Friends of the Rivers: forfw.org/, is on Facebook: www.facebook.com/FORFWA/, Instagram: www.instagram.com/friendsoftherivers/, and has many videos on their Friends of the Rivers YouTube channel with many videos shown on this page and other pages on our website.

Jump to Bridges, Friends of the Rivers, Floods, Riverfront Development, Information, Maumee River, St. Marys River, and St. Joseph River, Sweet Breeze Canal Boat

John McGauley photograph River Confluence taken June 3, 2013 posted on flickr
An aerial view of the confluence of the St. Mary's, St. Joseph and Maume rivers in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Citizen River from Lynchpin Creative on Vimeo
Filmed on location in Fort Wayne, Indiana on the St. Joseph River between Spy Run Avenue and Northside Drive.
Sponsored by Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana, Lincoln Financial Group. Original music by Alec Johnson.

Fort Wayne has been known as the "Summit City" since 1853 as it is the highest point on the 3 rivers lying on the St. Lawrence River Continental Divide, which separates the Great Lakes Basin from the rest of the Atlantic Ocean watershed. It is called the Little River Valley that was carved out by glaciers during the Maumee torrent where glacial Lake Maumee scoured a valley from southwest Allen County to Huntington. This designation has been important since the canal era when the Wabash and Erie Canal ground breaking in 1832 passed through Fort Wayne in 1835. Where do Fort Wayne’s rivers begin and where do they go? published March 13, 2017 on Riverfront Fort Wayne. See the Maumee River which flows northeast from Fort Wayne to Toledo, Ohio, the St. Joseph River which flows southwest from Hillsdale, Michigan through northwest Ohio to Fort Wayne, and the St. Marys River starting near Celina, Ohio flowing northwest to Fort Wayne on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. The USGS Streamer app shows the river Trace Downstream and Trace Upstream. BTW - the correct spelling of St. Marys River does NOT include an apostrophe!

A Watershed Mentality a WFWA TV39 PBS Fort Wayne Special | 27m 5s | Video has closed captioning. The Maumee River is the single largest tributary and watershed in the Great Lakes and deposits millions of cubic yards of sediment into Lake Erie yearly. Aired: 02/04/09 Rating: NR. DVD at the Allen County Public Library.

Confluence and Watershed of 3 Rivers posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube.
Middle of the video shows several watershed maps.

The video below shows a modern look at how it would be possible to travel by river from Fort Wayne to the Gulf of Mexico.

Fort Wayne to Gulf of Mexico via river May 2, 2023 Scharpy1 on YouTube.
My first attempt at Google Earth tour recording. Wondered if it would be possible to float all the way to the Gulf of Mexico from close to home. Yes, it would. Start at Little River, 900 feet west of Ardmore Avenue next to Hardrock Road. Here's the kicker...go 1600 feet east of that point to float to the Atlantic Ocean via Fairfield Ditch, St. Marys River, Maumee River, Lake Erie, Niagra River, Lake Ontario, St. Lawrence River, Atlantic Ocean. Hence Fort Wayne's nickname: The Summit City, the high point of the Wabash and Erie Canal.

February 22, 2023 post by The Journal Gazette on Facebook:

In responsed to a Norfolk-Southern Railway train derailment February 3, 2023 260 miles east of Fort Wayne in New Palestine, Ohio.

It’s OK to drink the water, city says. Find out why you don’t need to worry, despite the recent Ohio spill. Details here: https://www.journalgazette.net/.../article_3dd38128-b244... 

Quote from the article:

If a chemical spill were to happen on the St. Joseph River, City Utilities would take proper action while working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Indiana Department of Environmental Health and the Allen County Department of Health.

City Utilities said the delivery of safe, abundant, high-quality water to customers is an ongoing priority.

“To that end, Three Rivers Filtration Plant conducts more than 50,000 tests daily in our lab and through our automation processes,” the statement said. “Our water testing occurs every minute of every day.” 

Origin of Summit City on page 427 of The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River by Griswold, B. J. (Bert Joseph), 1873-1927; Taylor, Samuel R., Mrs Publication date 1917 on Archive.org.

Riverfront Development

Plan suggesting a civic center marking noted historic site "Glorious Gate" : embellishing entrance to the proposed Anthony Wayne Maumee River Parkway, Fort Wayne to Toledo by Hanna, Robert B; Bradley, LeRoy; Fort Wayne (Ind.). City Plan Commission, Publication date 1934 on Archive.org.

Reproduced above is a plan of a civic center for Fort Wayne made by Robert B. Hanna, Consultant to the City Plan Commission, assisted by LeRoy Bradley, a local architect. As described by Mr. Hanna in an article in today's News-Sentinel, the principal existing feature of the plan is the new Filtration Plant; and its principal proposed features are these: A group of five public buildings at the end of East Berry Street, to be terminated at Lafayette Street; relocating the East end of Main Street, bringing it in line with the bridge at the confluence; bridge at Lafayette Street — Spy Run Avenue; re-arranging street car lines, running them straight with these bridges; fourfold arch memorial spanning street intersection that would displace Old Fort Park; municipal pier and boat house; park areas; large fountain; statutes of Washington, Wayne and Little Turtle; beautified river banks; and a system of riverside drives about the confluence that could be extended up along the St. Joseph and St. Mary's rivers to towns above and down along the Maumee to Toledo.

