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Delaware and Hudson Canal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Delaware and Hudson Canal

A remaining section of the canal in Sullivan

County, N, used as a linear park

Speci!cations

"ength #$% miles &#'( km)

"ocks #$%

*a+imum heightaove sea level

#,$'- ft &./% m)

StatusClosed, partially

in!lled

Navigation authority

Delaware and Hudson Canal

01S1 National 2egister of Historic 3laces

01S1 National Historic "andmark

4overning ody

State, various

county and local

governments,

private landowners

N2H3 2eference 5 6%$$$$-#7#8

Signi!cant dates

Added to N2H3 Novemer /(,

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#96%7#8

Designated NH"Novemer /(,

#96%7/8

History

:riginal owner

Delaware and

Hudson Canal

Company

Construction egan #%/-

Date of !rst use #%/%

Date closed #9$/

4eography

Start point Honesdale, 3A

;nd point <ingston, N

 =he Delaware and Hudson Canal was the !rst venture of the Delaware

and Hudson Canal Company, which would later uild the Delaware

and Hudson 2ailway1 >etween #%/% and #%99, the canal?s arges 

carried anthracite coal from the mines of Northeastern 3ennsylvania 

to the Hudson 2iver and thence to market in New ork City1

Construction of the canal involved some ma@or feats of civil

engineering, and led to the development of some new technologies,

particularly in rail transport1 ts operation stimulated the city?s growth

and encouraged settlement in the sparsely populated region1 0nlike

many other canals of that era, the canal remained a pro!tale private

operation for most of its e+istence1

For these reasons, the canal was declared a National Historic

"andmark in #96%17/8

 =he canal was aandoned in the early /$th century, and much of it

was suseBuently drained and !lled1 A few fragments remain in New

 ork and 3ennsylvania, and are in use as parks and historic sites1

History

>efore the canal

n the early #9th century, 3hiladelphia usinessman William Wurtsoften would leave his aairs aside for weeks at a time to e+plore the

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thensparsely populated northeastern region of the state1 He egan

noticing, mapping, and researching lackish rock outcroppings,

ecoming the !rst e+plorer of the anthracite !elds that have since

ecome known as the Coal 2egion1 He elieved they could e a

valuale energy source, and rought samples ack to 3hiladelphia fortesting17.8

Anthracite coal

;ventually, he convinced his rothers Charles and *aurice to come

along with him and see for themselves1 Starting in #%#/, they egan

uying and mining large tracts of ine+pensive land1 =hey were ale to

e+tract several tons of anthracite at a time, ut lost most of what they

tried to ring ack to 3hiladelphia due to the treacherous waterways

that were the main method of transportation in the interior1 While thesouthern reaches of the Coal 2egion were already eginning to supply

3hiladelphia, they realiEed that the areas they had een e+ploring and

mining were wellpositioned to deliver coal to New ork City, which

had e+perienced an energy crunch after the War of #%#/, when

restrictions were placed on the import of >ritish coal1 nspired y the

new and successful ;rie Canal, they envisioned a canal of their own

from 3ennsylvania to New ork, through the narrow valley etween

the Shawangunk 2idge and the Catskill *ountains, to the Hudson

2iver near <ingston, a route followed y the :ld *ine 2oad, America?s!rst longdistance transportation route17.8

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DH Canal map, showing feeder railroads and competition, circa #%6-

After several years of loying y the Wurtses, the Delaware and

Hudson Canal Company was chartered y separate laws in the state

of New ork and commonwealth of 3ennsylvania in #%/., allowing

William Wurts and his rother *aurice to construct the Delaware and

Hudson Canal1 =he New ork law, passed April /., #%/., incorporated

G=he 3resident, *anagers and Company of the Delaware and Hudson

Canal CompanyG, and the 3ennsylvania law, passed *arch #. of the

same year, authoriEed the company G=o mprove the Navigation of the

"ackawa+en 2iverG1 =he company hired >en@amin Wright, who had

engineered the ;rie Canal, and his assistant ohn >1 ervis to survey

and plan a route1 A primary challenge was the 6$$foot &#%. m)

