Part of a series of articles titled Lowell, Story of an Industrial City.
Article
Lowell, Story of an Industrial City: Lowell's Canal System
![Canal_System_in_Lowell,_Massachusetts_(evolution) Historical evolution of the canals of Lowell, by Howland and Chrisney. HAER, collections of Library of Congress, public domain](/articles/images/Canal_System_in_Lowell-_Massachusetts_-evolution.jpg?maxwidth=1300&autorotate=false)
Drawing by Mark M. Howland and Margy Chrisney, Historic American Engineering Record. From the collections of the Library of Congress, Public Domain (http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ma0543.sheet.00002a/)
In 1847 the construction of the Northern Canal increased waterpower generation by the canal system by 50 percent. By mid-century the canal system we see in Lowell today was in place. Including almost 6 miles of canals and operating on two levels, this system powered 10 major mill complexes employing more than 10,000 workers.
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From: Dublin, Thomas. 1992. Lowell: the story of an industrial city: a guide to Lowell National Historical Park and Lowell Heritage State Park, Lowell, Massachusetts. Washington, D.C.: Division of Publications, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Last updated: June 15, 2018