The Cape Cod Canal, the ultimate 7-mile shortcut from Buzzard Bay to Cape Cod Bay, now sees more than 20,000 vessels pass through it every year. Before the early 1900s, it was nothing more than a narrow strip of land. There was no canal, and boats had to make the perilous passage around the backshore of Cape Cod, known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” Mariners recognized the need for a safer route, and the idea of building a canal was conceived hundreds of years ago, dating back to the time of the Pilgrims.
Early Vision and Challenges
Governor Bradford visited the area to explore how to connect Buzzard Bay through to Cape Cod Bay. However, one of the major challenges over the years was the inability to secure the substantial financial resources needed for the project. DT Clinton Flanigan became the key figure who persuaded Augustus Belmont to undertake the construction of the canal. Before Belmont’s involvement, nearly ten major companies had attempted to dig the canal without success.
Construction Begins
August Belmont Jr., a financier from New York, took charge of the project alongside his lead engineer, William Barclay Parsons. The ceremonial first shovel was lifted on June 22, 1909, in Bourne. Belmont’s company worked for five years to construct the waterway, utilizing a total of 26 dredges. However, numerous large boulders along the path presented significant challenges. These massive boulders, some weighing close to 20 tons, required dynamite to break apart, which slowed progress considerably.
Steam Shovels and Bridges
In dry sections, steam shovels were employed, and narrow-gauge railroad tracks were set up to remove excavated material. Belmont’s company also constructed three bridges: the Railroad Bridge, the Bourne Bridge, and the Sagamore Drawbridge, to reconnect the Cape after it became an island.
The Opening of the Canal
By April 1914, only one dam, called Foley’s Dyke, separated the waters of Buzzard’s Bay from Cape Cod Bay. Belmont famously blended bottles of water from both bays before the last sluiceway was opened. Foley’s Dyke was removed on July 4, 1914. The roar of water pouring through could reportedly be heard for miles. On July 29, 1914, the Cape Cod Canal officially opened as a privately operated toll waterway, just 17 days before the Panama Canal.
Financial and Operational Issues
Despite the canal’s impressive engineering, it faced several issues. Belmont’s canal was only 100 feet wide and struggled to maintain its intended depth of 25 feet due to erosion and silting. The narrow openings under movable bridges also caused frequent conflicts between vessels and vehicles. In addition, the approach channel in Buzzard Bay required boats to navigate a series of turns, adding to the challenges.
Federal Government Intervention
In 1927, Belmont sold the canal to the federal government for $1.5 million. In 1928, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers took over the canal’s improvement and operation. Minor dredging occurred in the early 1930s, and plans were made to build better bridges. The National Recovery Act of 1933 provided $4.6 million for constructing three new bridges and other improvements.
Modernization and Legacy
The Sagamore Bridge and Bourne Bridge opened to traffic on June 22, 1935. Each bridge featured a 616-foot main span with a vertical clearance of 135 feet above high water. Later that year, a vertical lift railroad bridge with a 544-foot horizontal span also opened. These improvements transformed the canal into the efficient and vital waterway envisioned by Belmont.
