In the early 18th century, pioneers cleared land in Ohio's Western Reserve and found it suitable for farming, but until the Ohio-Erie Canal opened, it was difficult for them to share the fruit of their labor. Ohio's Canal Country Wineries captures the spirit of those who lived off the land from Cleveland to New Philadelphia along the Cuyahoga River and down to the Muskingum River—the path that the Ohio-Erie Canal took when it was built in 1832. As canal country began opening up, wineries along the Ohio River and the shores and islands of Lake Erie produced so much wine that Ohio became known as "Vinland." Now, the rich and fertile farmland along the canal has also been cultivated with vineyards, and the region is home to close to 50 wineries.