As settlers moved into the old Northwest Territory after 1800, transportation routes became an important priority. Indiana's brief experience with canal building began with the 
passage of the Mammoth Internal Improvements Act of 1836. Whitewater Canal was one of several projects started by this act.
The canal started in Lawrenceburg and originally ended at Cambridge City, on the Old National Road. Hagerstown merchants financed an extension to their town, making the canal 76 miles in length. The state of Ohio also built a 25-mile spur linking Cincinnati to the canal. Along the canal, 56 locks were built to accommodate a fall of nearly 500 feet.
When the state went bankrupt in the 1840's, the canal was completed by private enterprise. After the canal transportation era ended, the canal was used as a source of water power for many grist mills. The Metamora Grist Mill is an example. It is still in operation, producing meal and flour, much as it has for more than 100 years.
The state of Indiana assumed management of a 14-mile section of the canal in 1946 and today operates a horse-drawn canal boat and 
the grist mill. Visitors can step back in time while taking a leisurely 25-minute cruise on the Ben Franklin III. Along the route they pass the Duck Creek Aqueduct, a covered bridge that carries the canal 16 feet over Duck Creek. It is believed to be the only structure of its kind in the nation.