Surveyor and land agent for the Erie Land Company, he acquired 1,003 acres in l806 by satisfying an unpaid tax bill for $4.01. This land included 2/3 of the land just below the Portage Summit one of the paths being considered for the Ohio & Erie Canal. By negotiating with another land owner, Paul Williams and agreeing to donate lands for right-of-way and also lots to be sold for the benefit of the canal project he won the bitter fight for the right to determine the location of the canal. Perkins had a town platted along the canal route and recorded at the county seat in l825. He named his new town, Akron.
