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People crowded on canal boat with hats and parasols
NPS Photo
The story of the canal is a story of people. Visionaries looked forward to a developed nation and saw a gateway west. Immigrants performed back-breaking labor constructing the manmade waterway in search of prosperity and a new beginning in America.
From the beginnings of the Patowmack Canal, predecessor to the C&O Canal, to the making of a national historical park, thousands of people have driven and shaped the canal's story and its course in our nation's history.
To learn more about the C&O Canal's unique history search the links and if you can't find what you are looking for contact us for additional information.