Columbia Canal – Columbia, South Carolina

Chad Bowers of Columbia took this shot of the Columbia Canal spillway at the Riverfront Park in downtown Columbia.

He writes: “This picture shows the spillway of the canal that runs beside the Broad River. I noticed it on my way home from 12th street and had to go take a picture!”

The Columbia Canal was built in 1824 by Irish immigrants to allow river traffic to bypass the rapids where the Saluda and Broad join to form the Congaree River. It was part of a plan by the State of South Carolina to provide a direct water route between the Upstate and Midlands. By the 1840s, the advent of railroads made the canal obsolete. By 1888, the Columbia Canal was converted to provide hydroelectric power to the Columbia Mill (now the SC State Museum). It still operates today and provides electricity to Columbia’s residents.