The Canalway Trail: Jordan/Jordan Aqueduct and Summit

The Canalway Trail: Jordan/Jordan Aqueduct and Summit. . , Welcome to the Canalway Trail System offering hundreds of miles of scenic trails and numerous parks for walking, bicycling, cross-country skiing and other recreational activities. The Canalway Trail parallels the New York State Canal System, comprised of four historic waterways: the Erie, the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca Canals. The Canal System spans 524 miles across New York State, linking the Hudson River with Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes, the Niagara River and Lake Erie., Cooperative initiatives between the New York State Canal Corporation, volunteers, local governments, and federal and state agencies have created this great network of trails for public use., Enjoying the Canalway Trail: Safety Tips , The Canalway Trail is intended to accommodate a variety of users. It is important to extend courtesy to all trail users and respect their rights. In order to avoid conflicts, trail protocol dictates that bicyclists should yield the right-of-way to all trail users and walkers should yield to equestrians. In addition, please observe the following tips for safe trail use. , . Stay to the right except when passing. , . Pass slower traffic on the left; yield to oncoming traffic when passing. , . Give a clear warning signal before passing. , . Keep pets on a short leash. , . As a courtesy to trail neighbors, refrain from loitering near homes. , . Do not litter, Carry out what you carry in. , . When stopped, move over to let others pass. , . Use extreme caution when wet or during snow/ice conditions. , Hours of Operation: The Trail is Open from Dawn to Dusk , To Report an Emergency call 911 , For More Information about the Canalway Trail or the NYS Canal System , Please Call: 1-800-4 Canals 4 or Visit Us Online at: www.canals.state.ny.us, Jordan's Aqueduct and Summit , Less than a century ago, what is now a park was the busy Erie Canal-Jordan's principal artery of commerce. The stone aqueduct standing nearby was the mule towpath, and canal barges floated in an adjacent seven-foot deep wooden trough (now gone) that was supported by large stone piers., Within a decade after opening in 1825, the Erie Canal was obsolete-in dire need of a larger channel. At Jordan, enlarging the canal was complicated by the fact that the land west of town and east of Camillus sloped downhill. This summit, difficult to keep supplied with water, required locks to bring barges up to its level. The problem was partially remedied when the entire summit was lowered by eleven feet. But the Depression of 1842 and the "Stop and Tax” law ended construction. The Jordan section was left unfinished. It was only completed in 1845 by masquerading the last work as a repair., Photo Captions: , - A Schillner map (c. 1896) showing the Enlarged Canal and the Jordan Aqueduct crossing Skaneateles Creek. , - View of Jordan showing the Enlarged Canal about 1900., She's a Good Old Worker and a Good Old Pal , If people around the nation and state know anything about the Erie Canal it is through the song "Low Bridge, Everybody Down,” but better known as "Fifteen Years on the Eric Canal.” Written in 1913, it describes a world about to vanish with the completion of the tugboat-powered NYS Barge Canal., Mules were used as tow animals rather than horses because they were smarter, more physically stable, obedient and even-tempered, and canallers really did care for them, even building stables for them in the boats. , In a story related by the canal boatman and author, Richard Garrity, an old mule once fell into the canal from a rock cut towpath seven feet above the canal. There were animal escape holes (actually ramps) provided along the canal where the towpath was too high for an easy escape from the water. He said "good riddance” to himself, but the animal soon surfaced, climbed up to the towpath, and resumed his place in line!, Middle Bottom Photo: Teams of three mules were used to pull a canal barge usually during a six-hour shift. The driver, also called a hoggee is shown with his team. The hoggee fed and groomed the animals and earned upwards of two dollars a month for his labors., Right Bottom Photo:Mules were prized for their stability, intelligence, and their tendency not to overheat. As valuable animals, they were well cared for and often stabled on board, in their own quarters.