Timmy O'Dowd and the Big Ditch: A Story of the Glory Days on the Old Erie Canal

by Len Hilts

In the late 1800s, young Timmy O'Dowd and his city boy cousin must forget their differences and pool their energies when the Erie Canal is damaged by storms.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, School, American History

91 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1988

Reviews

[Candice]

This is the story of the city cousin visiting the country cousin on the newly built Erie canal. Both boys have something to learn from each other. I learned that the wheelbarrow was invented while digging the ditch for the Erie Canal. Until then, they used carts that they had to shovel the dirt into and out of. Being able to dump out the dirt instead of shovel it greatly increased their productivity. I would have thought the wheelbarrow was hundreds of years old!

[Evie]

I read this book with my kids for school. We learned alot about life and work along the Erie Canal. Also some good opportunities to discuss our preconceived notions about others and handling others' assumptions about ourselves.

[Lisa]

It's pouring rain in 1845 and Timmy O'Dowd and his father, a section supervisor on the Erie Canal, must rally family and neighbors to fix a giant gash in the dirt side of the canal that has been carved out by the torrential rainfall.

[Jane-Holly]

I read this to my kids: a wonderful, engaging story about life along the Erie Canal. They absorbed the history and knowledge about the canal without feeling like I was teaching them something. Great book!

[Andrea Maendel]

Great as a read-aloud or a fun book to hand your kids with some solid historical content. I learned so much about the Erie Canal myself, all while holding the rapt attention of my 2nd and 5th grade boys. No small feat! A great story, a lot of well researched content, and great character development. An easy 5-stars.

[Sheila]

Learned a bit about what life was like on the Eerie Canal back in its heyday. SL HBL D

[Danielle Hardy]

I thought this was a really done and informative story. It was full of great historical detail, character development, and lessons to grow by.

[Jamey]

A story told on the outskirts of the Erie Canal, about Timmy and his family, whose job it is to help patch the walls when they erode. Timmy’s dilemma is if he wants to be a ship’s captain, or listen to his father and become a canal engineer.

[Rebecca]

A look at the Erie Canal and the lives of the people who lived and worked along it after it was first built.