The Morris Canal of New Jersey: the Preservation of a Dry Canal

A brief history of the mountain-climbing canal of New Jersey, followed by a description of current efforts to create a greenway along the original route of the Morris Canal.

Transcript

4. “Mountain Climbing Canal”
 Plane 11E in Bloomfield
5. Scientific American 1883
6. Summit of Plane 4W
7. Plane 7W - Washington
9. Morris Canal data
 
 Length of main canal: 102 mi / Pompton Feeder 4+ miles
 23 planes / 23 lift locks / 11 guard locks
 Elevation gain: 754 ft + 912 ft
 Original canal: 32 ft wide on top, 20 ft wide at bottom, 4 ft deep
 Enlarged canal: 40 ft wide on top, 25 ft wide at bottom, 5 ft deep
 Power source: 2 mules / 5 days for one-way trip
 Original locks: 9x75 ft / Enlarged locks 11x90 ft
 Original boats: 10-25 ton
 1845 section boats: 44 ton
 1860 section boats: 70 ton
 

10. New York Times, March 17, 1912
11. Morris Canal Greenway • NJTPA (North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority) • Warren County • Morris County • Passaic County • Essex County • Jersey City • CSNJ (Canal Society of New Jersey) • Other Stakeholders
17. Plane 9W
18. Bread Lock Park
19. Plane 5W – Port Murray
20. Thatcher Avenu in New Village, Meadow Breeze Park in Brass Castle, Bowerstown (culvert underneath Plane 7W), sleepers
21. Towpath clearing
23. Saxton Falls and Guinea Hollow (Musconetcong River)
24. Waterloo Village
25. Stanhope
26. Wharton
27. Wharton
28. Lock 2E in Wharton
 1903 – 2010 - 2015
29. Plane 7E in Boonton
30. Pompton Feeder
31. Paterson
32. Clifton
33. Bloomfield
34. Newark Plane 12E – Raymond Blvd.
37. Jersey City
38. Jersey City
39. Jersey City
41. Websites:
 www.canalsocietynj.org
 www.morriscanalgreenway.org
 www.morriscanalguide.com