Great Falls Park, VA is located toward the end of the C&O canal. The C&O Canal began as a dream of passage to Western wealth. Operating for nearly 100 years the canal was a lifeline for communities along the Potomac River as coal, lumber, and agricultural products floated down the waterway to market. George Washington partially funded a canal with lock gates to safely bypass the falls. The building of this canal is one of the first known examples of using blasting powder for engineering purposes anywhere in the world.