Canal route

[Bob Durnell]

Does anyone have any maps that show the EXACT location of the canal between say Van Buren Street and Covington Road?

[Hotbox]

Here is an 1898 township map of Wayne Township

Notice that west main st does not yet extend beyond the GR&I, also note the original first portage line is shown.

[Hotbox]

I just noticed that does not let you zoom, here is a direct link,
https://image.ibb.co/jLzQwF/wayne_twnshp_1898.jpg

[Hotbox]

Here's a little bonus. A plat map of Wayne Township circa 1860

https://ibb.co/fxWm6F

Notice: that GR&I has not been built yet, That Pittsburgh, FW, & Chicago have significant land holdings in the western portion, and that Brooklyn Avenue (or whatever it was called back then) extends all the way north to the point where Leesburgh road and west Main street now meet.

It's also kinda cool to see the way that Illinois road/Upper Huntington Road routed their way into the city before all the development came along.

I also find it interesting to note the way Sandpoint road has evolved over the years. I never would have expected that the sharp bends in the road between Ardmore and Smith follow the property line of the old county farm.

[cjberndt]

This map is undated. It shows the GR&I and FW&J-FWM&C, but not the NKP, so it was after 1870 and before 1882; I'll call it c.1875.

There were several swing or lift bridges at road and RR crossings of the canal and feeder canal. The canal map for the area where the FW&J-FWM&C bridge was located shows the water lines on the banks about 150 ft. apart, so unless there was an agreement to make the canal narrower at that point, the RR bridge was more than 150 ft. long.

Craig

[Hotbox]

interesting how that maps shows FW,M,&C control of the line north of Junction, just as we have debated on past occasion.

I was looking here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia ... n_Railroad
And couldn't help noticing just how troubled the ownership of this line south of Ft Wayne has been. Plenty of opportunity for things to get juggled around.

[Bob Durnell]

Craig, this last map you posted is WONDERFUL! So much more clear and easy to read than the other ones. I learned more looking at it in 10 minutes than looking at the others for an hour. Is there any more like it?

[Steve Bryan]

Some interesting things I found on the 1860 map: there are toll gates on Bluffton Rd and Leesburg Rd right before they enter Fort Wayne. Also, Little River, instead of ending around Smith and Yohne, ran east through where the gravel pit is now. Fairfield Ditch from Lower Huntington south was Little River and drained to the Mississippi watershed and not the Saint Lawrence watershed.

[Hotbox]

Fairfield Ditch from Lower Huntington south was Little River and drained to the Mississippi watershed and not the Saint Lawrence watershed.

Several attempts during the 1800's to drain the west end of the county for agriculture failed, until they made that diversion to the St Marys. There were related diversions from up around Bass rd that were diverted into Junk Ditch, as well.

The combined result is that the area now known as "Eagle Marsh" receives substantially less water input now than it did in the pre-agricultural era

[Hotbox]

So much more clear and easy to read than the other ones.

When trying to navigate outdated maps with a modern day perspective, it helps to remember that certain roads (Smith, Ardmore {Hayden}, Covington {Miller}, Tillman, Illinois, Engle, Anthony {Walton}, etc... in the case of Ft. Wayne) were laid out on the grid lines.

[Notch 8]

Fort Wayne History Center I see just got a 37' blueprint drawn in 1925 by the New York, Chicago & St Louis Railroad.. many neat old details ! I'd like to get a scan...

[Hotbox]

Also, Little River, instead of ending around Smith and Yohne, ran east through where the gravel pit is now. Fairfield Ditch from Lower Huntington south was Little River and drained to the Mississippi watershed and not the Saint Lawrence watershed.

Looking at this 1876 Allen County Atlas map, the original configuration of Little River is more apparent. Note that a "Little River Post Office" once existed in Ple4asant township

http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm/si ... oll20/id/2

[cjberndt]

This May 1881 NKP map shows the canal and the FW&J bridge. It was about one year before NKP was built.

Osage St. is to the right of Peters' Sawmill. Note Basin St. at right, north of today's Cherry St. It was presumably used to exchange freight with the canal boats.

The street right-of-way is 50 ft. in this area, so FW&J's bridge was about 150 ft. long.

Craig

[cjberndt]

FWJ&S's Sept. 1870 description of the draw bridges over the feeder canal north of what was later the 4th St. yard, and over the W&E canal in what was later NKP's West Wayne yard, was that both were open at all times except when a train needed to cross them.

They had twin beams, one under each rail, and both beams were hinged at one end. When they were opened by turning them, the beams were parallel to each other. They were opened by a "light chain" on a windlass. The free ends of the beams were about 3 inches higher open than closed, and that made closing by gravity easy.

Craig