 An attempt was made in 1820 by James Hopkins to dig a canal to bypass the Conewago Falls, already bypassed in 1797 by the Conewago Canal in York County on the opposite side of the river.However, the Hopkins Canal was poorly laid out and not useful for navigation.He was then authorized by the legislature to build a canal along the Conestoga River to Lancaster to connect that city with the Susquehanna, but abandoned it after building one lock.