 When the Point Pleasant Canal was dug in 1926, the Manasquan river's water rapidly flowed through the man-made opening disrupting the natural flow of the river, and this caused the inlet to completely close with sand for several years.The inlet's closure was so complete that it was possible to walk from Manasquan to Point Pleasant beach on dry ground.From 1926 to 1931 several efforts were made to reopen the inlet, including the use of high pressure water by the National Guard and local firemen to erode a narrow channel through the sand.