The Indiana Mammoth Internal Improvement Act was a law passed by the Indiana General Assembly and signed by Whig Governor Noah Noble in 1836 that greatly expanded the state's program of internal impro
Governor Noah Noble, primary backer of the law.
Governor James Whitcomb, opponent of the law, and man who sold off the last of the public works.
Wabash and Erie Canal
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The Wabash and Erie Canal was a shipping canal that linked the Great Lakes to the Ohio River via an artificial waterway. Over 460 miles long, it was the longest canal ever built in North America.
Indiana Mammoth Internal Improvement Act
…finances, the project ultimately fed a 400% increase in state land values, and provided numerous other direct and indirect benefits to Indiana. The Wabash and Erie Canal, which was partially funded by the act, became the longest canal in North America and remained in operation until rendered obsolete by the railroads…
by 1872, the Toledo, Wabash and Western Railway (shown in red) connected Toledo, Fort Wayne, and Lafayette. The original canal, with its slow pace and maintenance issues, struggled to compete with many rail lines in operation in the 1870s.
Historical signage in Delphi discussing construction of the canal during the early-mid 1800s. A Towpath trail is visible in the background.
Two canals using the same infrastructure at Providence, Ohio.
Entrance from the Maumee River to the Miami and Erie