Miami and Erie Canal boat photographs

These six photographs document boats on the Miami and Erie Canal in northwestern Ohio. The first 6.5" x 4.5" (16.51 by 11.43 cm) photograph shows a group of boats on the Swan River. Taken around 1890, the photograph includes the Toledo, St. Louis and Kansas City Railroad in the background. Three 8" x 10" (20.3 x 25.4 cm) photographs document specific boats that traveled the canal, including the Legal Tender around 1904, the Tempest in 1900, and the Col. Bachtell on July 4, 1898. Two more 8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm) photographs depict the canal boat Ella May in 1898 and around 1905. The Miami and Erie Canal was built between 1825 and 1848 and extended from Toledo to Cincinnati. Boats shipped cargo along the canal, including bulk agricultural products such as shell corn, wheat, wool, pork, and lard. As an intersection point for Lake Erie and both the Wabash and Erie Canal, which ran west to Indiana, and the Miami and Erie Canal, Toledo played an important role in this type of commerce. The growth of the canal system resulted in a population boom in Toledo and other cities along the canal routes, cheaper shipping costs for farmers, and less expensive goods for consumers