Figure 1: Qianwen Tu, The Savannah-Ogeechee Canal, 2018.

Figure 2: Qianwen Tu, The Savannah-Ogeechee Canal Historical Marker, 2018.

Figure 3: Qianwen Tu, The model of a lock of the canal, 2018.

Figure 4: Library of Congress, Savannah & Ogeechee Barge Canal, Between Ogeechee & Savannah Rivers, Savannah, Chatham County, GA. 1968, print, https://www.loc.gov/item/ga0912/.

Figure 5: Meta, Lance E., ed. Canal History and Technology Proceeding. Easton, Pennsylvania: Canal History and Technology Press, 1955, print.

Figure 6: Qianwen Tu, The exhibit in the Savannah-Ogeechee Canal Museum, 2018.

Figure 7: Qianwen Tu, The room for watching the documentary about Savannah-Ogeechee Canal, 2018.

Figure 8: Qianwen Tu, artistic interpretation of the canal and its builders, with Chinese influence, 2018.

Figure 9: Qianwen Tu, artistic interpretation of the canal created in collaboration with Susie King Taylor School fourth grade student Alexis, 2018.

As a native of China new to Savannah and studying Illustration at SCAD, I wanted to research the agricultural, environmental, and industrial history of the region to inform my artistic illustrations of place. My multi-layered illustration of the canal is an artistic interpretation of the site and its history, honoring the laborers who constructed the canal and paying homage to my own Chinese cultural and aesthetic background mixed with visions of the American South (figure 8).

“Arena & Canal District,” Savannah. https://www.savannahga.gov/1673/Arena-Canal-District.

Canal Connection, Savannah-Ogeechee Canal Society Newsletter, April 2018.

“DeWitt Clinton,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeWitt_Clinton.

Gates, Frederick B. “Canals,” New Georgia Encyclopedia, January 20, 2014. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/canals.

Hardy, Le and Julius Caesar. Yellow Fever: its history, causes, nature, pathology and treatment. Atlanta: J.P. Harrison, 1878.

Meta, Lance E., ed. Canal History and Technology Proceeding. Easton, Pennsylvania: Canal History and Technology Press, 1955.

Savannah-Ogeechee Canal. Savannah-Ogeechee Canal Society, 2010. DVD.

“Savannah-Ogeechee Canal,” Georgia Historical Society. http://georgiahistory.com/ghmi_marker_updated/savannah-ogeechee-canal/.

“Savannah. Wednesday Evening, March 31.,” Daily Savannah Republican, March 31, 1830. http://savnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/savnewspapers-j2k/view?docId=bookreader/svr/svr1830/svr1830-0302.mets.xml#page/n0/mode/1up.

SOCanalMuseum. “Savannah-Ogeechee Canal Museum and Nature Center,” 2000. http://www.socanalmuseum.com.

“The Handiest Man: Amos Scudder,” Freeman’s Rag, April 7, 2017. https://www.freemansrag.com/historical-ruminations/the-handiest-man-amos-scudder.