A rivalry lengthy earlier than soccer

PERRY TWP. ‒ The rating within the Massillon vs. Canton rivalry is definitely a 1 to 1 stalemate.

This competitors has nothing to do with high school football. The gridiron rivalry between the 2 cities, simply eight miles aside, could have begun in 1894, however the locales had already executed battle for greater than a half-century prior.

“The lowly mosquito is the origin,” Richard Haldi introduced to a crowd of about 75 individuals in a convention room at Stark Parks’ Stark County District Library’s Exploration Gateway one night final week.

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The Perry Township location was acceptable — it is kind of the Switzerland situated between the 2 cities.

Haldi, an area historical past buff and writer, has been doing his historical past talks for years to church and civic teams. He has a slate of 44 totally different topics — from Canton’s “Little Chicago” mafia previous to the story of the rise and fall of Meyers Lake amusement park.

Retired from Diebold Inc. twenty years in the past, Haldi is 84 years outdated. He admits he in all probability will not be capable of do the native lecture circuit for an excessive amount of longer.

“I do not stand in addition to I used to,” he stated afterward.

We do not desire a stinkin’ canal

However Haldi’s supply on this night for his “A Story of Two Cities” was stuffed with his traditional vitality. No fancy PowerPoints. Only a microphone, a mammoth pile of transparencies and an overhead projector.

He guided the viewers by the nineteenth century occasions that led to the creation of Massillon and Canton, the close to demise of the latter, and the way they’re intertwined.

“Canton inadvertently created Massillon by refusing the canal,” Haldi advised them. “However Massillon (then) saved Canton by bringing the railroad to Stark County.”

Based in 1805 by Bezaleel Wells, Canton got here first.

When plans to construct a part of the Ohio and Erie Canal developed within the early 1820s, Canton wished no a part of it. The very last thing early leaders wished was an enormous ditch of water on the town. Water attracted mosquitoes, which led to malaria, a virus.

The large ditch wound up close to the Tuscarawas River and Massillon was born in 1826.

With the equal of a modern-day freeway operating by Massillon, the town grew. Haldi referred to a bit written by historian Henry Howe in 1846: “Massillon shortly grew to become a canal city that for over twenty years actually sank Canton. Nice private animosities arose amongst Canton’s early townsfolks, between the enemies and pals of a giant ditch in Ohio.”

A railroad saves the day for each cities

Canton was the county seat, however Massillon was mighty.

The truth is, it acquired to the purpose that among the county’s greatest names, akin to Whipple and Danner, had been amongst those that signed petitions to maneuver the seat to Massillon.

It by no means got here to fruition.

Nevertheless, not solely had Canton leaders rejected the canal, additionally they turned down late 1830s plans to construct a railroad by city. The Pennsylvania and Ohio rail line wound up routed to the east, which led to the creation of Alliance.

Haldi stated Canton lastly did land a railroad, because of an enormous help from Massillon people.

“The Russell brothers had been answerable for bringing the rail by Canton,” he defined.

There have been seven of them in all, led by C.M. Russell. And so they had been making agricultural gear that wanted to be transported. Haldi stated it was their affect and cash that satisfied rail officers to change a deliberate east-west route that was to be situated to the north, by Ravenna and Akron, bypassing most of Stark.

As a substitute, the Pennsylvania and Ohio rail was dropped south, by each Canton and Massillon within the early 1850s.

The Russells prospered. So did Canton’s agriculture gear makers, Cornelius Aultman and Ephraim Ball. Aultman struck gold along with his well-known Buckeye reaper.

“And Canton, Ohio, grew to become the reaper capital of the world,” Haldi stated.

That, he stated, is the true story of a metropolis rivalry.

“It is the muse of every part that adopted,” Haldi stated.

Attain Tim at 330-580-8333 or tim.botos@cantonrep.com On Twitter: @tbotosREP