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Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Photos & Multimedia
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Boats on the Canal (10 Photos)
A variety of boats plied the waters of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal during its operational history. The majority of boats were freight boats carrying coal from Cumberland. But packet boats and smaller crafts also navigated the canal. During the later period of the canal, recreational use of the canal became popular and is evident in some of the historic photographs of “clubs” on pleasure excursions.
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Locks on the Canal (10 Photos)
The C&O Canal contains 74 lift locks that stepped boats up from Georgetown to Cumberland. The C&O Canal Company hired men (preferrably married with children) to maintain and operate the locks.
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Places on the Canal (10 Photos)
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal not only linked Washington D.C. with Cumberland but brought development and prosperity to rural towns and families that lived along the canal.
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Boats throughout the canal (12 Photos)
The construction of the canal caused heavy financial burden on local, state, and federal governments. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company relied on tolls paid by canal boats to payoff its debt.
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Did You Know?
Most freight boats on the C&O Canal were approximately 95 feet long and 14.5 feet wide while most locks were 100 feet long and 15 feet wide. This left boat captains little margin for error as they steered their boats into the locks, trying to avoid the $5.00 fine for damaging lock masonry.
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Last Updated: December 18, 2007 at 11:14 EST |
