Canal Lands facts for kids
Canal Lands were special areas of land that the United States government gave to several states in the 1800s. These states, especially those around the Great Lakes, then sold these lands to people or companies. The money they earned from selling the land was used to help build important Canals.
This idea of giving land to states was a way to help them improve their transportation, like building canals and roads. It was also a compromise between people who wanted the government to pay for everything and those who didn't. This system of giving land grants later helped fund the building of railroads too, between 1851 and 1870.
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Early Government Help
The federal government first started giving help to states for big projects like roads in 1802. This happened with a law called the Enabling Act of 1802, which was for Ohio. This law said that 5% of the money made from selling government land in Ohio would be used for roads. Some money went to roads connecting Ohio to the East Coast, and some for roads within Ohio itself.
Later, this law was changed a bit. Two percent of the money went to roads connecting Ohio to the East, and three percent for roads inside the state. This became a common way for the government to help other states too, giving them two, three, or five percent of land sale money for their own projects.
The Canal Building Boom
A big time for building canals in the western parts of the U.S. started after the Erie Canal in New York became a huge success. States wanted to build their own canals to connect the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River system. This would make it easier and cheaper to move goods and people.
The first time the federal government specifically helped with canals was in 1824 for Indiana. They wanted to build a canal between the Wabash River and Lake Erie. While that first plan wasn't used, a new law in 1827 gave Indiana land equal to two and a half "sections" (a section is about one square mile) on each side of the planned canal. Indiana could sell this land to pay for the canal. The government also made sure the canal would be finished by a certain time and that federal goods could travel on it for free.
Part of this canal was going to pass through Ohio. So, in 1834, a new law gave the land in Ohio to Ohio instead of Indiana. Soon, other states also received similar land grants for their canal projects. These grants were usually two and a half sections of land on each side of the canal.
Here's a summary of the total land grants given to different states for canals:
| State | Total land given |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 1,457,366.06 acres (5,898 km2) |
| Ohio | 1,100,361.00 acres (4,453 km2) |
| Illinois | 290,915.00 acres (1,177 km2) |
| Wisconsin | 325,431.00 acres (1,317 km2) |
| Michigan | 1,250,000.00 acres (5,059 km2) |
| Total | 4,424,073.06 acres (17,904 km2) |
Ohio's Canal Lands
Ohio had already built a canal connecting the Ohio River to Dayton, Ohio. The 1828 law helped Ohio extend this canal north to the Maumee River. This connection would link it to the Wabash and Erie Canal and Lake Erie.
Ohio also received a grant of 500,000-acre (2,000 km2) of land. This land was used to help build the Ohio and Erie Canal in the eastern part of the state. Ohio made a lot of money, about $2,257,487, from selling its land in the northwest part of the state. This money was a big help for their canal projects.
Other Land Grants for Improvements
The United States government also gave away more than one million acres (about 4,000 square kilometers) of land in the 1800s to build military wagon roads. Even larger amounts of land were later given to help build railroads across the country.
In 1841, a law called the State Selection Act was passed. This law gave each state 500,000 acres (2,000 km2) of land. This land was meant to be used for various "internal improvements," which meant projects like roads, canals, and other things that helped the state grow and connect its different parts.
