for a federal contribution of $ 1,000,000 toward the completion of the C & O Canal and Maryland contributed another $ 500,000 . Much of the cost of the canal , however , was borne by private investors . Maryland also decided that a railroad should be built from DC to Pittsburgh , and groundbreaking ceremonies for both projects took place on July 4 , 1828 . The railroad later became known as the Baltimore & Ohio ( B & O ).
Problems between the two projects arose almost immediately . The land between Point of Rocks and Harper ’ s Ferry was very narrow and close to the river , and the canal and railroad builders both wanted access to it . That conflict caused a four-year delay in the startup of canal construction due to a lawsuit , and conflict between the C & O and B & O continued even after construction began . However , the canal was finally completed
between Cumberland , Maryland , 180 miles northwest of Georgetown , its starting point . The canal fully opened in 1850 engineered with a total of 72 locks .
The most serious problems for canal operations in the early years involved ongoing competition with the railroad , especially for the business of transporting coal from the Midwest to the East ; the Civil War , during which the Confederates tried to damage both the canal and its boats ; and additional competition from another canal route — the Erie Canal in New York State , which helped turn New York City into a world trade center . Furthermore , the Erie Canal was financed and supervised by its private investors , which had its advantages , unlike the C & O , which had to rely on funds from the states of Maryland and Virginia and the Federal government .
Life on the canal could be difficult , not only for boatmen and their families who rode with them , but also for the lock keepers who lived in houses adjacent to the canal , some of which still stand today . In winter , some boatmen lived in homes located in various towns along the way , while others lived aboard their boats within a dry lock at that time of the year .
Occasional extreme weather presented challenges , some insurmountable . The C & O Canal faced severe floods in 1889 and 1924 , the latter leading to the C & O Canal Company declaring bankruptcy and closing the canal down for business permanently .
In 1938 , the Federal government purchased the canal for $ 2,000,000 and turned it over to the National Park Service . In the 1950s they shocked many local residents by proposing conversion of the canal into a parkway for automobiles . However , there was
The C & O Canal towpath provides enthusiasts with 180 uninterrupted miles along the Potomac River from Georgetown to Cumberland , Maryland . Eleven stone aqueducts were built to carry the canal and towpath across river tributaries that emptied into the Potomac . The largest is the Monocacy Aqueduct , often considered to be one of the finest canal features in the United States .
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