Canal Terminus / Manhattan

Side A: The original northernmost lock in a canal system which linked Lake Erie with the Ohio River was located near the foot of LaSalle Street. Indiana’s Wabash & Erie Canal (1843-1874) joined Ohio’s Miami & Erie Canal (1845-1913) near Defiance and shared the same course to this location. Toledo’s Swan Creek side cut became the northern terminus in 1864. Side B: Founded in 1835, by the following year Manhattan was a thriving village of 500 inhabitants. It boasted warehouses, docks, a hotel, a post office, a newspaper, and the first bank in Lucas County. Commercial rival, Toledo, won the canal business and Buffalo investors withdrew their support. Manhattan collapsed overnight. The state of Ohio abandoned the Toledo-to-Manhattan canal link in 1864.