History of Fort Wayne's Rivers

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    Eerie Canal

    The Erie Canal is famous in song and story. Proposed in 1808 and completed in 1825, the canal links the waters of Lake Erie in the west to the Hudson River in the east. An engineering marvel when it was built, some called it the Eighth Wonder of the World.
  • Flood of 1913

    Flood of 1913
    On March 21st, 1913, a storm with strong gusts of winds clocked in at 60 mph tore up Fort Wayne. It ripped roofs off buildings, toppled chimneys, yanked up trees and smashed a stained glass window at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, keeping people away from Good Friday services.
  • Flood of 1982

    Flood of 1982
    March 11th, 1982 heavy rains began to fall and temperatires spiked to 45 degrees, and Fort Wayne's 3 rivers began to rise. The city had to save its self and find ways to come back from this tragic event. President Regan came from Washington D.C to praise Fort Wayne for becoming the city that saved its self.
  • River Greenway Opened

    River Greenway Opened
    The Rivergreenway Trail is a 25 mile long linear park in Fort Wayne and New Haven, Indiana. The trail is along the banks of the St. Marys, St. Joseph and Maumee Rivers. In 2009, the Rivergreenway was designated as a National Recreation Trail. The trail network also connects to the Wabash & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. In 2011, the Wabash & Erie Canal Towpath Trail was completed, the Greater Fort Wayne has 50 miles of connected trails.
  • IPFW River Fest Beginning

    IPFW River Fest Beginning
    "IPFW RiverFest 2010 will be a day of celebrating the city’s most prominent natural resources: our rivers. There’s going to be something for everyone to enjoy here at the river, and along the way, if you learn something about our rivers and how to protect and preserve them, then I think we can say we’ll have a very successful event.” Mayor Tom Henry
  • River Palooza 2015

    River Palooza 2015