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James River and Kanawha Turnpike

 

 
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James River and Kanawha Turnpike
 
 
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The James River and Kanawha Turnpike was built to facilitate portage of shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western reaches of the James River
James River (Virginia)

The James River in the U.S. state of Virginia is a long river, including its Jackson River source. It drains a Drainage basin comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million people ....
 via the James River and Kanawha Canal
James River and Kanawha Canal

The James River and Kanawha Canal was a canal in Virginia, which was built to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast....
 and the eastern reaches of the Kanawha River
Kanawha River

The Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, it has formed a significant industrial region of the state since the middle of the 19th century....
.

Originally proposed by a young George Washington
George Washington

George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States of the United States of Americas ....
 in his surveyor days prior to the American Revolution
American Revolution

The American Revolution refers to the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies of North America overthrew the governance of the British Empire and then rejected the British monarchy to become the sovereign United States of America....
, the canal and turnpike combination was seen as the key for Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
 to compete with northern states for rich trade to the west.






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The James River and Kanawha Turnpike was built to facilitate portage of shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western reaches of the James River
James River (Virginia)

The James River in the U.S. state of Virginia is a long river, including its Jackson River source. It drains a Drainage basin comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million people ....
 via the James River and Kanawha Canal
James River and Kanawha Canal

The James River and Kanawha Canal was a canal in Virginia, which was built to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast....
 and the eastern reaches of the Kanawha River
Kanawha River

The Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, it has formed a significant industrial region of the state since the middle of the 19th century....
.

Originally proposed by a young George Washington
George Washington

George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States of the United States of Americas ....
 in his surveyor days prior to the American Revolution
American Revolution

The American Revolution refers to the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies of North America overthrew the governance of the British Empire and then rejected the British monarchy to become the sovereign United States of America....
, the canal and turnpike combination was seen as the key for Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
 to compete with northern states for rich trade to the west. However, the canal portion was an expensive project which failed several times financially, was frequently damaged by floods, and was never fully completed, although sections served for many years. It was largely financed by the Virginia Board of Public Works
Virginia Board of Public Works

The Virginia Board of Public Works was a governmental agency which oversaw and helped finance the development of Virginia's internal transportation improvements during the 19th century....
. After the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
, when funds for continued financial help were not available from the worn-torn state or private sources. In 1871, Collis P. Huntington
Collis P. Huntington

Collis Potter Huntington was one of the Big Four of western railroading who built the Central Pacific Railroad as part of the first U.S. First Transcontinental Railroad....
 completed the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century....
 (C&O) from the head of navigation
Head of navigation

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 at Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the Capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. Like all Virginia municipalities incorporated as cities, it is an independent city and not part of any county....
 to the Ohio River
Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. It is approximately 981 miles long and is located in the eastern United States....
 at Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington, West Virginia

Huntington is a city in Cabell County, West Virginia and Wayne County, West Virginia counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River....
 (named in his honor), and the canal finally succumbed to the competition and the advancing transportation technology of the railroads. In the 1880s, the canal was bought and dismantled by one of the railroads, which built along the towpath and soon became part of the C & O.

The Turnpike portion of the combination envisioned by Washington remained a major roadway much longer, and was only supplanted by the completion of Interstate 64
Interstate 64

Interstate 64 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. Its western terminus is currently in Lake St. Louis, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 264 and I-664 at Bowers Hill, Virginia in Chesapeake, Virginia....
 in West Virginia in 1988. Much of the route of the James River and Kanawha Turnpike through West Virginia
West Virginia

West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
 is today the Midland Trail
Midland Trail

For the section in West Virginia, see Midland Trail .The Midland Trail, also called the Roosevelt Midland Trail, was a national auto trail spanning the United States from Washington, D.C....
, a National Scenic Byway
National Scenic Byway

A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for its archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and/or scenic qualities....
, and is signed as U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 60

U.S. Route 60 is an east-west United States highway, running 2,670 miles from Virginia to Arizona. Despite the "0" in its number, indicating a transcontinental designation, the 1926 route ended in Springfield, Missouri at the intersection with U.S....
. Ironically, while the historic road was long a turnpike financed through collection of tolls, today it is a toll-free favorite of shunpikers seeking either an avoidance of tolls on the West Virginia Turnpike
West Virginia Turnpike

The West Virginia Turnpike is a turnpike in the United States of America state of West Virginia. It is also signed as Interstate 77 for its entire length as well as Interstate 64 from Charleston, West Virginia to just south of Beckley, West Virginia....
, a scenic and bucolic interlude, or both.

See also

  • James River and Kanawha Canal
    James River and Kanawha Canal

    The James River and Kanawha Canal was a canal in Virginia, which was built to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast....
  • Midland Trail
    Midland Trail

    For the section in West Virginia, see Midland Trail .The Midland Trail, also called the Roosevelt Midland Trail, was a national auto trail spanning the United States from Washington, D.C....
  • Ansted, West Virginia
    Ansted, West Virginia

    Ansted is a town in Fayette County, West Virginia in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is situated on high bluffs along U.S. Highway 60 on a portion of the Midland Trail a National Scenic Byway near Hawk's Nest, West Virginia overlooking the New River far below....