Possibly Last Boat To Travel On The W & E Canal 1883
J. Wesley Whicker from Sketches of the Wabash Valley 1916
Illustrations by Nate Tagmeyer
I remember my uncle, George C. Worthington, and John McKnight, who died recently, at Veedersburg, built a scow on land that was afterwards owned by my father. I was very much interested in the construction of this boat and when they finished it they called in the neighbors to turn it up-side-down to calk (sp) the bottom; I watched the process with great interest. They calked (cp) it with hot tar and some kind of lint, dipping the lint into the hot tar and driving it into the cracks of the bottom. I was present when this boat was launched and watched them lay down the plank and slide the boat into the canal. Mr. McKnight had a daughter by the name of Aetney, who now lives somewhere in Minnesota, and this boat was named the “Aetney” for Mr. McKnight’s daughter. So far as I know, this is the last boat built for use on the old Wabash & Erie Canal.
The merchant boats were much larger than the scows and were built with a cabin on the back and a place on the back of the cabin for the pilot to stand as he worked the steering gear. My father purchased a boat off Douglas Trott; it was called the “Hoosier Boy.” In the spring of 1883, the men hitched a team to the boat and went to Covington to pay their taxes, and I went with them. This was my first trip to the county seat. I remember on this trip, one of whom was Homer Sewell. John Glascock was teaching in The Bend school near the Nebecker place, and Frank Glascock, a relative of his, was with us. We stopt (sp) for a short time and Mr. Glascock went to the schoolhouse to visit with his relative. The other man was Mr. Haupt.
John Glascock is still living and each of these men looked exactly the same to me the last time I saw them as they did the first time. Homer Sewell, after I came to manhood, became one of my best friends, and we often talked of our first meeting. I was not yet ten years of age and was frail in health, and my family and the doctors had concluded that I could not weather the storm. However, owing to the truthfulness of the old adage that the good die young, even then I was assured of a ripe old age.
In the fall of that year I made two trips to Lafayette with my father on the “Hoosier Boy.” On the first trip we took cordwood and the entire neighborhood had cordwood on that boat. It was body hickory and brot (sp) $7.50 a cord in Lafayette. A few weeks later I took another trip and we took potatoes. The weather was cold. We covered the potatoes with straw and reached Lafayette all right, about six o’clock in the evening. That night it froze and the next morning I helpt (sp) in gathering the frozen potatoes off the top of the cargo. The men worked very rapidly to get the potatoes out of the boat before night. About five o’clock they finished unloading and we started back home at once for fear the canal would freeze over. We got as far as Riverside, aiming to take the boat to near where Ignatz Pritscher lived, but there was so much ice in the canal that we left the boat in the “widewater” at Riverside, about where the Independence road now crosses the canal. So far as I know this was the last trip taken by a canal boat to Lafayette. Soon after this the canal went down and my father’s boat stood for many years in the “widewater” at Riverside. We finally tore it to pieces and used it in making cribs and bins about the barn.
It is recorded in a history of Fountain county publisht (sp) in 1883 that the last boat to clear from Covington for Lafayette was the “Goodman,” on November 13, 1875. The last boat that cleared thru from Lodi to Toledo was the “Rocky Mountain,” under the command of David Webb, which toucht (sp) at Attica October 26, 1872.
Near Flint there was what was called “The Aqueduct” where Flint creek ran under the canal and then there were locks at Flint and at Attica; in going to Covington we went thru the locks at Attica, and in going to Lafayette we went thru the locks at Flint. The Attica lock was located just back of where the old handle factory building now stands.
I remember very well of the boat being pulled into these locks and the gates shut back of them, and the water being turned in from above, until the boats were raised from the level of the water below the lock to the level of the water above the lock. In coming the other way they would let the gates down first, fill the locks with water, run the boat in, raise the lower gates and let the boat go down to the lower level. The canal was level from one lock to another and the fall of the canal was all taken up in the locks.
I would stand at the back of the boat and watch the fish swim from under it, and then there was a green moss that grew in the canal in long ropy strings, and as a boy I enjoyed very much watching those strings floating behind the boat.
The town of Riverside was name for the Riverside schoolhouse, now known as the Fix schoolhouse. They used to have subscription school there in the summer, and when the boats would come up or down the canal the teacher would let us children go to the canal and watch them pass. This was a great treat for us and we kept a sharp look-out for the boats.
The farmers along the water-way would have rafts made of two logs fastened together, and with a pole one could get on these logs and push across the canal. Every farm had a raft.
In summer the canal would be full of frogs and turtles and always full of mudcat and sunfish, with a few other varieties. Of an evening one could easily catch in a few hours a large string of fish. I used to nearly keep the family in fish in the spring and fall. The canal ran close to the Riverside school and our principal sport in winter was skating on its glassy surface. As quick as school was dismissed for recess or noon every pupil gathered his skates and with the teacher made for the canal to skate during the short period of rest. In the summer we boys would hunt the gravelly fords and bathe and swim.
While the canal had its uses and its pleasures it had its faults too. The mosquitoes were a great pest along this waterway, and every fall one shook with ague. We were not as well acquainted with the mosquito and his habits then as now, and did not attribute the malaria to his bite, but with the passing of the canal the malaria and ague passed from the Wabash Valley.
