Headwaters of the Maumee River

February 3, 2010

 

All Photos Copyright © 2010 by Robert E Pence

 

Looking northward from the Columbia Avenue Bridge toward the city water filtration plant, I'm standing directly above the origin of the Maumee River. Following a sinous path through the city, the Saint Marys River on the left flows from the Southeast, originating at Grand Lake Saint Marys near Saint Marys, Ohio. The Saint Joseph, on the right, originates in southern central Michigan not far from Jackson and reaches Northeast Indiana via the extreme northwestern corner of Ohio.

 

 

Saint Joseph River

 

Saint Marys River

 

Now, I'm standing on the grounds of the water filtration plant looking downstream toward the Columbia Avenue Bridge, my vantage point for the previous photos.

 

 

Father Julian Benoit was born in France in 1808, ordained in Baltimore in 1837, and came to Fort Wayne in 1840. He did much to advance the Roman Catholic faith in Fort Wayne, and was a friend and protector of the Native American people who lived in the area. His work in ministering to the sick and his generosity with his own personal funds were important in advancing civilization in a then-rough frontier settlement.

 

Local sculptor Hector Garcia created the bronze in 1976. Hector also was influential in establishing Three Rivers Velo Sport cycling club and arousing interest in a largely dormant activity in the 1960s. Note that the Rivergreenway passes by this point.

 

 

The water filtration plant was built in 1931 as part of a program to replace an outgrown and worn-out 1879 system using steam pumps and deep wells and an open storage reservoir atop a man-made hill in what is now Reservoir Park. The new plant was the first Fort Wayne public works project to use Federal money.

 

Local officials have been conscientious when planning expansions to stay consistent with the original exterior architectural designs.

 

 

 

Three Rivers Apartments, built in the 1960s. Still advertised as luxury apartments. Having not been in the buildings in more than thirty years, I wouldn't know.

 

Looking upstream from the Tecumseh Street Bridge, about a half mile from the confluence.

 

The 1913 Tecumseh Street bridge was terribly deteriorated and was closed for reconstruction. The restored bridge was reopened late last year. As much of the original stonework was reused as was possible, but all the limestone balusters had to be replaced.

 

 

 

Hosey Dam stands about a mile downstream from the confluence, near the Anthony Boulevard bridge. It was completed in 1925 and once included hydroelectric generating facilities. The last time I know of that the roller gates were raised was during the flood of 1982, and they have since been disabled because in their deteriorated condition they were vulnerable to damage by raising and lowering.

 

Roller gates must be raised and lowered skilfully under any conditions in order to keep them from becoming buoyant and floating out of their guide channels, a situation that would be difficult and expensive to remedy.

 

 

A study was commissioned in Autumn, 2009, to determine the feasibility of generating hydroelectric power at the Maumee Dam, the St. Joseph River Dam, and an outfall from the city sewage processing plant. I haven't yet heard any results from that study.

 

 

The only active control device on the dam now is the small tainter gate next to the structure that once housed the generating equipment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Chicago-Buffalo mainline of the former New York Chicago & St. Louis (Nickel Plate)Railroad, now Norfolk Southern, follows the Maumee eastward out of downtown. This is looking toward downtown; on the left, the building that once housed Wayne Candy Company, originator in the 1920s of the Wayne Bun. Bun bars now are made by Pearson Candy Company. They're a milk-chocolate-and-nut patty filled with a vanilla or maple fondant or caramel.

 

Looking eastward, if you follow the tracks far enough you'll go through Lakewood and then across a loooong, high viaduct over the Cuyahoga Valley. The Wayne Home Equipment Company was founded in 1928 to produce oil burners for home furnaces, water heaters, space heaters, and industrial boilers and ovens. In the 1940s they added water pumps to their product line. In 1998 Scott Fetzer Corporation bought the business, and in 1991 they moved it to Harrison, Ohio.

 

Looking downstream from the Anthony Boulevard Bridge, toward New Haven and the Indiana-Ohio line.

Amazing water plant; reminds me of the one in Saginaw.

I'd love to get a tour of it again. I've been in it twice, both times long ago.

 

When I was about seven years old, Dad knew one of the supervisors there. I don't know how; maybe church, Lions Club, bowling league or something. Anyway, he took me there on a Saturday and we got to walk through the whole thing. Another memory from that day is that for some reason Dad was driving my aunt's 1932 Ford V8 Roadster, tan with chocolate-brown fenders, rumble seat, and canvas top. It didn't have roll-up glass windows; it had isinglas windows on the sides, attached to the top with snaps and with a canvas flap at the bottom on the driver's side where you could stick your arm out to signal turns.

 

The other time was when I was about twenty. I was an apprentice machinist-toolmaker at GE, and a group of about a dozen of us arranged a tour one night. I remember how old-school formally arranged everything was inside, and how spotlessly clean. The floors gleamed.

Nice!!  You know I didn't know that the head waters of the Maumee was in Ft. Wayne until a year ago.  Those tracks are just up the street from my house!!  I see that it is still doulbe tracks in Ft. Wayne.  They took one of the tracks out when I was like 8.  I remember how cool it was to see two trains on the tracks...

I know the main focus is the head waters, but I was impressed by the miles and number of bike trails that that city has to offer. With the right weather, you could get quite the bike ride.

Nice!!  You know I didn't know that the head waters of the Maumee was in Ft. Wayne until a year ago.  Those tracks are just up the street from my house!!  I see that it is still doulbe tracks in Ft. Wayne.  They took one of the tracks out when I was like 8.  I remember how cool it was to see two trains on the tracks...

 

The line is double track through the city, but goes to single track on both the east and west. I'm not sure just where the double track ends; checking that out that might be a good afternoon project for me on a nice day. If you like this sort of stuff, and haven't seen the photos on my web site, check here and here.

 

I know the main focus is the head waters, but I was impressed by the miles and number of bike trails that that city has to offer. With the right weather, you could get quite the bike ride.

 

The rivergreenway system incorporates about 20 miles of decently-maintained asphalt trails, and more are on the agenda along with designated bike lanes on city streets. Aboite Township, west of the city, is developing its own trail system that eventually will link with the city's system. Likewise New Haven, east of Fort Wayne.

Awesome.

 

  Super cool! I had no idea. Thanks for posting.

Fort Waynes rivers remind me a bit of the one through South Bend, in that they dont have that aggressive channelization treatment that was given the Great Miami in Dayton. 

 

 

Fort Waynes rivers remind me a bit of the one through South Bend, in that they dont have that aggressive channelization treatment that was given the Great Miami in Dayton.

 

True, although the riverfront space in downtown Dayton, and for that matter, in downtown South Bend, and been turned into an attractive amenity providing activities for the public, unlike Fort Wayne, where more than thirty years ago the city stopped maintaining the riverbanks even downtown and in the parks and let them become completely overgrown with ailanthus altissima (stink trees), mulberries, wild grapes, and other invasive plants. Even the handsome water filtration plant in its classic setting at the confluence is almost completely hidden in summer by the thicket of trash vegetation that has been allowed to take over the view.

 

South Bend is fortunate in that its Saint Joseph River (not the same one that flows into Fort Wayne) has a much higher flow rate than our rivers do. There once was a hydroelectric plant in downtown South Bend across from the present East Race, and given the trends in energy costs, I wouldn't be surprised if someone is thinking about that now. Here's a photo of about half of the low-head dam there:

^

They incorporated the works from either that or an earlier hydraulic system into that art museum/convention center downtown. You can see the dam right from the main lobby space in the center.  Pretty cool concept.