A Visit to the Early 19th Century

Two lost modes of transportation -- canals and trains -- survive today at the site of the Historic Whitewater Canal, in the old canal town of Metamora, Indiana, less than an hour west of Cincinnati. The colorful little village now caters to the tourists who take kids and grandkids on brief train or canal boat rides. As you can see, a pair of Belgian draft horses pulls the reproduction barge along at the brisk pace of 4 miles an hour --they could easily go faster, but the wake would erode the banks of the canal, so there's a speed limit. And always has been. We had a terrific guide, a retired teacher, who explained the history of the canal and the technology of transportation.

Like most other 19th century canals, the Whitewater went out of business when railroads became the faster mode of moving people and freight. Unlike most others, the railroad bought the tow path, so the tracks run right along the narrow canal.

Indiana bought the surviving stretch of canal and has restored several miles of it. There's still a working lock a mile or so downstream, although the regular canal boat ride doesn't go that far -- it takes an hour for the lock to fill, so it would be a looong wait. A gristmill also survives and still uses water power to grind local corn into meal. The mill is open for business, along with a raft of small gift and antique shops, and local restaurants. Not a chain store or fast food franchise in sight, although plenty of ice cream, burgers, and the usual Sunday afternoon fare is available.

After the extended drought we've been having, it was a delight to see so many wildflowers in bloom along the edge of the grassy banks of the canal -- jewelweed and a sunflower that I think is Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus), plus asters and goldenrod. A few spiky teasle seedpods appeared here and there, too, amid the greenery. Nothing very exotic, but I've missed jewelweed in our parched landscape.

A large flock of ducks appears to call the canal home, at least in summer. We saw several places to buy corn to feed them, so they're smart enough to stay close to the tourist haunts. This looks like any lovely old covered bridge, but it's carrying a unique load -- water. This, the country's only surviving active wooden aqueduct, was built to carry the Whitewater Canal over Duck Creek, a stream that runs perpendicular to the canal route and 16 feet down in a ravine. The original massive oak beams, with their hand-hewn adze marks, still support all that weight. It's a little marvel of engineering and ingenuity, built by hand around the 1840s.

The canal brought Indiana farm crops to Cincinnat at the Ohio River, and in turn brought raw materials and manufactured products to the farmers.

The canal is drained for the winter, but the railroad may still run, and the village shops stay open all year.