The canal company kept a dredge and a gang of men with it, who worked continually dredging the canal to keep it deep enough to that the boats could travel on it. I became well acquainted with the family that operated the dredge and spent many a pleasant day with the other boys on the dredge, watching it dip mud from the bottom of the canal. The good lady whose husband was the boss of the dredge cooked for the hands and while watching the work she was very kind to us. Often she would have a soft shell turtle out of which she would make soup and we were very fond of this. With fish and turtle soup she won the affection of every boy along the canal.
As the Wabash Railroad improved the canal grew less and less of service until at last the bondholders closed their mortgage and the canal was sold in the United States Circuit Court. The Fountain county right-of-way was purchased by Nebecker & McManomy and they sold it to the Wabash Railroad company from the towpath to the low water mark of the canal. That portion of it below the low water mark was sold to the farmers along the way, who finally cut the banks and let the water out, and it eventually reverted to farm land. When they cut the “widewater” near the Pritscher place, the farmers in the locality took out tons of fish.
Had man known of the gasoline engine the canal could have been maintained and made profitable for boats propelled by gas engines, and the mosquito pest could have been overcome with oil. I believe that this waterway would have been of value enough to the commonwealth in different way to have justified it maintenance.
The flint from the flint bar was hauled to Lafayette for improvement of the city’s street on canal boats from the opening of the canal until it went out of use. They would often gather boats loads of boulders and haul them to Lafayette and Attica to make gutters for the streets.
There was a very dense undergrowth in the swamp near Flint; Henry Butler was driving the horse on the towpath that pulled a boat for my uncle James Whicker. One evening when they passed the swamp they heard a panther screaming. Henry’s hair stood on end and he ordered a halt, but my uncle told him to drive right on as no one was in danger but Henry himself, as the animal would either had to fly or swim to get the rest of them. Henry obeyed and, as the panther probably was scared as badly as he was, he is still with us today to verify this incident.
When researching old articles about canals, you have to be careful when one claims to be the “first” or “last” of anything. Below you will find an article that was published in the Wabash Plain Dealer on Friday, April 14, 1905 that talks about 1875 being the last boat, but the previous article is about 1883:
Run Last Boat On Old Canal
Captain Watkins of Lagro Proud in That Distinction
Hauled Wheat for H. Stevens Lifted His Sunken Stake Boat and
Brought Two Cars of Wheat Daily From Lagro to Wabash in 1875
Capt. Watkins, who is one of the very earliest residents of Wabash county, having come to Lagro on June 15, 1831, and made his home there continuously, ever since, was in this city yesterday and filed his claim to the distinction of having been the last man to navigate the water of the old Wabash & Erie canal, now but a grass-grown trench and a faded memory.
Capt. Watkins bears lightly his eighty-seven years having been born in Wales in 1819, and coming to this country when only twelve years old. Soon after landing he went straight to Lagro, and obtained a place as a grog carrier for the laborers digging the big ditch, mot of them Irish, receiving for the service seventy-five cents a day in the “blue pup” and “white dog” currency of those days. When the canal was completed he took a situation on a boat and finally was advanced to the post of captain, a place he proudly held until the last trip was made by any craft.
The Wabash & Erie Canal through Wabash county, Indiana. Illustrated History Atlas of Indiana. Baskin, Forster & Co. 1876.
Wheat was shipped daily from Lagro to Wabash on the W & E Canal during the summer of 1875.
It was long after the formal abandonment of the canal for through business that Capt. Watkins made his last voyage. Along in 1875 Henry Stevens of Lagro was buying grain. Another buyer had leased the Wabash railroad elevator at that point, and the railway company sought to protect the elevator men in their monopoly of the grain trade at Lagro by a discriminating charge of several cents a bushel for loading cars through the elevator. This charge was imposed on grain loaded direct from wagons, and as Stevens, who was probably the most prominent citizen of the place and a fighter, had nothing but the little elevator on the canal he was virtually put out of business, the railway people refusing to set cars for him unless he paid the charges. As Stevens had contracted for the delivery of considerable wheat, which was coming in rapidly and had no place to store it, he was very much distressed. The boat on the old canal had long since ceased running and Capt. Watkins had gone to other employment in Lagro. His boat had had sunk in the basin a mile west of town where it was slowly rotting, and there was little prospect, indeed either, of the veteran commander of his craft, sailing the decaying highway of commerce, which wound, a turgid yellow stream among the hllls and along the beautiful valley of the Wabash.
The situation was serious enough for Stevens, and in casting about for a means of getting his grain to market, he bethought himself of the fact that the old Cincinnati, Wabash & Michigan railroad, then the Michigan division of the Big Four, had been constructed into Wabash, and that its freight tracks were built along the very brink of the canal in this city. Loading from a canal boat would be easy and cheap, but where was the canal boat?
It was while he revolved this problem in his mind that he encountered Capt. Wilkins, and the idea dawned that the captain’s old stake boat lay in the basin, and might yet be strong enough to haul a few loads of wheat to Wabash, the distance being only five miles. The proposition was promptly made to Watkins to raise the sunken boat and get back into service again, and the suggestion stirred the blood in the veins of the old sea dog, who reflected that even if he raised the old boat and caulked her spreading coons, that she would probably be unseaworthy and might again seek the muddy depths of the channel with a full cargo. “I will give you steady employment for two months” said Stevens, “at $5 a day for yourself and two men, handling two cars of wheat a day, and will furnish you a mule and tow line. Rather than have the deal fall through, I will pay for your dinners at Arch Stitt’s or Bill Ditton’s.”
