Whitewater Canal

The Whitewater Canal, which was built between 1836 and 1847, spanned a distance of seventy-six miles and stretched from Lawrenceburg, Indiana on the Ohio River to Hagerstown, Indiana.

History

Birth of a canal

A map showing the course of the Whitewater Canal

As with most transportation improvements during the nineteenth century, industry paved the way. After successful canal development projects further east in the United States, it would not be long until canals would soon be dug across the Midwest. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 paved the way for improvement projects across the United States and changed the course of American transportation history. The Erie Canal was an immediate financial success. This really set the precedent for future canals and proved canals could provide a viable contribution to local economies.

Amidst all of this there was the need for a high-speed transportation system that could link the Whitewater Valley to the Ohio River. Before the canal, farmers had to transport their goods and livestock to Cincinnati, Ohio on badly rutted and often impassable roads. The journey to Cincinnati could take several days.

In 1836 the Indiana State Legislature approved the Mammoth Internal Improvement Act, which allowed for the development of the Whitewater Canal and a host of other improvements throughout Indiana.

Canal decline

The Whitewater Canal was a short venture, but it left a lasting mark on the communities it traveled through. The canal development project was funded under the Act of 1836 and was allotted $1,400,000 to build the canal through the Whitewater Valley. This was a huge sum at the time and investors did not take out many loans due to the prediction that they stood to make considerable profit. In fact it was the Mammoth Internal Improvement Act of 1836 that ended up straining the coffers of the State of Indiana. Indiana went bankrupt during the summer of 1839. Therefore, canal construction was halted till 1842. A section of the Whitewater Canal was built to reach Cincinnati but this stretch of canal also closed eventually, due in-part to the failure of the Whitewater Canal in Indiana.

The White Water Valley Canal Company and the Hagerstown Canal Company would finish the Whitewater Canal to its terminus near the mouth of Nettle Creek, in Hagerstown.

White Water Valley Canal Company

The White Water Valley Canal Company was granted a charter by the Indiana General Assembly of 1825-26. The company was set up after the State of Indiana could no longer afford to finish the Whitewater Canal system. The White Water Valley Canal Company finished the canal through Cambridge City, Indiana.

Hagerstown Canal Company

Hagerstown was supposed to be the northern most terminus of the Whitewater Canal, but after the state went bankrupt, Hagerstown was forced to finance and construct its own canal to Cambridge City. The Hagerstown Canal Company completed an eight-mile (13 km) long canal between Hagerstown and Cambridge City in 1847.

In November 1847 the Whitewater Canal section in Harrison, Ohio flooded and washed out. The section was never rebuilt. This effectively ended the canal era in Hagerstown after only a few months of service.

The Whitewater Canal today

Little is left of the Whitewater Canal today. Some towpath was bought by the Whitewater Valley Railroad Company and has been used in various train operations over the years. A section of the rail line is still in use as a tourist railroad. The Whitewater Valley Railroad operates between Connersville, Indiana and Metamora, Indiana. The remains of many of the canal locks on this section of the canal can still be seen as well as the diversion dam near Laurel, Indiana that is still in service for the restored canal section in Metamora.

The most visible area of the Whitewater Canal that exists today is in Metamora. Here the Canal Era is recreated and tourists can stroll through a nineteenth century town. There are museums, shopping, eateries, and you can even take a horse drawn ride on the canal.

Civil Engineering Landmark status

An aqueduct carries the canal over Duck Creek at Metamora. It is the oldest covered wooden aqueduct in the United States, and was listed as a National Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in 1992.

Towns along the canal

• Cincinnati, Ohio - by way of Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal and Ohio River
• Harrison, Ohio
• Lawrenceburg, Indiana
• Brookville, Indiana
• Metamora, Indiana
• Laurel, Indiana
• Connersville, Indiana
• Milton, Indiana
• Cambridge City, Indiana
• Hagerstown, Indiana

Gallery

• 
  Duck Creek Aqueduct
• Canal near Duck Creek Aqueduct
  Canal near Duck Creek Aqueduct
• Canal near Metamora, Indiana
  Canal near Metamora, Indiana
• Gordons Lock
  Gordons Lock
• 
  Gordons Lock
• Gordons Lock
  Gordons Lock

See also

• Canal
• List of canals in the United States
• List of State Historic Sites in Indiana
• Whitewater Valley Railroad
• Wabash and Erie Canal
• Indiana Central Canal
• Indiana Mammoth Improvement Act

External links

• Canal Map - Link with Map (link may be broken)
• Canal Construction in Indiana - The Indiana Historian, September 1997
• Canal Society of Indiana
• White Water Valley Railroad
• Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal

References

• Chris Gullion "Whitewater Valley Canal" Report. Ball State. December 2006