This woodcut of a barge leaving the Santee Canal tide-lock is on display at the Old Santee Canal State Park. In 1988, the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA) did a study of the Old Santee Canal Sanctuary under the auspices of the Santee Cooper Public Service Authority and the Department of Parks,
The Santee Canal began at White Oak Bluff on the Santee River. Henry Mouzon, the original surveyor, had determined the river was normally 270 feet wide and 18-20 feet deep at this point. Col. John Christian Senf, the engineer, designed the canal to be 35 feet wide at the surface, 32 feet wide at the