Capt. Watkins decided it was worth a trial, and the next day went down to the wreck of the boat, and as the water in the basin was shallow, soon had the hulk afloat, and within two days she was receiving her cargo at the old dock in Lagro. Two cars of wheat were placed aboard, the mule was hitched to the line, and, while the canal was shallow having filled during the long period of neglect, Capt. Watkins’ craft did not once ground. One day he left Lagro in the early morning, arrived at Wabash about ten o’clock with the load of sacked wheat, transferred the latter to the cars set conveniently by the old C. W. & M. road, and returned to Lagro by three o’clock, ready to load for the next trip. Through the summer the trips were kept up, and as Stevens’ wheat went north and came into Toledo over the Lake Shore road, it graded as Michigan wheat and he got from two to four cents a bushel premium over the Indiana grades. When the season ended Capt. Watkins ran his boat back to the basin and anchored her, and thus ended for all time the navigation of the Wabash & Erie canal.
The Pecan Basin is owned by the NICHES Land Trust that preserves land in west central Indiana for the future. It is one of several properties the group owns, and it preserves the land that hugs the Wabash River. This group of individuals preserve the land through controlled burns to keep the land healthy and to promote native species of animals and plants.
The sign for Pecan Basin is located off the road so if you visit you will need to look for it, but the trail is a half mile short loop that crosses the canal towpath and the prism a couple of times. The sign that once described the Wabash and Erie Canal has mysteriously vanished. Obviously, it needs to be replaced on high enough posts that it does not travel in the next freshet.
Because the Wabash has flooded repeatedly over the generations the canal is not easy to find around Silver Island. In the rest of the county the Wabash and Erie prism is clearly visible and followed for miles by Towpath Road. My Grandparents and Great Uncle told me that the canal ran through this area and took time to show me the prism.
The trail itself passes through meadow and second growth forest. It is a shaded paved path just out of sight of the Wabash, but close enough to feel the force of the river during floods. It is not quite farmland and not yet riverbank. As the weather directs it is both river and dry land in sequence.
It is inspiring that other groups share a mission of preservation of the old canal. The Canal Society of Indiana provides educational opportunities and resources to learn about the history of the canal. NICHES provides the place where individuals may walk the Wabash and Erie Canal for themselves.
Getting there:
Fountain County, Indiana
From SR 32 turn south on Silver Island Road.
The parking lot for the Pecan Basin Cates-Clawson Reserve is just north of the Silver Island Road intersection with West Liberty Church Road.
Because of its ups and downs, the 468-mile Wabash & Erie Canal used some 73 locks to move over the high spots and through the low places.
From Lake Erie at Toledo, Ohio, the good ole American-made canal had to overcome 192 feet of elevation to reach Fort Wayne, Indiana. After that it was downhill across northern Indiana following the Wabash River valley, up and over another high point near Terre Haute, then flow on down its way to Evansville and the Ohio River.
The high spot at Fort Wayne was called the Summit. A 16-mile-long level that stretched from Fort Wayne’s Moot’s Lock (Taylor’s) about a block east of Anthony Boulevard to Roanoke’s Dickey Lock.
During the great boom days of the Wabash & Erie, a local newspaperman pushed for a Fort Wayne name change to “The Summit City.” The name never changed officially of course. However, folks adopted it as a nickname. Today, you’ll find Summit used for a school, service agencies and eighty or so Fort Wayne area businesses and organizations.
The ole canal got up and down the high elevations it encountered, but there were other ups and downs to face. In some seasons drought brought the canal water levels down; in other years too much moisture raised the water up and pressed down the towpath levees causing expensive to repair destruction. Finally, expenses for upkeep exceeded revenues from land sales and boat tolls. Railroads followed the towpath, undercutting canal toll charges, and by 1876 canal business was down so far, canal officials gave it up.
How was the news of the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 transmitted to New York City?
Preparing for the opening of the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany, New York, men were hired to locate all the cannons in nearby western New York forts and arsenals and distribute them along the canal route. Governor DeWitt Clinton with a number of dignitaries were to be on the first boat leading flotilla of boats at the grand opening. As the Seneca Chief left the dock at Buffalo at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 1825, a grand salute by a thirty-two pound cannon was heard. This was followed by blasts from cannons spaced earshot distance apart all the way to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, at the southern end of New York harbor. When the shot was heard at Sandy Hook, they immediately fired a cannon and a return sequence of blasts was sent back to Buffalo.
The time taken for this round trip of cannon fire has been reported to have been 80 minutes by a Marion, Indiana newspaper and up to 3 hours and 28 minutes in The Wedding of the Waters by Ronald E. Shaw. Whatever the time it took, the explosions set off powerful emotions and a huge celebration.
Lockport was the only community in Riley Township, Vigo County, Indiana, to be on the Wabash & Erie Canal when it was laid out. Nathaniel Donham platted the community in 1836. The town was to be called Hazel Green. Donham revised the plat in November of that same year, and this time the settlement was given the name Lockport. That name was chosen to reflect that there were three locks at or near this location (Locks 47, 48, and 49).
