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Montague Power Canal, Turners Falls, Mass
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The origins of the canal go back to 1798 when it opened as a short navigational canal with 9 locks to bypass Turners Falls, opening up the higher reaches of the Connecticut River to trade. The development of the railway system from the 1840s killed trade on the canal, which ceased operation by 1856.
At this stage a local businessman conceived the idea of harnessing the substantial flow of the river to provide power for various industries, in the hope that the river valley would become a major industrial centre. The original canal was completely rebuilt, with a larger dam at the head of the falls, and a number of firms were attracted to build mills between the canal and the river. The main industry was paper-making, based on the abundance of timber in the area, but the expansion never occurred to the extent hoped for.
From the 1880s onwards, use was also made of the canal for electricity generation, and this is now the primary function of the canal.
This view is from the head of the canal, and a number of the older factories can be seen on the right bank of the canal. The fall to the Connecticut River itself, which lies to their right, is approximately 15 metres, ample for the application of water power. The turbulence of the water in the canal is due to the fact that it has already passed through a turbine house at the dam level; at the bottom end of the canal is a further generating plant with a substantially greater head.
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