In the 1820s, American entrepreneurs, engineers, and politicians dared to dream big. They believed they could cut a canal, not through Panama, but through the wild, rain-soaked terrain of Nicaragua. Their goal? To link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and transform global trade forever.
But what inspired these ambitious “canal dreamers?” And why did they believe Nicaragua held the key to controlling the future of commerce?
Join the Ben Franklin’s World podcast for an exploration of the canal that almost changed the world and how it drew inspiration from New York’s Erie Canal. You can listen to the podcast here.
Ben Franklin’s World is an award-winning podcast. It’s for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our world. Each episode features an interview with a historian who shares their unique insights into our early American past.
Read more about the history of canals.
Illustrations, from above: A map showing various attempts to build a canal across Nicaragua (Wikipedia); and a detail from “Plano Ideal,” a 1823 map visualizing the canal dreams of leaders in Granada, Nicaragua. Several hand-drawn copies of this idealized canal route circulated in Guatemala, Washington, DC, and London.
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