Description
Book SynopsisVisitors to the C&O Canal who are interested in exploring natural wonders while tracing the routes of pioneers and engineers-not to mention the path of George Washington, who explored the Potomac route to the West as a young man and later laid out the first canals to make the river navigable-will find this guide indispensable.
Table of ContentsPreface to the 2015 Edition
Acknowledgments
Maps, Mileages, and Method
One. Historical Sketch
I. The Potomac Frontier to 1784
1. Early Exploration and Settlement
2. The Ohio Company Expands the Frontier
3. The French and Indian War
4. War for Independence
II. Opening the Route to the West, 1784–1859
1. Washington Founds the Patowmack Company
2. The Patowmack Company in the Era of "Internal Improvements"
3. Building the C&O Canal, 1828–1850
4. The Canal and the Antebellum River
III. The Civil War along the Canal and the River, 1859–1865
1. Lock Tender and Spy, 1858–1859
2. Harpers Ferry, Bull Run, and Ball's Bluff, 1861
3. Antietam and J. E. B. Stuart's Second Ride aroundMcClellan, 1862
4. Gettysburg and the Great River Crossings, 1863
5. Jubal Early and Phil Sheridan, 1864
6. War's End, 1865
IV. The Railroad Era and the Decline of the Canal, 1865to the Present
1. Reconstruction on the Potomac
2. Railroad Wars and Boom Times for the Canal
3. The B&O Railroad Takes Over the Canal, 1889–1892
4. From Coxey's Army to Jim Crow
5. Gould and Rockefeller Build a New Route to the West, 1902–1912
6. The Last Flood Suspends Canal Operations, 1924–1938
7. The Douglas Walk Leads to a National Park, 1945–1971
Two. Trail Guide
I. The Falls Region
II. The Piedmont and the Sugar Lands
III. The Blue Ridge and the Great Valley
IV. The Endless Mountains
Three. Structures and Industry along the Canal
I. The Canal Prism
II. Locks
1. Levels and Lift Locks
2. Lockhouses
3. Other Structures
III. Maintaining the Level
1. Feeder Dams and Guard Locks
2. Flumes and Waste Weirs
3. Stop Gates and Spillways
IV. Intersections
1. Aqueducts
2. Culverts
3. Bridges and River Locks
V. Moving Parts
1. Canal Boats
2. Mules
VI. Water Industry
1. Ferries
2. Mills
3. Cement and Lime Industry
4. Ironworking
A Note on Sources
Suggested Further Reading
Quick Reference to Canal Landmarks and Access Points