Two years later a Terre Haute contractor, William Wines, united with canal engineer William Ball to found the village of Winston immediately east of Lockport on the east side of the canal. This village never materialized. However, William Wines got the contract to construct the summit level of the canal, which was just to the southeast of Lockport. This information is according to a January 6, 2002, article from the Tribune-Star (Terre Haute) by Mike McCormick, CSI member and former Vigo County Historian.
Alpheus McMasters got the contract to construct the section of the canal containing the town of Lockport. Robert Logan (Click “Robert Logan” to see his biography) was awarded the contract for Locks # 46 and 47, which were two of only fourteen locks on the Wabash & Erie Canal made entirely of stone.
Lock #47 picture taken by Sam Ligget in winter of 2022
Lock # 49 and Lock # 50, which are in Clay County, formed the summit level of the canal between Terre Haute and Evansville. Thus the water in the canal at Lockport flowed toward Terre Haute. The water that supplied the summit level and the flow of water to Terre Haute and Point Commerce came from the Eel River dam diversion, the Birch Creek Reservoir near Saline City in Clay County, Indiana and the Splunge Creek Reservoir, 4 miles straight south of Cory, Indiana. The Splunge Creek Reservoir backed water up into Vigo County just 2 miles south of Lockport (Riley). The section of the Wabash & Erie Canal between Terre Haute and Point Commerce (near present day Worthington, Indiana) is referred to as the Cross-Cut Canal. Lock # 49 was located at the southeast corner of the Lockport community. This lock was in the area where the abandoned railroad trestle is today, and the trestle is over what remains of the canal. Within a mile to the south is a still watered section of the summit called the Blue Hole. A CSI sign has been placed at that location.
The canal runs for about 10 miles in Riley Township. Locks # 46, 47, 48, and 49, the Honey Creek aqueduct and a bridge over the canal were all major canal structures in the township. There was a box culvert just south of Lock # 47 whose remains can still be found. The bridge over the canal was located just east of Lockport where State Highway 46 crosses the ditch today. This location also has a Canal Society of Indiana sign that was erected in October, 2019.
Lockport was a bustling community until the closure of the canal. It was considered one of the better trading locations on the canal. The town had three general stores, a drug store, a shoe store, two blacksmith shops, a sawmill, the Tyron Hotel, and two saloons. After the demise of the canal, business fell off; but the arrival of the railroad revived the town. Lockport endured devastating fires when three mills and a tannery burned down between 1875 and 1880.
The town had to change the name of its post office because there were two Lockports in Indiana. [The other Lockport (also founded in 1836) was located west of Burnett’s Creek Arch at Lock #29 in Carroll County.] In 1911, the name was changed to Riley to match the name that was chosen for the post office. The engraved stone that came from the old school says, “Lockport,” not “Riley.” It can be found in front of the Riley Masonic Lodge. The name comes from Riley Township in Butler County, Ohio, where many residents of that area came from to settle in the Riley, Indiana, area.
Sign north of Riley on Frey Road
Today Riley is showing signs of yet another revival. Recent growth activity includes a new elementary school, a small strip mall with 5 businesses, a new township fire department complex, a large nursery business, a new Casey’s, and a new bank. One new business is a tree farm with the name “Canal Tree Farm.” It is located on Frey Road across from the old canal bed and near Lock # 47.
Vigo County is in the process of constructing a trail connecting Riley and Terre Haute. The trail will mainly follow an abandoned railroad line. Much of the railroad line was built on the tow path of the canal. The Riley terminus of this trail will be near the railroad trestle where Lock # 49 once marked the north end of the canal summit. A spur trail is being planned to connect the main trail to a proposed small park at the remains of Lock # 47, one of the stone locks constructed by Robert Logan.
Riley now consists of the old town and a large subdivision just to the north. The canal bed marks the eastern edge of Lakewood Subdivision and the old town. Another large subdivision, Idle Creek, is in both Riley and Honey Creek townships. The remains of the canal form the western and southern boundaries of this community. The addition of the trail along the canal and the park around Lock #47, both under development by the Vigo County Parks and Recreation Department, adds to the growth potential for Riley. The trail is to be blacktopped and meant to be used by foot traffic and bicycles.
Mark Linehan, CSI member from Fort Wayne, Indiana, writes,
“I read the article “Canal Era Causes of Death” in the November 2024 issue of The Tumble with great interest. I am an avid Fort Wayne historian and have attached Catholic burial records from 1838-39. You will find many “Unknown Irishman” and especially “Unknown Hibernian” burials listed – Hibernia being of course the classical Latin name for Ireland. You will also see the name Mueller associated with most burials. This was father Louis Mueller, the very first resident Catholic pastor in Fort Wayne, installed in 1836. So, these are just the burials Father Mueller attended. As the Tumble article explains, the burials away from town and out in the wilderness as the canal was being dug were not recorded anywhere.
