The Erie Canal in Canajoharie

The Erie Canal in Canajoharie. . , Side 1 , , The Erie Canal in Canajoharie , Canajoharie Creek's potholes inspired the town's name In Mohawk, canajoharie means "the pot that washes itself." The word refers to the deep potholes in the streambed, eroded by swirling rocks., Canajoharie's location, where the creek joins the Mohawk River, made this spot a transportation hub where farmers brought their produce to ship to larger markets., The Erie Canal, built in the 1820s, helped Canajoharie become a thriving industrial center Beech-Nut Packing Company was founded here in 1891. During the 1930's Beech-Nut started packaging its famous line of mashed baby food made from local produce, [Captions:] , The Erie Canal and Mohawk River originally had separate channels. That changed starting in 1915. Canal boats now travel on the river. The Thruway was built on top of the old canal in 1954. The railroad bed, shown in the foreground of this postcard view, now carries the cross-state Erie Canalway trail., Beech-Nut Packing Company built factories beside the Erie Canal starting in the 1890s. In the foreground of this view, you can see water spilling from an aqueduct that once carried the canal over Canajoharie Creek., Today, the view from the corner Church and Main Streets looks very much as it did when this postcard was printed in 1910., The Erie Canal originally ran through the center of Canajoharie. Mules, walking on the towpath on the left side of this postcard view, are passing the site of today's Canajoharie Library and Arkell Museum., Side 2: , Erie Canal , The Erie Canal is North America's most successful and enduring man-made waterway. Opened in 1825, it connected the Atlantic Ocean to the upper Great Lakes. The canal runs more than 350 miles east-west between the Hudson River near Albany and Lake Erie at Buffalo. Along the way, locks raise and lower the boats more than 570 feet., The canal open the interior of North American and transformed New York into the Empire State. Settlers and immigrants pressed westward on the Erie Canal, giving rise to cities and new industries in New York and the Midwest. Products of farms and factories moved east to markets along the Atlantic., Enlarged over the years to accommodate larger boats, the Erie Canal still operates as an active and historic waterway for all to enjoy., The Canal System , You can travel the Erie Canal by boat, bike, or on foot across New York State. The Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego, and Champlain Canals branch off to form a network of inland waterways connecting the Great Lakes, Finger Lakes, Lake Champlain, and Canadian waters., [Insets:] , Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor , Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor preserves our extraordinary canal heritage, promotes tourism and recreation, and fosters vibrant communities connected by New York's canal system., New York State Canal Corporation , The New York State Canal Corporation operates all four branches of canal system. It manages 524 miles of waterways, 57 lift locks, scores of historic structures, and a cross-state trail along the Erie Canal