Villages On The Erie Canal Of New York State USA

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  Bobi 9:05 pm on August 31, 2010 Permalink  

  The Erie Canal of New York State 

  Follow the links below to see all that is available through the NYS Travel Authority:

  ALSO, SEE THE VILLAGE LINKS TO THE RIGHT:

  ERIE CANAL HISTORY -

  Opened in 1825, the Erie Canal was the engineering marvel of the 19th Century. When the planning for what many derided as “Clinton’s Folly” began, there was not a single school of engineering in the United States.  With the exception of a few places where black powder was The impact on the rest of the State can be seen by looking at a modern map.  With the exception of Binghamton and Elmira, every major city in New York falls along the trade route established by the Erie Canal, from New York City to Albany, through Schenectady, Utica and Syracuse, to Rochester and Buffalo.  Nearly 80% of upstate New York’s population lives within a 25 miles of the Erie Canal.

  The Erie Canal’s success was part of a Canal-building boom in New York in the 1820s. Between 1823 and 1828, several lateral Canals opened including the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca.

  Between 1835 and the turn of the century, this network of Canals was enlarged twice to accommodate heavier traffic.  Between 1905 and 1918, the Canals were enlarged again. This time, in order to accommodate much larger barges, the engineers decided to abandon much of the original man-made channel and use new techniques to “Canalize” the rivers that the canal had been constructed to avoid the Mohawk, Oswego, Seneca, Clyde and Oneida Lake.  A uniform channel was dredged; dams were built to create long, navigable pools, and locks were built adjacent to the dams to allow the barges to pass from one pool to the next.  When it opened in 1918, the whole system was renamed the New York State Barge Canal.

  With growing competition from railroads and highways, and the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959, commercial traffic on the Canal System declined dramatically in the latter part of the 20th century.

  Today, the waterway network has been renamed again.  As the New York State Canal System, it is enjoying a rebirth as a recreational and historic resource. The Erie Canal played an integral role in the transformation of New York City into the nation’s leading port, a national identity that continues to be reflected in many songs, legends and artwork today.

  In 2001, designated as the nation’s 23rd National Heritage Corridor, the New York State Canal System joined the ranks of America’s most treasured historical resources.  Comprised of four Canals, the Canal System is historically significant for the many contributions it has made to establish New York State as an international center of commerce and finance.

  For more information about the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, please visit their website, http://www.eriecanalway.gov.