Canal Boat on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal at Williamsport, Maryland, 1903
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Artifact Overview
President George Washington was devoted to improving the Potomac, the only river bisecting the Appalachian mountain barrier and an important trade route. Americans continued work on the waterway, completing the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in 1850. In this Detroit Publishing Company photograph, a team of mules pulls a boat over one of the canal's aqueducts.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Photographic print
Date Made
1903
Place of Creation
Creator Notes
Photographed by Lycurgus S. Glover. Published by Detroit Photographic Co., Detroit, Michigan.
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
P.DPC.015229
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Mammoth plate
Gelatin silver process
Toning (Photography)
Color
Brown
Dimensions
Height: 17 in
Width: 21.5 in
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Related Content
SetAmerica's Canal Era
- 34 Artifacts
In the early 19th century, Americans looked to canals for transportation. Artificial waterways carried people and goods over long distances with minimal power, extending water-borne commerce from seaports to inland communities. But canals were expensive to build and maintain, and floods, droughts and freezing weather interfered with operations. Railroads offered a better alternative and brought an end to America's canal era.