St. Marys: Always a trail town

Where Indigenous travel routes, canal history, and modern trails converge

“St Marys, at the time of its inception, has always been a trail town, in the sense that the river and canal constituted a north-south river way, a transportation trail, with St Marys being a stopping and trading place” - Hobert Scott, prominent in civic improvement of St Marys, 1953 article.

Kokothikithiip

The St Marys River (known by the Shawnee Nation as “Kokothikithiip” and the Miami and Illinois Nations as “Nameewa Siipiiwi”) was an important travel route for Indigenous Peoples and European-American settlers. Before the Miami and Erie Canal, all supplies came into western Ohio from settler colonies via the river. Since St Marys was a portage point on the trail, this locale played a significant role in European-Americans colonizing the Northwest Territory in the 1800s. The first European-American settlement on the portage was Girtys Town, a trading post set up by James Girty, brother to the notorious renegade Simon Girty. Girty maintained his trading post from 1783 to 1790. When General Harmar’s army approached the area, Girty, an unofficial British representative, fled to Canada. In 1794, General “Mad” Anthony Wayne and his forces built Fort St Marys, as a strategic point on the frontier to transfer goods from wagons to boats. The fort was abandoned in 1796 after the fall of Detroit. A new fort, called Fort Barbee, was built in 1812 closer to current downtown St Marys by General Harrison. After the Treaty of St. Marys in 1818, European-Americans settled farther west, pushing out the Indigenous communities living there. The town of St Marys was founded by Charles Murray, William Houston and John McCorkle in 1823. They purchased 400 acres of land from the United States government and laid out the village of 68 lots. The town was officially incorporated in 1834 and became a city in 1904.

Miami & Erie Canal & Lake

The Miami & Erie Canal was constructed from 1825 and completed in 1845, dug entirely by men using only picks, shovels and wheelbarrows. The canal, measuring a length of 249 miles, connected the Ohio River to Lake Erie, creating a quicker form of transportation for both people and goods. The construction of the canal and its reservoirs significantly lowered freight charges. For example, the cost to ship a bushel of wheat 100 miles dropped from one dollar to fifteen cents. To supply the canal with water, plans were made to also create a reservoir, or man-made lake. The work began in 1837 and was completed in 1845. For many years, St Marys Lake was the largest artificial body of water in the world, a significant feat given that it, like the canal, was entirely built by men with digging tools. The lake has 52 miles of shoreline and is approximately nine miles long and three miles wide. While it lost its title for the largest artificial body of water made, it is still the largest body of water in the world constructed without the use of machinery. The lake is the divide between the north and south waterways of the canal. Water flowing out of the canal to the east ends up at Lake Erie. Water flowing south and west eventually finds its way to the Ohio River.

Oil Boom on the Lake

Huge quantities of natural gas were discovered in 1884 near Findlay, Ohio. This oil and gas geologic formation was known as the Lima-Indiana trend, which curves in a length of 260 miles from Toledo southwest to Indianapolis. The Lima-Indiana trend created the first giant oil and gas “field” in North America. The town of St Marys and Grand Lakes were part of this field. Many of the oil operators were small local companies. During the oil boom that followed, oil and gas companies drilled many wells in the region.

By 1890 the productive territory had reached the border of the lake, and a year later wells were being drilled in the lake. Derricks were built atop cribs in the lake. Grand Lakes was the site of the first offshore drilling rig in the world. From 1895 to 1903, Ohio was the leading oil-producing state in the nation. There were at least 100 wells drilled, but some estimates reach 200-300 wells in the oil boom era. By 1908, production waned and many wells were abandoned.

Rise & Fall of the Canal

The growth of the town of St Marys was in direct proportion to the canal period between 1830 and 1900. Main Street, a part of the Anthony Wayne Trail, was expected to be the main street of the town. The opening of the Miami and Erie Canal expanded the town eastward, with businesses opening up near the canal, which became the main artery of transportation. Spring Street (named after the natural spring that was located by the roadway) then became the main thoroughfare instead. Many other businesses were built along the canal in the St. Marys area. There was a gristmill and a lumber yard/sawmill, a linseed oil mill and woolen mill—all of which were run by water power. At Lock 12 on the canal, the water split into two separate levels. The “upper level” or “mill race” provided the water to the grist mill, sawmill and woolen mill. The “lower level” transported the canal boats with passengers and goods through downtown. A large basin—where the present Chestnut Street Parking Lot is located—was surrounded by businesses, including a slaughterhouse, blacksmith shop and livery stable.

The completion of the canal occurred before most of the railroads were built in Ohio. After railroads were established, they competed with the canal as a method of travel and transport. Because the canal froze over in winter, and was generally slower than travel by train, canal travel faced its inevitable demise. By 1906, the canal had largely ceased to operate. The catastrophic 1913 flood ended the canal as a transportation system entirely. Too much damage had occurred: aqueducts being destroyed, banks washing out, and flood water encroaching into nearby towns. As the canal ran out of use, the Grand Lake St Marys was no longer deemed necessary to feed the canal. There was even a political movement to fill in the lake. However, the lake was saved in the end as the Ohio General Assembly voted in 1915 to designate the lake and adjacent lands as a public park. Grand Lakes officially became a State Park in 1949.

Rehab of Lock 13

Lock 13 was hidden from sight for many years while it was covered by the buildings of the woolen mill. The St Marys Woolen Manufacturing Co., Inc, was built in 1871 and locally owned and operated for 112 years. When the buildings were demolished, it was found that the wooden structure of the lock was in surprisingly good condition. The city took on the rehabilitation of Lock 13 and the reservoir mill. Lock 13 and Phase 1 of the Mill Building were completed in 2009. There is now a replica canal boat, The Belle of St Marys, moored in a watered section of the canal at Memorial Park. It is now a scenic hike along the Miami & Erie Canal from the K. C. Geiger Park, through the city and Memorial Park, along Lock 13, and north to the Forty Acre Pond and Lock 14. Today, St Marys continues to welcome visitors to enjoy the rich historical structures and trails that the city was founded upon.