elevation dierence etween the Delaware 2iver at "ackawa+en and

the Hudson at 2ondout1 Wright?s initial estimated cost of I#1/ million

was later revised to I#16 million &in #%/- dollars)17.8

 =o attract investment, the rothers arranged for a demonstration of

anthracite at a Wall Street coeehouse in anuary #%/-1 =he reaction

was enthusiastic, and the stock oversuscried within hours1

Construction

4round was roken on uly #. of that year1 After three years of laor

y /,-$$ men, the canal was opened to navigation in :ctoer #%/%1 t

egan at 2ondout Creek at an area later known as Creeklocks,

etween <ingston &where the creek fed into the Hudson 2iver) and

2osendale1 From there it proceeded southwest alongside 2ondout

Creek to ;llenville, continuing through the valley of the Sandurg

Creek, Homowack <ill, >asha <ill and Neversink 2iver to 3ort ervis on

the Delaware 2iver1 From there the canal ran northwest on the New ork side of the Delaware 2iver, crossing into 3ennsylvania at

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"ackawa+en and running on the north ank of the "ackawa+en 2iver 

to Honesdale17.8

 =o get the anthracite from the Wurts? mine in the *oosic *ountains 

near Carondale to the canal at Honesdale, the canal company uilt

the Delaware and Hudson 4ravity 2ailroad1 =he Commonwealth of

3ennsylvania authoriEed its construction on April %, #%/61 :n August

%, #%/9, the DH?s !rst locomotive, the Stourbridge Lion, made

history as the !rst locomotive to run on rails in the 0nited States1

Success and decline

>arges awaiting coal loads at Honesdale1

>usiness took o as the Wurtses had anticipated, and in #%./ the

canal carried 9$,$$$ tons &%#,$$$ tonnes) of coal and three million

oardfeet &',$%$ mJ) of lumer1 =he company invested the pro!ts in

improving the canal, making it deeper so larger arges could e used17.8

n #%-$, the 3ennsylvania Coal Company constructed its own gravity

railroad from the coal !elds to the port at Hawley and the canal

en@oyed increased traKc, carrying over .$$,$$$ tons of 3CC coal inthe !rst season1 However, the relationship etween the two

companies soured after the canal attempted to raise tolls under the

argument that canal improvements had reduced costs for the 3CC1

 =he dispute led to the courts and was decided in #%6., ut y that

time the ;rie 2ailroad constructed its e+tension to Hawley and the

3CC moved its shipments to the railroad17(8

 =he DH was also developing railroads, a technology that was

continuing to improve and supplant canal transportation at the time,

to e+tend its reach into other Northeastern markets1 =he DH also

e+tended its gravity railroad from Carondale deeper into the coal

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!elds and e+panded its capacity1 >y the time *aurice Wurts died in

#%-(, the company was reporting pro!ts of #$/(L annually and had

paid o its original det to oth states17.8

 =he completion of the ;rie 2ailroad through the Delaware Malley in

#%(% and its ranch to Hawley in #%6. egan the end of the canal?s

days, although it continued to e very successful through the #%'$s

and ?%$s1 =hroughout the rest of the century, canals were perceived

as Buaint relics of preindustrial times and egan yielding to rail

across the country1 n #%9%, the Delaware and Hudson !nally @oined

them, carrying its last loads from Honesdale to <ingston, as rail could

now carry coal more directly to the city, across New ersey rather than

via <ingston1 =he following year the company dropped the GCanalG

from its name, the states authoriEing it to aandon the canal if it

deemed it suitale and concentrate on its rail interests, which it did17.8

3ostclosure

After the end of the #%9% season, the company opened all the waste

weirs and drained the canal1 Catskill rail magnate Samuel Coykendall

purchased the canal the ne+t summer, reportedly to ene!t the

2amapo Water Company for use as a water supply resource 7-8 >ut

that never came to pass1 nstead, Coykendall used the northernmost

section, from 2ondout to <ingston, to transport 2osendale cement and

other general merchandise to the river until aandoning that usinessin #9$(1768 =he canal was never used again1

As the /$th century egan, the company used some of the canal

rightofway for its e+panding rail operations some of the rest was

sold to various private companies, mainly other, smaller railroads17.8 

Developing communities along the route also !lled it in as necessary

to e+pand their own neighorhoods, or for safety reasons as when a

3ort ervis man supposedly drowned in #9$$17'8

n the early /#st century residents of the town of Deerpark, north of3ort ervis, complained that the canal had een leaking water and

causing Oooding in the neighorhoods near Cuddeackville in recent

years1 :range County, which maintains it in that area, met with town

oKcials and local residents to discuss possile solutions17%8

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 =he Delaware and Hudson Canal *useum in High Falls, N1

