The Whitewater Canal was one of several projects begun by the Indiana Improvement Act of 1836 to improve transportation and develop commerce statewide. Built to link southeastern and central Indiana, it was completed in 1847 and extended 68 miles from Lawrenceburg to Cambridge City, with an eight-mile extension north to Hagerstown and a 25-mile extension to Cincinnati. Although canal traffic flourished for several years, the project proved a financial disaster for Indiana, as construction of the 56 locks and seven feeder dams required to maintain the canal cost over one million dollars. The advent and development of the railroad during the early 1860s brought about the demise of the Whitewater Canal and Indiana's canal era. In 1946, Indiana began reclaiming and restoring a 14-mile section of the original canal.