The Ultimate History of the Delaware And Lehigh Trail With D&L Historian Martha Capwell-Fox
With over 300 years of history spanning from the Industrial Revolution to the present day, the Delaware and Lehigh Trail, known simply as the D&L Trail, represents a story of change, adaptation, and perseverance. It’s a time capsule that shows different eras of the past and how it remains significant to the present day.
The best way to learn the trails history is to hear its story from an expert. Martha Capwell-Fox is the D&L Trails Historian with a wealth of knowledge about the trail and its history.
The timing couldn’t be better because we’re hosting our first D&L Trail clean-up on October 1st! It’s the first of more to come as we’ll be looking to host more of these in the future.
So for our inaugural episode of the Ones Who Wander podcast, we sat down with Martha to learn the incredible history of not only the trail but the D&L organization. For those who don’t watch the entire interview (though it’s definitely worth viewing!), we’ve written an abridged version here that outlines the basics of our conversation.
1. Who are the D&L and when did the organization start?
It’s an organization helping to protect the Delaware and Lehigh Canals now known as the D&L Corridor. Starting with the creation of the National Canal Museum in 1970, the mission to preserve the canals heritage and created a green space for the public was set in motion.
In 1988, the Corridor was designated as nationally significant by the U.S. Congress and in 2013, the National Canal Museum and the D&L merged to create one organization. The goal of the Corridor is to link people and communities together much like the canals had done during their history.
2. What were the Canals like before becoming an area for recreation?
Before their major development in the late 18th century, the area had long been a trading route for Native Americans. However it wasn’t until the discovery of anthracite coal in the Carbon County region that the area really experienced a boom in trade and commerce.
In order to transport the coal from these very isolated regions, a network of canals, locks, and towpaths needed to be built. Many of these networks followed similar routes to those used by the Native Americans.
These canals were the birthplace of America’s Industrial Revolution in the 1840s. While other New England states birthed the factory system through the development of textile mills, the use of coal to create large quantities of iron is were the Revolution really began.
Towns and developments began to spring up near the canal system leading to the countries early industrial development. These offshoot industries included sawmills, tanneries, and steel mills that became more and more prominent to America’s rise as a global competitor.
Other areas of the canal focused more on the shipping of goods and helped supplement existing routes primarily done over land. These networks spread all the way from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean.
3. What led to the Canal’s closing?
While the canals helped redefine industry in the United States, they also planted the seeds of their own destruction. This is because as the demand for coal grew, so did the need for faster transportation.
Though they presented the most efficient mode of shipping during their early years, the canals became outdated as quickly as 20 years after they were completion. A major flood in 1862 destroyed many of the dams, locks, canals boats, and villages along the route shifting the countries focus onto another form of transportation.
The ultimate irony is that the canal’s decline was caused by the very thing they were designed to transport – iron. It was the iron spike of the railroad that gave birth to a newer and faster mode of shipping.
With railroads, items could be shipped faster and more efficiently with much more reliability than a canal. Canals can also flood, freeze, dry up, and are very slow moving.
A mule pulling a canal boat can only reach a few miles an hour where as a train–even in the 19th century–could go significantly quicker. Subsequent floods further contributed to the canals downfall as the primary mode of transportation.
However the canals didn’t completely vanish, they hung on all the way until nearly the mid-20th century. It wasn’t until the flood of 1942 that the D&L canal finally called it quits ending an almost 100 year run that gave birth to American industry.
4. When was the area adopted by the D&L Trail?
This is a common misconception. The only things that the D&L own is the facility at Hugh Moore Park, the canalboats, and mules used for demonstrations. Rather, the trail are owned by the local municipalities they’re located in.
In fact, every part of the trail is owned by either the municipalities, communities, or private properties in which they reside. For instance, the trail in the Delaware Canal is almost entirely owned by the Delaware State Park.
What the D&L organization does is help advise owners of these various sections of the trail on how to maintain their properties for users. D&L also helps places find funds for their section to do maintenance or complete any new projects on the horizon.
Because the D&L doesn’t own any parts of the trail, the most important individuals are the locals who volunteer their time to keep the area clean and beautiful. These trail tenders are the unseen workers striving to provide a trash-free and environmentally friendly places for everyone to enjoy.
5. What does the D&L Trail do for the area today?
The D&L National Historic Heritage Corridor’s mission is to enrich communities through activities and partnerships that including conservation, preservation, and enhancing the quality of life. It does this by providing activities for residences and visitors including hiking, biking, camping, and fishing just to name a few.
The 165-mile D&L Trail is the central hub for bringing people and communities together. It incorporates old canal towpaths as well as rail trails in the area and follows the historic route that took anthracite coal from the mines to market.
Along this trail, travelers are treated to incredibly scenic surroundings as well as charming towns and historic structures. The towns and communities along the trail also benefit greatly and play host to visitors and explorers as they pass through the route.
One example is the town of Slatington. Since the portion of the D&L Trail was opened, the area has experienced a rise in tourism with old businesses increasing in popularity and new several businesses setting up shop.
The D&L Trail operates much like how the old canal operated. It brings communities together from different parts of the region, connected by one pathway, like it has been for over 300 years.
6. What is the Trail Tenders Program and how does it help the trail?
One of the best ways to maintain and beautify the D&L Trail is through the use of local volunteers looking for a way to make a difference in their community. Trail Tenders help by removing trash, maintaining the trail, cleaning historic structures, and improving amenities for trail users.
It’s a great way for locals in the area get together and make a positive impact on their community while providing a much needed service for the D&L. These Trail Tender events can be public for anyone to join or private as a team-building activity for businesses, clubs, or social groups.
Without these Tenders, it would be difficult for the organization to maintain all 165-miles of the trail. That’s why Trail Tenders are so important to the D&L as they are vital for the success and continuation of the trail and the organization.
7. Where does the D&L see itself in the future and are there any developments on the horizon?
While the D&L has managed to accomplish a lot over the years, there are still things to be done to make the Corridor better for the community. One of the most important goals is to have a fully connected trail and this vision is getting closer and closer to being completed.
Another interesting development would be the creation of bridges that could bring pedestrians across the Lehigh River and connect with other canal paths. Essentially, these bridges would allow trail users, especially bicyclists, to ride on a long loop instead of only having to go back and forth on a straight line.
Some of these exist in along the Delaware River and connect to the Delaware and Raritan Trail on the New Jersey side. Circuits like these could bring an increase in pedestrian traffic to different parts of the trail and help boost tourism in the towns and communities along the way.
Re-watering the canals is an ambitious possibility being looked in to, however it’s unlikely that this dream will ever fully be realized. Certain parts of the canal do still have water in them, but the majority of the canal was watered by since demolished dams along the Lehigh River, making it difficult to accomplish this goal today.
The most important developments for the future are to continue working on the environmental issues and uncovering the trails history that needs to be preserved and presented. There’s no shortage of things to do for the D&L in the future and progress towards these goals are made little by little each and everyday.
Conclusion
The Delaware and Lehigh Trail, while being a window into the past, is also forging a path for the future. It’s building not only a trail for nature and outdoor enthusiasts but for communities and alliances as well.
Through its many programs and initiative, the D&L is building for a successful future, not only for itself, but for the communities it serves. By understanding the trails history, we can see its future and the positive impact it will have for many years to come.
Be sure to check out our full interview with D&L Historian Martha to learn more about the organization.
