Morris Canal Greenway Hike Series
I
n 1824 the Morris Canal & Banking Company was chartered to build a canal that would carry coal, mined in Pennsylvania, to developing markets along the eastern seaboard. The canal would pass through the heart of New Jersey’s iron district and provide the long-needed transportation system that would create new commercial activity in manufacturing towns like Boonton and agricultural communities like Clifton. When completed in 1831, the canal extended 102 miles across the rugged highlands of New Jersey, from Phillipsburg on the Delaware River, uphill to its summit level at Lake Hopatcong, and then down to New York Harbor at Jersey City. Mule-drawn canal boats transported up to 70 tons of cargo and took five days to cross the state. In the heyday of the canal, hundreds of boats carried everything from coal and iron ore to agricultural products. The canal promoted commerce and shaped the economic development of much of the northern part of the state. Today, plans are underway to develop the route of the canal as a corridor that will connect the many places where remains of the canal can still be seen. This series of walks will visit spots where Greenway project are already in place and explore the plans for future Greenway development.
Clifton Canal Park Saturday, March 24 - 10:00 am This tour will start at Morris Canal Park & Jack Kuepfer Nature Preserve where we will see a water filled section of the canal. We will spend time in the park exploring the history of the Morris Canal, showing maps, photos, and plans for a future Passaic County Greenway. We will them walk north on Broad Street along the route of the canal to the corner of Van Houtan Avenue, once the village of Centerville. Along the way we will pass old farm houses dating back to a time when this part of Clifton was a farming community. This tour will take two hours (about two miles of mostly easy level walking on street sidewalks). The hike will start at Morris Canal Park on Broad Street. Parking at the park is limited. Bring water and a snack. No facilities are available. Only a downpour will cancel the hike.
Woodland Park to Little Falls Saturday, April 14 - 10:00 am On this tour we will walk along the route of the canal from Woodland Park through Little Falls and into Totowa. Along the way we will see remains of the Morris Canal’s intact prism and towpath, aqueduct abutments, cornerstones from Little Falls aqueduct, Little Falls Canal Park, Beattie Carpet Mill, and the recently opened sections of the Little Falls Bikeway. This tour will take three hours (about three miles) with mostly easy walking. The hike will start at the Woodland Park Library parking lot and end at the Little Falls Canal Park. Bring water and lunch. Only a downpour will cancel the hike. Tours will be led by: Joe Macasek of the Canal Society of New Jersey, Joe is a noted author, Vice President of the CSNJ and leader of Industrial Heritage Tours for the Morris County Park Commission. For bad weather alert - hotline number that we can change the day of the event. 973 470-5680. To reserve a Free place, please call or e-mail: Jennifer Gonzalez: Passaic Planning Department 973.569.4045 jenniferg@passaiccountynj.org
For more info: CSNJ or Planning Dept websites: canalsocietynj.org http://passaiccountynj.org/morris-canalgreenway-study.html