While the idea of building a canal between Cape Cod and what is now mainland Massachusetts dates back to the early American colonial period, a workable plan didn’t come to fruition until the early 20th century. Construction on the Cape Cod Canal began on June 22, 1909 and was fully completed in 1916. It opened on a limited basis on July 29, 1914, but was immediately plagued with issues concerning cost and accessibility.

This week’s photo is dated April 21, 1914 and was published in The New York Times the next day. It shows August Belmont, Jr., president of the Boston, Cape Cod & New York Canal Company, and other dignitaries at Foley’s Dock/Dike, Massachusetts. From the Times article of April 22:

BUZZARD’S BAY, Mass., April 21. – In the presence of August Belmont, President of the Cape Cod Canal Construction Company, and other dignitaries, the sluiceway in Foley’s Dike, connecting Cape Cod Bay and Buzzard’s Bay, was opened this morning, and the water rushed through and intermingled in one continuous waterway.

Click on the image below for a much larger version.

(image from the George Grantham Bain Collection at the Library of Congress)

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