To complete the I and M Canal, workers needed to cut through this stone outcropping. Not an easy thing to do with only hand tools and black powder. In later years, the railroad paralleled the canal, so a tunnel was carved through the rock about 100 feet from the canal itself. Much later, the modern railroad cut more of the outcropping to run new tracks between the tunnel and the canal.
On the opposite side of the towpath, Split Rock used to be a stop along the railroad. Another track ran on top of the outcropping, and a bridge spanned the canal. A pavilion was built on top of Split Rock as a place for recreation. The foundation and stairs to this structure can still be seen today if you climb up to the top.
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