But the canal company ran out of money as faster railroads stole most of their business, and the C&O Canal never reached Pittsburgh and the Ohio River.

Library of CongressSusan Brown Chase's 1916 drawing of a C&O Canal lockmaster's house.

Remnants of its 74 stone locks, as well as brick aqueducts that brought it water from the river, remain. So does one long tunnel, just wide enough for one boat to get through.

A famous standoff took place there when boats arrived from each direction, and neither captain would back off. Finally a canal company official showed up and set fire to sheaves of green corn to literally smoke the boatsmen out of the tunnel.

In the Washington area, the C&O Canal still holds water. The National Park Service runs replica boats out of Georgetown. They're a big tourist attraction. And most of the old towpath remains, all the way to Cumberland. It's a beautiful, wild trail for hikers, bikers, horseback riders — and canal lovers.