Glorious Gate In that famous debate between General Anthony Wayne and Chief Little Turtle at conference which terminated in the Greenville Treaty of Peace. Little Turtle's main contention was for a large tract of aand about this confluence and in his eloquent speech he referred to this location as That Glorous Gate through which all the worlds of our chiefs have had to pass from the north to the south and from the east to the west.

Anthony Wayne Wayne's victorious campaign was the most noteworthy ever carried on against them (the Indians of the Northwest) for it brought the first lasting peace on the border and put an end to the bloody turmoil of forty years fighting. It was one of the most striking and weighty feats in the winning ofthe West - Theodore Roosevelt.

Features Marking Historic Sites Kekionga Park
Miami village known as early as 1682.
East Main Bridge - route of Wayne's arrival - Sept. 17, 1794.
North Half-City Hall - fort christianed Fort Wayne. October 22, 1794.
Memorial - Main & Clay - fort built by Colonel John Hunt in 1800.
Rebuilt by Major Whistler 1815.
Portage Road - eastern terminal of Most famous portage in America.
Boat Landing - south end of Lafayette Bridge marks site of Pirogue or canoe landing in days of river transportation
Drive , Linking Columbia with Erie Street, marks course of old Wabash and Erie Canal
Harmar's Ford - site of Harmar's Defeat, October 22, 1790.

Railroad Consolidation - If the N.Y.C & St. L. railroad tracks should be abandoned, and their trains be routed through Fort Wayne over the Pennsylvania and Wabash tracks. Then a Riverside Drive should displace this R.R. right-of-way and this plan be revised accordingly

2015/02/04: City of Fort Wayne Riverfront Development Plan by AroundFortWayne posted Feb 4, 2015 on YouTube
Video from the SWA Group and City of Fort Wayne summarizing the riverfront development plans for downtown Fort Wayne Indiana.
See Photos and video from last month’s Big Reveal posted March 4, 2015 by AroundFortWayne.com.

1. Riverfront Fort Wayne is the name for development of the 3 rivers in downtown Fort Wayne started in 2015 with a conceptual plan drawn up and shared with the community. Read more on their History page and follow on Facebook.
2. Explore Fort Wayne's Three Rivers various articles by Visit Fort Wayne.
3. Promenade Park by City of Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation.
4. A Riverfront View Development is taking root by Jeff Wiehe published May 2, 2017 on Fort Wayne Magazine.

April 11, 2017 post by the City of Fort Wayne Government on Facebook:

Great news today from the Northeast Indiana Regional Development Authority on Riverfront Fort Wayne Development.

Promenade Park posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube. See Promenade Park for more information.

Episode 125: Drinking Water by Granite Ridge Builders posted Oct 15, 2019 on YouTube
Learn more about the process of getting drinking water from the river, filtration plant, and to the home. We will explore this topic at one of Fort Wayne's newest and popular destinations, Promenade Park!
Granite Ridge also has videos called Episode 6: Water (Part 1) April 2, 2015, Episode 7: Water (Part 2) May 15, 2019, and Episode 126: Water Management November 21, 2019.

There Are Rivers by Dale Enochs posted September 11, 2021 by Fort Wayne Museum of Art on YouTube
100 Years ago, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art organized into a professional organization after starting with art classes in the homes of the West Central neighborhood in 1888. That organization - the Fort Wayne Museum of Art and School - graduated dozens of artists that, today, are still part of our vibrant arts community.
Dale Enochs is one of those artists, a Fort Wayne native and graduate of the Fort Wayne Art School. He's gone on to create dozens of public sculptures around the state, but this is his first in Fort Wayne.
The sculpture is called "There Are Rivers", and it pays homage to the 3 rivers that converge in Fort Wayne and their role in the development of the land and community.

February 23, 2023 post by Riverfront Fort Wayne on Facebook:

Preparations have begun for phase two of the construction projects at the Riverfront Fort Wayne public space. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bridges

Bridges of Fort Wayne posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube. See our page Streets of Fort Wayne.
Video cover bridge image is similar to the Lincoln Highway Bridge postcard looking downtown in the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library.

Wells Street Bridge posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube. See our page Streets of Fort Wayne.

Back to top

River Information

2015/08/11: On the rivers in downtown Fort Wayne Indiana by AroundFortWayne posted July 5, 2016 on YouTube
On the St. Joseph, St. Marys and Maumee Rivers in downtown Fort Wayne Indiana and as far as one can navigate.
Special thanks to Josh Harper for providing the AroundFortWayne time lapse camera, Captain Dan Wire for the pontoon ride and Alec Johnson - smartalecproductions.com - for the soundtrack

1. River fun facts:

   Many people think rivers flow from north to south, but Fort Wayne’s rivers are great examples of rivers that don’t flow in the direction you think they might.