“ I read the article “Canal Era Causes of Death” in the November 2024 issue of The Tumble with great interest. I am an avid Fort Wayne historian and have attached Catholic burial records from 1838-39. You will find many “Unknown Irishman” and especially “Unknown Hibernian” burials listed – Hibernia being of course the classical Latin name for Ireland. You will also see the name Mueller associated with most burials. This was father Louis Mueller, the very first resident Catholic pastor in Fort Wayne, installed in 1836. So, these are just the burials Father Mueller attended. As the Tumble article explains, the burials away from town and out in the wilderness as the canal was being dug were not recorded anywhere.
Articles Found About The W & E Canal In Fort Wayne
From Craig Berndt, CSI member from Fort Wayne
The following two articles tell how the St. Mary’s Aqueduct and the Canal Basin located west of it were being removed in February 1883.
February 7, 1883
The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette
A CALL FOR THE POLICE. Citizens of “Nebraska” Attempt to Blow Up the Aqueduct—The Police Guard It.
[Note: One area in Fort Wayne was called “Nebraska” because it was way west of Fort Wayne.]
All day yesterday a force of Nickel Plate men were engaged in tearing away the old canal aqueduct cross the St. Mary’s river. The water was still high, and that suburb of the city known as “Nebraska” was entirely under water. The residents who have been rendered homeless by the flood, as might be expected, were greatly excited, and blamed all their misfortune to the damming up of the waters by the aqueduct. They watched the men busy tearing it down with ill-concealed impatience, and towards night some of them announced their determination to blow the whole thing up.
The St. Mary’s Aqueduct was located near today’s West Main Street bridge and the north and south iron railroad bridges of the Nickel Plate Railroad in Fort Wayne. It was built by Henry Lotz in 1834-35 for Jesse Williams, chief canal engineer. By 1882 it was in shambles. Here snow and ice fill the flume of the aqueduct. It was remove around February 6-9, 1883 according to newspaper reports.
Agent Barnard heard of this and hurried to the mayor to ask protection. His honor was at the wedding of Councilman Wolf’s daughter, and when Mr. Barnard sought him there he at once gave an order to Chief Diehl to render the requisite protection. The chief detailed two officers who mounted guard at the aqueduct during the night, but no Nihilists from “Nebraska” appeared, and the ordinary process of demolishing the aqueduct goes on.
February 12, 1883
Fort Wayne Daily News
The N.Y.C. & St. L. R. W. Co. have begun draining the canal basin west of the St. Mary’s river. A deep breach has been made on the south bank just beyond the aqueduct and much of the water from the deep pool has gone out. The basin as is well known abounds in catfish and fish of other species which will probably fall at last victims of the rapacity of the boys
Brian Michael (Mike) McCormick, 85, of Terre Haute passed away Thursday, October 3, 2024, in his residence. He was born February 16, 1939, in Ft. Wayne, Indiana to Clifton McCormick and Margaret Hoffman McCormick.
Mike was graduated from Wiley High School, Indiana State University, and Indiana University School of Law. Throughout his more than 40 years of private practice, he also served as the Indiana Deputy Attorney General, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, and City Attorney. He was admitted to the Supreme Court (Indiana), United States District Court, United States Tax Court, and the Supreme Court of the United Circuit Court of Appeals.
Mike served as the Vigo County Historian for 24 years. He was active in many civic organizations: I.S.U. Sycamore Varsity Club, Rose-Hulman Board of Associates, Vigo County Historical Society, Canal Society of Indiana, ISU Athletics Hall of Fame Committee, Rose-Hulman Sports Hall of Fame, Records Chairman of U.S. Olympics Track & Field Trials, Terre Haute Area Chamber of Commerce, Wabash Valley Quarterback Club, ISU Distinguished Alumni Selection Committee, Terre Haute Landmarks, Board of Public Works and Safety, Director of Educational Heritage Association of Vigo County, Director of Indiana Track and Field & Cross Country Hall of Fame, Board of Cemetery Regents, Indiana University Alumni Association, Indiana State University Alumni Association, Indiana University Varsity Club, Phi Gamma Delta, Delta Theta Phi, Arts Illiana, and Swope Art Gallery.
In April 1994 Mike prepared a comprehensive history of the Terre Haute area as a tour guidebook for the Canal Society of Indiana tour of the Wabash & Erie Canal in Terre Haute. (It can be found on the CSI website at indcanal.org.) He later published it as “Terre Haute: Queen City of the Wabash.” He assisted in leading this tour. In 1995 he worked to coordinate efforts to place a grave marker in Woodlawn Cemetery in Terre Haute for Thomas Blake and William Linton, both of whom were concerned with Indiana’s canals. The Canal Society conducted a fund drive for that project and raised $700 with other organizations such as the Vigo County Historical Society funding the remainder of it. Mike led the dedication ceremony of the stone.
Mike pointed out the location of W & E Canal headquarters at the yellow building. He led the marker dedication for Blake & Linton in Woodlawn Cemetery. Photos by Bob Schmidt and Lynette Kross
In addition to his book, he was a weekly columnist for the Terre Haute Tribune Star for over 25 years writing “Historical Perspective” and “Wabash Valley Profiles.” He had other articles in Wabash Valley Magazine, World War II Times, Terre Haute Spectator, and multiple briefs before Indiana Court of Appeals, Indiana Supreme Court, United Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court, as well as Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court.
