| The history behind this 15-mile section began early in the 1800’s when
early pioneers of Indiana needed to find a
way to transport their surplus goods from this rich and fertile valley. The
canal was completed between Brookville and Lawrenceburg in 1839, to Laurel in
1843, to Connersville in 1845 and to Cambridge City in 1846.The final canal went
from Cincinnati through a tunnel in Cleves into the state of Indiana and
ended in Hagerstown; it also had a
branch to Lawrenceburg for a total of 101 miles. The
first canal boat arrived in Brookville in 1839. These boats transported people,
lumber, livestock and grains until the early 1860’s in limited areas. After
several floods the traffic was stopped and the towpath was laid with rails for a
new age of transportation, the railroad. This opened a new page in the history
of this valley and our country. The Whitewater Valley Railroad purchased the
canal in 1863. In its day, the WVR owned 62 miles of the canal from Hagerstown,
Indiana to Harrison, Ohio. Over the next 100 years the rails were operated by
several rail companies, the most well known being The Big Four. Today the tracks
between Metamora and Connersville are operated by a nonprofit group known as the
Whitewater Valley Railroad. To the south of Brookville the tracks are operated
by the Indiana & Ohio Railroad, transporting goods to and from Owens
Corning. The missing section of rails were removed between Brookville and
Metamora in the 1980’s. This is the 8-mile section of unspoiled landscape that
would make one of the most scenic biking and
hiking trails in the state, if not the country. |
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