The C&O (Chesapeake and Ohio) Canal stretches 184 miles from Georgetown to Cumberland, MD--cutting not just through roughly 608 ft. of elevation, but through more than two-hundred years of United States history.
Newly-opened businesses and modern renovations currently line Georgetown's Wisconsin Ave., but what the contemporary storefronts don't suggest is the history that precedes it.
Aly Baltrus, Supervisory Ranger for the C&O Canal in Georgetown, puts the history of the canal in context for the posh precinct all Washingtonians now know to be Georgetown. In the first chapter of a three-part video series, she explains to Patch what the canal was originally used for in the 19th century, how it laid the foundation for what Georgetown is today and what that wooden boat resting across from the Georgetown Visitor Center (1057 Thomas Jefferson Street) is currently used for.
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Stay tuned for Part Two of the C&O Canal series as Patch gets an authentic 1870s-themed experience upon boarding 'The Georgetown', learns how the canal became obsolete before it was even completed, and gets a formal introduction to the ones that make a ride on 'The Georgetown' possible, the mules.