   Fort Wayne sits on what is known as the St. Lawrence continental divide that separates the Great Lakes Basin from the Gulf of Mexico watershed.

   Although the land around Fort Wayne is flat, the city is on a small ridge that resulted from receding glaciers that covered the area in the Ice Age.

   The St. Joseph River begins in Hillsdale County, Michigan. It flows southeast into Ohio where it turns and flows southwest to Fort Wayne.

   The St. Marys River begins near Celina, Ohio. It flows northwest into Fort Wayne where it meets the St. Joseph River near Headwaters Park.

   The two rivers combine to form the Maumee River. It flows in a northeasterly direction and ends at Toledo where it dumps into Lake Erie.

   What happened to the apostrophe in the St. Marys River? According ot the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, it is correct to write St. Marys River and incorrect to write St. Mary’s River. This is because the river is named St. Marys and isn’t a river that belongs to St. Mary. Copied from an August 18, 2022 post by Friends of the Rivers on Facebook.

2. Fort Wayne: riverfront heritage and historic building reuse posted August 4, 2018 on Archives of Hoosier History Live podcast on Saturdays, noon to 1 p.m. ET on WICR 88.7 FM. The introduction begins with The state's second-largest city is located at the confluence of three waterways: the St. Joseph, St. Mary's and Maumee rivers. Against the backdrop of a vibrant revival of the downtown riverfront in Fort Wayne, we will explore the impact of the rivers on the city as well as current initiatives to reuse historic riverfront buildings. A significant aspect of the city's river history involves the Wabash & Erie Canal that began operating in 1835 and came right through Fort Wayne. ... Nelson will be joined by two studio guests who will serve as our guides through Fort Wayne's riverfront history and the new ways it's being showcased: Allen County historian Tom Castaldi, who writes a history column for Fort Wayne Monthly magazine and hosts "On the Heritage Trail" segments about local history for WBOI-FM Radio. And Fort Wayne historian Randy Harter, the owner of Fort Wayne Food Tours, which offers downtown walking tours exploring the city's history, architecture and food heritage. Randy also is the author of several books, including Legendary Locals of Fort Wayne (Arcadia Publishing, 2015) - fellow guest Tom Castaldi is among those profiled in it - and Fort Wayne Through Time, which will be published this fall.
3. Allen County Geology with more maps, photos and information at Indiana Geological &Water Survey Indiana University.
4. Hannah's Ford marker along the river.
5. The Heritage Trail - Fort Wayne River Systems 3.5 minute audio walk on the Heritage Trail by Tom Castaldi, local historianApril 1, 2013 on 89.1 WBOI Northeast Indiana Public Radio. One of almost 50 historic audio walks.
6. Indiana's muddy river navigability laws could impact Fort Wayne's riverfront plans Fort Wayne Parks director said the city is aware of the situation by Kevin Kilbane published September 15, 2017 on The News-Sentinel newspaper.
7. Little River Wetlands Project in the watershed of the Little River, a major tributary of the Wabash River on the west side of city, bald eagles frequent area, since 1990 1,000 restored acres of marsh and prairie of former 25,000 acre Great Marsh.Little River Valley has videos and lots of information at the Little River Wetland Project..
8. Three old postcards of the rivers locations discussed October 7, 2017 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
9. River Greenway Trail - 20 miles of trails along the banks of the St. Mary's, St. Joseph and the Maumee Rivers
10. USGS National Water Dashboard for Indiana shows real-time water data collected at U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) observation stations in context with weather-related data from other public sources.
11. USGS Streamer - Explore Americaa's larger streats as you trace upstream to their source or downstream to where they empty. Learn more about your stream traces and the places they pass through in brief or detailed reports. See weather radar and near real-time streamflow conditions.
12. USGS Water Data for the Nation has a clickable National Water Information System: Mapper to zoom in on states, counties, cities to individual data collection points. From Getting his feet wet for science photo captioned: Caleb Artz, a physical scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, wades into the Maumee River on Wednesday to conduct a discharge measurement for the Hosey Dam. Data from this and other collections is available online at waterdata.usgs.gov. Arman Johnson December 29, 2022 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
    1. USGS 04183038 BLACK CREEK NEAR HARLAN, IN
    2. USGS 04180000 CEDAR CREEK NEAR CEDARVILLE, IN
    3. USGS 04182755 JUNK DITCH AT FORT WAYNE, IN
    4. USGS 04182950 MAUMEE RIVER AT COLISEUM BLVD AT FORT WAYNE, IN
    5. USGS 04182830 MAUMEE RIVER AT COLUMBIA ST AT FORT WAYNE, IN
    6. USGS 04182900 MAUMEE RIVER AT FORT WAYNE, IN
    7. USGS 04183000 MAUMEE RIVER AT NEW HAVEN, IN
    8. USGS 04180500 ST. JOSEPH RIVER NEAR FORT WAYNE, IN
    9. USGS 04180610 ST. JOSEPH R AT PARNELL AV AT FORT WAYNE, IN
    10. USGS 04182769 ST. MARYS RIVER AT MAIN ST. AT FORT WAYNE, IN
    11. USGS 04182000 ST. MARYS RIVER NEAR FORT WAYNE, IN
    12. USGS 04182808 SPY RUN CREEK NEAR PARK DRIVE AT FORT WAYNE, IN
13. MamaJo - see Water Filtration section. It’s part of an 18-year, $240 million effort to reduce the number of combined sewer overflows into Fort Wayne’s three rivers – the St. Joseph, St. Marys and the Maumee – from an average of 76 overflows per year to four. The St. Joseph is the first watershed that will reach compliance with the consent decree, Wirtz [Matthew Wirtz, City Utilities deputy director] said. Overflows occur when high water volumes, such as what might occur during heavy rainfall, back up the city’s combined sewer system, causing it to alleviate the pressure by discharging into the rivers. The St. Joseph River typically overflows 12 to 15 times a year, causing sewers to dump 9 million gallons of wastewater into the river. Through some earlier sewer separation projects, City Utilities has been able to decrease that amount to about 5 million gallons per year. "All those overflows (on the St. Joseph River) will be reduced to one or less in a typical year," Wirtz said. He said this portion of the project will be completed four years ahead of schedule and is expected to come in significantly under budget. Once the project is complete, it’s expected to discharge only about half a million gallons into the river in a typical year – a 97 percent decrease from the current overflow levels. Copied from Watershed year for St. Joe River Will achieve compliance with 2008 decree next year by Dave Gong published December 25, 2014 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
14. Watersheds - Art Meets Science, These Beautiful Maps Capture the Rivers That Pulse Through Our World Cartographer Robert Szucs creates colorful maps of the watersheds that creep across states, countries, continents and the globe by Anna White March 25, 2019 in Smithsonian Magazine and shared October 4, 2022 on their Facebook page.

