Featured Trail Towns

The village of Fort Loramie is an original canal town along the Miami & Erie Canal. It was first established as a trading post by a French-Canadian fur trader Pierre-Louis de Lorimier (Peter Loramie). The indigenous Shawnee people used the post for attacks against the European settlers during the Revolutionary War. The post was burnt to the ground and abandoned in 1782, remaining vacant until 1795. After the victory of the Battle of Fallen Timbers, General “Mad” Anthony Wayne ordered a fort built at the site.

Defiance is the heart of the historic Maumee River Valley and is where the Maumee and Auglaize Rivers meet. From its earliest days, Defiance has been a hub for the shipping and receiving goods. Whether it was early supplies passing through Fort Winchester or goods being transferred on the Miami-Wabash and Erie canals that ran through the community, transportation has played a major role in our development. In later years, the addition of several railways that traveled through Defiance helped to facilitate the industrial growth that continues to support the city today.