Santee Canal {Marker #2}

Front: This canal, twenty-two miles in length, connects the Santee and Cooper Rivers. It was chartered by act of March 22, 1786, with capital of £100,000 sterling. Construction began in 1793 and the canal was completed by 1800, under the direction of Col. John Christian Senf, a native of Sweden, as Chief Engineer. The canal was in operation until about 1850. Reverse: The Santee Canal was opened to traffic from the Santee River to the Cooper River in 1800. It was 22 miles long, 20 feet wide at the bottom and 35 feet wide at the surface. It was 5 ½ feet deep, carrying 4 feet of water, and was capable of carrying boats with loads of up to 22 tons. The canal ceased operations about 1850.