The Hands That Dug

Behind every canal lies the story of those who dug it. The grand canals required massive labor forces—tens of thousands of workers moving earth with shovels and wheelbarrows. These armies of laborers came from everywhere: peasants fleeing rural poverty, soldiers between wars, prisoners condemned to hard labor, and increasingly, workers from France's colonies.

The construction camps were melting pots of languages, cultures, and grievances. Workers from different regions and nations lived in close quarters, sharing techniques and traditions. Many stayed after construction, establishing communities along the waterways they had created.

In the archives of the Canal du Rhône au Rhin, researchers have found pay records showing workers from over twenty nations. "My great-great-grandfather came from Poland to dig this canal," says Marie Kowalski, who still lives near the waterway in Mulhouse. "He planned to return home rich. Instead, he fell in love with a local woman and stayed. How many French families have similar stories? The canals mixed populations like water mixes when streams meet."

The conditions were brutal. Workers died from accidents, disease, and exhaustion. Near major construction sites, small cemeteries hold the remains of workers far from their homelands. Recent efforts to document these burial grounds reveal the international nature of canal construction—Muslim burial practices, Jewish headstones, Christian crosses of various traditions.