C&O Canal

C&O Canal. Building a Dream. , ”The opening of the navigation of the Potomac is, perhaps, a work of more political than commercial consequence, as it will be one of the grandest chains for preserving the federal Union.” , George Washington, The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal is heir to George Washington’s vision for a water route to the West. Founded in 1785, the Patowmack Company worked to accomplish his dream by making the Potomac River navigable through use of skirting canals around falls and rapids. By 1802, 218 miles of the river were passible. However, frequent flooding and droughts made river navigation nearly impossible. By the first quarter of the 19th century, an independent canal was proposed., In 1828, construction began on a new canal, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, dubbed the “Great National Project.” Planned to extend 340 miles from Georgetown to the Ohio River at Pittsburgh, in 22 years the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, only 184.5 miles, was completed to Cumberland. Though plagued by funding, labor and geographic challenges, and competition with the rival Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the canal remained in operation for nearly 100 years., In 1924 a series of floods finally shut down the canal for good. The Federal Government acquired the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in 1938, and in 1971 the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park was established to preserve canal history and provide for visitor enjoyment.