Yesterday I challenged myself to come up with a blog entry. I had to drive to Napoleon, Ohio on an errand and I knew of a couple places I might take a picture or two. What I ended up with was a short travel guide to the section of U.S. 24 that stretches between the two towns of Grand Rapids and Napoleon.
First off, before getting to Grand Rapids you encounter the first entrance to Providence Metropark. It’s located at N41°25.167/W083°51.348. It’s in this section of that park that you can leave your car to wander over to the canal boat ride or to visit the general store and grist mill.
You must cross a bridge over the Maumee River from US 24 to actually get to Grand Rapids and it’s from that bridge (N41°24.918/W083°51.638) that I snapped a picture of the general store (in red) and the Isaac Ludwig Mill. On the right is Lock 44, an operational lock that the canal boat uses when giving rides.
Here’s The Volunteer, a mule drawn canal boat that operates during the spring, summer and fall.
At N41°25.005/W083°52.015 you’ll find the second entrance to Providence Metropark. This driveway will take you to Providence Dam. I parked in the lot and took a couple pictures.
A portion of the canal can be seen here as well. The sign offers mileage to the furthest points that the canal reached in it’s heyday.
There are also some gears incorporated as decoration into the footbridge you use to cross the canal. In the background is a 2 story shelterhouse that provides a nice view of the river.
It is possible to cross the river by walking across the backside of this dam. It looks imposing, but in reality it’s not as scary as it appears. There is a small challenge to getting on the dam itself, however.
In front of St. Patrick’s Church at N41°25.098/W083°52.394 is this Ohio Historical Marker that describes the area in the 1800’s. There’s also some information on the town of Providence here.
There’s a pull off from the road at N41°25.186/W083°54.011 where you can view an existing portion of the canal. If I were to guess, I’d say this was Lock 43…
…because further down the road you will quickly pass -at 55mph, there’s nowhere to stop- a sign that states it was the site of Lock 42. It’s at N41°25.262/W083°54.497.
As you approach Texas, Ohio -which I find amusing all by itself- you’ll pass a marker at N41°25.422/W083°56.802 which I’m not sure how to interpret. By the way, in an attempt to find any information about Texas, Ohio I managed to find an Ohio, Texas!
The marker states Sec. No. 53 W.&E.C., Completed 1842 by James Durbin. I can only think that it means section number 53 of the Wabash & Erie Canal, obviously prior to the addition of “Miami” to the name of the canal. But why a marker to commemorate the completion of one section? Also, why is only one man’s name on the marker? Surely he didn’t complete it himself. I suppose it could be a memorial marker of some kind, but if anyone has any guesses or further info on this, I welcome your comments.
Compounding the curiousity of the marker is that on the backside is this U.S.G.S Survey Bench Mark that was placed in1959.
This picture does not do justice to the panoramic view of the river you can take in at N41°25.446/W083°57.716. There’s a pull off here where you can safely park. The river takes a slight bend here and there are few trees to hinder your view of this big, broad river.
In the vicinity of N41°24.951/W083°59.212 is the North Turkey Foot Area of Mary Jane Thurston State Park. Most of the public is aware of only the section of MJ Thurston State Park that exists on the southern side of the Maumee River. This northern section is made up of trails as you can see on the bottom right portion of this map. The area is often used for hunting in the fall and provides secluded areas that are relaxing to walk - while wearing good bug dope. There’s a very small but very old cemetery off of one of the trails, as well as an iron bridge that will allow you to cross over what may have been a portion of the canal.
At the intersection of US 24 and State Route 109 is a bridge crossing the Maumee River. If you don’t cross the river in Waterville, Grand Rapids or here then you must wait until you get to Napoleon. But I was quite surprised to see a newer sign indicating a trail head here for the Buckeye Trail and the North Country Trail. The North Country Trail makes uses of much of the Buckeye Trail as it moves around Ohio.
Across the street from the trailhead sign is this Ohio Historical Marker at N41°24.665/W084°00.458. The pictures below show each of the sides of the sign.
So that short drive to complete an errand did provide a blog entry and I learned some info as well while I wrote it.
