Completed just before most of the railroads in Ohio were built, the canal competed with railroads through much of its useful life. Ice in the winter, as well as the slowness of the boats, made it fairly impractical compared to railroads, and by 1906, the canal had largely ceased to operate. A catastrophic flood of the Great Miami River in 1913 and the subsequent flood control measures constructed by the Miami Conservancy District destroyed much of the canal infrastructure along the southern portion of the route where it paralleled the Great Miami River. One of the original locks ( ...

See also:

Miami and Erie Canal, Miami and Erie Canal - Construction Standards, Miami and Erie Canal - Decline and Abandonment, Miami and Erie Canal - Cities and Towns Along the Canal

Read more here: » Miami and Erie Canal: Encyclopedia II - Miami and Erie Canal - Decline and Abandonment