Throughout his career Mike received the Hubert Hawkins Award from Indiana Historical Society, Vigo County Historical Society History Maker Award, The Outstanding Young Men of America Award Winner, Wabash Valley Quarterback Club Outstanding Service Award, Jaycees Distinguished Service Award, Best Sports Reporting Saturday Spectator, Mayors Meritorious Service Award, and Marquis Who’s Who in American Law.
He was a member of Terre Haute/Vigo County Bar Association, Indiana State Bar Association, American Bar Association, American Trial Lawyers Association, Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, Indiana High School Basketball Historical Society, Society of American Baseball Research, Sycamore Blue Streak, and Terre Haute Journal of Business.
He loved spending time with his family and watching his children/grandchildren participate in their many activities. He also loved his pets, sports, history, astronomy, genealogy, and was a beloved friend to many.
Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Rebecca Sue Fields McCormick; stepson, Michael Lenahan (Teri); daughter, Erin Guevara (Tony); son, Brian McCormick II (Mandy); and grandchildren, Lauren Lenahan, Luke Lenahan, Blake Steidel, Owen Frazier, Finley Frazier, Maura McCormick, and Cooper McCormick. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Nancy McCormick.
Visitation was held on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 from 2 – 6 P.M. , and funeral services were conducted at 11 A.M. Thursday, October 10, 2024, at Callahan & Hughes Funeral Home, 605 South 25th Street, with Fred Nation officiating. Burial followed at Highland Lawn Cemetery. Donations may be made to the Vigo County History Center or VNA / Hospice of the Wabash Valley.
The Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal, Inc. in Delphi, Indiana has set its schedule for events and classes for Join them for educational fun-filled days.
Upon arrival everyone was given a history book donated by Brain Migliore. Directors and guests had time to visited with one another during lunch and look at items donated to the museum by Jeff Koehler and the Canal Society of Indiana. Then Bob Schmidt asked everyone to tell something about themselves and what they had done the past year. He then presented his annual president’s message. The secretary’s report and treasurer’s report were approved. Carolyn Schmidt presented each director with a frog wind chime asking everyone to “chime in” with ideas for the upcoming year. About a 20 minute PowerPoint presentation on ideas for a canal exhibit were presented by the Ball State students of Dr. Ron Morris. Many ideas were put forth as ways to attract new members. Ways to educate children were discussed. Everyone was asked for their help in supplying articles and pictures for “The Tumble” and the CSI website. After the meeting was adjourned Suzy Dunning, museum curator, gave everyone a tour of the museum and pointed out spaces where a canal exhibit could be placed in the museum. Maps to nearby canal sites were in the goodie bags prepared by the Liggets.
11 Directors attending:
Suzy Dunning,
Margaret Griffin,
David Kurvach,
Jo Ligget,
Sam Ligget,
Phyllis Mattheis,
Ron Morse,
Mike Morthorst (not pictured above),
Bob Schmidt,
Carolyn Schmidt,
Candy Yurcak
Directors absent:
Tom Castaldi,
Jerett Godeke,
John Hillman,
Dan McCain,
Preston Richardt,
Steve Williams
Guests:
Marla Flowers,
Lowell Griffin,
Ron Yurcak
Bob Schmidt, CSI President, thanked Ball State University students of Dr. Ron Morris, Caide Tomaszewski (center) and Hayden Fletcher (right), for presenting their ideas for a canal exhibit at the Vigo County History Center.
The main purpose of our historical organization is to interpret Indiana’s canal history and its role in our state’s economic development. Like similar organizations we have changed our methods over the past years to achieve this goal. New electronic tools and higher costs associated with the old ways of communication demanded these changes.
In the 1980s CSI focused on finding canal remains by touring the old canal routes and educating our members about the details of our canal history. Early car tours provided those members with common interests a way to socialize. Later bus tours were conducted to take members to canal sites. The first attempt at public education was a slide program and a cassette tape talking about Hoosier canals. A newsletter was prepared periodically using a typewriter.
By the early 1990s the personal computer enabled us to improve our communication with an easier to read newsletter and our journal, “Indiana Canals.” Most articles required lots of library research. Our efforts primarily focused on membership development. Canal interest really peaked in 1991 when the Gronauer lock was uncovered east of New Haven. CSI membership surged and there was a revitalized interest in the canal era statewide. While these changes were occurring, local communities in Indianapolis, Metamora, Delphi and elsewhere began building biking / hiking trails along the old canal and rail routes. The Delphi community created a canal park and then built a museum. Scenic byways along the Whitewater Canal were developed.
As time went on, the development of the internet allowed us to gather more canal related material. Wikipedia replaced older methods of gaining information and later many old canal records became digitized and put on-line making them readily available E-mail began to replace postal mail as publishing and postal costs began to rise. The costs of tours also began increasing with higher bus costs and overnight stays. New electronic media emerged on Facebook and YouTube. All of these changes required your society to seek new ways to accomplish its educational mission.
We have responded by establishing a website at indcanal.org. This site, initially developed by Ball State students, is now completely in CSI hands with our own webmaster, Preston Richardt. Almost all of our previously printed materials are now available online. Our tour guides from earlier years are accessible to assist in historical background and structure locations. You can search by your county and find biographies and maps on all of Indiana’s canals. Since 2017 our historical news and journal, “The Tumble,” has been published bimonthly on the website. New trails are being built along Hoosier canals and railways making these sites easier to reach. Videos and colored photos of canal sites that are still inaccessible to the general public even on a canal tour, can be viewed at indcanal.org.
