Located in Grand Rapids, Ohio, The Volunteer, a mule-drawn reproduction canal boat and it’s suddenly 1876 and you are a passenger on the Miami-Erie Canal on your way to points south. Historical interpreters in period attire share stories of a time when the smoothest way to travel was aboard long narrow boats pulled by mules along man-made waterways. They take you through Lock #44, one of the last functioning 19th century limestone locks on the Miami and Erie Canal. After your canal trip, a stop by the Isaac Ludwig Mill completes the local history experience. The mill is a functioning water-powered saw and gristmill where, students learn how water power was used to saw wood, grind flour and generate electricity. Pictured here 3rd grade students in Mrs. Allyssa Alvarez’s class from Grover Hill Elementary.
