Wyoming Division Canal
Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Built by the State of Pennsylvania, 1831-34, this canal opened the Wyoming Valley's anthracite field to the mid-Atlantic coal trade. Along with the railroads, it ultimately enabled this valley to become the world's largest anthracite coal producer. Part of the North Branch Canal, the line ran 17 miles from West Nanticoke to Pittston; a public boat basin was on this site. The Wyoming Division closed in 1882.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Built by the state between 1831 and 1834 as part of the North Branch Canal, the Wyoming Division ran seventeen miles from West Nanticoke to Pittston and opened the Wyoming Valley's rich anthracite beds to the coal markets of the mid-Atlantic. A public boat basin once stood on this spot. Together with the railroads that followed, the canal helped make the valley the world's leading anthracite producer before the line closed in 1882.
Why it matters
Canals like this one were the arteries of early industrial America, and this waterway turned northeastern Pennsylvania's coal into the fuel that powered the nation's growth.
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