C&O Canal construction began in 1828 but did not reach Williamsport until 1833, when a cholera epidemic took the lives of 33 people. The canal and aqueduct were completed there the following year. In 1850, the first canal boat arrived in Williamsport from Cumberland loaded with coal. The Western Maryland Railroad reached Williamsport in 1873, creating a clash of transportation modes. To accommodate both rail and canal traffic, the Western Maryland Railway Lift Bridge was built just south of Cushwa Basin in 1923 to raise the tracks for passing canal boats, and that same year the last canal boat passed through Williamsport. Williamsport is the only place on the canal where multiple major canal structures can be viewed within a half-mile stretch, including Conococheague Creek Aqueduct, Cushwa Basin, Cushwa Coach and Brick Warehouse, Trolley Barn, Western Maryland Railway Lift Bridge, Iron 'Bollman' Bridge, Lock 44, and the Lockhouse.