Suwanee Canal
Encyclopedia
The Suwanee Canal was an attempt to drain
large portions of the Okefenokee Swamp
in Georgia
via a canal
.
In 1889, the Georgia General Assembly
authorized the Governor
to sell the land containing the Okefenokee Swamp to the highest bidder.
The highest bidder was a group of capitalist
s and former Confederate
officers who offered 26.5 cents per acre for the property. The group was granted a charter as The Suwanee Canal Company in 1890. In January 1891, the new company paid $63,101.80 for 238120 acres (963.6 km²). The company intended to drain the swamp in order to facilitate logging
and eventual crop cultivation.
Work on the drainage ditch from the swamp to the St. Marys River began on September 20, 1891. Captain Henry Jackson, the president of the company, and his crews spent three years digging the Suwanee Canal 11.5 miles (18.5 km) into the swamp. Work was slow due to various problems. The sides of the drainage ditch collapsed because of poor engineering design and bad weather. Leased convict labor, large steam shovel
s, and finally gold miners from north Georgia using large water hoses were unable to dig the ditch deep enough through an area known as Trail Ridge to drain the swamp.
In 1894, the company built a large sawmill
at Camp Cornelia and constructed a railroad from Folkston, Georgia
to the mill. The company was one of the first cypress companies in the nation to use industrial logging equipment. A steamboat was used to haul rafts of cypress logs along the canal to the sawmill at Camp Cornelia. Over 7000000 feet (2,133,600 m) of lumber were produced and almost 20 miles (32.2 km) of canals were dredged.
The company had hoped to raise enough money from the lumber to continue the drainage project, but found it impossible to produce the lumber profitably. The market was flooded with lumber, and they could not sell the lumber that was produced at a high enough price. The high cost of freight for lumber that could not be sold began to drain the company's assets. The company borrowed money, but eventually exhausted their funds. The drainage effort was abandoned in October 1894.
On December 13, 1895, Captain Jackson died following an operation for appendicitis
. His father, General Henry R. Jackson
, was elected president in December 1895. He loaned more money to the company. The company survived until 1897, when Jackson ceased lending money to the company.
The company was placed into receivership in June 1897. The receiver, Joel Hurt, also attempted to operate the company, but found the business to be as unprofitable as before.
Economic recessions led to the company's bankruptcy. In 1899, the property of The Suwanee Canal Company was sold to members of the Jackson family as part of the "Jackson Trust." In 1901, the property was sold by the Jackson Trust to Charles Hebard, a prominent lumberman of Philadelphia and the Hebard Lumber Company of Lowndes County, Georgia
.
Logging operations, focusing on cypress, began in 1909 after a railroad was constructed into the west edge of the swamp. Over 431 million board feet (1,000,000 m³) of timber, much of it old-growth cypress, had been removed from the Okefenokee by 1927 when logging operations ceased.
The Suwannee Canal survives as a principal waterway into the swamp, and is enjoyed by thousands of visitors each year.
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
large portions of the Okefenokee Swamp
Okefenokee Swamp
The Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 438,000 acre , peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia–Florida border in the United States. A majority of the swamp is in Georgia and protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Okefenokee Wilderness. The Okefenokee Swamp is considered to be...
in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
via a canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
.
In 1889, the Georgia General Assembly
Georgia General Assembly
The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, being composed of the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate....
authorized the Governor
John Brown Gordon
John Brown Gordon was one of Robert E. Lee's most trusted Confederate generals during the American Civil War. After the war, he was a strong opponent of Reconstruction and is thought by some to have been the titular leader of the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia during the late 1860s. A member of the...
to sell the land containing the Okefenokee Swamp to the highest bidder.
The highest bidder was a group of capitalist
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
s and former Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
officers who offered 26.5 cents per acre for the property. The group was granted a charter as The Suwanee Canal Company in 1890. In January 1891, the new company paid $63,101.80 for 238120 acres (963.6 km²). The company intended to drain the swamp in order to facilitate logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
and eventual crop cultivation.
Work on the drainage ditch from the swamp to the St. Marys River began on September 20, 1891. Captain Henry Jackson, the president of the company, and his crews spent three years digging the Suwanee Canal 11.5 miles (18.5 km) into the swamp. Work was slow due to various problems. The sides of the drainage ditch collapsed because of poor engineering design and bad weather. Leased convict labor, large steam shovel
Steam shovel
A steam shovel is a large steam-powered excavating machine designed for lifting and moving material such as rock and soil. It is the earliest type of power shovel or excavator. They played a major role in public works in the 19th and early 20th century, being key to the construction of railroads...
s, and finally gold miners from north Georgia using large water hoses were unable to dig the ditch deep enough through an area known as Trail Ridge to drain the swamp.
In 1894, the company built a large sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
at Camp Cornelia and constructed a railroad from Folkston, Georgia
Folkston, Georgia
Folkston is a city in and the county seat of Charlton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,178 at the 2000 census.-History:...
to the mill. The company was one of the first cypress companies in the nation to use industrial logging equipment. A steamboat was used to haul rafts of cypress logs along the canal to the sawmill at Camp Cornelia. Over 7000000 feet (2,133,600 m) of lumber were produced and almost 20 miles (32.2 km) of canals were dredged.
The company had hoped to raise enough money from the lumber to continue the drainage project, but found it impossible to produce the lumber profitably. The market was flooded with lumber, and they could not sell the lumber that was produced at a high enough price. The high cost of freight for lumber that could not be sold began to drain the company's assets. The company borrowed money, but eventually exhausted their funds. The drainage effort was abandoned in October 1894.
On December 13, 1895, Captain Jackson died following an operation for appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
. His father, General Henry R. Jackson
Henry R. Jackson
Henry Rootes Jackson was a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, was elected president in December 1895. He loaned more money to the company. The company survived until 1897, when Jackson ceased lending money to the company.
The company was placed into receivership in June 1897. The receiver, Joel Hurt, also attempted to operate the company, but found the business to be as unprofitable as before.
Economic recessions led to the company's bankruptcy. In 1899, the property of The Suwanee Canal Company was sold to members of the Jackson family as part of the "Jackson Trust." In 1901, the property was sold by the Jackson Trust to Charles Hebard, a prominent lumberman of Philadelphia and the Hebard Lumber Company of Lowndes County, Georgia
Lowndes County, Georgia
Lowndes County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia along the Florida border. It was created December 23, 1825. The 2010 Census showed a population of 109,233...
.
Logging operations, focusing on cypress, began in 1909 after a railroad was constructed into the west edge of the swamp. Over 431 million board feet (1,000,000 m³) of timber, much of it old-growth cypress, had been removed from the Okefenokee by 1927 when logging operations ceased.
The Suwannee Canal survives as a principal waterway into the swamp, and is enjoyed by thousands of visitors each year.
See also
- List of canals in the United States
- Okefenokee National Wildlife RefugeOkefenokee National Wildlife RefugeThe Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a 402,000 acre National Wildlife Refuge located in Charlton, Ware, and Clinch Counties of Georgia, and Baker County in Florida, United States. The refuge is administered from offices in Folkston, Georgia. The refuge was established in 1937 to protect...
- Okefenokee SwampOkefenokee SwampThe Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 438,000 acre , peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia–Florida border in the United States. A majority of the swamp is in Georgia and protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Okefenokee Wilderness. The Okefenokee Swamp is considered to be...