[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 31, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5688-S5689]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 788--RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF CARROLL 
                    COUNTY WABASH & ERIE CANAL, INC

  Mr. BRAUN (for himself and Mr. Young) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 788

       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--
       (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;
       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
       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
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) celebrates the Wabash & Erie Canal as a historic 
     landmark that preserves the story of the canal systems of the 
     United States and their importance to early settlers for 
     future generations;
       (2) recognizes the prominent role that the Wabash & Erie 
     Canal, the second-largest canal in the world as of 2024, had 
     in the growth and expansion of the United States, especially 
     in the Midwest and in the State of Indiana;
       (3) recognizes Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal, Inc., 
     for its extensive community efforts to preserve the Wabash & 
     Erie Canal while offering educational and recreational 
     services to the public; and
       (4) commemorates the 50th anniversary of Carroll County 
     Wabash & Erie Canal, Inc., that was founded to preserve canal 
     history and make it possible for visitors to enjoy the 
     natural beauty of the last remaining navigable section of the 
     Wabash & Erie Canal in the State of Indiana.

[[Page S5689]]

  

                          ____________________