Getting There : Water4

Journey by Sea :
the Cape Cod Canal

The Cape Cod Canal
The sea route around Cape Cod was dangerous because the sand shoals around Nausett Beach on the Outer Cape frequently shifted. Ships often ran into the shoals, tearing their bottoms and wrecking. Beginning with the Sparrow-Hawk in 1626, a wreck occurred every few weeks. More than 3000 vessels were destroyed over almost three centuries. As early as the 1600s, a canal to cut off the perilous sea journey was suggested.

The most logical place to dig a canal was between the Scussett and Bourne Rivers south of Plymouth. The Wampanoag showed the Pilgrims the short land route between the rivers which connected Buzzards’ Bay to Cape Cod Bay. While there was interest in building a canal during the Revolution, nothing was done until the late 1880. 400 Italian immigrant workers were brought to Sandwich to dig a canal, using shovels and wheelbarrows. The project was soon abandoned.

In 1909 financier August Belmont, who had built the elevated system in New York City, funded construction of a canal using dredges and later, steamshovels. The Cape Cod Canal was completed in 1914. It had two road bridges and one rail bridge. To pay for the multi-million dollar project, Belmont charged tolls. The canal was narrow, and only one ship could pass through at a time. The new route did save time, however, cutting 7 hours off the journey to Boston.

The US Army Corps of Engineers took over the canal in 1928, and the canal operated free of charge. During the Depression, public works projects funded improvements. The canal was widened and deepened to allow two-way traffic.

The Bourne and Sagamore Bridges were completed in 1935, and the vertical lift railway bridge the next year. Today, both commercial and recreational vessels use the canal.