Delaware & Hudson Canal

Mules or occasionally horses, harnessed together and linked by rope to the boats, trudged along the towing or towpath, pulling the canal boats through the water while on board the tillerman, or steersman, steered. The animals walked about a foot from the edge of the canal, sometimes veering even closer, so close that once in a while they fell in. These animals worked hard, typically walking about twenty miles a day and 3,000 miles per season eating and sleeping as they walked. In life as in death, mules were soon found to be more efficient than horses — they were stronger and easier to maintain, and when they fell sick they died quickly, unlike horses who lingered, to the great inconvenience of all concerned.
The opening of the canal amazed local residents. They had never seen a towpath or a boat being pulled through the water by animals. Although strongly discouraged by the canal company, some families and courting couples used the towpath for leisurely strolls, particularly on Sunday when there was no activity on the canal.

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History of the Canal
Waste Weirs
Locks
Canal Basin & Sluiceway
Dry Docks
Lock No. 50
Ending at Rondout
Demise of the Canal
The Canal & the Railroad
O&W & Summitville Station

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