Although our membership is below the 1990s peak level, our influence through canal education is stronger than ever and continues to grow. We have a volunteer group of dedicated members working throughout the state in a variety ways. Our webmaster spends hours making improvements to our website. Our statewide signage program covers over 100 sites. Members conduct mini tours in their local areas or present canal programs for children in parks. At the state level we have opted for symposiums to educate members and bring in a broader audience by having them open to the public. Canal programs are offered through our speakers bureau. We are planning further outreach programs to provide educational experiences and opportunities for school children.
Memberships in CSI is still essential to maintain a viable organization and support our many programs. We need members to contribute articles for publication, conduct tours and symposiums. Contributions fund our three endeavors (SEW): Signage, Education, Website. Your society is thriving today, but we must always be vigilant to the changes in communications and interests of Hoosiers. This may require new methods to reach our audience.
We greatly appreciate all of your support in making this a great organization. This past year we have had more CSI members involved in projects, tours, education, articles, etc. than ever before. Thank you!
These historians receive and answer numerous phone, E-mail and posted messages from persons seeking information that may involve canal business or those who built Indiana’s canals.
Served as Allen County Historian, Worked on revised text for Gronauer Lock format marker, Assisted in identifying canal structures at Wild Cat Creek in Tippecanoe County, Spoke to several neighbors and owner of land adjacent to Wild Cat Creek who gathered at site, Identified and offered information for a family residence in The Hamlets of Ft. Wayne, Handed out CSI QR cards at special events, and Provided articles for “The Tumble.”
Suzy Dunning
Wabash & Erie Canal
Cross-Cut Canal
Vigo County
Vigo County Historian, Made posters about canal etc. for display at the Vigo County History Center
Jerett Godeke
Wabash & Erie Canal
Paulding County, OH
Served on Paulding County Historical Society Board, Attended Whitewater Canal Symposium at Connersville, Led tour of the Wabash & Erie Canal in Paulding County, Researched and wrote book about the Reservoir War, Took pictures and created tour guide for Paulding canal tour, Help find locations and get signage for signs at lock sites in Paulding County, Sent articles and pictures for “The Tumble”
John Hillman
Whitewater Canal
West Harrison / WWV Railroad
Vice-President of Whitewater Valley Scenic Railroad – Canal Route, Attended Whitewater Canal Symposium at Connersville, Spoke at dedication of CSI signage at Brookville, Worked with all WW Railroad special events such as Polar Express and dinner trains along canal, Had Railroad place CSI signs along route.
Margaret Griffin
Wabash & Erie Canal
Huntington
CSI Treasurer; attended Connersville symposium and CSI Board Meeting, wrote articles and took pictures for “The Tumble,” installed CSI sign at Forks of the Wabash,
Lowell and I interpreted and led school tours at the Forks of the Wabash in Huntington, Indiana, in the Spring and Fall. Final number of how many students attended are still being tabulated. Tours ended on November 1.
I wrote a script and presented it at the Canal Society Spring meeting in Connersville as “Aunt Sally” Sells, who cooked on a boat on the Whitewater Canal. I also baked cookies for that meeting.
We collaborated with Ball State University professor Dr. Ronald Morris and graduate student Kenny Deetz to create a short video about the Forks of the Wabash History Park, including a segment on the Wabash & Erie Canal.
Jeff Koehler
Wabash & Erie Canal
Clay County
Clay County Historian, attended CSI Board Meeting, Working on a presentation about Splunge Creek Reservoir for the CSI Spring symposium in Terre Haute, I am working on a map in the Clay; and Vigo area and plan to have it done for the meeting.
David Kurvach
Wabash & Erie Canal
Warrick County
Attended Spring symposium at Connersville, Toured canal sites with Phyllis Mattheis and Preston Richardt in Fayette County, Working on canal site locations in Greene County.
Jo Ligget
Wabash & Erie Canal
Terre Haute
CSI Financial Secretary, picked up society’s mail, recorded it and sent information to CSI president, attended Preston’s tour of W & E Canal and CSI Board Meeting, made arrangements for placing CSI sign at canal timbers in Fowler Park, made presentations to school groups at mini Pioneer Days, 4th graders, 942 students, 45 teachers and a number of parents; 30 home school students & parents; a number of private school students and teachers, and adult groups at Vigo County Fowler park Pioneer Days.(approx. 80)
Sam Ligget
Wabash & Erie Canal
Vigo County
CSI Vice-President, attended CSI Board Meeting and Preston’s tour of W&E Canal, Wrote 2 articles and took pictures for “The Tumble,” Worked at Mini-Pioneer Days and Pioneer Days at Fowler Park for 6 days, read article from “The Ring Research” Vol. 72,2016: Forgotten Waterways; Analyzing Beams from the Wabash and Erie Canal: by Dr. James Speer. I have been working with Dr. Speer, dendrology professor at ISU, concerning his results of the timbers studied from W & E Culvert #151 and am writing an article about surprising results from his research.
Troy Jones and I did some exploring around Riley and found a box culvert. I took Troy’s timber sample from the Sugar Creek aqueduct to Dr. Speer and then to the Vigo County History Center for possible inclusion in a future canal exhibit.
