The Enfield Falls Canal in Windsor Locks Connecticut is the first in geographical order of the six navigational canals of the Connecticut River that you meet as you go from south to north on the river. It is however the last one of the six built. It was started in June of 1827. It was completed in November 1829 and lasted until the 1970s. It is 5.25 miles in length and had four locks to lift it 30 feet. It was 70 feet wide and thus large ships could pass through. The Connecticut River Banking Company (Hartford) was founded in 1825 in order to finance the canal.
A power canal would replace the navigational canal and would have many mills between it and the Connecticut River. The New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad would also pass through being just to the west of the canal. When the bike path was put in it would NOT pass over these rail lines. It would rather be placed over the former tow path. TRAIL MAP of the bike path.
Sanborn map 1885 map A – map B
Sanborn map 1892 map A – map B
Sanborn map 1897 map A – map B