As the supervisory park ranger along the first 40 miles, I am always learning new tidbits about the canal. I think one of the most important misconceptions most visitors have is that the canal started at Georgetown and headed west. That is not quite true.
Groundbreaking did not occur at Georgetown and the original plan did not include the small port town. Nearly six miles upstream from Georgetown, at Little Falls, the Potomac River becomes unnavigable for boats. Here President John Quincy Adams broke ground on the "Great National Project," an attempt to create a navigable passage from the Potomac River to the Ohio River and the western frontier. Only after the canal headed westward through Point of Rocks did construction focus on Little Falls to Georgetown.
Businesses immediately sprung up around the canal in Georgetown. Mule-drawn cargo boats filled to the brim with Western Maryland coal began lining up in Georgetown to off load into adjacent warehouses. Flour, paper and cotton milling also became successful industries in the town, using the canal as a new and steady source of water power. Many of the original facades of these buildings remain. If you look closely at the warehouses, you may even see old loops used to tie off the canal boats.
Although canal boats no longer travel the entire 184.5 mile length of the canal, it can still be done on either foot or bike on the original towpath. Many undertake this journey every year. They can often be found weaving through Georgetown in search of what they think is the beginning of the canal, the Tide Lock on the Potomac River at the mouth of Rock Creek. There you can touch Mile Post 0.
Next time you are out biking or hiking the canal, feel free to start at Mile Post 0... but also stop by Little Falls, the place the canal began.
Circa 1910 scene of the coal wharves in Georgetown. The wharves were used by the boatmen to unload their shipment of coal. W.R. Hicks Photograph Credit: National Park Service
Canal boats loaded with coal wait in the Potomac River just outside of the tide lock to be tugged to the coal ports of Virginia. W. R. Hicks Photograph Collection Credit: National Park Service
The first river lock on the C & O Canal connected the Potomac River and Rock Creek. From here boats were able to leave the canal for the coal ports. W.R. Hicks Collection Credit: National Park Service
This circa 1900 photograph is the first lock on the canal. It connected Rock Creek to the C & O Canal in Georgetown. The Godey Lime Kiln can be seen in the background. Underwood & Underwood Photograph Credit: National Park Service
The first lock on the canal was the Tide Lock. Tide Lock is in the foreground with the Rock Creek Dam in the back ground. The dam provided the needed slack water behind the lock to enable the boats to be towed to the first lock on the C & O Canal. Credit: National Park Service
Tide lock after years of deterioration due to lack of maintenance and use. Photograph taken ca. 1940. Credit: National Park Service
View of Lock 4 during the restoration work undertaken by the Civil Conservation Corps in 1939. Credit: National Park Service
Conservation work undertaken by Public Works Administration stone masons. They are constructing a dam to keep out the tide water from Rock Creek. Credit: National Park Service
Conservation work undertaken by the Civilian Conservation Corps stone masons January 26, 1939 to Lock 1 in Georgetown. Credit: National Park Service
1910’s view of Lock No. 1 taken by W.R. Hicks. Next to the lock is one of the many wait shanties that allowed the boat crew to rest during the locking through process. Credit: National Park Service
Photograph taken at the May 17, 1977 dedication of the Georgetown Visitor Center and the bust of Justice William O. Justice who helped spearhead the movement to designate the C&O Canal as a National Park. Credit: National Park Service
Early 20th century photograph of Lock No. 3. The building in the background was leased at the time of this picture as a veterinary hospital that catered to the mules used along the towpath. Credit: National Park Service
The Canal Clipper I was the first interpretive boat tour given on the C & O Canal. This 1962 photograph was taken in Georgetown near Lock 3. Credit: National Park Service
Large event at the C & O Canal Visitor Center in Georgetown. Credit: National Park Service
Photograph of the C & O Canal taken in the 1880s. The canal has been drained of water and boats sit in the silt waiting for the boating season. Credit: National Park Service
The C&O Canal cut through the industry laden Georgetown to access coal wharves and the markets of D.C. Credit: National Park Service
Photograph of an early canal barge interpretive tour given Oct. 24, 1954 at the mule crossover bridge in Georgetown. Credit: National Park Service
Photograph of an early canal barge interpretive tour given Oct. 24, 1954 at the mule crossover bridge in Georgetown. Credit: National Park Service
The Georgetown ran from 1983 to 2011. Credit: National Park Service
Take a moment to read the waysides while you are walking along the towpath. Credit: C&O Canal Trust
The canal in Georgetown provides a scenic stroll for tourists and neighbors. Credit: C&O Canal Trust
The canal in Georgetown provides a scenic stroll for tourists and neighbors. Credit: C&O Canal Trust
The towpath is a popular destination for local runners. Credit: C&O Canal Trus
New exhibits inside Georgetown Visitor Center are reminiscent of the canal boat operations. Credit: C&O Canal Trust
New exhibits outside the Georgetown Visitor Center explain how the canal influenced the growth of Georgetown. Credit: C&O Canal Trust
Level 3 sits in the heart of Georgetown. Credit: C&O Canal Trust
The towpath in Georgetown provides an excellent surface for walkers and bikers. Credit: C&O Canal Trust