Until planning this trip, I had never heard of either the town of Gallitzin PA or of the Allegheny Portage Railroad and the national park for it. So, towards my goal of visiting 100 national parks, I came here since it was only slightly out of my way. This park makes #76 to visit.

Glad I watched the 20 minute film because that gave me an understanding of the site. An elderly guy was pretending that he had written a book about his days of working as a teen and adult on the digging of the canals (portage) through the mountains to allow boats to cross the mountains. He also helped dig the 900 foot long tunnel under the mountains. It lasted about 20 years and was an economic success that helped with a boom. But the locomotive steam engine made the canals obsolete in the 1850's.