1846 Canal Skirmish
Marker installation and dedication pending. Marker images coming soon.
Location: Northeast intersection of W. Washington St. and S. Market St., Attica (Fountain County), Indiana, 47918
Installed 2023 Indiana Historical Bureau and Historic Landmarks of Fountain County
ID#: 23.2023.1.
This marker replaces the Attica & Covington Canal Skirmish marker # 23.1997.1
Text
Side One
Construction began on the Wabash and Erie Canal in 1832 to connect Lake Erie to the Ohio River, making travel and trade easier and cheaper. Towns along the route prospered as increased commerce fostered urban and agricultural growth. By 1846, the canal was completed through Covington, but the water stopped just north at Attica because of a leak and sparse rainfall.
Side Two
Covington leaders demanded Attica open Lock 35, release the water, and share the economic benefits of canal access. In September 1846, armed Covington men marched on Attica and forced open the lock after a violent skirmish, but the water soaked into the ground and stranded commercial boats. Heavy rains allowed boats to reach Covington in November, resolving the conflict.
Annotated Text
See the marker review report for the Attica & Covington Canal Skirmish marker # 23.1997.1 for more information. Additional notes below.
Side One
Construction began on the Wabash and Erie Canal in 1832 to connect Lake Erie to the Ohio River, making travel and trade easier and cheaper.[1] Towns along the route prospered as increased commerce fostered urban and agricultural growth. By 1846, the canal was completed through Covington,[2] but the water stopped just north at Attica because of a leak and sparse rainfall.[3]
Side Two
Covington leaders demanded Attica open Lock 35, release the water, and share the economic benefits of canal access.[4] In September 1846, armed Covington men marched on Attica and forced open the lock after a violent skirmish, but the water soaked into the ground and stranded commercial boats.[5] Heavy rains allowed boats to reach Covington in November, resolving the conflict.[6]
[1] Indiana House of Representatives, “Report of Canal Commissioners, December 14, 1832,” Journal of the House of Representatives, Seventeenth Session of the Indiana General Assembly (Indianapolis: N. Bolton, State Printer, 1832), 98-101, accessed Archive.org.
[2] “Circular,” State Indiana Sentinel, September 10, 1846, 4, Newspapers.com. “Circular,” Fort Wayne Times and Peoples Press, September 12, 1846, 9, NewspaperArchive.com.
[3] “Markets,” Delphi Carroll Express, August 22, 1846, 3, NewspaperArchive; “Wabash and Erie Canal,” Fort Wayne Times and People’s Press, September 9, 1846, 2, NewspaperArchive; “Row at Attica,” Richmond Weekly Palladium, October 6, 1846, 2, Newspapers.com; “Of the Wabash and Erie Canal West of Lafayette,” Report of the Superintendent of the Wabash and Erie Canal to the General Assembly, December 8, 1846 (Indianapolis: J.P. Chapman, State Printer, 1846), 147, https://hdl.handle.net/2027/inu.30000107501201; “Disgraceful Mob Headed by U.S. Senator,” Logansport Telegraph, October 17, 1846, 1, NewspaperArchive.com;
Lucas Nebeker, “The Attica War,” Indiana Magazine of History (Bloomington, Indiana University, 1913) 9:20-23, accessed JSTOR.
[4] “Disgraceful Mob Headed by U.S. Senator,” Logansport Telegraph, October 17, 1846, 1, NewspaperArchive.com.
[5] Ibid.
[6] “The Markets,” State Indiana Sentinel, November 5, 1846, 3, Newspapers.com.