Reviews
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. --Karen M. Gray, PhD, C&O Canal National Historical Park volunteer historian
Table of Content
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