The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated C&O, operated from 1831 to 1924 parallel to the Potomac River from Cumberland, MD, to Washington, D.C. The total length of the canal is about 185 miles, utilizing 74 locks to accommodate the 605 foot elevation change. Also, over 150 culverts were built over relatively small streams. Over larger streams, 11 aqueducts were built of which 10 remain. To avoid 6 miles of meandering river, the 3,118 foot Paw Paw tunnel was built, using over 6 million bricks. The canal was used mostly for the transportation of coal.
The canal was abandoned in 1924 after a flood destroyed much of its banks and locks. Today it is part of the National Park Service which offers rides on 2 reproduction canal boats. The boats are pulled by mules and park rangers in historical dress work the locks and boat while giving a historical program. (The majority of the canal does not have water in it.) The old towpath is also used as a hiking and biking trail.
