in buying some. Besides gravel, they shipped steel and coal for the International Harvester Company (Yeater 12). Traffic on the canal was never heavy, and critics complained that it was obsolete when it was constructed and that it was too small and only fit for the early days of canaling. One local man stated, “It was a source of frustration and ultimately a failure”. Many have said if the canal had been constructed in the 1830s, 1840s, 1850s or even the 1860s, as it was originally suggested, the canal would have had greater economic potential. The canal was intended to connect the Upper Mississippi River Valley with the Atlantic Ocean; however, it did not (Yeater 12). However, the canal did give farmers relief from railroad prices (Builder Tells Early Days of Canal). In 1948, there was no reported traffic (Bastian 142). From the frustration came anger. This anger was, as many people would say, coming from the bad deterioration that the canal was suffering. It would cost $12,000,000 to make the canal bigger and deeper and make the locks larger (Yeater 12). Consequently, on April 7, 1948, the Corps of Engineers issued a “navigation notice” that put the canal on a limited service basis. All the chaos led to the suspension of all lock operations and non-essential maintenance in 1951 (Yeater 12). Legislators in Washington, D.C. and in Springfield were getting innumerable letters and petitions from Illinois citizens and conservationists. These groups organized campaigns with “Save the Canal” as their theme. The legislators of Illinois began to plan to take over the canal for recreation use. On August 1, 1970, full ownership was given to the state of Illinois to use the waterway as a place for recreations under the jurisdiction of the Department of Conservation. Bud Stigall stated that in 1970, it would cost 22 million dollars to get the canal in shape. Today the canal is used for recreational purposes. A trail along the canal allows people to walk, jog, or bike down the canal, and has been recently paved its entire length. During the winter months, the trail is heavily used for snowmobiling. Fishing is also popular; however, swimming is prohibited. From its inception in 1834 to its closure in 1951, the canal served as both a waterway and a place for recreation. Notes References Hennepin Canal Feeder. 125th Birthday Jubilee 1867–1992, Historic Keepsake Edition of Rock