ties, ripped-up from the area. The plan is a huge walking / bike trail, but I’ll still miss the rails.

[@robtholt4351]

🎉good video I used to go to metamora every year we would ride the train there from connersville

[@AdventureswithRoger]

I really miss the boat at Metamora. They’re estimating a cost of about $8 million: unless a rich person has pity, it likely won’t happen.

[@teresak1177]

Great video! I love the canal history in our state and love finding old relics of them - Delphi has done an excellent job of maintaining the interpretative center there! Fun fact: my 3rd great grandfather built the “Fouts” cabin that is in that pioneer village. My dad actually lived in it for awhile when it was in its original location, in Cass County (near Young America, on SR 18). If you have time, visit Lagro off SR 24, just east of Wabash. There is a limestone lock that has been hidden there that served the canal. It was really neat to see it although some of it is buried and the doors aren’t there, it is still awesome to imagine this is how we used to get our goods and people! Thanks again for your dedicated boots on the ground coverage! :)

[@AdventureswithRoger]

I was pleasantly surprised by the village, Canal boat, and museum! Just a really great experience!

[@daniellethomas3745]

Roger, I truly enjoy your amazing videos!! So much Hoosier history- and ideas for adventure with my two boys! It’s a rarity to find high quality content all about the great state of Indiana and surrounding areas. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience with us!!

[@AdventureswithRoger]

My pleasure! There’s so many great places for a roadtrip

[@kickapootrackers7255]

Always a great history vid🤝

[@GeographRick]

Hey Roger, I'm in Indianapolis and have enjoyed your videos for some time. The Indianapolis Canal also has an aqueduct that carries the canal over Fall Creek. It's just south of Burdsal Parkway. The aqueduct can be seen if you wander down to the bank of Fall Creek off Aqueduct Street.

[@AdventureswithRoger]

@@GeographRick I used to love walking the Indy canal. Even did it at night, back in the 90’s!

[@GeographRick]

@@AdventureswithRoger I still do I am a Geospatial Analyst and work as an independent contractor for INDOT. (I'm adding all the real estate they own onto a computerized maps that they will be able to import into modern upcoming road designs. At. lunch I walk the canal every day when I am working downtown.

[@marilynmoeller8855]

So informative. Getting ready To go to Derby Indiana for a few days in September. Rented a cabin on the river and will be exploring. An ideas. Love your stuff Roger.

[@AdventureswithRoger]

Hi Marilyn! Derby itself has a small park with a pier that goes on the Ohio River: outstanding view, and usually no one there. Traveling up river, you’ll find Magnet, with a great wide open place to watch boats, a civil war grave area/ historical marker about the argosy steam boat explosion. Above magnet is an INCREDIBLE high up view. You keep traveling west, where you’ll find the buzzard roost overlook park. And beyond that, the town of Alton that has a wide open view of the Ohio, and a huge old one-lane wooden bridge. If you go down stream to Cannelton, there’s all kinds of tourist attractions: Place where Abraham Lincoln’s family crossed the Ohio to Indiana. The Electra plane crash memorial Superfoot lighthouse Lafayette Spring (George Washington’s close friend and war ally was shipwrecked there) The largest Celtic cross in the world (cut from a single piece of limestone) Eagles bluff overlook (outstanding look over the locks where boats pass) Town of old Cannelton is virtually a ghost town with many 1800’s era buildings. The most prominent is a huge cotton mill that’s been converted to apartments: looks like something from old England. Troy has the Christ of the Ohio statue with another outstanding view of the Ohio. And just west, is a historical marker detailing where Abe Lincoln operated a ferry in his youth. If you care to go on to Tell City, the old courthouse has a large statue of William Tell, the namesake of the town, and his son. William was the guy who shot an apple off his son’s head in Swiss folklore. All along the river, things unfold, all the way to Illinois! 🙂

[@In.my.red.headdd]

Hi, Roger! Could you talk about Diamond Island, KY? It’s visible from the southern Indiana side. I’ve heard of the massacre, but I’m sure there’s more history there.

[@AdventureswithRoger]

Both the Indian led massacre and river pirates! Thank you for mentioning this, as it’s an idea I’d heard about, but it had slipped my mind! 🙂

[@mrsraybird]

We went to Metamora this weekend and really missed the canal trip. A cowboy train from Connersville arrived and had a shootout in town.

[@californiacat9762]

I love your videos. Brings back so many memories of beautiful Indiana. 😍

[@whitneykovener]

Thanks Roger!

[@AdventureswithRoger]

My pleasure! 🙂

[@RetiredLovingIt]

What a cool story of our past!

[@edwardh1591]

Great video Roger. I saw you were up at patoka reservoir. That’s 20 minutes from where I live in Dubois.

[@AdventureswithRoger]

@@edwardh1591 As the Johnny Cash song says: I’ve been everywhere! 🙂

[@edwardh1591]

@@AdventureswithRogerI always enjoy your videos. I can’t travel anymore due to my failing health. So I enjoy programs like yours.

