The other day I was transcribing some old newspaper articles which may or may not be used as space filler in the American Canals newsletter, and I ran across a mention of the Conewango canal. According to the newspaper, it was supposedly connected to Seneca Lake in New York. As I had never heard of this canal, I did what everyone does and Googled it, and thus I happened upon George Armroyd’s 1830 book; A Connected View of the Whole Internal Navigation of the United State; Natural and Artificial, Present and Prospective, with A Sheet Map.
Since the book is no longer copyright protected, I will allow the author to explain a bit about his book;
“This work was undertaken in the summer of 1825, and has since been added to, as new matter from time to time has occurred for insertion. The immediate object of it is, to present as clear and distinct a view as possible, of the past progress, and present state, of a particular class of improvements, whereof an enumeration at large, with detail of circumstances, is here at tempted to be given; and, by inference, the present state and prospects of the country viewed in relation to that class of improvements, and their advancement towards a state of perfection in the internal intercourse of the whole nation.”
Or in short, the 1830 edition is an update of the 1825 edition. What follows is a 600 page listing of the state of canals in North America in 1830. There is information about every canal in the country, be it real, or possibly someone’s dream.
The book is available as a pdf download (click on the title above), and it is certainly worth doing so as I have found that books sometimes disappear as free downloads and show up as pay for print copies. There is also a mention of a map, and since Google Books doesn’t take the time to unfold and scan maps and prints, I went looking for Armroyd’s map. At first, I tried to find a copy of his book, but the internet only offers reprints. However, I was able to find a copy on the David Rumsey Map Collection. And delightfully, you can download a version of the map which I have included here.
As you can see, it is an fantastic record of canals and navigation’s in 1830. The author explained;
“The connection is designated in the map of the United States, by coloured lines, traced from point to point of one river to another, where such canals of connection already exist, or are in contemplation ; exhibiting, in consequence, (with the aid of some of the great river courses themselves,) one continuous, uninterrupted Inland Navigation, from sea to sea —from the ports of outlet and inlet on the Atlantic, through the country, and by a variety of routes, to the ports of the Gulf of Mexico.
“The Red coloured lines represent those canal works that are already finished, or well advanced ; the Yellow lines, those that are either not yet commenced, or, if commenced, not as yet actively prosecuted. All which is attempted to be explained at the proper heads of the subject in this book.
“The letters N, A, M, prefixed, one or other, at each of the articles, signify Natural, Artificial, or Mixed, in reference to the kind of navigation comprised in that article.
“The articles of canal works are numbered consecutively throughout, beginning at New-England, and ending at Florida, from No. 1 to No. 159.
“At the end of each division, into which the United States is here reduced, a summary is given of the Navigation, natural and artificial, comprised within the same, and at the end of the whole description, is given, a recapitulation, and grand summary, for the whole United States.”
This map is a nice companion to the 1905 Whitford map that I have shared prior. With Armroyd, you get all of what was possible in the mind of man, and with Whitford, you see what was actually accomplished.
Thank you for doing this research. This map is so much fun to spend time with.