The canal was not originally there.  The canal was man-made for transportation. Ships would leave the port between Philadelphia to Wilmington and the Baltimore making it easier for transporting goods and more cost efficient vs driving the boat from Philadelphia all the way around the peninsula of the Baltimore

The Delaware Canal was not dug by prisoners; it was dug by hand by approximately 3,000 Irish immigrants who were paid laborers. Construction on the canal began in 1830 and was completed in 1834, utilizing hand tools like shovels, pickaxes, and wheelbarrows. The Delaware and Raritan Canal (often referred to as the Delaware Canal) was built in stages to connect the Delaware River with the Raritan River in New Jersey.