erie canal

     

The Erie Canal is a canal in New York state from the Huson River to Lake Erie, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. First proposed in 1699, it was built from 1817 to 1825. The Erie Canal was the first transportation route between the eastern seaboard (New York City) and the western interior (Buffalo) of the United States that was faster than carts pulled by draft animals, and cut transport costs by about 95%. The Canal resulted in a massive population surge in western New York state, opened regions further west to increased settlement, and was a prime factor in the rise of New York City as the chief port of the U.S. It was expanded in 1834 to 1862. In 1918 the original Canal was replaced by the larger New York State Barge Canal. Today it is part of the New York State Canal System, and is mainly used by recreational watercraft.

Trivia about erie canal

  • Writing in the 1820s, Lafayette's secretary called it a "great channel of communication, executed in eight years"
  • On Oct. 26, 1825 the Seneca Chief left Buffalo on this waterway & became the first boat to travel its entire length
  • This 363-mile waterway opened on October 26, 1825
  • This 363-mile canal runs from Buffalo to Albany
  • The longest of the 4 canals in the New York State Barge Canal System
  • Completed in 1825, this New York waterway cost more than $7 million to build
  • Its construction began in 1817 near Rome, New York
  • Ground was broken for this waterway on July 4, 1817 at Rome, New York
  • It created an all-water link from NYC to the Great Lakes & opened up the settlement of the Great Lakes area
  • Construction & maintenance costs of this New York waterway were defrayed by tolls until 1882
  • After this waterway opened in 1825, freight rates between Buffalo & NYC were cut by more than 90%
  • N.Y. governor De Witt Clinton was considered the "father" of this massive project that opened Oct. 26, 1825
  • The importance of the Mohawk Trail in New York was diminished after this waterway opened in 1825
  • Governor De Witt Clinton broke ground for the building of this waterway July 4, 1817
  • Rochester, New York grew because of its location on this
  • Opened in 1825 to connect New York City & the Great Lakes, it's now used mainly for pleasure boating
  • One reason for building this waterway was to transport salt from deposits in Syracuse to the coast
  • With loans from British investors, this 363-mile-long U.S. project was built from 1817 to 1825
  • You can ride a horse-drawn boat along a restored section of this waterway
  • Opened in 1825, it was known as the "ditch that salt built" because its main cargo was salt from Syracuse, N.Y.
  • In 1825 the Seneca Chief became the first boat to traverse the length of this canal, reaching NYC on Nov. 4
  • The Mohawk Trail became less important after this waterway was completed in 1825
  • In 1811 De Witt Clinton went to Washington to try to get funds for this "ditch"
  • Benjamin Wright, & not a mule named Sal, was chief engineer for the construction of this waterway from 1817 to 1825
  • Built between 1817 & 1825, it was 363 miles long 40 feet wide on top & 4 feet deep

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