Maumee River

Maumee River posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube.

1. ADVENTURES IN FOOD AND FITNESS: Exploring the Maumee, on foot and through time Book chronicles hike from river's headwaters to its mouth at Lake Erie by Tanya Isch Caylor published September 11, 2017 for The News-Sentinel newspaper
2. Few have probably heard of the Bullerman Ditch, which has its origins near the corner of Lahmeyer and Stellhorn roads in northeast Fort Wayne. From there, it winds south for about 3 miles through urbanized development and a bit of agricultural land before it drains into the Maumee River at North River Road. "As tributaries go," said Matt Jones, water resource education specialist for the Allen County Partnership for Water Quality, "it may seem like it’s just a drop in the bucket, but indeed, it runs through the most intensely landscaped countryside as it makes its way to the Maumee." With a conference on an Upper Maumee Watershed environmental implementation plan scheduled for Jan. 24, Save Maumee Grassroots Organization’s founder Abigail King has initiated a campaign to highlight the importance of the Bullerman Ditch. Copied from a longer article Save Maumee campaigns for clean ditch by Jamie Duffy published March 16, 2016 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
3. Highlights of the Maumee River Valley Did you know… The Maumee River is the largest in the entire Great Lakes System, unique geography of the Maumee watershed is a remnant of glaciers and the slowly falling water levels of prehistoric Lake Erie, served as a link between the Mississippi River system and the Great Lakes for humans for over 10,000 years, Britain and France vied for dominance in trade with Native American communities, and it was a major theater during the era between the French and Indian War and the War of 1812, France built two forts in the valley–Fort St. Phillipe des Miamis and Fort Miamis– near what is now downtown Fort Wayne, between 1700 and 1750 - read more from Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor.
4. Hiking the Maumee-Wabash canoe portage by Nate Meyer from Path to the Past in 1000 to 1900 in Fort Wayne History Stories About Time Periods in I Remember History online tour of Summit City history from the archives of The News-Sentinel newspaper.
5. Portage points from Path to the Past in 1000 to 1900 in Fort Wayne History Stories About Time Periods in I Remember History online tour of Summit City history from the archives of The News-Sentinel newspaper. The relatively short 6-mile overland trail connected the Lake Erie-St. Lawrence River-Atlantic Ocean passage with the Wabash-Ohio rivers route to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. What that means is Fort Wayne was the only place between Lake Erie and the Gulf of Mexico where a traveler would have to pull a canoe from the water and haul it over dry land. Depending on the season, the portage, a French term for “carrying place,” denotes the route where early travelers carried their canoes from one river over to another, may have been a 9 to 25 miles long overland hike copied from The Beginnings of the Portage to the Wabash River posted June 10, 2013 by Tom Castaldi on the History Center Notes & Queries blog. See Maumee-Wabash Portage Was Once Widely Used By Indians, Traders map from the two page December 28, 1958 article in the The Journal Gazette newspaper at History Center Digital Collection on the mDON mastodon Digital Object Network.
6. Map of the Historic Maumee River prepared for Au Glaise Village - Defiance, Ohio Historical Society by Historyland Press, Lakeside, Ohio posted Septemberr 13, 2017 on Hofer and Davis, Inc. Land Surveyors on Facebook .
   1. Copy of this map as a pdf is at https://www.pauldingcountyengineer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/History-Poster.pdf
   2. Map of the historic Maumee River, Miami of the lake and its tributaries : with the Indian towns and trails, military roads, forts & battle sights of the French, British and American expeditions that passes this way by Robert E Ernst for publisher: Lakeside, Ohio : Historyland Press, 1973.on a WorldCat library search.
7. Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor
8. St Marys and Maumee at Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The St. Marys River and Maumee River Watershed is located in northeastern Indiana, draining approximately 376 square miles in Adams and Allen counties. Major streams included in the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report are St. Marys River, Maumee River, Habegger Ditch, Gates Ditch, Blue Creek, Yellow Creek, Martz Ditch, Borum Run, Holthouse Ditch, Kohne Ditch, Gerke Ditch, and Nickelsen Creek, Trier Ditch, Bullerman Ditch, Gar Creek, Botern Ditch, Black Creek, Ham Interceptor Ditch and other tributaries.

