Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a canal in New York State. It runs for 365 miles from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. It connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The State authorized it in 1808, and it was built between 1818 and 1825. It was the first route between the eastern coast of the United States and the Great Lakes. The Canal caused a burst of population in western New York. It also helped New York City become a large port. Today, the Canal is part of the New York State Canal System.
Erie Canal Media
The Mohawk Valley, running east and west, cuts a natural path between the Catskill Mountains to the south and the Adirondack Mountains to the north.
Erie Canal map c. 1840
Governor DeWitt Clinton, champion of the canal
Profile of the original canal
Aqueduct over the Mohawk River at Rexford, one of 32 navigable aqueducts on the Erie Canal
Stonework of lock abandoned because of route change, at Durhamville, New York
An original five-step lock structure crossing the Niagara Escarpment at Lockport, now without gates and used as a cascade for excess water
Keg poured in the "Wedding of the Waters"
1853 map of New York canals
Aqueduct over Nine Mile Creek north of Camillus, New York, built in 1841 and abandoned c. 1918; one of 32 navigable aqueducts on the Erie Canal, it has since been restored.
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