Ohio inventions and firsts · Achievement · 1837-1845
Grand Lake St. Marys built as a canal reservoir
Grand Lake St. Marys was built from 1837 to 1845 as a reservoir feeding the Miami and Erie Canal, much of it dug by hand by about 1,700 workers, mostly Irish and German immigrants. The lake covers about 13,500 acres and became a state park in 1949.
At a glance
- Year
- 1837-1845
- Place
- near Celina and St. Marys, Mercer County ZIP 45822 · Mercer County
Why it matters
For many years after it was finished it was recognized as the largest man-made reservoir in the world.
Who gets the credit is disputed
The Ohio claim. Two sources say that for many years it was the largest man-made reservoir in the world.
The other claims. That title is historical: larger reservoirs have since been built, and the sources do not give a single agreed acreage.
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.