Wyoming Division Canal Redoubt Basin
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MapLady
N 41° 15.028 W 075° 52.807
18T E 426261 N 4566935
This marker is located where the Redoubt Basin of the Wyoming Division Canal was located which was used to load and unload boats using the canal.
Waymark Code: WM4V5
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 12/12/2005
Views: 39
The Wyoming Division Canal was part of the North Branch Canal. It was build between 1831 and 1834 and dedicated in 1834. The section of the North Branch Canal down river of Wilkes-Barre was completed in 1831 from Northumberland to West Nanticoke on the west side of the river. This allowed goods from Wilkes-Barre to be shipped not only to Baltimore, but also to and from Philadelphia via the North Banch, Union and Schuylkill canals.
In order to ship anthacite coal to New York, a canal up river was needed. Much controversy existed about which side of the river to build the Wyoming Division. The east side was chosen primarily because Wilkes-Barre was on the east side, so shipping goods to and from Wilkes-Barre would be easier. The canal needed a good source of input water, and the up river Lackawanna River on the east side would be the best choice. The east side would facilitate an easy transfer to the Delaware and Hudson canal in the Lackawanna area.
Boats coming up or down river used a rope ferry above West Nanticoke to cross the river from the North Branch to the Wyoming Division Canal which started near Solomon Creek. The canal ran to near Back St (now Pennsylvania Ave), along that street, then cut back towards the river between Union and Bennetts Streets.
At the location of the historical marker, Redoubt Basin was built to enable boats to dock so cargo could be loaded and unloaded for Wilkes-Barre. The basin was 850 feet long and 175 feet wide. From there the canal ran to Pittston along the river, with the towpath located between the river and the canal.
The Wyoming Division closed in 1882. Prior to the railroads, canals were the only way anthracite coal could be shipped out of the region. These canals paved the way to the rise of the region as the largest producer of anthracite coal in the world.
While some of the information above is on the historic marker, most of it came from F. Charles Petrillo's book, Anthracite and Slackwater: The North Branch Canal 1828-1901, published in 1986 by the Center for Canal History and Technology. Information can also be found on the ExplorePaHistory website found below.
Marker Name: Wyoming Division Canal
County: Luzerne
Date Dedicated: 08/20/1994
Marker Type: Roadside
Location: Near courthouse, on N. River St, Wilkes-Barre
Category: Transportation, Canals, Navigation
Website: [Web Link]
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