Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was a waterway planned to connect the Potomac and Ohio rivers. Construction began in 1828, with generous financial backing from towns along the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. These towns hoped to establish a trade route to Ohio River settlements. The waterway began above the falls of the Potomac River at Washington, D.C. When construction was halted by the depression of 1837, the canal extended only about 100 miles (160 kilometers) westward. Half-hearted building continued until 1850. The canal was used until 1924 as far as Cumberland, Md., where building ended. It cost $11 million. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was 184 miles (296 kilometers) long and 60 feet (18 meters) wide, and it averaged 6 feet (1.8 meters) deep. Today, the canal is a national historical park.
