All Topics  
Enfield Falls Canal

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Enfield Falls Canal
 
 
  Topics Enfield Falls Canal Topic Home

Enfield Falls Canal is a canal
Canal

Canals are artificial channels for water. There are two types of canals: Aqueduct canals, which are used for the conveyance and delivery of water, and waterways, which are navigable transportation canals used for passage of goods and people, often connected to existing lakes, rivers, or oceans....
 that was built to circumvent the shallows at Enfield Falls on the Connecticut River
Connecticut River

The Connecticut River is the largest river in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, through Western Massachusetts and central Connecticut into Long Island Sound at Old Saybrook, Connecticut....
. It is situated along the west side of the river, adjacent to the towns Suffield
Suffield, Connecticut

Suffield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, Connecticut, United States. It had once been within the boundaries of Massachusetts. In 1900, 3,521 people lived in Suffield; and in 1910, 3,841....
 and Windsor Locks
Windsor Locks, Connecticut

Windsor Locks is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,043 at the 2000 United States Census....
 of Hartford County
Hartford County, Connecticut

Hartford County is located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of 2000 the population was 857,183. The population estimate for 2005 was 877,393....
 in the state of Connecticut
Connecticut

Connecticut is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state borders New York to the west and south , Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east....
, USA
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. Windsor Locks is named after the series of locks
Lock (water transport)

A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber whose water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is the chamber itself that rises and falls....
 on the canal.

Prior to the opening of the canal, the scow
Scow

A scow, in the original sense, is a flat bottomed boat with a blunt bow, often used to haul waste or similar bulk freight; cf. barge. The etymology of the word is from the Dutch language schouwe, meaning such a boat....
s or flat-bottomed boats which plied the Connecticut River could only carry some 10 or 12 tons over the falls, and any additional freight had to be offloaded and carried around the falls by ox
Ox

Oxen are bovinae trained as draught animals. Often they are adult, castration males. Oxen are used for ploughing, transport, hauling cargo, threshing grain by trampling, powering machines for grinding grain, irrigation or other purposes, and drawing carts and wagons....
 teams. The boats then had to be poled through the rapids, requiring large teams of men to do this.

Construction of the canal commenced in 1824 and it was opened on November 11 1829.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Enfield Falls Canal'
Start a new discussion about 'Enfield Falls Canal'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Enfield Falls Canal is a canal
Canal

Canals are artificial channels for water. There are two types of canals: Aqueduct canals, which are used for the conveyance and delivery of water, and waterways, which are navigable transportation canals used for passage of goods and people, often connected to existing lakes, rivers, or oceans....
 that was built to circumvent the shallows at Enfield Falls on the Connecticut River
Connecticut River

The Connecticut River is the largest river in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, through Western Massachusetts and central Connecticut into Long Island Sound at Old Saybrook, Connecticut....
. It is situated along the west side of the river, adjacent to the towns Suffield
Suffield, Connecticut

Suffield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, Connecticut, United States. It had once been within the boundaries of Massachusetts. In 1900, 3,521 people lived in Suffield; and in 1910, 3,841....
 and Windsor Locks
Windsor Locks, Connecticut

Windsor Locks is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,043 at the 2000 United States Census....
 of Hartford County
Hartford County, Connecticut

Hartford County is located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of 2000 the population was 857,183. The population estimate for 2005 was 877,393....
 in the state of Connecticut
Connecticut

Connecticut is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state borders New York to the west and south , Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east....
, USA
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. Windsor Locks is named after the series of locks
Lock (water transport)

A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber whose water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is the chamber itself that rises and falls....
 on the canal.

Prior to the opening of the canal, the scow
Scow

A scow, in the original sense, is a flat bottomed boat with a blunt bow, often used to haul waste or similar bulk freight; cf. barge. The etymology of the word is from the Dutch language schouwe, meaning such a boat....
s or flat-bottomed boats which plied the Connecticut River could only carry some 10 or 12 tons over the falls, and any additional freight had to be offloaded and carried around the falls by ox
Ox

Oxen are bovinae trained as draught animals. Often they are adult, castration males. Oxen are used for ploughing, transport, hauling cargo, threshing grain by trampling, powering machines for grinding grain, irrigation or other purposes, and drawing carts and wagons....
 teams. The boats then had to be poled through the rapids, requiring large teams of men to do this.

Construction of the canal commenced in 1824 and it was opened on November 11 1829. The canal was 5¼ miles (8.5 km) long and had a vertical drop of 32 ft (9.75 m). The locks admitted craft up to 90 ft (27 m) long and 20 ft (6 m) wide.

Once the canal was opened, boats were able to carry much larger loads, and steamboat
Steamboat

A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam engine, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels....
 services were introduced. However by 1844 the Hartford and Springfield Railroad
Hartford and Springfield Railroad

The Hartford and Springfield Railroad is the continuation of the Hartford and New Haven Railroad from the Connecticut state line to Springfield, Massachusetts....
 had started operation, and navigation on the Connecticut River gradually reduced. However the canal obtained a new lease of life as a supplier of water power.

Today the canal is closed to navigation, but mostly still in water and used industrially. Most of the towpath is open for hiking and cycling. The canal is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation....
.

As of 10/23/04 the canal is owned by Ahlstrom corp. (see the second reference)