The following is a brief chronology:
1758 James Brindley surveys line of Trent & Mersey canal
1774 Survey of possible route from T&M to Cauldon Lowe lime quarries
1776 Caldon Canal Act passed; construction commences on canal to Froghall and "railed way" to Cauldon Lowe
1777 Trent & Mersey Canal main line opens
1778 Caldon Canal opens
1797 Acts passed enabling Rudyard reservoir, branch to Leek and the Uttoxeter Canal
1801 Leek Arm opens and Rudyard Lake operational
1811 Uttoxeter canal opens
1841 Hazlehurst New Locks and Aqueduct constructed; original triple staircase abandoned
1847 Ownership of canal transfers to North Staffordshire Railway Company (NSRC)
1849 Uttoxeter Canal closed; NSR railway begins construction, blocking parts of the canal
1853 Extraction of ironstone commences in Churnet Valley
1866 Branch canal constructed from Foxley Bridge to Ford Green Ironworks
1905 Interchange wharf built at Endon
1920 Major Cauldon Lowe limestone contract cancelled
1923 Ownership of canal transfers to London, Midland & Scottish Railway
1944 Leek Arm abandoned
1948 Railways nationalised; British Transport Commission take on canals
1951 Commercial traffic on Caldon Canal largely ceases
1957 Leek UDC buy and fill in canal between Churnet Aqueduct and Leek Basin
1961 Caldon Canal Closure Notice appears at Etruria
1963 Campaign against closure; Caldon Canal Committee formed
1967 Milton Maid begins operation, carrying pottery wares between three sites in Hanley and Milton, for Johnson Brothers Pottery
1968 Caldon Canal & Leek Arm become "Remainder Waterways" under Transport Act
1972 Agreement between volunteers, local authorities and British Waterways to restore Caldon Canal
1973 Milton Queen begins operation for Johnson Brothers
1974 Caldon Canal officially reopened to navigation on 28th September
1978 Milton Princess begins operation for Johnson Brothers
1983 British Waterways upgrade Caldon Canal & Leek Arm to "Cruising Waterway" status
1990 Carrying by the three "Milton" boats ends as Johnson's factory closes
1994 Caldon Canal Conservation Area defined
2003 Destination Froghall project begins, improving headroom in the tunnel and creating an improved terminus for the canal.
2005 First lock and basin of the Uttoxeter Canal, at Froghall, reopen
2009 Breach on Leek Arm, just beyond the tunnel, in November
2010 Breach repaired and canal reopens in July
2012 Caldon Canal Conservation Area updated and expanded