Luna Visits D & H Canal in Summitville NY

New York has a lot of history which made an impact on the communities, such as the D & H Canal. Luna the dolphin got a chance to explore some of the D & H Canal and learn a thing or two along the way. The canal was created by William and Maurice Wurts to help transport coal from Pennsylvania to New York City. The canal was mostly built by immigrants of Irish and German decent and ran from 1828 until 1898. At this time, trains became more efficient in transporting goods. The D & H Canal was also the first canal not to be financed by the states but by private investors.

Life on the canal was difficult and could take anywhere from seven to ten days to make the round trip. This is why families lived in the limited space on the boats they charted. Besides cooking and cleaning, women would even help navigate the boats when the men were resting. Children even had jobs of walking with the mules along the linear path. The mules were supposed to help pull the boats in sections with low current or when the boats get stuck. Luna was glad that she didn’t have to walk a lot. For those that want to, the D & H Canal from Summitville to Wurtsboro NY is a great option.

You can walk along the towpath and see what remains of the canal, the struggles they faced and the relationship they had with the trains. If you love history, then you’ll be amazed at the amount of locks they had to built to ensure that the boats pass safely through the canal. The canal is part of our history and the sections that are preserved help us appreciate and remember the struggles these people went through.