The Erie Canal was one of the most important transportation routes in the early history of the United States. It played a key role in both the Industrial Revolution and the Westward Expansion of the country.
Barges on the Erie Canal by the Detroit Publishing Company
How long is it?
The original Erie Canal ran about 363 miles from the city of Albany, New York (on the Hudson River) to the city of Buffalo, New York (on Lake Erie). In 1918, it was expanded and became part of the 525 mile long New York State Barge Canal.
When was it built?
Construction began on the Erie Canal on July 4, 1817 in Rome, New York. It was completed eight years later on October 26, 1825 at a cost of around $7 million.
Getting the Canal Built
Building such a long canal was a huge undertaking in the early 1800s. While some people thought the canal was a good idea, other people were against it. They thought it would cost too much money to build and wouldn't be worth it. For many years, DeWitt Clinton, the mayor of New York, fought to get the canal built. When the canal was finally approved, many people nicknamed it "Clinton's Ditch."
At first, building the canal was slow. It took a long time to clear a path through the forests of New York and there weren't enough workers available. However, as new immigrants arrived from Ireland to work on the canal and workers learned how to clear a path more quickly, the construction sped up. When the canal was completed in 1825, it was one of the great engineering feats of the time.
The canal formed an inexpensive way to transport goods and people between the Midwest of the United States and East Coast. It shortened the travel time for immigrants moving to the Midwest. It also increased commerce in New York and helped to make New York City the center of commerce in the United States. It enabled raw materials to be shipped from the center of the country to the factories in the Northeast and also allowed manufactured goods to be shipped to the growing Midwest.
The Erie Canal Today
By the late-1800s canals were overtaken by railroads as the most important form of transportation. However, the Erie Canal is still used today by recreational watercraft. It has been enlarged several times to accommodate larger boats and became part of the New York State Canal System in 1918.
Interesting Facts about the Erie Canal
The original canal included 83 locks and rose 583 feet from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. Today, the canal has 36 locks.
There was a towpath along the side of the canal where horses or mules would tow the boat along the canal. The horse drivers were called "hoggees."
The original canal was 4 feet deep and 40 feet wide.
The peak traffic year for the canal was 1855.
People generally traveled the Erie canal on small boats called "packet boats." These boats were typically 60-80 feet long and around 14 feet wide. They would carry up to 60 passengers.
The bridges over the canal were often low. Drivers would yell "bridge!" in order to warn passengers standing on top of the boat to duck.
