Other people are running or riding bicycles. Today we see families walking their dogs along the towpath. It extends about 300 kilometers from Washington, DC to Cumberland, Maryland. The area between the Potomac and the canal is called a towpath. They do this by raising or lowering the water level. These devices close off the canal and use special gates to raise or lower the boats. Kayaks and barges float on the waterway, passing through locks. Instead, the C&O Canal is a national park. Over the years, continued flooding from the Potomac damaged the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was built more than 25 years later. He proposed a waterway to avoid dangerous areas along the Potomac. George Washington understood that the Potomac was difficult to travel on, even for much bigger boats than the canoe. Most of the time we sail smoothly down the Potomac. The park also has pileated woodpeckers and Baltimore orioles. Great blue herons populate a part of the historic area, and Canada geese can be seen along the edges of the Shenandoah Canal. Today the park welcomes visitors who come to learn about life along the Potomac River.īird-watching is a favorite activity in the park, where more than 170 bird species have been identified. Harpers Ferry became a national historical park in 1944. Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882: A Great 19th Century Writer and Philosopher Emerson wrote that although Brown had died, his spirit would march on.
But his name was made famous forever by American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson. However, federal troops recaptured it the next day. John Brown and 18 of his supporters captured the storage center. The federal government stored weapons at Harpers Ferry. In 1859, the United States was close to civil war between the northern and southern states. It looks very peaceful.īut this area is not known for peace. Round white clouds hang low against a blue sky. Green trees cover the mountains on either side. Here it meets the Shenandoah River.įrom our boat we can see the water flowing toward huge rocks. At Harpers Ferry, the Potomac flows through the Blue Ridge Mountains. During the 19th century, this village was an important transportation center for the river, a smaller waterway and a railroad.
We work hard to power our virtual canoe, and are happy to stop and rest at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Today, people often find objects that the Indians left behind. The Indians gathered to trade food and furs. The Potomac River was a meeting place for American Indians long before Europeans arrived. A travel guide tells us that people lived here 15,000 years ago. We start in the calm waters of Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The boat has only enough space for two or three people. For our virtual tour, we will take a small boat, a canoe we move through the water by rowing oars or paddles. So we will make our trip along the river virtually, without ever having to leave the room.
The wind is blowing hard along the Potomac today, making the water dangerous in some places. We Go Where People Lived Thousands of Years Ago. He urged that the river be developed to link Americans with the West. For example, America's first president, George Washington, lived for many years along the Potomac in Virginia. The Potomac River has played an important part in American history. The area is home to birds such as the great blue heron and the American bald eagle. Millions of people use the river and the land nearby for boating, fishing, bird watching and other recreational activities. The Potomac River supplies water for most of the six million people who live in the DC area. On its way from the mountains to the ocean, it runs through West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia and the United States capital, Washington, DC. The Potomac River is the wildest river in the world that flows through a heavily populated area. It flows more than 600 kilometers, from the Allegheny Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay and finally into the Atlantic Ocean. The Potomac is one of America’s most historic waterways. From VOA Learning English, welcome to This Is America.
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