A manmade waterway in upstate New York, the Erie Canal helps connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes. The canal runs between Albany, where it connects to the Hudson River, and Buffalo, where it feeds into Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal greatly improved transportation between the East Coast and the nation's interior. The waterway played a major role in the settlement of the United States.

Background

In 1817 New York Governor DeWitt Clinton appealed to state lawmakers to approve a project to build an east-west canal across the state. Construction on what his opponents labeled “Clinton's Ditch” began later that year. It was a tremendous undertaking. The waterway's 363 miles (584 kilometers) from Albany to Buffalo were dug by man- and horsepower. To adjust for changes in elevation, or land levels, 83 locks were built near Troy. In several places rock had to be blasted to clear the way.

On October 25, 1825, a barge called the Seneca Chief was the first boat to make the trip through the Erie Canal. The waterway measured 40 feet (12 meters) wide and 4 feet (1.2 meters) deep—neither wide nor deep enough to allow boats to sail through it. Instead, light barges were pulled through by teams of horses or mules. Goods could be shipped from New York City to the Great Lakes in eight days, a fraction of the time it took before the canal was built.

Impact

Traffic along the Erie Canal soon bustled. Boats traveling west carried passengers headed for Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois—allowing the nation's interior to be settled and farmed. Once established, farmers shipped their produce eastward along the canal, for distribution in the thriving cities along the Atlantic seaboard. Manufacturers in eastern cities shipped their finished goods westward to markets in the Great Lakes region. Each boat paid a toll, or fee, to travel the canal. Within ten years the Erie Canal paid for itself and began making money for the state of New York.

As the nation's railroad system developed, the canal became less important, but it continued to be used. Enlarged several times, in 1918 the Erie Canal became the chief link in the New York State Canal System. Still in operation, it is now used mostly for pleasure boating.