Dan Wire talks about the Maumee Watershed Alliance by AroundFortWayne posted March 9, 2021 on YouTube.
Website: http://maumeewatershedalliance.org/, Facebook: Maumee Watershed Alliance

Hosey Dam

Hosey Dam on Maumee River posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube.

1. Maumee River & Hosey Dam  at City of Fort Wayne.

   City Utilities can lower river levels by a few feet by opening a gate at the Hosey Dam on the Maumee River and allowing more water to flow downstream. Opening this "tainter" gate is similar to opening a drain in a bathtub. However the difference is that opening the gate does not allow the rivers to empty completely. Even when the gate is open, only a limited amount of water can flow out of the river system. So it is possible to have river flooding even if the gate is open. The likelihood of flooding depends on the amount of rain received in the City and upstream on the St. Joseph and St. Mary's Rivers.

   Between October 15 and April 15, the tainter gate is left open and rivers fall to a low winter pool level. Between April 15 and October 15, the tainter gate is typically closed and the rivers rise to their normal summer pool level. Sometimes during the summer, the level of Fort Wayne's rivers may be lowered for planned construction or maintenance projects. Log jam removal, bridge or dam repairs, and sewer improvement projects are just some examples of work that might necessitate the lowering of river levels. The Tainter Gate Policy was established in 2007.

2. Hosey Dam and Power Station, sometimes called the Anthony Blvd. dam, located on the Maumee River near Anthony Blvd. photo in the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library.
3. Fort Wayne's Dams with many photos including Hosey Dam Plaque from 1923-1925 and information posted May 12, 2019 at Industrial History blog: These are notes that I am writing to help me learn our industrial history. They are my best understanding, but that does not mean they are a correct understanding.

4. Daniel Baker photo "The Hosey Dam" photo taken on June 28, 2014 posted on flickr states:

   The Hosey Dam was named for Fort Wayne Mayor William J. Hosey, who's list of accomplishments included: the City Light & Power Company Plant, the Three Rivers Filtration Plant and getting the elevated railroad tracks project started. The Hosey was built in the mid-1920s as one of the first major public works projects in Allen County. Located on the Maumee River about a mile south of the confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Marys Rivers, it holds back about 10 feet of water to Sweeney and Johnny Appleseed Parks.

   During its life, Hosey Dam served as a power source providing electricity through its hydroelectric generators. Other purposes are a bit uncertain, though. Some say that it was constructed at a time when most sewers emptied into the rivers. Raising the river insured enough water to dilute the sewage, thus lowering the smell. Another supposed purpose was flood control. But, in reality, the rollers could not be raised high enough to halt the flood waters. The rollers as well as the hydroelectric generators have long been out of service.

   Rumor has it that there was a study done to see whether or not the Hosey could return to providing electricity. What the outcome was (if there was one), I do not know.

5. Hosey Dam Maumee River Dam Bridge statistics, map, and photos at HistoricBridges.com.

St. Joseph River

St. Joe River posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube.
Discusses the Feeder Canal of Wabash & Erie Canal, Saint Joe Dam, Fort Wayne Filtration Plant, and Hirschtown Reservoir

1. Fort Wayne, IN: Canal Feeder Dam and Robison Amusement Park, 1896-1919 posted February 5, 2020 on Towns and Nature blog included a September 2020 Facebook post that stated: Dam was in middle of “S” curve (see an arial view) on St Joe River by former site of Swift-Goshorn mill at Paradise Lagoon, just downstream from feeder canal (Summit Point). The earthen dikes are on both sides of the river, if you know where to look. This area is undeveloped floodplain, just east of Northpointe Woods clubhouse. I believe some of that is now private property, but it used to belong to City of Ft Wayne, before that it was the old Kroemer farm. I used to go back there in the seventies. Interesting thing is that area was meant to be the originally proposed site of the Fort’s backup water supply. They had planned to dam the river again in the twenties/thirties, but instead opted for the Cedarville Reservoir further upstream.
2. St. Joseph River dam video posted April 9, 2017 by Tom Mauger on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
3. St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative

St. Joe River Dam posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube.
Mentions several places such as the Water Filtration plant and Fort Wayne Municipal Beach. Back to top

St. Marys River

St. Mary's River posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube. For more see Glorious Gate or Great Black Swamp.