Dan McCain
Wabash & Erie Canal
Delphi
Dan writes: Due to mobility issues that are keeping me mostly at home now I cannot attend the CSI Board Meeting. If my term is up please pick someone else who can be a more active Director and attend events.
Dan was recognized for his and his mother’s work creating the Wabash & Erie Canal Association at its 50th Anniversary Celebration on October 15, 2024 at Delphi.
Phyllis Mattheis
Whitewater Canal
Cambridge City
CSI Secretary Pro-Tem, Attended the CSI Board Meeting and the symposium in Connersville. Two people that I invited came for part of it: Caroly Lafever of Cambridge City and Cathy Vandivier of Milton. Afterwards I rode north with Preston Richardt and David Kurvach as they wanted to see the Whitewater Canal. Unfortunately, there were poles, lines trees, etc. in the way of Preston’s drone…so he didn’t’ get to take all the pictures he wanted. I moved to Friends Fellowship in Richmond on September 4 but still maintain the Overbeck House. I’m making new friends and have a story about ready to send for “The Tumble.”
Ron Morris
Whitewater Canal
Southeastern Indiana
Attended CSI Board meeting, Franklin County signage program, Connersville symposium where he presented program on the Hoosier National Forest, Wrote several articles about his trail hikes for “The Tumble”.
Dr. Morris, as chairman of CSI’s education program, procured a first person presentation to give classroom programs in Indiana schools. He worked with the DOE to get this program information into the schools but so far it has been unsuccessful. He spearheaded a successful Franklin County sign celebration and thanks the partners who made this happen.
He guided his Ball State students in the beginnings of a Whitewater Canal audio tour. His students presented their work at the Brookville library, the Fayette County Historical Society, Cambridge City and Lawrenceburg. The six audio files have also been placed on the CSI website.
He had his students turn their attention to creating a museum for a canal exhibit at the Vigo County Historical Museum. The project includes a canal video and video game as part of the exhibit.
His students worked with the Forks of the Wabash to create a short video about their historic interpretive site including the W & E Canal and with Vigo County’s Fowler Park to create another short video that included showing the timbers from Little Honey Creek Culvert #151.
He worked with the Whitewater Valley Railroad to help them find sources for funding, consider a joint dining event, and working on a joint CSI and Whitewater Valley RR train ride along the canal.
His goals for next year — school programing, CSI Whitewater Valley RR family ride, CSI signage Dearborn County, finish Ball State student’s audio tours, investigate phone navigation of audio tours.
Mike Morthorst
Whitewater Canal
Trails
President Canal Society of Ohio and Editor of their newsletter; Secretary of Whitewater Canal Trails; Attended CSI Board meeting, Spring symposium in Connersville, and Fall tour in Paulding, Ohio; Planning tour of the National Road in late October of 2025.
Preston Richardt
Wabash & Erie Canal
Southern Indiana
CSI Web-master, Attended Spring symposium at Connersville, Led a tour of the Wabash & Erie Canal at the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge on April 6, 2024 (25-30), Submitted 4 articles and pictures for “The Tumble,” Visited W & E Canal and Whitewater Canal sites and took drone shots for website, Continues to add more linkages to improve website accessibility., and Read Indiana Canals by Paul Fatout.
Bob Schmidt
Wabash & Erie Canal
Ft. Wayne
CSI President; American Canal Society Director; Attended CSI Board Meeting, Spring symposium at Connersville, Fall tour at Paulding, OH, Dedication of CSI signage at Brookville, and Warren County Historical Society Annual Meeting; Took Tagmeyer’s canal boat to Delphi; Wrote articles and took pictures for “The Tumble;” Made arrangements for canal signs, ordered them, picked them up and delivered them; Made a presentation to The Heritage Club, Arranged board meeting, Made financial reports, Answered questions about canals in letters or E-mails.
Carolyn Schmidt
Wabash & Erie Canal
Ft. Wayne
CSI Tumble Coordinator, attended CSI Board Meeting, Spring symposium at Connersville, Fall Tour at Paulding, Dedication of CSI signage at Brookville, and Warren County Historical Society Annual Meeting. Wrote articles for “The Tumble.” Composed the Board of Directors book and agenda, Made flyers and program booklets for symposium and sign dedication, Made name tags, Ordered food, Researched canawlers for articles.
Sue Simerman
Wabash & Erie Canal
Northern Indiana
Attended CSI Fall tour at Paulding, Ohio.
Steve Williams
Wabash & Erie Canal
Roanoke
Attended CSI Spring symposium in Connersville, my wife baked cookies for the event.
Candy Yurcak
Whitewater Canal
Metamora
Attended CSI Spring Symposium in Connersville and baked cookies for the event, Spoke at CSI signage dedication in Brookville, Continued battling flooding of the railroad depot — speaking to officials, reporters, applying for grants, insurance, etc. for the Whitewater Canal Scenic Byway (I hope to have some good news soon), Held annual meeting for Whitewater Canal Scenic Byway, Sent pictures for “The Tumble,” Helped replace Byway signage, Let CSI put signs beneath some Byway signs
The Canal Society of Indiana thanks all of its Directors for their service this past year.
