Transportation Along the Connecticut
There were many ways of transporting goods along the Connecticut River. The example above is called a flatboat. That was one of the first ways of transportation. There are many more, however, and you will learn about a lot more by reading our website. These include...
steamboats, barges, keelboats
and even...
luxury cruises!
So, come along and you can learn more than you ever did before about transportation along the great Connecticut River!
What we set out to do!
We first set out to find information about the goods that were transported along the South Hadley Canal and the Connecticut River. We found quite a bit of information about the goods, from to articles/pictures/letters and other primary or secondary sources. There was a lot of information about the ships that were used on the river, too. These boats go from canoes to steamboats in days past up to cruise ships in the present day. However, it was difficult for us to find more specific information.
The information that we needed for the dates and the boats soon became scarce, and we saw that we needed to be creative about it. We used maps, read through the difficult articles, and tried as best we could to get more information. Luckily, it worked. The newspaper articles held even more information then we had previously seen. There were goods that were being sold all over the classified section from an 1802 copy of the Hampshire Gazette! Finally, we put all our information on this page. I hope you enjoy our website.
What we found out!
The South Hadley canal was the nation's first successful navigational canal. It was built to allow flatboats navigating on the Connecticut River to go around the falls at South Hadley. Flatboats were constructed of strong oak planks spiked to sturdy knees and braces. They were flat on the bottom and because of their shape, had a shallow draft and could operate in little water. Above waterline, the boats had a forward open cargo deck, for cargo, such as lumber products, or barrels of rum. Behind the mast was a tented cargo area where goods that could be damaged by the weather would be carried. The captain steered the boat from the roof of the cabin in the stern. The crew of three boatmen would steer the boats on their journey upriver at about 1 1/2 mph.
Across the South Hadley Canal, many goods were transported, and many boats were used. Some specific examples of these goods were lemons (as well as other types of fruit), itch ointment, fancy dresses, brown sugar, Linseed Oil, and rum. This information came from a classified page from the Hampshire Gazette from 1802 that our teacher Ms. Di Silvio provided us with. These newspapers are available on microfiche at local town libraries such as the Forbes Library in Northampton, MA.
The South Hadley Canal initially became famous in the early 19th century. It was opened for commercial use in April of 1795. The canal increased the population of the Connecticut Valley communities, and brought economic success to Massachusetts. The South Hadley canal proved the importance of rivers to Western New England's businesses, something no one had ever done before.
Survey Map of South Hadley c.1794, courtesy of theForbes Library, Northampton, MA
This is a map of Hadley which comes from the Forbes Library. The Meeting Place was in the Center of town, and the Canal, if you can see, was towards the left. A ferry brought people and goods across the Connecticut River. If you look closely, the Ferry station was near the canal to the northern side.
What the Boats Carried
Flatboats: They carried passengers, wagons, livestock, weapons, minerals, skins, and other cargo such as food.
- Food: One of the options was "Johnnycake", a type of cornbread. That was a good kind of food to carry on the ships because it would not spoil. Also, there was salt pork, dried beef, fish, and cornmeal.
- Passengers: There would be pioneers that were coming from the east and going to the west. They would go to the west because there was gold and other resources that could make someone rich in those locations.
- Livestock: The pioneers that were coming from the east wanted to bring their cows, sheep, goats, chickens, donkeys, and other animals with them so that they could have fresh milk, butter, yogurt, eggs, and meat that the animals would provide. This food would not only keep them alive but keep them full of luxury food.
- Weapons: Some people wanted to bring rifles, axes, and other weapons with them to protect themselves on their journey.
- Minerals: Phosphate rock, salt, sulfur, mineral ore and gold were some minerals that people would try to find.
- Skins: There were deer skins, rabbit skins, and wolf skins that were shipped across the river.
Keelboats: they carried cotton, fur trappers, traders, and a mast for putting up a sail.
Steamboats: passengers, cotton, livestock, and furs were carried.
Barges: passengers, sand, cement, and grain were carried.
Cruise Ships: they were only made for carrying passengers.
Additional Fun Facts about boats used along the Connecticut River
Flatboats - Flatboats are rectangular boats with flat bottoms and square ends. They always went one way, because when they reached their original destination, they were destroyed and used as lumber.
Barges - Barges are flat bottomed boats, built for the transportation of heavy goods. Barges through the canal were pulled by horses. The word 'barge' means 'small boat'.
Steamboats - Steamboats are usually moved by propellers. The largest and most famous steamboat of all time was the Titanic, which sunk in 1912.
Keelboats - A keel boat is a keeled shaped boat that was built for the navigation of rivers. Most keelboats were from 50 to 80 feet long and 15 feet wide.
Crossword Puzzle Answers
This is our great activity for young learners. It is a printable crossword puzzle, and the answer key is below.
Don't peek!
....
....
1. Goods
2. Canoe
3. Cruise
4. Cutlery
5. Steamboats
6. Barges
7. Map
8. Flatboats
9. Medicine
10. Keelboats
Thank you for trying our crossword puzzle!
