Monroe Basin photograph

Photograph showing Monroe Basin from a distance. A basin is a geological depression that directs the drainage of water underground. The caption beneath the photograph reads: "Monroe Basin, O. & E. Canal." This photograph is part of a series taken by the Board of the Ohio Department of Public Works to document the disrepair of the infrastructure of the Ohio and Erie Canal and Miami-Erie Canal systems in 1916, showing the physical condition of each structure. The Ohio Department of Public Works is one of the oldest departments of state government in continuous existence. Among its other duties, this department was charged with maintenance and administration of the Ohio & Erie and Miami-Erie Canals