Delaware Canal

Delaware Canal SP https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/DelawareCanalStatePark/Pages/default.aspx https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_Canal_State_Park Delaware Canal State Park is located in Bucks and Northampton Counties in Pennsylvania. The main attraction of the park is the Delaware Canal which runs parallel to the Delaware River between Easton and Bristol. The Delaware River is the longest free-flowing river east of the Mississippi River in the United States. It serves as a major migration path for American Shad and waterfowl. A visitor's center is located at New Hope and the park management office is located in Upper Black Eddy. Within the park are two designated natural areas: Nockamixon Cliffs and River Islands. Recreational opportunities include hiking, biking and cross-country skiing along the towpath, fishing in the canal and river, and canal boat rides.

Delaware Canal Delaware Canal State Park A Pennsylvania Recreational Guide for Pennsylvania State Parks Mission The primary purpose of Pennsylvania State Parks is to provide opportunities for enjoying healthful outdoor recreation and serve as outdoor classrooms for environmental education. In meeting these purposes, the conservation of the natural, scenic, aesthetic, and historical values of the parks should be given first consideration. Stewardship responsibilities should be carried out in a way that protects the natural outdoor experience for the enjoyment of current and future generations. visitPAparks Printed on recycled paper RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES DELAWARE CANAL STATE PARK A walk along the 58.89-mile-long towpath of Delaware Canal State Park is a stroll into American history. Paralleling the Delaware River between Easton and Bristol, this diverse park contains a historic canal and towpath, a 50-acre pond, many miles of river shoreline, and 11 river islands. From riverside to farm fields to historic towns, Delaware Canal State Park visitors can enjoy the ever-changing scenery along its corridor. A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK The 58.89-mile Delaware Canal is the only remaining continuously intact canal of the great towpath canal-building era in the early and mid-19th century. Today, the canal retains almost all of its features as they existed during its century of commercial operation. America was growing rapidly in the early 1800s. Canals provided a better way of transporting goods and resources, such as coal, to urban areas. After seeing the success of the Erie Canal in New York, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania began to build a system of canals to connect Lake Erie, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. While not directly connected to the rest of the state canal system, the Delaware Canal did connect with the Lehigh Canal system at Easton when it was completed in 1832. The canal also connected to the Morris and Delaware & Raritan canals in New Jersey via river crossings. The Lehigh and Delaware canals provided a convenient and economical means of transporting coal and other goods to Philadelphia, New York, and the eastern seaboard. In 1958, the commonwealth sold the entirety of the canal to the privately owned Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. As the years progressed and transportation technology advanced, the use of canals to transport goods became increasingly less efficient by comparison. The last commercial canal boat completed its journey through the Delaware Canal on October 17, 1931. On the same day in 1931, 40 miles of the canal were returned to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The commonwealth reacquired the remaining 20 miles in 1940. The U.S. Congress officially recognized the canal’s importance to the economic development of America by establishing the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor in 1988. The canal is a registered National Historic Landmark and its towpath is a National Recreation Trail. A DAY ON THE CANAL The day of the boatman is long gone, but if you stand on the towpath and listen, with some imagination you can hear ancient echos – the rhythmic clip-clop of a team of mules pulling a coal-filled boat and the softer steps of a barefoot 12-year-old, the boatman’s son, leading the mule team along the towpath. The sun is just starting to rise, but already the Delaware Canal has been buzzing with activity for several hours. Boatmen have begun their long day, one that will last until after 10:00 PM, when they tie up for the night and their mules are finally unharnessed, fed, brushed, and bedded down. To the east, the mighty Delaware River runs parallel to the canal and is separated only by a thin sliver of land, lined with sycamores, oaks, poplars, and river birch. As a canal boat glides quietly by, an array of enticing aromas wafts up the towpath. Frying eggs and slabs of bacon sizzle on the deck-top stove while extra-strong coffee brews. Some boats are headed down to Bristol and on to Philadelphia, filled with 80 or 90 tons of anthracite coal. These barges ride low in the water. Others are empty and ride high. They are heading upstream to Easton and then on to the Lehigh Canal for the trek to the town of Mauch Chunk (now called Jim Thorpe), to reload and do it all over again…and again… and again. 2021 The sound of a boatman blowing his conch shell horn rings out across the water, warning the locktender of the approaching boat. If there’s one thing these rough, tough, alwaysin-a-hurry boatmen hate, it is spending one minute more than necessary at a lock. On the canal, time is money. Spend The Day TRAILS: The 58.89-mile-long canal towpath runs from Easton to Bristol and is a National Recreation Trail. Once trod by mule teams pulling boats along the canal, the towpath is used today by walkers, joggers, bicyclists, cross-country skiers, and bird watchers. Across the Delaware River in New Jersey, the 70-mile-long Delaware & Raritan (D&R) Canal State Park is another

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