Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Ruins of the Whitewater Canal - Brookville, Indiana

The Whitewater Canal was a long term project in the state of Indiana, requiring eleven years of construction after the groundbreaking, being completed in 1847.  Spanning 76 miles, the canal required a lock and dam system to raise and lower boat traffic a total of 491 feet.  Many sections of the canal were wiped out later that year after a major flood in the Whitewater Valley.  Today sections of the canal do remain and some of the 56 limestone locks are still standing.  There is also a restored section of the canal with a functioning lock.  A gallery of this restored lock can be found at the end of the post.




The ruins of locks 22 and 23 can be found by following the trail alongside the rail line into the woods.


Lock 23 is located at the very end of the trail and is hard to access without the canal being dry.
Lock 22 is more accessible along the trail and the water in the canal tends to be a bit more shallow.

Overflow channel on lock 22.







These photos are of the restored lock found earlier along the trail.








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