Cape Cod Canal
In the first half of the 20th century, the most significant event for Sandwich was the completion in 1916 of the Cape Cod Canal. Amazingly, it was almost 300 years in coming. In 1623, the Pilgrims under the leadership of William Bradford and Miles Standish scouted the land between the Manomet and Scusset rivers, a traditional Native American portage (the carrying of boats and goods over land between two bodies of water), and determined this would be the best route for a canal. In 1697, the General Court of Massachusetts considered a formal proposal to build a canal but no action was taken. In 1776, George Washington, concerned about its military implications, had the location examined, and further surveys took place in 1791, 1803, 1818, 1824-1830, and 1860. Attempts were made later to dig the canal but soon failed. Finally, in 1909 work was begun by the Boston, Cape Cod, and New York Canal Company that had been established by August Belmont, a New Yorker. The Cape Cod Canal is now the longest sea-level canal in the world.
To log this geocache on opencaching.us, the password is Coast Guard Station.
To log this geocache on opencaching.us, the password is Coast Guard Station.