Canal Fever: The Ohio & Erie Canal, from Waterway to Canalway

ch5. A Traveler’s Tale: Along the Ohio & Erie Canal in 1834: Maximilian, Prince of Wied An Annotated New Translation

Chapter 5 A Traveler’s Tale: Along the Ohio & Erie Canal in 1834 Maximilian, Prince of Wied An Annotated New Translation joseph฀t.฀hannibal,฀sabina฀f.฀thomas,฀ ฀ and฀michael฀g.฀noll A number of travelers chronicled their trips via canal boat along the Ohio & Erie Canal in the nineteenth century. But the trip of Maximilian, Prince of Wied (1782–1867), stands out among them. This German explorer made important early observations about the canal during June 1834, less than two years after the full length of the canal was opened, in October of 1832. He crossed the entire length of the canal, from the warmer biomes of southern Ohio to the forests of northeastern Ohio. Maximilian’s observations stood out for two reasons: he was a highly knowledgeable, experienced naturalist, and he had no personal stake in the settling of the frontier and concomitant suppression of the native peoples of North America. Maximilian ranks among the greatest of the explorer-naturalists of the first half of the nineteenth century. He was a self-taught naturalist who studied at the University of Göttingen briefly in 1811–12 and was influenced by early anthropologist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach and renowned explorer-naturalist Alexander Von Humboldt. Maximilian, however, lacked Humboldt’s resources. The prince could only aVord his expeditions by borrowing money from his older brother, the reigning Prince of Wied. Maximilian made two major expeditions, one to South America (1815–17) and another to North America (1832–34). He documented his finds in weighty, detailed volumes that rank among the classics in New World natural history. His detailed account of his South ฀ 91 92฀ hannibal,฀thomas,฀&฀noll American expedition, published in German in 1820 and English in 1820 and 1821, established his reputation as a naturalist. During the latter part of his expedition to North America, Maximilian traversed the Ohio & Erie Canal. He began his trip in 1832, traveling to Boston and New York City, then through New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and down the Ohio River with a major stopover in New Harmony, Indiana , then continuing on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, and traveling up the Missouri River as far west as Fort McKenzie. His original plans called for a visit to the Native Americans who lived in the Rocky Mountain area, Maximilian, Prince of Wied, was one of the great explorer-naturalists of the early nineteenth century (Engraving by Heinrich Meyer, circa 1820–25, reproduction by Manfred Bogner, courtesy of Röntgen Museum, Neuwied, Germany). To view this photo, please refer to the print edition of this book. a฀traveler's฀tale฀ 93 but warfare prevented it. He returned via the Missouri, Mississippi, and Ohio Rivers as far as New Harmony, Indiana. He then traveled overland to Louisville, then up the Ohio River to Portsmouth, Ohio, where he then headednorthontheOhio&ErieCanaltoCleveland.Hetookasteamship Maximilian traveled the entire route of the Ohio & Erie Canal in June 1834 (map by Chuck Ayers). 94฀ hannibal,฀thomas,฀&฀noll from Cleveland to BuValo and then traveled via the Erie Canal and the Hudson River back to New York City, and then headed home. Maximilian noted the “well-known Ohio Canal” early on his way out west in 1832, but he was to travel along the canal only on his return from the West. He traversed the entire length of the Ohio & Erie Canal in June 1834. His trip began on the evening of June 20 at Portsmouth, at the southern end of the canal, and ended in Cleveland, at the northern end, at 10 a.m. on June 26, over five and a half days later. In part, Maximilian traveled the Ohio & Erie Canal to visit Niagara Falls, the outstanding natural tourist attraction of the United States. Such a visit was de rigueur for the traveler in those days. Maximilian had intended to visit the Falls on his way west, but this was derailed by a cholera outbreak in New York. There were other advantages to traveling by canal as well. Roads in Ohio were notoriously bad, and travel by canal was gentle by contrast and provided opportunities to write in a journal. It was also easier to bring larger amounts of material along the canal than in horse-drawn coaches. The Ohio & Erie Canal portion of Maximilian’s account of his American journeys covers pages 383–95 in the original German edition. This new annotated translation, which appears below, was necessitated by the omission of material from earlier translations, including some key...