Lock 21
While the canal was under construction in 1826, Constable
Ambrose King, son of Joshua the Old Portage tavern keeper, went to Lock 21 to
arrest a laborer for some offense. A gang of workers jumped onto the officer and
beat him senseless. A friend who was with him loaded King into his wagon and
with frantic yells to his horses outran the mob who intended on finishing the
job of killing King. In the excitement a young German laborer was struck on the
head with a club and killed. He was quietly buried in the mud under the lock.
The Middlebury militia were called out and finally restored order. King
recovered and the rioters who had been arrested were let off with a slap on the
wrist.
Another tidbit of info....Here, as a young muleskinner, James A. Garfield is
said to have had his first fight. His horses got their lines tangled with those
of the animals pulling another boat, and Garfield was thrown into the canal (or
so the legend goes). The lock is near today's intersection of Portage Path and
Riverview Road
Old Portage
This area is traditionally known as Old Portage. Prior to the arrival of
white settlers from the east, the Native Americans chose this point to leave the
Cuyahoga River to portage their canoes across the Continental Divide to Summit
Lake and the Tuscarawas River by means of the Portage Path. The road bearing
that name follows very closely, and in some parts exactly that same path. It was
the shortest distance between the two ends of the path, roughly 8 miles. A
shorter portage existed during higher water times by utilizing the Little
Cuyahoga River where it meets the Cuyahoga south of here. This was the route
chosen by the engineers for the Ohio & Erie Canal.
The area was an important crossroads in the days before the canal opened. It was
a staging area for troops during the War of 1812 and the Portage Path itself was
once designated at the western border of the United States. After the canal was
built, the area became more populated. It is now locally known as the Merriman
Valley. Any signs of the canal are long gone.
A bronze statue located at the trailhead was created by Native American sculptor
Peter Jones to mark the northern end of the Portage Path. A similar statue
exists at the southern end of the path as well.
The historical significance of the Big Bend area predates the existence of the
Ohio & Erie Canal. According to legend, naval ships of Commodore Oliver Hazard
Perry's fleet were built in this area during the War of 1812 and presumably
floated to Lake Erie by way of the Cuyahoga River, which was larger then than it
is now. The canal followed the Cuyahoga River through this area until it changed
river sources for the first time, following the Little Cuyahoga River as it
traveled south to Akron.
