| »Although it was first surveyed in 1823,
the Milan Canal was not completed until 1839. At first it was
projected as a barge canal, but it later became a ship's canal
with Great Lakes vessels carrying several millions of dollars
of trade a year though this waterway.
The initial step was the construction of a tow path from
the mouth of the Huron River to Abbotsford (Fries Landing)
that was completed in 1834. From here to Milan the canal had
to be dug all the way due to the meandering and shallowness
of the river. In 1836, work began on the canal basin at Milan.
Included with this were a dam and covered bridges, and a series
of warehouses and mills. The canal was officially opened July
4, 1839, when the schooner Kewaunee anchored in the
basin.
The canal was about forty feet wide, thirteen feet deep and
three miles long. The fall was only seven feet for its entire
length; therefore, only two locks were necessary. The Upper
Lock was about a mile from the basin and the Lower Lock was
located at the junction of the canal and river. The tow path
was on the north to west (left-hand) side of the canal. Final
cost of the canal ($23,932) far exceeded the estimate. But
incredible prosperity followed.
The farmers coming north preferred brining their wheat the
shorter distance to Milan. The schnooners preferred brining
their vessels right alongside the main wheat supply at Milan.
The Milan port drew the wagons of wheat growers from as far
as 150 miles, averaging 100 wagons a day. Some days wagons
were lined for three miles waiting to turn to upload.
In the peak year, 1847, on May 18, 20,000 bushels were received
requiring 650 teams. Some days the port shipped as much as
25,000 bushels of wheat. Since wheat rolled into Milan faster
than the vessels could float it out, Milan businessmen built
more grain storage warehouses astride the river. Some of these
warehouses were perched on top of the valley's ridge, so that
chutes could be lowered to the vessels holds, gravity-feeding
the grain into the ships.
Not only did the town prosper from the exporting of products,
the Milan Canal Company took in $102,000 in the first five
years just in canal tolls, paying $20,000 to its shareholders
in dividends!
Milan Historian, Wallace B. White and from, Harverst Gleanings
from Ohio's Farm Village Heritage
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