{"nrhp_refnum":"66000603","name":"Miami And Erie Canal, Deep Cut","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"2 mi. S of Spencerville on OH 66","address_restricted":false,"city":"Spencerville","county":"Allen County","state":"OH","lat":40.68750705150006,"lon":-84.36535368143888,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-10-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1964-01-29","areas_of_significance":["Industry","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A preserved section of the Miami and Erie Canal known as the Deep Cut, about two miles south of Spencerville, Allen County, Ohio, along State Route 66. Construction of the canal began in 1825, and the Deep Cut runs over a mile.","why_significant":"The Deep Cut was the largest excavation on the Miami and Erie Canal, dug through a ridge of blue clay separating the St. Marys and Auglaize watersheds. It illustrates the effort Ohioans made to build the canal system that helped settle western Ohio, raised land values and gave farmers a way to ship goods. It was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1964.","narrative":"The Deep Cut is a preserved stretch of the Miami and Erie Canal about two miles south of Spencerville, Ohio, beside State Route 66. The canal was begun in 1825 and ultimately ran 248 miles from Cincinnati to Toledo by way of Dayton. At this location, laborers dug a ditch about 6,600 feet long and from five to 52 feet deep through a ridge of blue clay between the St. Marys and Auglaize watersheds. Local farmers, Irish immigrants and convicts worked with picks, shovels, barrows and blasting powder. The nomination describes it as the greatest excavation on the canal. Today the ditch holds water and the towpath remains visible. The State of Ohio owns the site, which includes a rest stop, picnic area, shelter and interpretive material. The canal's importance lay in cheap transportation that helped settle western Ohio, raised land values and gave farm goods an outlet, until railroads reduced its value by the 1860s.","period_of_significance":"1825-1860","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Owned by the State of Ohio and maintained as a public rest stop and park; condition marked fair on the form, though the text describes the section as in very good condition. The canal is water-filled and the towpath is visible.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.299339-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/66000603_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000603/2fe5185260-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000603/2fe5185260-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Oydman (talk) Original uploader was Oydman at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DeepCut2008.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Oydman (talk) Original uploader was Oydman at en.wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DeepCut2008.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71986439","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_and_Erie_Canal_Deep_Cut","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6827484"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/allen-county/miami-and-erie-canal-deep-cut-66000603/"}