In 1786, the South Carolina General Assembly chartered a company to construct and maintain an inland canal linking the Cooper River near Charleston, with the Santee River. The Santee River connects to the Congaree River and the City of Columbia. Construction started in 1793, directed by Engineer Col. John Christian Senf. It opened in 1800.
It was 22 miles (35 km) long. It had two double locks and eight single locks. Its width was 35 feet (11 m) at the water's surface and 20 feet (6.1 m) at the bottom. Its depth was 4 feet (1.2 m).
Due to sparse traffic, poor construction, and droughts, the canal was not a financial success. The construction of railroads sealed its fate. It lost its state charter in 1853. It was not used after 1865. Much of it was covered eventually by the reservoir Lake Moultrie.[4][5]
^Wylie, Suzanne Pickens; David Chamberlain (December 28, 1981). "Santee Canal"(PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
^Edgar, Walter, ed. (2006). The South Carolina Encyclopedia. University of South Carolina Press. p. 838. ISBN1-57003-598-9.
^"Old Santee Canal Park". Retrieved 8 December 2016. Today, most of the Santee Canal lies beneath Lake Moultrie, but visible portions remain where boats entered from the Santee River and at Biggin Creek, where it joined the headwaters of the Cooper River.
