The rapids in the Suffield part of the river was a damn to flow water into the Canal. The river did have rapids down further because it was very shallow from Suffield to the Dexter paper mill in Windsor locks...Winters, storms and water flow have reduced the damn to what seems to be rapids. There was also a wooden bridge down stream from those rapids that crossed over into Enfield.. Look very carefully and you will still see the piers from that bridge...The labor that dug the canal by hand were the Irish immigrants. Some died while working on the canal and were buried in graves along side the canal.. Its like the Panama canal only built on a much smaller scale...Speaking of Washington.. In the commuter parking lot next to Rt. 91 is a plaque where there was once a house that Mr. Washington stayed over night..
@@mary-sueruiter6671 Yes and on that house that Washington stayed.. It was a Historical Landmark and they tore it down because of that highway.. It was at the beginning of the Southbound ramp to Rt. 91.. I remember the house very well.. I have ridden up and down the Canal road on my bicycle many, many times and you can actually feel the History.. I seen the grave (stones) markers next to the canal of the immigrants who died..
The rapids in the Suffield part of the river was a damn to flow water into the Canal. The river did have rapids down further because it was very shallow from Suffield to the Dexter paper mill in Windsor locks...Winters, storms and water flow have reduced the damn to what seems to be rapids. There was also a wooden bridge down stream from those rapids that crossed over into Enfield.. Look very carefully and you will still see the piers from that bridge...The labor that dug the canal by hand were the Irish immigrants. Some died while working on the canal and were buried in graves along side the canal.. Its like the Panama canal only built on a much smaller scale...Speaking of Washington.. In the commuter parking lot next to Rt. 91 is a plaque where there was once a house that Mr. Washington stayed over night..
Larry 306 I have lived in W.L. For 61 years and didn’t know this information! Thank you
@@mary-sueruiter6671 Yes and on that house that Washington stayed.. It was a Historical Landmark and they tore it down because of that highway.. It was at the beginning of the Southbound ramp to Rt. 91.. I remember the house very well.. I have ridden up and down the Canal road on my bicycle many, many times and you can actually feel the History.. I seen the grave (stones) markers next to the canal of the immigrants who died..
Dam not damn