The vision of a central waterway connecting tidewater Virginia
with the Ohio River to rival the Erie Canal persisted for decades
during the 19th century. The idea was at first fostered by the
commonwealth of Virginia and then reincarnated as the Central Water
Line, which was endorsed by the federal government. It was a grand
vision, and though never implemented, the Great Kanawha Navigation
nevertheless became a highly successful regionally controlled
waterway that developed the rich resources of the Kanawha Valley.
Emory Kemp has compiled a comprehensive history of navigation on
the Great Kanawha River, detailing the industrial archaeology of
this waterway from the early 19th century, and offering a detailed
case study of a major 19th- and early 20th-century civil
engineering project that would significantly advance the nation's
industrial development.
Using the early unsuccessful attempts to connect the James River
and western waters as a background, "The Great Kanawha Navigation"
emphasizes technological innovation and construction of
navigational structures on the river. With the river men
championing open navigation during favorable stages of the river,
and at the same time clamoring for controls to ensure navigation
during periods of low flow, the Corps of Engineers responded with
the concept of the movable dam to provide a cost-effective means of
moving bulk cargo, especially coal, salt, lumber, cement, and
chemicals, along nearly 100 miles of the Great Kanawha River. "The
Great Kanawha Navigation" employed a series of ten locks and dams
and became a laboratory for the use of movable dams in the United
States, using first the French Chanoine shutter wicket dam and then
the German Roller Gate dam. The innovative technology of the ten
dams, the volume of freight carried and the management of the
system by the Corps of Engineers made this one of the most
significant public works in the nation. Each of the two systems
provided cost-effective and environmentally sound means to tap the
rich mineral resources of the Kanawha Valley. By any measure, the
Great Kanawha Navigation has been one of the more successful
ventures of the Corps of Engineers; Kemp has provided extensive
photographs, illustrations, diagrams, and maps to further emphasize
the construction of the various hydraulic structures. The result is
an interesting and significant blend of biographical, technical,
political, geographical, and industrial history that will delight
historians of technology and the region.
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