U. S. Army, Corps of Engineers Histories covering Canals & Navigations

One of the great sources of information on historic canals and navigations are the histories of engineering districts published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This began as a  bicentennial project in the early 1970's, but additional updates and more focused histories have been added. Many of these histories can be purchased through used book stores and on line through the used book sections of Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. However, in listings, similar titles may not be entered quite accurately, resulting in confusion. A listing of some of the titles follows:

Buffalo District

Drescxher, Nula McGann, Ph.D.; Engineers for the Public Good: A History of the Buffalo District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Buffalo District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers  (Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York) (Buffalo Harbor, Black Rock Lock, St. Lawrence Seaway)

Chicago District

Larson, John W.; Those Army Engineers: A History of the Chicago District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; 1979

Louisville District

Johnson, Leland R.; The Falls City Engineers: A History of the Louisville District, Corps of Engineers, United States Army; Louisville District, Corps of Engineers, 1975

Johnson, Leland R.; The Falls City Engineers: A History of the Louisville District, Corps of Engineers, United States Army, 1970 -1983;  Louisville District, Corps of Engineers, 1984 (This is an update on the above book and contains an Appendix on the Kentucky River.) (See the ebooks page about the Appendix.)

Johnson, Leland R. & Parrish, Charles E.; Kentucky River Development: The Commonwealth's Waterway;  U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, 1999 (The title listed is that on the cover. This book is also titled on the title page and other interior pages "Engineering the Kentucky River: The Commonwealth's Waterway") (See the ebooks page about this book.)

Johnson, Leland R. & Parrish, Charles E.; Triumph at the Falls: The Louisville and Portland Canal;  Louisville District, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2007 (This book is currently in print from the Louisville District.)

Nashville District

Subduing the Cumberland: A History of the "Old" Locks and Dams on the Cumberland River; (This is an unpublished manuscript available on the Nashville District web site - see ebooks page)

New Orleans District

Cowdrey, Albert E., Land's End  A History of the of the New Orleans District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and its Life Long Battle with the Lower Mississippi and other Rivers Wending their Way to the Sea, 1975 (see ebooks page)

Rock Island District

Tweet, Roald; A History of the Rock Island District, Corps of Engineers, 1866 - 1975; U. S. Army Engineer District, Rock Island; Rock Island, Illinois, 1975 (Upper Mississippi River & Hennepin Canal)

St. Louis District

Dobney, Fredrick J.; River Engineers on the Middle Mississippi, A History of the St. Louis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army Engineer District, St. Louis, MO, 1977 (Middle Mississippi River, Kaskaskia River)

St. Paul District

Merritt, Raymond H.; Creativity, Conflict & Controversy, A History of the St. Paul District, Corps of Engineers, U. S Army Engineer District, St. Paul; St. Paul, MN, 1979

Catton, Theodore and Matthew C. Godfrey. Steward of Headwaters: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, 1975-2000. St. Paul, Minnesota: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District, 2004.

Revised 12/1/07