History, nature and recreation come together at D&R Canal State Park

Mules, hundreds of them, towed barges loaded with Pennsylvania coal down the Lehigh and Delaware Division canals to New Hope, Pa., then through to Lambertville and onto the Delaware & Raritan Canal, where they would head to Trenton.

- JOHN SACCENTI

Others came to the canal via Bristol, Pa., and Philadelphia, entering at Bordentown and heading to Trenton, New Brunswick and all points in between and beyond.

The trails were barren, standing in stark contrast to the forested routes now found along the 70-mile multiuse trail that makes up the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park.

The D&R Canal opened in 1834 and provided a transportation connection between Philadelphia and New York City via the outlet locks at Bordentown and New Brunswick. From the outlet at New Brunswick, goods were transported via the Raritan River into New York City. The entire journey could take about two days, but before that transportation choices were to travel by land, or by boat via the ocean around the southern tip of the state, which could take up to two weeks, said Vicki Chirco, D&R Canal State Park resource interpretive specialist.

“The canal opened for navigation in 1834 — taking four years to construct, open and become navigable for boat traffic, but it was not officially completed until 1838,” Chirco said. “The first vessels were mule-drawn boats, which was the mainstay for a good portion of the canal’s working life. Mule-drawn boats on the canal were still being used up until World War I and perhaps lingering for some time beyond, but steam-powered vessels were also in use as early as the mid-1840s. One thing that made the canal unique was that it had open-swing bridges, so there were no height restrictions and masted vessels could use the corridor as well.”