It took seventeen years to complete the Patowmack Canal. It included a series of locks. The locks raised or lowered the water in the canal to permit the boats to pass by the dangerous falls.

Thousands of boats travelled the Patowmack Canal. They carried flour, alcohol, cloth, weapons and other goods. However, the water levels in the river made the canal usable only about two months out of the year. And profits never covered the cost of the building project. In the end, the Potowmack Company failed. The canal operated for only about twenty-five years.

The Patowmack Canal is now dry. It is open to visitors every day from seven in the morning until dark. The canal’s lock structures are still observable. The powerful Great Falls that made the canal necessary are also an extraordinary sight.

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“Paper Airplane”

FAITH LAPIDUS: Bluegrass singer Alison Krauss has been making records since she was fourteen years old. The thirty-nine year old performer has also won twenty-six Grammy awards for her music. Recently, she reunited with Union Station, the group with which she has made several recordings over the years. Katherine Cole has music from Alison Krauss and Union Station’s new album “Paper Airplane.”

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KATHERINE COLE: That was Alison Krauss singing “Miles to Go.” Like most songs on the album “Paper Airplane,” this one is about the difficult emotions of failed love.