Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
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George Washington had a large part in its creation. Washington founded the Potowmac Compony in 1785 to make improvements to the Potomac River in order to improve its navigability. The Potowmac Compony built a number of skirting canals around the major falls including the Patowmack Canal in Virginia. When completed it allowed boats and rafts to float downstream towards Georgetown. Going upstream was a bit harder. Slim boats could be slowly poled upriver. In 1824, the holdings of the Potowmac Compony were ceded to the Chesapeake and Ohio Company. Construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony on July 4, 1828 by President John Quincy Adams. Ownership of the Canal transferred after a major flood in 1889 to the B&O Railroad, which operated the canal to prevent its right of way (particularly at Point of Rocks) from falling into another railroad's hands. Operations ceased in 1924 after another flood.
The abandoned canal was purchased in 1938 by the United States Government, which planned to restore it as a recreation area. Although the bottom 22 miles of the canal were repaired and rewatered, the project was halted when the United States entered World War II and resources were needed elsewhere. After the war, Congress expressed interest in developing the canal and towpath as a parkway. However, the idea of turning the canal over to automobiles was opposed by some, including United States Supreme Court Associate Justice William O. Douglas. In March 1954, Douglas led an eight-day hike of the towpath from Cumberland to D.C. Although 58 people participated in one part of the hike or another, only nine men, including Douglas, hiked the full 182 miles. Popular response to and press coverage of the hike turned the tide against the parkway idea and, on January 8, 1971, the canal was designated a National Historical Park.
Presently the park includes nearly 20,000 acres (80 km²) and receives over 3 million recorded visits each year. Flooding continues to threaten historical structures on the canal and attempts at restoration. The Park Service has re-watered portions of the canal, but the majority of the canal does not have water in it.
External links
- Official National Park Service Site (http://www.nps.gov/choh/)
- The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (http://www.fred.net/kathy/canal.html)
- GPS Landmark Coordinates along the C&O Canal (http://www.shanafeltsector.com/C&OCoord/)
- C&O Biking Guide (http://bikewashington.org/canal/)