original_query: What is the significance of the Potomac River in the transportation of freight?
query: What is the significance of the Potomac River in the transportation of freight?
answer: The Potomac River's significance in freight transportation is primarily historical.  The Patowmack Canal (1785-1830) and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (1831-1924) were built along its banks to transport freight around rapids like Great Falls, facilitating trade between the Tidewater region and Cumberland, Maryland.  