III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 788 

Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal, 

Inc. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 31, 2024 

Mr. BRAUN (for himself and Mr. YOUNG) submitted the following resolution; 

which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of Carroll County Wabash 

& Erie Canal, Inc. 

Whereas, following the success of the Erie Canal in the State 

of New York, the leaders of the State of Indiana had a 

dream of digging a statewide network of canals; 

Whereas, in 1836, the General Assembly of the State of Indiana passed ‘‘An Act to provide for a general system of 

Internal Improvements’’(commonly known as ‘‘the Internal Improvements Act of 1836’’ or the ‘‘Indiana Mammoth Internal Improvement Act’’), which appropriated 

millions of dollars for canal building and other improvements that launched the State of Indiana into the Canal 

Era; 

Whereas only 2 canal lines were successfully completed in the 

State of Indiana, including— 


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(1) the 101-mile Whitewater Canal from Hagerstown, Indiana, to Cincinnati, Ohio; and 

(2) the 468-mile Wabash & Erie Canal from Toledo, 

Ohio, to Evansville, Indiana, on the Ohio River; 

Whereas the Wabash & Erie Canal economically and culturally connected the State of Indiana to the rest of the 

United States through the Erie Canal and other canal 

networks; 

Whereas, at 468 miles in length, the Wabash & Erie Canal 

was the largest fabricated structure in the United States 

when it was completed in 1853 and, as of 2024, is the 

second-longest canal in the world; 

Whereas, to appreciate the impact that the Wabash & Erie 

Canal had on the population of the State of Indiana, consider that, when the Wabash & Erie Canal began operations, the State of Indiana had a population of 350,000, 

and by 1840, it had a population of 988,000; 

Whereas, in 1835, the counties in the State of Indiana that 

bordered the Wabash & Erie Canal boasted 12,000 inhabitants and, by 1850, the number of inhabitants was 

150,000; 

Whereas, in the 3 years following the opening of the Wabash 

& Erie Canal, 5 new counties were created along the 

route of the Wabash & Erie Canal from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Huntington, Indiana; 

Whereas, in the 1870s, the Wabash & Erie Canal closed due 

to the high cost of maintenance and low income amidst 

competition from railroads; 

Whereas, after the Wabash & Erie Canal closed, the canal 

section in Delphi, Indiana, was left to decay, becoming a 

festering public hazard and eyesore; 


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Whereas, in February 1971, the very first meeting of the 

dozen people concerned with forming a Canal history 

group, later known as Carroll County Wabash & Erie 

Canal, Inc., was held in Carroll County, Indiana; 

Whereas, in 1974, the Internal Revenue Service granted nonprofit status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to Carroll County Wabash & Erie 

Canal, Inc.; 

Whereas Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal, Inc., has invested thousands of hours to repair the Wabash & Erie 

Canal and surrounding areas to represent its former 

glory and to educate the public of its history; 

Whereas, in 2003, the Wabash & Erie Canal Interpretive 

Center opened, and, thanks to volunteer labor, community donations, and grant funding, offers an interactive 

museum, a reception hall for community events, and a research archive of canal history; 

Whereas Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal, Inc., has developed and maintained miles of trails along historic sites 

of Delphi, Indiana, for public enjoyment and recreation; 

Whereas the volunteers of Carroll County Wabash & Erie 

Canal, Inc., restored and relocated several historic 

bridges to span the Wabash & Erie Canal, including the 

wrought iron 1874 Paint Creek Bridge; 

Whereas, since 2009, Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal, 

Inc., has offered public canal boat tours aboard a 54-foot 

replica canal boat named, ‘‘the Delphi’’; 

Whereas the volunteers of Carroll County Wabash & Erie 

Canal, Inc., built an open-air 1850s canal-era village by 

relocating and restoring historic structures from around 

the State of Indiana; and 


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Whereas, besides 1 full-time executive director and limited 

part-time staff, the rest of Carroll County Wabash & Erie 

Canal, Inc., and its activities and programs are staffed 

by local volunteers: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) celebrates the Wabash & Erie Canal as a 

3 historic landmark that preserves the story of the 

4 canal systems of the United States and their impor5 tance to early settlers for future generations; 

6 (2) recognizes the prominent role that the Wa7 bash & Erie Canal, the second-largest canal in the 

8 world as of 2024, had in the growth and expansion 

9 of the United States, especially in the Midwest and 

10 in the State of Indiana; 

11 (3) recognizes Carroll County Wabash & Erie 

12 Canal, Inc., for its extensive community efforts to 

13 preserve the Wabash & Erie Canal while offering 

14 educational and recreational services to the public; 

15 and 

16 (4) commemorates the 50th anniversary of Car17 roll County Wabash & Erie Canal, Inc., that was 

18 founded to preserve canal history and make it pos19 sible for visitors to enjoy the natural beauty of the 

20 last remaining navigable section of the Wabash & 

21 Erie Canal in the State of Indiana. 

Æ 


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