Conceived at the peak of the canal-building era, the Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal was part of Michigan's internal improvements program announced in 1837 and was intended to make it possible to cross southern Michigan by boat from Lake St. Clair to Lake Michigan. Construction began at Mt. Clemens on July 20, 1838, amid much fanfare, but hard times soon made it difficult to sell bonds to finance the canal. When excavation reached this point in 1843, the money ran out and all work ceased. With the coming of railroads, support for the canal vanished, and the completed part was little used.