[@blmi5591]

@@AdventureswithRoger 😀😀😀

[@studio0404]

Thank you Roger, I enjoy all of your videos. I've lived in Indiana my entire life, and remember riding on the Metamora Canal boat back in the 1980's, I wish it were possible for them to raise funds to get that boat rebuilt. I hadn't heard of the other one, after seeing your video I would like to take a drive to visit the Delphi area Wabash & Erie Canal and boat.

[@AdventureswithRoger]

Delphi has a great canal boat ride, but be sure to check the “Wabash and Erie Canal” website for times. Right now, they’re only running on Saturdays, and not many times.

[@brightw]

Thank you for another great video!

[@DerrickHikes]

Really cool video 👍 I had no idea this existed. I’m going to have to check the lower end of this out one weekend soon.

[@AdventureswithRoger]

That place in Gibson County is swamp. There are isolated reports of water moccasins, two confirmed by DNR, just adding to the fun! 🙂

[@DerrickHikes]

@@AdventureswithRoger Sounds like it’s just the place for me! 😂

[@AdventureswithRoger]

@@DerrickHikes 100%!

[@jeffs5093]

That was an amazing video, thank you for sharing it.

[@AdventureswithRoger]

My pleasure!

[@ms.tep_]

Another Awesome video Roger!

[@h.bsfaithfulservant4136]

Thanks for showing us Indiana's great historical sites Roger 🙏 We still have canals and aqueducts in the UK... there's one in Wales that's 120 foot high...and it's where I realised I don't have a head for heights 😳😂

[@AdventureswithRoger]

The thing I always tell myself, when standing on a tall dangerous place, “people die from places like this”. 😂

[@h.bsfaithfulservant4136]

@@AdventureswithRoger 🤭👍

[@hoosierproud7718]

Your watching a video on my Indiana and I just watched a video on your 🇬🇧. Some guy talking about fish and chip shops and how they are struggling too survive because of high prices 😢

[@h.bsfaithfulservant4136]

@@hoosierproud7718 Ha...yes, prices are high, and traditional fish & chips isn't as popular as it was when I was young (many moons ago 🤭). We are very multicultural now, so curry houses, pizza parlours and McDoofers are taking over the high street!! I think it's a bit of a shame TBH. Does Indiana have a favourite dish?

[@hoosierproud7718]

@@h.bsfaithfulservant4136 Indiana is known for breaded tenderloin sandwiches, it probably is as popular as a cheeseburger but fish and chips sounds really good too me lol. I love a good pc. of fish but us Hoosiers just love good food period

[@skinwalker9083]

Thank you for the video!

[@mtnjak]

Interesting. My wife and I happen to be driving thru Indianapolis in 2007 enroute to a vacation cabin stay in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We stopped off at White River Park and Zoo and then walked along the river over to the Soldiers and Sailors monument. I had no idea that this historic canal existed. Great video! As a side note, our family lives 10 minutes from a Metamora--Metamora, Illinois. Another historic town of sorts but I'll spare you the details since this is a channel about Indiana!

[@AdventureswithRoger]

I’ve filmed in Illinois, but haven’t yet produced any Illinois segments. Garden of the Gods, and Cave in Rock, were very impressive places!

[@mtnjak]

@@AdventureswithRoger We were just at Garden of the Gods back in March and then back down in Ava for the eclipse in April. The Shawnee reminds me a lot of Southern, IN. The Ohio River their common feature.

[@AdventureswithRoger]

It’s a wonderful, beautiful area

[@woppysue]

Well done. Thank you

[@dasshape00]

I've been to the ones in Miami. Area. Seen them by chance heading up to Brookville lake. I guess that was them. It still has a look that's 8 ft difference. It was cool

[@CynthiaEvans-i2f]

The canal and damn in Metamora, Indiana is a really nice place to visit.

[@AdventureswithRoger]

Yep. In the video.

[@BartG87-]

I live in Greensburg , i've actually taken the canal ride in Metamora . Pretty cool !

[@BartG87-]

Born and raised in Madison . The Lanier Mansion is a must see !

[@davieboy3814]

That looks so neat!

[@AdventureswithRoger]

The canal boat ride at Delphi was very relaxing, just what I was looking for!

[@davieboy3814]

@@AdventureswithRoger I love pioneer villages, history museums and other tourist places like that,

[@AdventureswithRoger]

I spoke to one of the volunteers at the museum. They spent an unbelievable amount, millions actually, in building a new boat, restoring the canal, and the pioneer village. The water you see in the canal is provided free of charge by the local water company, thousands of gallons each day!

[@MarcusFrederick-u5n]

Are there any plans that you know of to replace the Ben Franklin?

[@AdventureswithRoger]

The first estimate I’d heard was over $2 million, with the state saying they’d supply $1 million if the town would come up with the rest. Small town like Metamora: very unlikely. The next estimate was nearly $8 million, which I believe included dredging of the canal and other improvements for longevity. I don’t know what all was involved, but I suspect they envisioned an indoor dry dock, like the one at Delphi. That would keep the boat going for a much longer time.

