In 1889 the governor of Georgia sold the entirety of the Okefenokee swamp to a group of wealthy investors and former Confederate officers. They named this investment group The Suwannee Canal Company with the goal to drain the swamp to facilitate logging and produce farmland.
They began construction in 1891 mand dug the canal 11.5 miles into the swamp over the course of 3 years. Bad weather, poor engineering and an inconsistent workforce caused the construction to come to a halt in 1984, when the company ran out of money due to being significantly over budget. The company switched gears and began logging the portion of the swamp they had gained access to. This enterprise also quickly became a liability due to the challenges of transporting logging equipment in a swamp. Many attempts to log the Okefenokee continued for over 30 years until 1927 when logging was banned in the swamp. Fortunately none of these attempts were successful in clearing more than the outskirts of the swamp.
Nowadays the canal is mainly used by kayakers and other recreational boaters exploring the swamp. It is home to many species of fish and water birds as well as a significant alligator population.
Sources and further reading:
NPS History: http://npshistory.com/brochures/nwr/okefenokee-canal-diggers-trail-1978.pdf
Jackson’s Folley. (Trowell, 1984): https://www.jstor.org/stable/4004808