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The portage from Canal to River at Shepherdstown, WV.
A picture from one of the many canoe trips made by the Shawnee Canoe club, the three members are traversing the slope from the towpath to the river below. In the background is the Railroad Bridge.
Mile 72.6
Boating and canoeing were always popular in the river, the canal, and streams around Cumberland… Much boating and canoeing was done in the C&O Canal. On July 4, 1914, at a water meet between the Potomac Club and the Loyal Order of Moose, a canoe race was part of the program. It was a two man race and was won by Henderson and Smith. Second were Diament and Hooper; third, Shaffer and Powell. The newspaper of the day stated that these gentlemen "skimmed along the water's surface with the dexterity of an Indian moose hunter."
An exclusive club, called the Shawnee Canoe Club, was organized April 24, 1896. Their headquarters were located at a boathouse on a lot fronting 220 feet on Water Street and extending to the Potomac River at the south end of Riverside Park. The building was two stories and had a dance hall, kitchen, two bathrooms, and had racks to store the members' canoes. The club was organized by the late Robert Shriver, who was president of the First National Bank. The club was disbanded in 1927. The reason given was the pressure of everyday business by the members and the increased use of automobiles. from Cumberland Maryland, through the eyes of Herman J. Miller