Oakland - Portage in Livingston County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

The Genesee Valley Canal

Photographed by Bruce Kelly, June 11, 2021

1. The Genesee Valley Canal Marker

Inscription. The Genesee Valley Canal was built to provide transportation through the Genesee Valley from the Erie Canal in the north to the Allegheny River in the south. This was consistent with Governor DeWitt Clinton's vision to connect New York City with the Western Frontier. Construction of the canal began in 1837, and within three years the canal was in operation from Rochester south to Mt. Morris. A "sidecut" branched off from the main canal at Mount Morris and ran to Dansville. Because of a financial crisis, the state stopped work on all canals from 1842 to 1847. When construction resumed, the canal was extended south, reaching Olean in 1856 and the Allegheny River in the fall of 1861. The Genesee Valley Canal was one of several "lateral" canals that branched off the successful Erie Canal, which was completed in 1825. The Genesee Valley Canal never made enough money to pay for its maintenance. The canal was abandoned in 1878 having been overtaken by the more efficient railroads. Nevertheless, the canal encouraged the development of the communities along its course.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

lists: Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1837.

Location. 42° 34.709′ N, 77° 58.299′ W. Marker is in Oakland - Portage, New York, in Livingston County. It can be reached from the intersection of New York State Route 436 and Oakland Road. Marker is located on the Canal Trail branch from the Genesee Valley Greenway Trail, just into Letchworth State Park at Oakland, NY. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Nunda NY 14517, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York,

specifically in Western New York,

in the Finger Lakes,

and in the Rochester Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

New Netherland,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies:

Close-up of 1844 newspaper announcement image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bruce Kelly, June 11, 2021

2. Close-up of 1844 newspaper announcement

From Daniel Fink's Barns of the Genesee Country, 1790 - 1915, 1987.

Deep Cut (approx. 0.6 miles away); 17 Locks (approx. 1.2 miles away); Nunda Soldiers' Monument (approx. 1.4 miles away); Oakwood Cemetery (approx. 1½ miles away); "Nunda Valley" (approx. 1½ miles away); Lock 42 (approx. 1.6 miles away); Kish-A-Wa (approx. 1.8 miles away); School Site (approx. 1.9 miles away).

Close-up of NY State canal system map on marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bruce Kelly, June 11, 2021

3. Close-up of NY State canal system map on marker

Close-up of canal photo on marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bruce Kelly, June 11, 2021

4. Close-up of canal photo on marker

Close-up of map on marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bruce Kelly, June 11, 2021

5. Close-up of map on marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 13, 2021, by Bruce Kelly of Perry, New York. This page has been viewed 1,128 times since then and 63 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 13, 2021, by Bruce Kelly of Perry, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.