Mile: 164.82, 12-Aug-98
Potomac Forks. To the left is the South Branch of the Potomac; to the right, the North Branch. If the North Branch (shorter than the South Branch, but which carries more water) had not been accepted as the true source of the Potomac, all the area between the two rivers would be part of Maryland, not West Virginia. The canal company originally planned to build Dam. No. 7 here, but discarded the idea in favor of a steam pump.