3reservation as historic site

 =he ruins of the canal and its associated structures remained

standing1 =he Delaware Hudson Canal Historical Society was formed

in #96'798 its museum has an e+tensive education program and hosts

hundreds of area students each season1 =he Neversink Malley Area

*useum was formed in :range County New ork in #96% and the

National 3ark Service recogniEed the canal site in :range County as a

National Historic "andmark17/8 n #969, New ork?s Sullivan County 

ought a (acre &#6,$$$ m/) portion to develop as a park17#$8 *any

other uildings and sites associated with the canal have een added

to the National 2egister of Historic 3laces and state and local

landmark lists1

Child leading mules on the canal1

Canal

 =he !nished canal ran #$% miles &#'( km), from Honesdale to

<ingston &counting the tidewater portions of the 2ondout where the

canal @oined the creek at ;ddyville)1 ts #$% locks took it over

elevation changes totaling #,$'- feet &./% m), more than the ;rieCanal?s 6'- feet &/$6 m)17##8 =he channel was four feet &#// cm) deep

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&eventually increased to si+ feet &/ m)) y ./ feet &#$ m) wide1 t was

crossed y #.' ridges and had /6 dams, asins and reservoirs17#/8 

:riginally it crossed the four rivers along its course P the

"ackawa+en, Delaware, Neversink and 2ondout Creek P via

slackwater dams1 ABueducts were uilt over the rivers to replacethem y ohn 2oeling in the #%($s, cutting a few days from canal

travel time and reducing accidents that were occurring at the

Delaware crossing with loggers rafting their harvest downstream1

>arges were pulled y mules along the ad@acent towpath, a power

source employed even after the development of steam engines, since

the ow wave from a faster steamoat would have damaged the

channel1768 Children were often hired to lead the mules at !rst in the

canal?s later years grown men were employed1 =hey had to walk #-Q

/$ miles &/(Q./ km) a day, pump out the arges and tend theanimals1 For this they were paid aout I. a month17#.8

 =he canal was divided into three sections for operational purposesR

the "ackawa+en, from Honesdale to the Delaware the Delaware,

along the river from there to 3ort ervis and then the Neversink, from

3ort ervis to <ingston1 A trip along its length took, initially, a week1 t

was closed on Sundays,768 and would suspend operations each winter

when the canal froEe up or was likely to1

ts primary usiness was the transport of coal and lumer from theinterior to the river1 =here was little traKc to 3ennsylvania other than

empty arges1 =he company tried oering passenger service at one

point, and Washington rving, a friend of Hone?s, made the trip in the

#%($s, ut it was ultimately given up as unpro!tale1

"egacy

>esides its historical !rsts, the canal?s most signi!cant impact was to

stimulate the growth of New ork City along with the other anthracite

canals1 Fueled y the cheap and plentiful coal arged up the canal

and down the river, the city was ale to develop and industrialiEe at

the same pace as other ;astern cities1 =here would e other ene!ts

to the city as well1 =he company?s !rst president, 3hilip Hone, served

a term as the city?s mayor during the canal?s construction1 "ater, ohn

2oeling?s e+perience uilding the canal served him well in designing

the >rooklyn >ridge1

:n the 3ennsylvania end, the interior anthracite regions were ale to

grow and develop from the rough wilderness they had een whenWilliam Wurts traveled them and mapped the coal deposits1 =he

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viaility of its anthracite led to other markets opening up, sustaining

the region economically well into the /$th century1

Canal Scene, one of a series of paintings of the Delaware and Hudson

Canal at 3ort >en that =heodore 2oinson painted in #%9.17#(8

Along its route, the canal created many small oomtowns at freBuentstops1 *any towns took their names from canal e+ecutives1 Honesdale

