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An Engineering Marvel At 100: The Cape Cod Canal
ResumeThis coming Friday, many people will pause to celebrate Independence Day. And for many in the Bay State, that means a trip to the breezy shores of Cape Cod, crossing over a major engineering feat that transformed a big part of Massachusetts: the Cape Cod Canal, which turns 100 years old this month.
Millions of people have driven over it countless times, and if they think of it all, they associate it with traffic jams and a fleeting view of view of a thin, blue waterway. But the canal represents a major engineering accomplishment.
Guest
Doug Most, deputy managing editor for new initiatives at The Boston Globe. He's author of "The Race Underground: Boston, New York and the Incredible Rivalry That Built America’s First Subway." He tweets @GlobeDougMost.
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The Boston Globe: Cape Cod Canal's 100th Anniversary
- "Just how important was it to connect Buzzards Bay to the south with Cape Cod Bay to the north? George Washington demanded it after his Continental Army was trapped by a British blockade during the Revolutionary War and had no waterway to retreat to. But the commercial need was even greater. More than 30,000 ships loaded with produce and raw materials had to go around the Cape’s tip every year in the late 19th century."
This article was originally published on July 01, 2014.
This segment aired on July 1, 2014.