[@Rahatlakhoom]

The pace of life was slower on a canal boat. Top speed 3-4 mph. Most locals had no interest in digging that ditch. Malaria not uncommon. Indiana was a solid mass of hardwoods. Imagine stump busting with axes and mule. Initially the effort was anemic, worker turnover was viral. The real action began when the Irish arrived. Fueled by incentives & whiskey, contractors took the State to the cleaners with outlandish schedules of progress met with outlandish payouts per mile. A vast risk vs. reward project in which nobody sat down to do the math. The Canal historical park in Delphi, IN is worth a visit.

[@CjbrkBrooks]

The towpaths would make great bicycle trails, if blacktopped, or paved with crushed limestone.

[@chamblen4]

do you see any big fish in those canals?

[@AdventureswithRoger]

When the canal in Indianapolis was re- opened, someone put a bunch of goldfish in there. Apparently, they got pretty big at one point, like koi size. I’ve heard people say they’ve fished along the canal, but haven’t seen any catches.

[@jimmysunday124]

1825 the Miami Indians controlled the Wabash river valley and did not tolerate trespass so how could 200 men with shovels cost millions of dollars and plunge Indiana into bankruptcy at the time of the civil war?!? Does not add up but thanks for the great videos!

[@AdventureswithRoger]

In 1809, the Treaty of Fort Wayne ceded Miami lands around the Wabash, to the US Government. In exchange, they would get money and move to reservations out west, ending any previous hostilities. But these were very smart people. They did go out west, didn’t like the reservation lands, so came back and bought the lands with the money the US government gave them. It was a brilliant move.

[@miketetrault2292]

This is a great video to summarize a whole lot of history in an engaging and efficient way! But the timeline was as follows: 1825: Treaty with the Miami cedes land needed for canal building. It was reached under dubious circumstances, to put it as nice as possible. Mid-late 1820’s - surveys and plans were made for a canal through Fort Wayne and the Wabash Valley. 1832 - Wabash & Erie Canal construction begins at Fort Wayne 1836 - Indiana decides to go all in, passing the Internal Improvements Act that would put $10-15 million of debt upon the state. Central Canal and Whitewater Canal construction gets underway 1838 - Remaining Potawatomi tribe is forcibly marched out of Indiana at gunpoint, the Trail of Death 1846 - Remaining Miami tribe is forced west, loaded onto canal boats as “cargo” on the manifests 😢 Late 1840’s - Indiana reaches a deal with private bondholders to deal with staggering debt. The State agrees to pay half of debts owed through extra taxes, and the bondholders agree to dissolve half the debt in exchange for ownership of the Wabash & Erie Canal and all future profits on it. The early 1850’s mark the peak of canal profits, then a steady decline. 1850’s-1860’s: Steam locomotives and railroads spread across Indiana, making the canal increasingly obsolete. Southern sections of the canal begin to close indefinitely 1870’s - the canal closes for good in Indiana :(

[@ms.tep_]

Question for you Roger. When were you at Metamora last?? We have not visited there for several years. The last time we did, we were disappointed how it was so different and there were not too many shops still open.

[@AdventureswithRoger]

Was last at Metamora in February 2024. Several places had burned down, including the historic church that was turned into an antique store. Another place, on the opposite side of the canal, was also a victim of fire. Very few buildings had full-time businesses. Without the boat, the town is really suffering. Their saving grace is the canal days celebration each year, in which many temporary vendors setup and thousands come to town.

[@ms.tep_]

@@AdventureswithRoger Can you provide the dates of the Canal Day Celebration??

[@BartG87-]

​@@ms.tep_ first weekend in October every year . Runs through the weekend . I'm pretty sure they still do the Christmas Walk also ! The canal is lit up with lanterns and they have luminaries down the streets . It's beautiful . ❤

[@ms.tep_]

@@BartG87- Thank you!!

[@blmi5591]

@@AdventureswithRoger 💔💔💔When I was in Metamora in 2001 everything was good and in business , I should remember it that way. So sad about the fire!

[@geraldmeehan8942]

Wealthy individuals giving money to stabilize the government. It certainly was a different age and different types of people.

[@sfbadboy]

what if the canals were not built but dredged cuz they were already there?

[@AdventureswithRoger]

Believe it or not, I did think about that, given Indiana’s ancient history. Could not find any recorded evidence.

[@sfbadboy]

@@AdventureswithRoger I watched a video about the Erie Canal, how drunk Irishmen with no engineer or dynamite with masonry like the Egyptian pyramids in record time built America's first great earthwork? Sadly, I cannot find that video nor the channel, FENDAP

[@sfbadboy]

@@AdventureswithRoger btw, kudos to your videos!!! Gives credence to the mudflood theory and America's hidden past

[@AdventureswithRoger]

I keep delaying a video about relics found in Indiana. There are quite a few found in recent times, but people usually don’t want them publicized. I’ve seen some amazing things, hope to convince people to share.

[@miketetrault2292]

⁠@@sfbadboyI’m not sure where you got this information, but 1) Erie Canal construction did benefit from explosives, even if dynamite didn’t exist yet 2) There were indeed engineers working on the canal, and Irish laborers were not perpetually drunk 3) Canal construction also benefited from revolutionary inventions like waterproof cement