Where was the Erie Canal first built?
Built between 1817 and 1825, the original Erie Canal traversed 363 miles from Albany to Buffalo. It was the longest artificial waterway and the greatest public works project in North America. The canal put New York on the map as the Empire State—the leader in population, industry, and economic strength.
What are facts about the Erie Canal?
Interesting Facts about the Erie Canal
- The original canal included 83 locks and rose 583 feet from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. ...
- There was a towpath along the side of the canal where horses or mules would tow the boat along the canal. ...
- The original canal was 4 feet deep and 40 feet wide.
- The peak traffic year for the canal was 1855.
Where did the name Erie Canal come from?
The Erie tribe (from whom the lake takes its name) lived along the southern edge, while the Neutrals (also known as Attawandaron) lived along the northern shore. The tribal name "erie" is a shortened form of the Iroquoian word erielhonan, meaning "long tail". The name may also come from the word eri, meaning "cherry tree".
What was the original route of the Erie Canal?
The original canal was 363 miles (584 km) long, from Albany on the Hudson to Buffalo on Lake Erie. The channel was cut 40 feet (12 m) wide and 4 feet (1.2 m) deep, with removed soil piled on the downhill side to form a walkway known as a towpath. Its construction, through limestone and mountains, proved a daunting task.
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What is the path of the Erie Canal?
The Erie Canal is a 363-mile waterway that connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River in upstate New York. The channel, which traverses New York state from Albany to Buffalo on Lake Erie, was considered an engineering marvel when it first opened in 1825.
Where did construction of the Erie Canal begin?
Rome, New YorkConstruction of the original canal started on July 4, 1817, in Rome, New York, and was completed on October 26, 1825. The canal was built largely with raw manpower provided by Irishmen using primitive tools with very little compensation for their hard work.
What regions did the Erie Canal connect?
What two regions did the Erie Canal connect? Answer - B - The Erie Canal connected the West to the Northeast. Key Takeaway: The Erie Canal was built in 1817-1825 and stretched from Albany to Buffalo, therefore connecting New York City (and thereby, the world) to the Midwest via the Great Lakes.
When did they start digging the Erie Canal?
1817Construction began in 1817 and was completed in 1825.
What two bodies of water did the Erie Canal connect?
The NYS Canal System includes:Erie Canal, which connects the Hudson River with Lake Erie, 338 miles to the west;Champlain Canal, which connects the tidal portion of the Hudson River with Lake Champlain, 63 miles to the north;More items...
Where did the Erie Canal start and stop?
Erie CanalStart pointHudson River near Albany, New York (42.7834°N 73.6767°W)End pointNiagara River near Buffalo, New York (43.0237°N 78.8901°W)Branch(es)Oswego Canal, Cayuga–Seneca CanalBranch ofNew York State Canal System17 more rows
Where does the Ohio Erie Canal start and end?
It connected Akron with the Cuyahoga River near its outlet on Lake Erie in Cleveland, and a few years later, with the Ohio River near Portsmouth....Ohio and Erie CanalStart pointCleveland, Ohio on the lake ErieEnd pointPortsmouth, OhioOhio and Erie Canal Historic District22 more rows
Where is the Ohio and Erie Canal located?
ClevelandThe OHIO AND ERIE CANAL, connecting Lake Erie at Cleveland with the Ohio River at Portsmouth, was constructed by the State of Ohio between 1825-32 to provide cheap transportation and to promote the state's economic development.
Who proposed construction of the Erie Canal?
In 1800, however, Gouverneur Morris, the former Minister to France, foresaw the creation of a canal linking the Hudson River with Lake Erie. Such a canal was formally proposed in 1807–08 by Jesse Hawley, a merchant from western New York who was in prison at the time because he was unable to pay his debts.
What city was most changed by the Erie Canal?
New York CityThe Erie Canal transformed New York City into America's commercial capital.
What is the Erie Canal?
See Article History. Erie Canal, historic waterway of the United States, connecting the Great Lakes with New York City via the Hudson River at Albany. Taking advantage of the Mohawk River gap in the Appalachian Mountains, the Erie Canal, 363 miles (584 km) long, was the first canal in the United States to connect western waterways with ...
Where was the Erie Canal dug?
Erie Canal, Lockport, New York. Work was undertaken by multiple contractors who agreed to dig small sections of the canal. Each contractor was then responsible for supplying equipment and for hiring, supervising, and paying his own workers. Using horses and manpower, the canal was dug across the state.
What was the success of the Erie Canal?
Its success propelled New York City into a major commercial centre and encouraged canal construction throughout the United States. In addition, construction of the canal served as a training ground for many of the engineers who built other American canals and railroads in the ensuing decades. Erie Canal Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
How wide is the Erie Canal?
With a typical canal prism shape—12 metres (40 feet) wide on the top, 8.5 metres (28 feet) wide at the bottom, and 1.2 metres (4 feet) deep—the engineers patterned the Erie Canal after the Middlesex Canal in Massachusetts. The Erie required 83 locks, each made of stone, to move boats up and down the natural elevations.
How many locks were there in the Niagara Escarpment?
On the western side, the challenge was the Niagara Escarpment, a 23-metre (75-foot) rock ridge. Canal engineer Nathan B. Roberts designed a series of 10 locks, five levels with 2 locks side-by-side, to carry boats over this barrier.
When was the Niagara Escarpment built?
With nature presenting more daunting obstacles on both the western and eastern sections, construction began in the middle segment on July 4, 1817, with Clinton officiating the groundbreaking at Rome, New York. On the western side, the challenge was the Niagara Escarpment, a 23-metre (75-foot) rock ridge.
Who was the commissioner of the Western Canal?
Meanwhile, a new canal project had been gaining momentum. In particular, DeWitt Clinton had promoted the idea of a western canal as early as 1811 while serving in the New York state senate. He won preliminary legislative approval in 1816 and was named commissioner for the project.
When did the Erie Canal start?
Clinton saw his plan come to fruition in 1817 after he became the governor of New York. Workers first broke ground on the Erie Canal on July 4, 1817, near Utica, New York.
How long is the Erie Canal?
Contents. The Erie Canal is a 363-mile waterway that connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River in upstate New York. The channel, which traverses New York state from Albany to Buffalo on Lake Erie, was considered an engineering marvel when it first opened in 1825.
What was the impact of the Erie Canal?
Erie Canal’s Economic Impacts. The Erie Canal opened on October 26, 1825. A fleet of boats, led by Governor Dewitt Clinton aboard the Seneca Chief sailed from Buffalo to New York City in record time—just ten days. The canal transformed New York City into the commercial capital it remains today.
What was the effect of the Erie Canal on Native Americans?
The building of the Erie Canal and subsequent population explosion along its route accelerated the dispossession—or removal— of Native Americans in western New York and the Upper Midwest. The Erie Canal traversed the ancestral homelands of several groups, including the Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca.
Why was the Erie Canal enlarged?
The Erie Canal was enlarged twice to fit wider and deeper boats. Some parts were rerouted to make way for more ship traffic in 1918. Portions of the original canal are still operable, though tourism is now the main source of boat traffic along the Erie Canal.
What was the only formal engineering program in North America at the time the Erie Canal was built?
Project engineers had little experience building canals. The military academy at West Point in New York offered the only formal engineering program in North America at the time the Erie Canal was built.
Why was the Erie Canal important?
Financing of the Erie Canal’s construction allowed the city to eclipse Philadelphia as the country’s most important banking center. The Erie Canal also provided an economic boost to the entire United States by allowing the transport of goods at one-tenth the previous cost in less than half the previous time.
