The two hundred year anniversary of the opening of the C&O (Chesapeake & Ohio) Canal is less than ten years away. The planning and construction goes back much further. It can even be traced back to George Washington who had a vison of connecting the great lakes and Ohio River to the east coast by a series of waterways. His vision, and a lot of hard worked proved to be a success with the opening of the Erie Canal which was completed in 1825. If it worked once, surely it would work again.
After years of study, a two phase building plan was developed. An eastern section adjacent to the Potomac River, connecting Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, Maryland (184.5 miles). An even more ambitious plan of a western section over the Allegheny Mountains to the Ohio River and Pittsburgh was phase 2 of the masterplan. The western section was never built, but the eastern section was completed in 1850 and is still being enjoyed today, even if for a very different purpose than it was originally intended.
Groundbreaking took place on July 4, 1828 and the guest of honor to turn the first shovel of dirt was President John Quincy Adams. Maybe it was an omen, but according to newspaper reports from those in attendance, the ground was so hard and full of roots that President Adams had such a difficult time scooping up that first shovel full of dirt that he worked up a sweat and had to take his jacket off to complete the task.
For it's time, the canal was considered an "engineering masterpiece" that required the building of 74 locks along the way to raise and lower the water levels to accommodate for the elevation changes.. The canal was around 60 feet wide and could handle boats up to 90 feet in length and 14.5 feet in width. The boats were guided along the journey by teams of mules who were led by "mule drivers", who were often children. The path along the canal was known as the towpath.
The canal worked as it should and was operational for 74 years before it closed in 1924. In spite of the fact that it was well used, it was not considered a financial success due in large part to constant challenges with flooding that required expensive maintenance. The railroads that were being built were major competitors as well. The railroads could move larger loads of goods and people faster and more efficiently. Even though it has been gone for nearly a century, evidence of the canal can still be seen today. Although there is some stagnant water in places, in most places we've seen, it looks simply like a ditch that has been overgrown with trees and brush. A far cry from the nickname of "Grand Old Ditch" it was given early on.
What has lived on with great success is the towpath. The towpath is now a trail for hiking and non-motorized vehicles that continues to run the full 184.5 miles with 31 designated hiker/biker campsites along the way. Since January 8, 1971 it has been under the care of the National Park Service and is designated as a National Historic Park. It certainly must win the award for being the longest/narrowest park in their system.
Chesapeake & Ohio National Historic Park
The Lock Keepers Cottage where we are staying is located at the 84 mile mark of the canal. We've enjoyed hiking and biking a little bit each way. Going as far as McMahon's Mill at the 88 mile mark and in the other direction to Taylor's Landing near the 82 mile mark. Toward McMahon's Mill is "above the dam". The river is wider and deeper with plenty of boats pulling skiers or fisherman trying their luck. Below the dam, in the direction of Taylor's landing, the river is shallower with occasional small, rocky rapids. The section of the trail that we have covered is flat, tree lined (great shade) and hard packed enough that unless there has been a hard rain it is great for biking.
We can obviously only vouch for the section of the towpath that we have seen, which is outstanding. The cottage has numerous books about the canal and towpath and based on pictures, the other parts look equally scenic and interesting. We feel very fortunate to have such an historic park to explore just steps from our front door. Either from the trail or while sitting on the front porch listening to the water flow over the dam, we enjoy the C&O Canal daily. Even if isn't in the way George Washington envisioned.
