Canals in the Us

In the final sentence of his study of nineteenth‐century canals, Ronald E. Shaw points to the limitations of most canal maps: “The long lines of canals now drawn on our maps ... are but the skeletal remains of a once vital dimension of American life.” Hoping to produce a map that conveys more of the "vitality" of canals as engines of trade, economic development, and travel in antebellum America, this maps not only shows the spaces that canals connected but information about the goods they carried.

  • Credits
    This map is authored by the staff of the Digital Scholarship Lab: Robert K. Nelson, Scott Nesbit, Edward L. Ayers, Justin Madron, Nathaniel Ayers, and Beaumont Smith. Carlton Fleenor, Haley Fortner, Erica Havens, Anthony Joga, and Radha Zanzal did data collection, database organization, and many other things. The developers, designers, and staff at Stamen Design have been exceptional partners on this project. Our thanks to Kai Chang, Jon Christensen, Sean Connelley, Seth Fitzsimmons, Nicolette Hayes, Alan McConchie, Michael Neuman, Dan Rademacher, Eric Rodenbeck, and Eric Socolofsky.
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