Spy Run Creek & William Wells posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube. See more on William Wells.

1. St. Marys River, without an apostrophe.
   1. According to the United States Board on Geographic Names, it is correct to write St. Marys River, and incorrect to write St. Mary’s River. In all communications, Riverfront Fort Wayne will use St. Marys River, and will advocate for the elimination of St. Mary’s River in all other signage and communication. Copied from What happened to the apostrophe in the St. Marys River? posted 03/13/2017 on Riverfront Fort Wayne blog.

   2. May 16, 2017 post on Maumee Watershed Alliance on Facebook:

      FUN FACT: Did you know that in 1910, the St. Marys River was officially named by the United States Geographic Board?

      According to the Geographic Names Information System of the USGS (https://on.doi.gov/2qocPZz), while it was recognized that a variant name was "St. Mary's," the official name does not include the apostrophe.

   3. August 18, 2022 post by Friends of the Rivers on Facebook:

      River fun facts: 💦

      Many people think rivers flow from north to south, but Fort Wayne’s rivers are great examples of rivers that don’t flow in the direction you think they might.

      Fort Wayne sits on what is known as the St. Lawrence continental divide that separates the Great Lakes Basin from the Gulf of Mexico watershed. 🌊

      Although the land around Fort Wayne is flat, the city is on a small ridge that resulted from receding glaciers that covered the area in the Ice Age. 🧊

      The St. Joseph River begins in Hillsdale County, Michigan. It flows southeast into Ohio where it turns and flows southwest to Fort Wayne. 💦

      The St. Marys River begins near Celina, Ohio. It flows northwest into Fort Wayne where it meets the St. Joseph River near Headwaters Park. 🦦

      The two rivers combine to form the Maumee River. It flows in a northeasterly direction and ends at Toledo where it dumps into Lake Erie. 🌊

      ? What happened to the apostrophe in the St. Marys River?

      According to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, it is correct to write St. Marys River and incorrect to write St. Mary’s River. This is because the river is named St. Marys and isn’t a river that belongs to St. Mary. 🦦 💦

2. Navigability status of the St. Marys River a complicated issue published September 15, 2017 by The Journal Gazette newspaper.
3. St Marys and Maumee at Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The St. Marys River and Maumee River Watershed is located in northeastern Indiana, draining approximately 376 square miles in Adams and Allen counties. Major streams included in the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report are St. Marys River, Maumee River, Habegger Ditch, Gates Ditch, Blue Creek, Yellow Creek, Martz Ditch, Borum Run, Holthouse Ditch, Kohne Ditch, Gerke Ditch, and Nickelsen Creek, Trier Ditch, Bullerman Ditch, Gar Creek, Botern Ditch, Black Creek, Ham Interceptor Ditch and other tributaries.
4. St. Marys River Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service at the National Weather Service.
5. St Marys River WMP 7-184 at Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

St. Mary's River Fort Wayne Indiana by Scharpy1 October 25, 2022 on YouTube
Unusual warm October 24th. Very pleasant kayak from downtown upriver 3 miles and back.

Sweet Breeze Canal Boat

1. Ride Aboard Sweet Breeze at City of Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation.
2. Short video “Sweet Breeze” sets sail in Fort Wayne by Angelica Robinson published June 6, 2017 with other Sweet Breeze articles on CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15.
3. "Sweet Breeze" Settles In On Fort Wayne Rivers by Julia Meek published June 7, 2017 on 89.1 WBOI Northeast Indiana Public Radio.
4. Sweet Breeze canal boat’s first season on Fort Wayne rivers called a success by Kevin Kilban published October 21, 2017 on The News-Sentinel newspaper.

2017/03/23: Dan Wire talks about the new Canal Boat by AroundFortWayne March 27, 2017 on YouTube
Dan Wire, Executive Director of the Tri-State Watershed Alliance, speaks with the media after the unveiling of the boat by the Friends of the Rivers. This is a new attraction for downtown Fort Wayne and will be plying the waters of the downtown areas of the three rivers - the St. Marys River, St. Joseph River and Maumee River.

Sweet Breeze replica Canal Boat posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube. See Wabash & Erie Canal.

Ride with the Sweet Breeze! by FortWayneParks December 6, 2021 on YouTube.
Get your tickets today to ride Fort Wayne's replica canal boat along our rivers. Sweet Breeze Boat Tour tickets are available at RideSweetBreeze.org!

