Trip Day: 59 Latitude:
36°30.41' N Locks Today: 0
Miles Today: 15 Longitude: 076°21.36' W Locks Total: 7
Total Miles: 1,239 Location: Dismal
Swamp Visitor Center / free dock
Yesterday we established that the Dismal Swamp Canal was dug by slaves and completed in 1804. The canal had an immediate impact on the local economies allowing transport of lumber and goods between northern and southern colonies without ships having to venture into the Atlantic or cross the wide-open sounds.
The canal truly is just a straight ditch—it has its beauty—but also its peril. We were glad to be third in line so the wakes of the boats ahead of us could push the partly submerged logs out of our way.
In 1862 when the Confederates were caught in the Union Army blockage of coastal North Carolina, the canal offered a supply route to Confederate strongholds in Virginia. The Dismal Swamp also played an important part in the Underground Railroad, where escaped or freed slaves established “maroon colonies” deep in the swamp until they could escape to freedom in the north.
The Dismal Swamp State Park had an interesting museum of the history of the swamp. The Park has miles of hiking trails with tent camping. We took a short hike on the raised wooden walkways, but the only wild life we encountered was this enormous, long, slimy, slithery, green snake, which I am sure serves a good purpose in the ecosystem, but a snake nonetheless!
Google Map us by clicking on Dismal Swamp Welcome Center in footer below!
While snakes may be unpleasant in many ways, they aren't slimy!
ReplyDeleteAnd what the heck happened to my profile photo? I demand equitable relief and compensatory damages from Google, or whoever is responsible for this outrage.