Enfield Falls Canal
Enfield Falls Canal (also: Windsor Locks Canal ) is a canal that was built to bypass the shallows at Enfield Falls ( Enfield Rapids ) on the Connecticut River with ships . It makes the river navigable as far as Springfield, Massachusetts , and extends west of the river, in the area of the towns of Suffield and Windsor Locks in Hartford County , Connecticut , United States . Windsor Locks was named after the locks on the canal.
Before the canal was built, which had scows or other flat-bottomed ships, of "Fallsmen" (wrong on the Connecticut River Treidlern be pulled up) to the "Falls" (rapids). A towing machine was required for every ton of load and a maximum of 10 t could be transported. That made transportation very expensive. Additional cargo had to be unloaded at Warehouse Point on the east bank and later picked up, or carried on overland in ox carts.
construction
Construction of the canal began in 1827. The opening took place on November 11, 1829. The canal was 5.25 mi (8.4 km) long and sloped 32 ft (9.8 m). The locks allowed ships up to 90 ft (27 m) long and 20 ft (6.1 m) wide to be carried. The canal was unique in its time because its walls were reinforced to allow steamship traffic. It had a massive entrance gate with precise locks so that the water level in the canal could also be precisely controlled. In addition, the canal served two purposes, because canal fees could be levied at the same time and building sites for mills and water rights for water drives were to be sold and leased. As soon as the canal was opened, many ships and, as planned, steamers used the route, but the Hartford and Springfield Railroad opened in 1844, and shipping traffic on the Connecticut River gradually declined. The income from the water rights turned out to be the most lucrative investment in construction.
present
Today the canal is closed and is owned by Ahlstrom Corporation , which operates a factory on the canal. The locks still exist, but have not been usable since the 1970s. Most of the old towpath is open to the public for walking and cycling. The Windsor Locks Canal State Park Trail is now established there. The canal has been added to the National Register of Historic Places .
Individual evidence
- ^ American Canal Society: Enfield Falls Canal ( memento October 12, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) . 2004.
- ↑ Ahlstrom Corporation, Official Website ( Memento of the original from March 3, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . "Contact Us".
- ↑ Don't Rebuild The Enfield Dam . Hartford Courant. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
Web links
- The Rise and Fall of the Canal and the Factories Along it , Melvin D. Montemerlo, July 25, 2016.
- History of Windsor Locks
- Connecticut Heritage (Dorothy A. DeBisschop). The Canal at Windsor Locks . January 20, 2006.
Coordinates: 41 ° 59 ′ 12 ″ N , 72 ° 36 ′ 19 ″ W.