Milan Ohio Milan Canal Flood

[Cappy Z.]

There is a small community in Ohio called Milan. It is very close to Lake Erie. Around 1836 the farmers and storekeepers dug a canal and connected it to I believe the Ohio canal then to Lake Erie.
For approximately ten years this deep water canal had schooners exchanging all sorts of goods. It was a major commerce hub. Before the railroad quickly put an end to it's usage, the Milan canal basin was flooded twice. Mercantile stores were covered with mud.
In the 1970's I actually followed a small canal that meandered right behind..Thomas Edison's Home. The backyard abutted the canal. The backyard was falling into the canal. There were layers and layers of antique garbage including old old bottles falling into the almost totally dried up canal which was overgrown with weeds. That whole area can be scene on google earth. It is a gold mine for real treasure. I hope someone does some research and starts digging.

Good Luck

 

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[joecoin]

I live within sight of the Milan Canal. It was built to provide an easy way to get grain from central Ohio to Lake Erie, as the roads north of Milan were very poor.

It ran from Milan to Abbotts Landing, only about 5 miles long. At Abbotts it emptied back into the Huron River at a spot deep enough for navigation. Many ships were built in Milan because of the plentiful supply of huge oak trees. A railroad was built down the canal right of way in the late 1800's.

The local Metro Park now claims the right of way, no detecting allowed. There is a lawsuit dragging on and on and on between the park system and the adjacent landowners over who actually owns the land.