Historic Erie Boulevard

Historic Erie Boulevard. . The Erie Canal , At the beginning of the 19th century, New Yorkers, led by Governor De Witt Clinton, had the vision and conviction to build the Erie Canal, a 363-mile long waterway connecting the Hudson River at Albany with Lake Erie at Buffalo. Opened in 1825, the Erie Canal provided the first all-water link between the Atlantic seaboard and the Great Lakes. It quickly became the most successful and influential canal in North America. More than just a historic feat of engineering, the Erie Canal opened the interior of the continent, providing a safe and reliable route for west-bound migrants and manufactured goods and east-bound products of forests, farms, and mines. Connecting places, people, and ideas, it strengthened the union and fostered social and reform movements,, Celebrated in art, literature, story, and song, it helped establish an American identity, both here and abroad. Although its success sparked a canal building boom throughout the eastern US and Canada, the Erie Canal remained preeminent. It made New York the Empire State and confirmed New York City's status as the young nation’s most prosperous and vibrant seaport. Enlarged several times during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Erie Canal continues in service today, along with the connecting Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Operated by the New York State Canal Corporation, the system is now actively used for boating and fishing as well as hiking and cycling along the cross-state Canalway Trail. , Congressional designation of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor recognizes the significance of the Erie Canal to our nation's history. The future of this national treasure will be to serve once again as a key destination and source of revitalization to the over 200 canal communities within the Heritage Corridor. , -The National Park Service, Here in Schenectady, the Canal ran along the center of what is now Erie Boulevard, driving the growth of the City and establishing it as place of commerce, manufacturing, and industry., [photos:] , - Travelers on the Kittie West, an excursion boat that passengers between Schenectady, Rexford, and Vischer Ferry., - Looking down the canal from State Street., - Ice skating on the canal looking towards State Street, - The Canal being filled around 1920 (140 Erie is on the right)