C&O Canal Becomes a Winter Wonderland


 

The hushed quiet of the snow-laden Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and towpath is evident from the 31st Street bridge. After the snow melts and spring arrives, work will begin fixing the locks of the canal, parts of which need major repairs. Plans call for a new canal barge, as the decrepit one lies benched nearby, awaiting its disposal.

The canal’s construction began in 1828, and this year it celebrates its 45th anniversary as part of the National Park System. This Georgetown treasure awaits — and desperately needs — more restoration work. It’s hard to believe that a 1950 government proposal advanced the idea of making it a parkway from Georgetown to Cumberland, Maryland.

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