Before railroads, canal boats were a most important part of commercial transportation in the Midwest. An unique opportunity to experience 1830s canal boat and old-time railroad travel will take place on Sept. 8.
The "Canal Boats and Railroads Tour" is an one-day excursion back in time to Waterville, Ohio, sponsored by the Royal Oak-based Bluewater Michigan Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.
Bluewater Chapter Trip Chairman Jim Bradford said, "Most Detroiters are unaware of the extensive Ohio canal boat system, which operated within 60 miles of here from the 1830s until the early 20th century."
The Canal Boats and Railroads Tour departs from The Henry Ford Centennial Library at 16301 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn by deluxe motor coach at 9 a.m. for Waterville, Ohio, southwest of Toledo. The Toledo Area MetroParks have restored locks and a section of the 1830s Miami & Erie Canal, which ran from Toledo, Ohio, on Lake Erie to Cincinnati on the Ohio River.
Trip highlights include a leisurely one-hour trip up the canal on The Volunteer, an 1830s mule-drawn canal boat replica. Featured will be stops at the Isaac Ludwig Mill operating saw and grist mill, an opportunity to shop in the General Store offering collectibles and gifts, a view of the large 19th Century Lock No. 44 restored to operation, and entertainment by Toledo MetroParks staff in authentic period garb.
The tour then heads to Smitty's for a 2 p.m. lunch. After lunch, there's a short jaunt to the Nickel Plate Road railroad depot in Waterville for a 90-minute train ride on the Toledo, Lake Erie & Western Railway's Bluebird passenger train pulled by a 1950s Alco diesel locomotive.
Tour members can relax as the train passes a 190-year-old log cabin and a 100-year old horse barn along with many other sights. After the train ride, they can tour the locomotive and visit with the engineer and train crew. They can talk to members of the Nickel Plate Road's Clover Leaf Division, originally a 3-foot narrow gauge in the 1850s that ran from Toledo to St. Louis.
The return to the Henry Ford Centennial Library arrives at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $85 per person and must be ordered in advance. Included are the motorcoach, canal boat ride, lunch at Smitty's and the train ride.
For more information or to order tickets using VISA, MasterCard or Discover Card, contact the Bluewater Michigan Chapter NRHS at 1-248-541-1000 or 1-800-594-5162 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Or order by check or money order payable to the Bluewater Michigan Chapter, NRHS at Box 296, Royal Oak, MI 48068-0296.
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