Rowan's Enlargement
ROWAN'S ENLARGEMENT In the 1820s a three mile canal was built between west Louisville and Portland by _____ Seele, John Rowan's in-law, to bypass the Falls of the Ohio. Before the canal was built, passage around the falls required that all vessels had to be unloaded and the goods transported by land. This led to the settlement of Louisville at the upper end of the falls and Portland at the lower end, and made a few people quite wealthy. Steele, who had some business losses, was forced to sell the land along the canal. John Rowan came forth with enough cash to get Steele out of his financial problems, and in the process John wound up with the land along the canal. After the canal was finished, there was no need for Portland and it became more or less deserted. (GA)