Wading River canal ?

[turtle]

Hi everyone....
I paddled up-river from Chips Folly to Beaver Branch this week. I came upon a canal that I had seen previously from land, but never from "sea". On topos the canal is across from Charcoal Landing. I believe the road closest to the canal (west of its end and inland) is the Old Tuckerton Stage Rd. "southern route". Does anyone have knowledge of the use of the canal? Would it have been dug for irrigation of the cranberry bogs surrounding it? Would it have been used for transporting material from land-down the canal-across river to Harrisville/Martha? I will be waiting to hear from you all on this question. Meantime, here are a few photos of the paddle....

Canal looking west

Canal looking east towards the Wading

Perfect colors of the pines

Love the stump!

Good day to be on the river as opposed to the oppressive humidity of land. Disappointed to see two jet skis come up close to Beaver.....(very unnecessary since the river is more like a "crik" up that way) Otherwise there wasn't a soul in sight! Thanks everyone.....

turtle

 

[GermanG]

Did you paddle all the way to the end of the canal? If it’s the one I paddled up years ago, there is a pumping station, similar to the one on the Oswego, at the end. I assumed it served a similar purpose, supplying water to cranberry bogs, although I didn’t explore very far inland.

 

[turtle]

I didn't paddle to the end. I was on this trip by myself and thought it best to save it for when I had company with me. The canal is deep at high tide. Like I mentioned in post 1, I have been to the canal on land...but it's been a few years. I will make the trip back before the season is over. I have just been looking over the maps on this site and have realized that the canal does not appear on the 1930 map, which rules out the Harrisville/Martha question I posed. I was wondering if there was a bridge or a crossing point up there. I love the lazy winding ways of this river.....I will never tire of making the trip!
Thanks,

turtle

 

[Oriental]

The canal was apparently built shortly after Joe Palmer took over the cranberry bogs from George Gossler in 1940 (Gossler was his wife's uncle). It was said to be 1300 feet long and was built sometime before 1946. Palmer built a block pump house at the end of the canal that feeds the upper end of bogs there.

There was apparently at least one other (primary) connection to these bogs from the Wading River (downstream from the canal). The river water was apparently let in and out by a kind of flood gate that reversed with the tides as they rose and fell.

The bogs are private property and known now as the Wading River Cranberry Company.

Rich