It’s been 114 years since construction began on the Cape Cod Canal. The project’s success put an end to almost three centuries of failed plans and false starts. The idea of a canal that would eliminate the lengthy and dangerous trip around Cape Cod had been around since the 1620s. Routes from Narragansett Bay to Boston Harbor, Hyannis Harbor to Barnstable Harbor, and a passage along the Eastham-Orleans town line had all been proposed over the years, but it was a plan to use Bass River as the centerpiece for a canal that caught the attention of Dennis and Yarmouth residents.

While the notion of a canal at Bass River was not unheard of in Yarmouth in the 1800s, Thomas H. Bacon’s 1887 petition to construct a canal came as somewhat of a surprise. According to the Yarmouth Register, Bacon had spent forty years in the shipping business, and was familiar with the waters around Cape Cod.

The route was to start at Bass River and continue north to Follin’s Pond, then cut west through a number of small ponds before meeting White’s Brook to connect to Cape Cod Bay. The northern exit of the canal would be near Bass Hole, which was more navigable in the 1800s than it is today. It was stated that the project would require only two miles of excavation, compared to about seven miles at the Buzzards Bay route, and could be completed within two years.

Convincing Cape Codders of the necessity of the project was another challenge. Bacon’s argument was largely based on the position of Bass River within a ship’s normal route. “It gives them the option of keeping on their course at least 30 miles farther than if they decided to use the other canal [proposed canal through Buzzard’s Bay] before deciding whether or not to round the Cape” Bacon stated in an interview. He continued, “The average captain, of course, prefers to round the Cape and thus save tolls; and the fact is that many who have decided to make the passage have been obliged to turn back, owing to bad weather, and anchor at Bass River.” Bacon also claimed that the northern exit of a canal through Bass River would provide a stronger wind for proceeding to Boston.

Although the idea of building a canal had been around since the Pilgrims arrived, proposals were often met with harsh criticism. When Massachusetts Governor Nathaniel Banks mentioned the possibility of a canal from Buzzards Bay to Cape Cod Bay in 1860, one letter to the Barnstable Patriot read, “It never can be done, would be worth nothing if it were done, and never will be done.” The Patriot proposed “The Republican Run” and “The Great Glorification Guzzle” as possible names for the canal.

However, the end of the Civil War and the successful completion of the Suez Canal brought a more favorable attitude towards canal proposals. In 1869 an article in the Yarmouth Register read, “An ample canal in full operation across the Cape would doubtless work a wonderful change in the course of our coastwise commerce.” Public sentiment wavered as decades passed without activity, but by the time the Committee on Harbors was examining Thomas Bacon’s petition to incorporate the Bass River Canal Company, a number of local figures came out in support. Local captains were especially interested in the proposal, lending testimonies on behalf of the Bass River site.

The Bass River Bridge in the late 1800s, which had a drawbridge.

Capt. Elbridge Crowell of Yarmouth noted that there was more safe anchorage near the mouth of the Bass River than there was in Buzzards Bay. Others noted that the cost of a canal at Bass River could be significantly less than at Buzzards Bay. Capt. William Brown of South Yarmouth stated that ice was not as much of a problem in Nantucket Sound as it was in Buzzards Bay, and Capt. Ezra Kelley of West Dennis said the exit point of the canal into Cape Cod Bay would provide for a more direct route to Boston.

Yet, as with every canal proposal, there were serious objections. Edwin E. Baker was particularly critical of Capt. Kelley’s statements about the trip to Boston. “I fail to see it,” Baker balked, “… it being 14 miles in one instance and 20 ½ in the other.”

Despite the enthusiastic discussions on the topic of a Bass River Canal, the matter was over for Thomas Bacon within months of the hearings. In April of 1891 Senator John Simpkins reported a “leave to withdraw” on Bacon’s petition to incorporate the Bass River Canal Company. There was another attempt in 1892 to incorporate a Bass River Canal Company, and in 1895 a charter was given to the Massachusetts Ship Canal Company. However, this venture again made no progress. While proposals continued into the first decade of the twentieth century, the idea faded as the Sandwich-Bourne route became a reality.

For the next several decades, the plan for a canal at Bass River remained no more than an interesting footnote in the history of Yarmouth. After opening in 1914, the Cape Cod Canal met the needs of mariners looking for a route that avoided the shoals surrounding Cape Cod.

A steam shovel working on the Cape Cod Canal.

However, the idea came up again in the 1960s when the Yarmouth Planning Board began to form a master plan for what Yarmouth would look like in the future. The report issued by the Planning Board stated that a canal at Bass River would be smaller, and serve pleasure crafts rather than commercial vessels. The Board claimed that a canal would increase land values and bring more business to area resorts. The proposed canal would follow a similar route to the one proposed eighty years earlier.

In 1966, Yarmouth residents passed a motion for “surveys, plans and reports with estimates of cost of a proposed Bass River Canal.” While the town seemed to at least entertain the idea of Bass River Canal, other aspects of the Planning Board’s master plan did not capture the public’s imagination. Issues over traffic circulation plans and development projects led to widespread criticism of the Yarmouth Planning Board and a number of board members resigned in 1967, effectively ending all discussion of the Bass River Canal Project.

During the late nineteenth century a canal at Bass River was seen as a way to bring industry to Yarmouth and Dennis. The idea of shipyards, sugar refineries, and cotton factories supporting the local economy was reason enough for area residents to support such a proposal.

Had the proposal moved forward, Dennis and Yarmouth would look very different than they do today. The region would have lost many of the natural resources that draw visitors every summer. The economy, infrastructure, and identity of the area would be forever altered, removing much of what makes Dennis and Yarmouth so unique.

Researched and written by Paul Wackrow