Sweet Breeze Launch 2022 by FortWayneParks May 17, 2022 on YouTube.
Sweet Breeze is launched into the St Marys river to prepare for the upcoming tour season.

SweetBreeze MediumSpeed by FortWayneParks October 26, 2022 on YouTube.
Fast-forward to the end of the season as Sweet Breeze is removed from the St. Marys river and prepped for storage.

Sweet Breeze Canal Boat, Dan by FortWayneParks March 16, 2023 on YouTube.
See why staff love working at Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation.

Sweet Breeze Canal Boat Launch 2023 by FortWayneParks May 9, 2023 on YouTube.
The Sweet Breeze Canal Boat is back on the St. Marys River! Step aboard and learn more about the upcoming season of general and specialty tours at the Season Kickoff Open House on Friday, May 26, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Tour schedule and reservations are available now at www.RideSweetBreeze.org.
Also May 9, 2023 post on Facebook.

Floods

Flood of 1913 posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube. See our 1913 Flood page.

Flood & Erosion Control posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube.
The video mentions the major floods of 1876, 1913 [page 549 of Griswold's 1917 Pictorial History The Flood of March 1913 discussesd the 1876 flood and other earlier floods], and 1982. Then around the 25 second mark discusses moving the bodies and tombstones in Broadway Cemetery to Lindenwood Cemetery while showing the 1847 Ewing tombstone and other tombstones that were used to stablize the Saint Marys river bank in Swinney Park for flood control.

Fort Wayne Flood of 1982 posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube.

1. See 1876 flood on Timeline, our 1913 Flood page, March 1978 on our Timeline page, and March 1982 flood page.
2.  Flood Control Department and Chronological Flood History list at the City of Fort Wayne.
3. Chapter XIV Fort Wayne, Indiana 24-page report at desastres.unanleon.edu.in. Appears to be a website based in India?
4. WORKING PAPER #73 THE FORT WAYNE FLOOD: A CASE STUDY Brenda Phillips October 1984 University of Delaware Disaster Research Center.
5. There are 28 mentions of flood in the book The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River by Griswold, B. J. (Bert Joseph), 1873-1927; Taylor, Samuel R., Mrs, Publication date 1917 on Archive.org.
6. 6. Description of the 1982 Flooding in Fort Wayne Indiana at Weather.gov with newspaper photos.
7. Appendix 7-C: February 1985 Fort Wayne Flood Summary, excerpts from a paper by Carrol, T.R. and R.D. Marshall, 1985. starting on page 125-130 of 230 pages, G-17 to G-22, lists Four Greatest Fort Wayne Floods 1913, 1978, 1982, 1985 in Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA 116 February 1987 Reducing Loses in High Risk Flood Hazard Areas: A Guide for Local Officials.
8. Page 42 Intensive Archaeological Survey for the Proposed Fort Wayne Flood Control Project at Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana Conducted for: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Detroit istrict Contract No. DACW35-88-D-0049 Delivery Order No. 0004 DTIC Selected Jan 30, 1990.CCRG Commonwealth Cultural Resources Group 6928. In the mid-third of the survey area, the gravelly sand horizon interfaced with the humic top soil zone at depths ranging from 5 to 30 centimeters below the surface. This deposit, which is assumed to represent mixed river source fills, constituted the soil matrix associated with the cut limestone Rudisill Mill foundation which was identified in this area of CIO. Field examinations conducted on July 18, 20, and 26, 1989 provided data which indicate a high probability of survival of the above mentioned mill site.
9. USGS Prepared in Cooperation with the City of Fort Wayne, Indiana Flood-Inundation Maps for the St. Marys River at Fort Wayne, Indiana Prepared in Cooperation with the City of Fort Wayne, Indiana Flood-Inundation Maps for the St. Marys River at Fort Wayne, Indiana By Chad D. Menke, Moon H. Kim, and Kathleen K. Fowler Pamphlet to accompany Scientific Investigations Map 3205 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior KEN SALAZAR, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Marcia K. McNutt, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2012.
10. A century's worth of work has made Fort Wayne less flood-prone City has tried three different types of flood-control approaches shows a timeline of floods and flood control projects over the past 100 years since the 1913 flood by Bob Caylor was published March 21, 2013 in the The News-Sentinel newspaper.
11. Historic March floods of 1982 and 100th anniversary of March 26, 1913 flood that left 20% of the city homeless in The City That Saved Itself--TWICE! March 6, 2013 by Nancy McCammon-Hansen on History Center Notes & Queries blog.
12. New house at 1523 Edgewater mentioned as being in the flood district in May 17, 1914 The Journal Gazette newspaper posted October 7, 2017 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook
13. Rivers On A Rampage - Recent Rains Cause Floods in all the Streams - St. Mary's and St. Joe Over Their Banks With Prospects for Record-Breaking Floods was the headline April 14, 1903 in the Fort Wayne News newspaper article April 14, 2014 discussion on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.
14. THIEME DRIVE: THE TRAGEDY OF THE CITY’S FLOOD PROTECTION PLANS posted March 5, 2007 on Berry Street Beacon blog.
15. Where do floodwaters come from? This map shows you by Nexstar Media Wire, Jeremy Tanner posted: Aug 22, 2022, updated: Aug 22, 2022 on CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15.

