Wiconisco Canal

Wiconisco Canal
Aqueduct No. 3 over Powell Creek
Map of historic Pennsylvania canals
Location
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
Physical characteristics
SourceWiconisco Creek
 • locationMillersburg, Dauphin County
 • coordinates40°32′10″N 76°57′56″W / 40.53611°N 76.96556°W / 40.53611; -76.96556[n 1]
 • elevation381 ft (116 m)[1]
MouthSusquehanna River
 • location
Opposite the mouth of the Juniata River, Dauphin County
 • coordinates
40°24′03″N 77°00′49″W / 40.40083°N 77.01361°W / 40.40083; -77.01361[n 2]
 • elevation
335 ft (102 m)[2]
Length12 mi (19 km)[3]
Basin features
River systemPennsylvania Canal
Original ownerCommonwealth of Pennsylvania

The Wiconisco Canal was a 19th century transportation waterway, about 12 miles (19 km) long, in Dauphin County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Running along the east bank of the Susquehanna River between Millersburg and Duncan's Island at the mouth of the Juniata River, the canal overcame about 42 feet (13 m) of vertical lift through the use of 7 locks.[4][n 3]

Started by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the canal was completed in 1845 by a private firm and used to ship coal and other goods from northern Dauphin County to distant markets. Sold to a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad, it continued operating until largely destroyed by a flood in 1889. The canal's biggest aqueduct, No. 3 near Halifax, continues to serve as a highway bridge over Powell Creek. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, as the Bridge in Reed Township.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Wiconisco Creek". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey. August 2, 1979. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Juniata River". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey. August 30, 1990. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference shank was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Shank, p. 108
  5. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.


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