took its name from 3hilip Hone, the company?s !rst president1 =he

village of 3eenpack, New ork, renamed itself 3ort ervis after the

engineer shortly after incorporating in #%-.1 Further along, the

Wurtses are rememered y Wurtsoro, New ork1 A numer of other

New ork communities with GportG in their name &3hillipsport, 3ort

:range and 3ort ackson, now Accord) reOect their origins as canal

towns1 Summitville in turn takes its name from eing the highest point

along the canal route1

As automoiles egan to displace the railroads that had once done

the same to the canal, its corridor and towpath saw new life as

highway routes1 0S 6 and 3A -9$ follow part of the route etween

Honesdale and Hawley, with -9$ running along the towpath7'8 and

nowdry ed as it continues east along the "ackawa+en1 =he New ork

section of 0S /$9 links the same communities in that state as the

canal did, and intersects or runs closely parallel to its remnants in

several areas1 Within towns, Canal Street follows the route in 3ort

 ervis, as does =owpath 2oad in ;llenville and the =own of Wawarsing1

 =he canal led to improvements in other technologies as well1 =he

2osendale cement discovered while e+cavating the canal ed near

that town in #%/- would not only provide the canal itself with a cheap

uilding material ut created an industry that sustained the region for

some time17#-8 ervis turned his e+pertise to designing locomotives,

and the (/$ type is commonly called the GervisG in his honor1

 =he canal today

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Following its National Historic "andmark designation, interest grew in

preserving what remained of the canal in the late #96$s1 =he canal,

its infrastructure and associated uildings survive in many areas

along its length1

3ennsylvania

HonesdaleR =he terminal asin site has a state historical marker, and

traces of the gravity railroad route can still e seen1 Some stretches of 

the ed are visile along 2outes 6 and -9$ as they approach town

from the south1

"ower "ackawa+en valleyR 2oute -9$ follows the ed and towpath in

some areas, and =owpath 2oad picks up the route in 3ike County?s

"ackawa+en =ownship1

2oeling?s Delaware ABueduct, still in use today

"ackawa+en and >arryville, New orkR 2oeling?s Delaware ABueduct,

the only one of the four on the canal still in use today and a National

Civil ;ngineering "andmark as the oldest wire suspension ridge in

the 0nited States, was restored y the National 3ark Service and still

carries automoiles over the Delaware etween the two states1 ust

north of the ridge, a former company oKce has een converted into

a ed and reakfast1

New ork

3ort ervisR A portion of the old towpath near 3ark Avenue &N (/9')

on the north end of the city has een paved and is used as a city

park1 Canal Street is the former ed, now !lled1 Fort Decker, the

oldest uilding in the city, was used to house canal workers during

construction1

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ABueduct autment on Neversink near Cuddeackville

CuddeackvilleR :range County has developed a county park along

the Neversink here, @ust south of Hamilton >icentennial ;lementarySchool o 2oute /$91 =he footings of 2oeling?s aBueduct still stand,

and a portion of the ed and towpath persist in the ad@acent woods1

 =he Neversink Malley *useum, also located in the park, has some

e+hiits related to the canal17#68

 =own of *amakatingR Sullivan County maintains the largest remaining

fragment of the canal, some of which is still wet, as Delaware and

Hudson Canal "inear 3ark1 Hiking, crosscountry skiing and @ogging

and !shing are permitted along the .1- mile &-16km), (- acre &#% ha)

section near Summitville, north of Wurtsoro1 *uch of the land iseginning to return to its natural state due to the long years since the

canal was aandoned1 Some locks and other structures can e found

from two dierent access points along 2oute /$97#$8

WoodridgeR Silver "ake Dam, some distance from the canal mainline,

was uilt during the #%($s e+pansion to provide a reliale reservoir 

for the summit section of the canal1

;llenvilleR =owpath 2oad follows the old route from 2oute /$9 south of 

the village to Canal Street &N -/) within it, and a wet section of theed remains @ust north of Canal in the woods o >erme 2oad @ust

opposite the village?s !rehouse1

NapanochR A dry section of ed is located etween ;astern

Correctional Facility and the 2ondout, right ne+t to the old :ntario and

Western railroad station1

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"ock No1 #6 at High Falls

1

High FallsR Several old locks are located here, near the site of the last

of 2oeling?s aBueducts, as well as the canal museum1 =he downtown

area was heavily developed as a result of the canal1

2osendale =he empty ed of the canal runs parallel to N /#. etween its crossing of the 2ondout and 2osendale Millage1

CreeklocksR =he northernmost lock still e+ists, as does the !nal

section efore the canal Oowed into the 2ondout1

 =he former port of 2ondout, now preserved and restored as a historic

district1