16. 
    Facebook

    March 5, 2023 post by Indiana Department of Natural Resourceson Facebook:

    Did you know Indiana has a flood insurance website where you can learn about flood risk, flood insurance, and mitigation activities? This site is joint project developed by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Indiana Department of Insurance and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Water. Check it out at IN.gov/floodinsurance.

    #Flooding #FloodSmart #MetropolitanFlooding

     

     

     

     

     

Friends of the Rivers

Friends of the Rivers on YouTube have many short 1-2 minute videos. We posted many of them on this River page with links to those on other pages here:

1. Anthony Wayne
2. Centlivre Brewery
3. Chief Richardville House
4. Edsall Grist Mill
5. The Old Fort
6. Forts 1&2
7. Fort Wayne Forts 3,4 & 5
8. Guldlin Park
9. Harmar's Defeat
10. Interurban Traction Company
11. Johnny Appleseed & Pirogue Landing - posted on two different pages
12. The Landing
13. League Baseball Park
14. Little Turtle
15. Little Turtle Grave
16. Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge
17. McCulloch Mansion
18. Myaamia Removal
19. Nickel Plate Railroad Bridge
20. Portage to Wabash River
21. Railroads in Fort Wayne
22. Reservoir Park
23. Robison Park
24. Rudisill Grist Mill
25. Science Central
26. State Street & Environs - street is actually State Boulevard
27. The Wabash and Erie Canal
28. The Wabash & Erie Canal Aqueduct and Old Aqueduct Club
29. Water Filtration Plant

Deep Rock Tunnel Project posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube.

Recreation & River Greenway posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube.

Sunset Bay Development posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube.

Vegetation posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube. See Eagle Marsh, Indiana Native Plants Society, or Little River Wetland..

Wildlife posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube.

February 24, 2023 post by Northside Neighborhood Association on Facebook:

A long post but PLEASE be engaged and SHARE SHARE SHARE! Even if you don’t live in the Northside Neighborhood, this issue could affect the future of our rivers.

Dear Neighbors, this may very well be a moment in time when the actions of a few determine a dramatic change in the character of our Northside Neighborhood.

The Allen County Plan Commission recently passed the request for zoning change (from residential to commercial) and the preliminary site plan for the property at Spy Run Ext. and Parnell. This request for a party boat “headquarters,” while not officially in the Northside Neighborhood could have a big effect on the quiet, family-friendly area that we all love.

The board of the NNA has written letters, passed petitions, communicated with neighbors and city leaders, spoken at the plan commission hearing, etc. The next step in the process is for Fort Wayne City Council to vote on the recommendation to approve the zoning change and preliminary site plan. This is where we can put a stop to the plan. WE NEED YOU!

While our city council representative, Russ Jehl, has communicated his intention to support the desires of his constituency and vote, “no,” his is only one vote. PLEASE contact the other members of city council and ask the to also vote, “NO!” We’re including here a list of email addresses (you can cut and paste), but it will also be helpful for you to CALL!

We’re adding some of the points that are helpful in making our case that the location of this party-based business is BAD for the Northside Neighborhood.

We in the Northside Neighborhood LOVE our rivers. We ARE the “river neighborhood,” bordered on three sides by the rivers. We LOVE encouraging people to enjoy this naturally beautiful asset of our city! We LOVE riverfront development that ADDS to the quality of life here in the Northside. This development will DE TRACT from those of us who live closest to the rivers.

Here are some points to make when contacting our city council members (all of them!). It’s also helpful to copy Mr. Jehl on your communications and thank him for supporting the Northside Neighborhood.

1) Increased traffic and overflow parking in the Northside Neighborhood.
2) Increased automobile traffic around the trail system in the Spy Run/Parnell area, disturbing and making unsafe its use by pedestrians and cyclists. Moving the trail to streetside and along the parking lot is not comparable nor an acceptable solution that is fair to the taxpayers and users of the trail system.
3) Increased noise from the large number of partyers on the river at once, disturbing and making unsafe the quiet riparian environment currently enjoyed by kayakers and others paddlers.
4) Concerns about increased incidences of public intoxication and driving under the influence in the neighborhood.
5) Increased traffic in an already congested area. (And the following statements are regarding the Fort Wayne Allen County Comprehensive Plan, ways in which the proposal contradicts the plan which was adopted by the city as a guiding document.)
6) This proposal is not compatible with surrounding development which is predominately Residential Zoning and Residential Land Use.
7) This proposal will negatively impact nearby property values by removing natural elements that draw homeowners. It will also negatively impact property values by situating an adult outdoor business near residential neighborhoods. It will be injurious to the morals of the families living in the surrounding homes.

This proposal will be injurious to public safety and general welfare by removing the beneficial features of the existing property, which are many.

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