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High gives practical information about exploring the canal and provides extensive historical background... Provides many opportunities for using the canal as a means of exploring this region's history.
There are other guides to the canal, but High's is the latest and may be the best. It's a mile-by-mile guide, well-illustrated, full of history and surrounding cultural notes. The more one learns about the canal, the more intriguing it is.
A contender for the hearts and minds of canal buffs. It shows the results of serious historical research, particularly about the Civil War, and is well-written and organized.
An informative and affectionate guide to the canal written by C&O devotee Mike High... And yes, it'll fit comfortably in your backpack.
Mike High has mined historical studies, colonial records, official reports, as well as letters, diaries, and memoirs to illustrate the forgotten history of the upper Potomac River and the lives of the men and the women who called it home. The result is a unique and invaluable resource on what is a river valley of incomparable historic importance, playing a unique and critical role in the nation's early westward growth and subsequent development.
Reading it—either during rambles along the Canal or from the comfort of an armchair—is like bringing along an erudite companion who can tell you anything you would want to know about the history of our Nation's River and its hardworking companion, the C&O Canal.
About
Book Details
Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x 9
Pages
416
ISBN
9781421415055
Illustration Description
58 halftones, 10 line drawings, 28 maps
Table of Contents
Preface 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
Preface 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
Resources
