Examination and Survey of Passaic River, New Jersey

Improving the navigability of New Jersey’s Passaic River at the turn of the century.

This fascinating report was published in 1900 as part of a Congressional volume about the activities of the Corps of Engineers. It captures the ongoing work to survey, maintain, and improve the Passaic River, an important waterway in northern New Jersey that empties into Newark Bay. Primary efforts focused on deepening and extending the shipping channel, allowing for larger vessels to traverse the area, which was becoming increasingly industrialized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Copies of correspondence, summaries of projects, and cost estimates are accompanied by three large fold-out sheets.